tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post5183046343688690196..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: NOBODIESBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-62196848214179106832017-06-01T14:30:12.502-07:002017-06-01T14:30:12.502-07:00Good pointsGood pointsMyleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07139984409445302062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-31181097322171289852017-06-01T09:53:35.613-07:002017-06-01T09:53:35.613-07:00Glad to help. I enjoy that show a lot, too. Glad to help. I enjoy that show a lot, too. Ralph C.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12488657064245017543noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69069412424817989942017-06-01T06:40:27.925-07:002017-06-01T06:40:27.925-07:00Thank you for that fact, Ralph! The male lead is t...Thank you for that fact, Ralph! The male lead is the all time good guy. He also has, in my opinion, a striking resemblance to Ken.Mike Barerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14447874605833321732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-75132292006494874422017-06-01T05:54:19.457-07:002017-06-01T05:54:19.457-07:00Rob, Buddy and Sally working together doesn't ...Rob, Buddy and Sally working together doesn't necessarily violate the rule of no three-member TV comedy-writer writing teams. Rob was employed separately by the Brady Lady corporation, while Buddy and Sally worked for a separate company that manufactured Martin & Lewis coloring books.<br /><br />Kosmo13noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-11178252058077445572017-06-01T02:27:12.891-07:002017-06-01T02:27:12.891-07:00The male lead in "Love" is actually an o...The male lead in "Love" is actually an on-set tutor/teacher for the young actress. He was that on her TV show set and when she was on the movie set. He did help write an episode of the fictional TV show and had a chance to write on a movie. Ralph C.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12488657064245017543noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45148798471206433902017-05-31T19:51:41.005-07:002017-05-31T19:51:41.005-07:00The show simply title LOVE on netflix is about a T...The show simply title LOVE on netflix is about a TV writer. He is always throwing away career opportunities for his girlfriend from Hell. It was created by Judd Apartow, but I think it's semi-autobiographical. Mike Barerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14447874605833321732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-64303075602919121992017-05-31T16:00:43.415-07:002017-05-31T16:00:43.415-07:00@Salad is Slaughter - Good news, Episodes will be ...@Salad is Slaughter - Good news, Episodes will be back this August.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69914965379412676362017-05-31T12:32:08.004-07:002017-05-31T12:32:08.004-07:00THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW also ultimately felt like a...THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW also ultimately felt like a normal suburban husband with a "fun" job but still relatable. Darren came across the same way on BEWITCHED. It didn't seem like he was a "Mad Man" who had tons of money and no "real" problems.<br /><br />One reason I quickly came to prefer THE MIDDLE to MODERN FAMILY is that the Hecks felt "real" with relatable, compelling stakes. If they lost their jobs, you'd wonder how they'd pay the bills. There was a really good episode where Sue forgets to file for her student loan and has to pay the tuition in full to stay in school. You really do get a sense that her life could dramatically change... for the worse... if she doesn't stay in school. And her father's sacrifice in order to ensure she does has weight. Even when she's debating a major, her dad gives her a talk that reinforces how important school is for her. As opposed to MODERN FAMILY where you don't worry about the literal well being of any of the characters.<br /><br />There was even a plot line where Clare returns to work -- though it's not necessarily because she has to -- and easily winds up working as the head of her dad's company. This felt like a lost opportunity -- from personal experience, I spent just 3 years home with my son and I'm finding it an uphill battle to get back into the workplace. Stephen Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03670422634319094941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-58089043998925989702017-05-31T11:41:46.349-07:002017-05-31T11:41:46.349-07:00Waaaay off topic but I had an interesting online r...Waaaay off topic but I had an interesting online run-in the other day.<br /><br />I was playing an online game and one of the players in my random group was "BigWaveDave." It gave me a chuckle. I mentioned the show and yes, he was a big fan.Sol Rosenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00765996200717537173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69714674152932196992017-05-31T10:57:02.981-07:002017-05-31T10:57:02.981-07:00You're right about THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW. I w...You're right about THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW. I would add that it was the first sitcom about TV writers. Audiences felt like we were being given a look at a secret, glamorous world, and finding it was full of the same problems and pitfalls as working for the gas company (deadlines, demanding bosses, etc.). Now, as someone observed, everyone is in show business. You'd better have something fresh to tell us about writing for TV or the movies. Which is why we come to blogs like this one.Buttermilk Skyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07430011403223875192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-41924431342336271892017-05-31T09:57:21.123-07:002017-05-31T09:57:21.123-07:00Ken;
I read your post with great interest.
When ...Ken;<br /><br />I read your post with great interest.<br /><br />When you say, "In general you want your characters to desperately NEED something." I will, generally, agree with you. It's especially true concerning action/drama/adventure/sci-fi/thriller/horror works. It's also true in comedy, but comedy is unique.<br /><br />A sitcom can survive quite well by focusing on and putting into action a character's internal motives, weaknesses and conflicts. It does not have to be about overcoming a huge obstacle in every episode. Sometimes the comedy comes from <i>not</i> overcoming the obstacle. <br /> <br />For example, how does the episode of The Tony Randall Show that you recently posted hold up to the observations you made about Nobodies?<br /><br />In this episode, why do we care about the judge? There are a ton of people who would love that job. He seems to have a really nice home, he's a single dad, and he even has a housekeeper. His wife died and that's unfortunate, but it's not what sustains the episode or provides the conflict.<br /><br />What was the judge's goal in that episode? He wanted to win an election. Actually, he didn't even have much of a desire to run in the first place, and the stakes did not matter because we all knew he'd be ok, even if he lost the election. When he did lose, he didn't seem to care much and there's always the next election.<br /><br />You found a good hook, losing an election to a dead man, and hung the rest of the episode on it. It was funny, but I did not come away watching a character work extremely hard to overcome obstacles to reach a goal.<br /><br />That being said, I also didn't enjoy Nobodies enough to make it part of my viewing habits. Something is a bit off with it, Great News and a host of other modern sitcoms. It's like an element is missing, or too many elements are there competing for laughs. It's difficult to explain. I enjoy it, and it's good. It's just not great.Frederick Herman "Freddy" Jonesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-81417213290046276792017-05-31T09:07:23.849-07:002017-05-31T09:07:23.849-07:00...and this was Larry David's genius in CURB Y......and this was Larry David's genius in CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM. There's an old martial arts saying: Don't push, pull (look at the kitchen fight scene in THE BODYGUARD for a demonstration). Instead of negating his character's success he uses it to fuel the irony that no amount of success can free him from his neuroses and insecurities which is the comic foundation of all the episodes. VincentSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1236373383523913992017-05-31T08:47:33.269-07:002017-05-31T08:47:33.269-07:00Talk about good writing. As I was about to turn ...Talk about good writing. As I was about to turn off the TV last nite what to my wondering eyes did appear but Room Service. (Frasier on Hallmark channel.) A sophisticated tale of pseudo-adultery (?). Hallmark showed the whole episode but bleeped out "jack***".Gwendolynnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-88160864317379512052017-05-31T08:41:29.524-07:002017-05-31T08:41:29.524-07:00I'm glad these nostalgic diginets have stepped...I'm glad these nostalgic diginets have stepped in where Nick at Nite and TV Land have stepped out. Their shift in programming strategy was a mistake.Terrence Mosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09365112876091271689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-25607954221857697242017-05-31T08:41:26.750-07:002017-05-31T08:41:26.750-07:00THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW was about people not "...THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW was about people not "writers." You cared about Rob & Laura and by extension, Buddy & Sally. For the most part the problems they tackled were relatable to all. <br /><br />And yes, David Isaacs and Robin Schiff and I teamed up on ALMOST PERFECT and cost the studio lots of extra money because we needed a waiver from the WGA every time we wrote a script together. It cost the studio an extra 50% per script. But when ALMOST PERFECT ended so did our three-way partnership. No one was going to hire writers going in knowing we would cost 50% more. By Ken Levinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69480700714677141602017-05-31T08:29:31.710-07:002017-05-31T08:29:31.710-07:00From the bus ads, I didn't even know this seri...From the bus ads, I didn't even <i>know</i> this series was about writers. Shame on the producers...Melissa McCarthy and her husband.VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-48129613842098221272017-05-31T08:25:18.424-07:002017-05-31T08:25:18.424-07:00When Hollywood writers don't even care about t...When Hollywood writers don't even care about this show or find it funny, it's really in trouble, because no one else is going to care about these characters.Hollywoodaholichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16480882911154517259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70342076974430286432017-05-31T07:52:05.090-07:002017-05-31T07:52:05.090-07:00Just from the description it sounds like an "...Just from the description it sounds like an "Episodes" knockoff. I miss that show.Salad Is Slaughterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14423081364793506679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-59639045659414930132017-05-31T07:22:44.123-07:002017-05-31T07:22:44.123-07:00There seems to be more and more shows about entert...There seems to be more and more shows about entertainment, to the point that one wonders if the people writing them have done little else than watch TV and film. Not that I am saying that one era favors another, but over the years, I've enjoyed sitcoms about doctors, taxi drivers, folks in a neighborhood bar, blue collar workers, a hotel owner, a woman who is experiencing life after a kidnapping, a fellow reminiscing about his childhood and three families based in Florida, proving that not everyone need be in entertainment.<br /><br />i like some of them, too, but in the end, good writing will out.Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17850672682992802562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-51854125046760035882017-05-31T07:08:27.699-07:002017-05-31T07:08:27.699-07:00The Dick Van Dyke Show. Three writers (Rob, Sally ...The Dick Van Dyke Show. Three writers (Rob, Sally and Buddy) with a fall guy (Mel). Part of it takes place in the writers office, a good slice at Rob's home (mostly the living room). Your thoughts on what made it last 5 seasons and what made the audience care. Thanks!Brad Aplinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06823802067857735916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-43106213240087387112017-05-31T06:57:30.924-07:002017-05-31T06:57:30.924-07:00RE shows about writers, and stakes, and caring abo...RE shows about writers, and stakes, and caring about the characters, all fair enough points, but Episodes? All the observations about the writers in these shows having, by most people's standards, a pretty sweet, charmed life are absolutely valid, but they apply to Episodes too. And that's been pretty successful, albeit in a cable sense, hasn't it?Steve Mcnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-71260823733912174842017-05-31T06:39:30.462-07:002017-05-31T06:39:30.462-07:00Ken said, "rarely if ever are there writing t...Ken said, "rarely if ever are there writing teams of three"<br />Didn't we have a writing team of 3 working for Kim Cooper on "Almost Perfect" lol :)<br /><br /><br />The Bumble Bee Pendanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11782074071758250824noreply@blogger.com