tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post4717216552633153884..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Setting the Way-Back machine for 2008By Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-32369671249463315042018-04-21T19:09:51.347-07:002018-04-21T19:09:51.347-07:00I remember when Sam appeared on Frasier early in t...I remember when Sam appeared on Frasier early in the run, the audience went wild and it kinda threw me out of the scene. But when Woody appeared many years later there was not so much as a peep, and I wondered what happened.joecabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16862252671814767307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-66326505779692319442018-04-12T11:58:15.892-07:002018-04-12T11:58:15.892-07:00My recollection is that the producers' pitch f...My recollection is that the producers' pitch for Friends was "It's about the time in your life between school and marriage when your friends are your family."Andy Rosenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-22282557225217603802018-04-12T08:43:47.972-07:002018-04-12T08:43:47.972-07:00Re: the origins of The Big Bang Theory, Bill Prady...Re: the origins of The Big Bang Theory, Bill Prady told (at a live event near the beginning of the series, so I hope I'm recalling this right) that he and some friends/acquaintances were out for dinner. When it came to the bill, one passionately discussed the nuances of different tip levels, i.e. if you give 18%, then why not 20%, but then 20% would seem a bit high in regards to it being X% higher than 20% and 17% would mean this and on and on for a few minutes. In real life, I think the guy finally settled on 17.5% for an appropriate tip amount. <br /><br />That became the basis for Sheldon. But, of course, you need to build that ensemble around him for ongoing stories. <br /><br />If you didn't catch Barry Levinson on The Tony Kornheiser Show Tuesday, he talked about Paterno on HBO, but also delved into his movies, specifically Diner. <br /><br />Without Diner, I believe there would be no Friends or Seinfeld. You can hear tales of development execs in that discussion and I'm sure up to that point, TV development people would've felt the same about 'guys sitting around busting each others' [chops]'. Wallynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-14146404896224781512018-04-11T23:29:10.141-07:002018-04-11T23:29:10.141-07:00On audience laughter: John Cleese has often told o...On audience laughter: John Cleese has often told of the "Fawlty Towers" taping where the BBC provided a busload of Icelandic tourists. Watching it, one has the very atypical sensation of laughing more than the Live Studio Audience. Most of the verbal jokes die, but they wake up for Basil beating up Manuel.DBensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01144515471557731622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-14226849219281558522018-04-11T17:48:00.974-07:002018-04-11T17:48:00.974-07:00Two CHEERS-related Fridday Questions:
1. Do you k...Two CHEERS-related Fridday Questions:<br /><br />1. Do you know why Woody pronounced "synod" the way he did in the season 11 episode "The Beer is Always Greener?"<br /><br />2. Did Cliff ever have a little known fact that turned out to be correct? Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18119151986422812833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-91904025097948606842018-04-11T16:39:16.435-07:002018-04-11T16:39:16.435-07:00Ken, Friday question, and something I've alway...Ken, Friday question, and something I've always wondered: given that Nick Tortelli was mentioned in passing in lots of episodes prior to his first actual appearance, there seemed to be sense of anticipation for when he'd finally show up at the bar (which didn’t happen until halfway through season 2). This sort of points towards a big guest star. <br /><br />Was it ever on the cards that Danny DeVito would play the part of Nick, to reprise the DeVito/Rhea Perlman dynamic in TAXI (especially since Nick Tortelli's general scumminess was not so far removed from Louie De Palma's?) Or am I totally off base? (Not that I'm sorry Dan Hedaya got the part, which he nailed).Francis Dollarhydehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16974200244125077414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-38435194255831568992018-04-11T16:24:02.475-07:002018-04-11T16:24:02.475-07:00For a table read do all actors with speaking parts...For a table read do all actors with speaking parts (even one line like a passenger at the ticket counter on WINGS) participate, or is it just the regular cast and featured guest stars?MikeKPa.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-55272888273799436792018-04-11T15:48:39.137-07:002018-04-11T15:48:39.137-07:00Wendy Grossman and Dr Loser: Thanks - I guess this...Wendy Grossman and Dr Loser: Thanks - I guess this is the difference between watching TV shows and writing them. I had no idea. And I'll look up that podcast, sounds interesting! <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6298398871733319652018-04-11T15:17:06.432-07:002018-04-11T15:17:06.432-07:00I always thought Clff Clavin, his mother, and his ...I always thought Clff Clavin, his mother, and his girlfriend Maggie would have made a good spinoff series. But I forgot about The Tortellis. I stand corrected. Colin Strattonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07514175776570611098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-54328567300970979892018-04-11T14:16:52.783-07:002018-04-11T14:16:52.783-07:00... and I think it's fair to say that the Carl...... and I think it's fair to say that the Carla's husband spin-off didn't really have anything much to say other than "Oh, look, that's Carla's sleazebag ex!"<br /><br />Which isn't really much to go on. Kudos to the guys for even making a pilot out of it.Dr Loserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12717234136006844887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-22919778559284139982018-04-11T14:14:29.648-07:002018-04-11T14:14:29.648-07:00@Anonymous: I'll take a stab at this, and I ha...@Anonymous: I'll take a stab at this, and I have no idea what the original pitches were.<br /><br />"What is Friends about?"<br /><br />In the first series, it was about six characters (three female, three male, which was an unusual balance) who all have back-stories and are "forced" to live together and share them. Monica is Ross' sister. Ross is pining for Rachel. Chandler isn't quite sure what he wants to do, but he's male-bonding with Joey. And Phoebe ... is from outer space. You could practically allow these characters to go full Improv, and it would work.<br /><br />After the first series, who knows? Guest stars, cross-overs, mostly happy fun hugs and general laziness. It was never the same after the first series. (I was first on the block to watch the first episode!)<br /><br />"What was Cheers about?"<br />Washed-up alcoholic baseball player buys a bar. First five series: tragi-comic relationship between baseball player and washed-up tee-totalling wannabe academic. With the best Greek Chorus you will ever see, written by Aristophanes rather than by Euripides.<br />Second five series ... the same, but different.<br /><br />Try summarizing any network sit-com since about 2000 that gives you that amount of information and (hopefully) makes you want to watch it.Dr Loserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12717234136006844887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-634046324094910322018-04-11T13:41:14.167-07:002018-04-11T13:41:14.167-07:00Anonymous: I was listening to the Nerdist podcast ...Anonymous: I was listening to the Nerdist podcast with Mayim Bialik and Chuck Lorre yesterday, and they talk a lot about sitcoms being "about" something. Lorre pitched THE BIG BANG THEORY as a show about very smart physicists who had trouble navigating real life. MOM, he said, is about hope that recovery is possible. <br /><br />FRIENDS always seemed to me about a group of people supporting each other to find their way into adult life. I didn't watch it much, but at a guess CHEERS was about finding a refuge from daily life. <br /><br />wgWendy M. Grossmanhttp://www.pelicancrossing.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-25363558211938844612018-04-11T13:37:01.900-07:002018-04-11T13:37:01.900-07:00Live audience reactions don't really mean a lo...Live audience reactions don't really mean a lot. An audience can have a tepid reaction to a joke yet, be amplified to make it sound better. And as you mentioned in a previous blog some shows have audiences for their dress rehersals and use the best laugh from either performance. I've also heard that some shows hire "professional laughers." The idea being that laughter is contagious. So, if one or two people start laughing others may join in. As for annoying reactions, on I LOVE LUCY you often hear an, "Uh oh" right before Lucy is about to get into trouble. Its the same voice every time so, I think it must be a recording. Maybe 50's viewers were different, but it seems kind of insulting today. It broadcasts the upcoming gag; as if you didn't already know what was going to happen. <br />M.B.Mike Bloodworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04755626259169126800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-66790158169841924172018-04-11T13:12:48.934-07:002018-04-11T13:12:48.934-07:00I really enjoyed the put-downs of the fake laugh t...I really enjoyed the put-downs of the fake laugh tracks on teen shows. That last paragraph about the people yelling in "Cheers" was also HILARIOUS!Leilaninoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-81695136834849448072018-04-11T12:22:30.035-07:002018-04-11T12:22:30.035-07:00"Remember kids when creating a pilot: It’s no..."Remember kids when creating a pilot: It’s not just about the funny characters and setting. Make your show ABOUT SOMETHING." <br /><br />Ok, stupid question here - and yes, there are stupid questions, one of which I am about to pose....<br /><br />How was the show about Carla's ex-husband not "about something" different from Friends or Cheers? What is Friends about? What was Cheers about? A group of friends dating and living life? A bar filled with eclectic locals? <br /><br />I'm not trying to be insulting. I truly don't understand. Which is probably why you've made a living winning Emmys for brilliant TV shows and I...well I own a TV. And I know how to turn it on. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-2746892346498796112018-04-11T12:17:00.026-07:002018-04-11T12:17:00.026-07:00Norm and Cliff were excellent supporting character...Norm and Cliff were excellent supporting characters, among my top favorites. But what makes a loveable supporting character won't necessarily make a good anchor character. Often its just the opposite. I Love Lucy was probably the last show that could really get away with a zany lead characters, and that's because Lucy was, at the heart of all of it, still a classy lady. How she could stuff chocolates down her blouse or set her silly putty nose on fire one minute and totally have your respect the next is, I guess, just why everybody loved Lucy. <br /><br />A lot of craziness on a show can be fun, but there has to be someone who the audience can relate to. McAlvienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-38361511910809760682018-04-11T11:38:38.283-07:002018-04-11T11:38:38.283-07:00Friday question: The only exception I can think of...Friday question: The only exception I can think of to the Cheers/Frasier no applause standard was when Ted Danson guest starred on Frasier. The audience welcomed his entrance with much fanfare. I feel it was well-deserved in his case, but do you know if there was discussion of removing it to keep consistent with previous guest-star episodes?Kylenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-39895976983730766382018-04-11T10:59:15.480-07:002018-04-11T10:59:15.480-07:00The other annoyance: Guys yelling "WOOOOOOO!&...The other annoyance: Guys yelling "WOOOOOOO!" Most conspicuously on "Married With Children", for any entrance by Peg or Kelly, any putdown or sex joke, or any appearance of any female eye candy. DBensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01144515471557731622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-5744196108862448052018-04-11T10:38:16.250-07:002018-04-11T10:38:16.250-07:00I think you should be in the Guinness Book for wri...I think you should be in the Guinness Book for writing your column ever single day for 10 years. So yeah, repeats are totally cool. After a certain age you can start just repeating old columns and I wouldn't notice.blinkyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04284135060900752329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-77225452010022578502018-04-11T10:01:23.698-07:002018-04-11T10:01:23.698-07:00The last paragraph made me laugh out loud. Thank y...The last paragraph made me laugh out loud. Thank you. I wish I could do that more often.John Hnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-76520577170534525752018-04-11T09:38:16.465-07:002018-04-11T09:38:16.465-07:00YOU TELL HIM, GAYLORD!YOU TELL HIM, GAYLORD!Bennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-20884288948686268232018-04-11T09:26:35.504-07:002018-04-11T09:26:35.504-07:00I think Norman Lear used to complain that the All ...I think Norman Lear used to complain that the All in the Family audience sounded too much like a laugh track, hence the disclaimer. It's always interesting to note the human touches from live viewers, like James Brooks' distinctive laugh or the squeals of teenage girls attending a performance of The Honeymooners. I wonder if those girls ever tell their great-grandchildren, "That was me screaming at Art Carney"? E. Yarbernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-12219623512132243262018-04-11T08:41:34.215-07:002018-04-11T08:41:34.215-07:00My wife and I were trying to figure out what to wa...My wife and I were trying to figure out what to watch on Netflix a while ago and it made me want you to tell us what to watch.<br /><br />Would you be willing to create a playlist for Cheers, Mash and Frasier? Episodes you liked for some reason, and maybe explain why? It’d be interesting and would save us the trouble of trying to figure out what to watch. Even episodes you didn’t like would be interesting.<br /><br />Think of the service you’d be providing to the world, Ken!markahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14114720020679769591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-85692815885129869062018-04-11T08:05:50.120-07:002018-04-11T08:05:50.120-07:00Wow, the things you learn from long-ago TV shows! ...Wow, the things you learn from long-ago TV shows! You'd think by reading Ken's comments about the audience of "Cheers" that some of them in the seats were Rocky Horror Picture Show fans! And the idea that the reactions to Webster finally agreeing to clean his room are the same kind that reacted to Sam and Diane finally kissing is also something that I can't believe but then I wasn't there for either taping! I do remember watching "Happy Days" and seeing Fonzie always getting loud claps whenever he first gets on stage and then seeing Kramer on "Seinfeld" getting the same kind of reaction during that show's early seasons (thankfully, rid of after a while). This was also the same kind of reaction Jennifer Cooledge got on "2 Broke Girls" (a show I stopped watching after three seasons). I'm just glad real laugh tracks of "Gilligan's Island", "The Beverly Hillbillies", and "The Flintstones" not to mention "M*A*S*H" are no more. Of course, with the president we have now, maybe that would make his comments go down easier and sound even more deliciously ridiculous...tavmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45643287515655927132018-04-11T08:00:21.490-07:002018-04-11T08:00:21.490-07:00I can't stand sitcoms with loud audiences; &qu...I can't stand sitcoms with loud audiences; "awwwww" in particular sets my teeth on fire. One of the reasons I love Cheers and Frasier is that they were relatively subdued and classy in comparison.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15041563386485607744noreply@blogger.com