tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post8602987058291199998..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: How to recognize a bad sitcomBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-84659553231073903232017-12-18T18:42:02.619-08:002017-12-18T18:42:02.619-08:00Any sitcom where a character is shown delivering w...Any sitcom where a character is shown delivering what appears to be a heartfelt speech to a significant other, or an impassioned speech to an employer... and then the camera pulls back to reveal they're just talking in front of a mirror.<br /><br />Any sitcom with this exchange:<br /><br />PARENT: "Your mother/father and I are trying to tell you we love you!"<br /><br />SULLEN TEEN: "...You've got a funny way of <b>showing</b> it."AndrewJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08981987134958115265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-13974259956395799202017-12-18T08:31:06.545-08:002017-12-18T08:31:06.545-08:00I think his logic is flawed. Here is a sitcom tha...I think his logic is flawed. Here is a sitcom that breaks at least three of these.<br /><br />1. Episode "The Incubator"<br />4. Episode "Officer of the Day" and others<br />7. Any number with Henry Blake<br /><br />And you can guess which sitcom I'm referring to.Bruce P.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-87963478367938645192017-12-17T21:15:31.154-08:002017-12-17T21:15:31.154-08:00Was never a big "Cosby Show" fan--I foun...Was never a big "Cosby Show" fan--I found Cosby and even Phylicia Rashad unbearably arrogant at times, and much preferred Meredith Baxter and Michael Gross on "Family Ties"--but I remember that scene from the "Cosby" pilot very well, Mr. Rose.<br /><br />Your review of it is right on the money, and the scene was effective.Kevin FitzMauricenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-22562167778007757372017-12-17T17:05:11.114-08:002017-12-17T17:05:11.114-08:00@ScarletNumber: The actresses on The Golden Girls ...@ScarletNumber: The actresses on The Golden Girls were all under the age of 75 at the time that show was made. Rue McClanahan was barely in her 50s when it started.<br /><br />@Todd Everett: Your scene premise made me laugh; it's so overused in procedurals. You know you're in for some bad exposition when every character begins a line by nodding his or her head at what the previous person just said.<br /><br />Sometimes audiences laugh or applaud or awwww because they just subconsciously know it's expected of them. The best ever subversion of this was in the pilot episode of The Cosby Show. Theo is getting raked over the coals for poor grades, but tells his dad he should be accepted for who he is because parents should love their kids unconditionally. The audience recognized a good sitcom bromide when they heard it and responded with polite applause. Cliff quietly says, "Theo..." pauses for a beat, and then yells, "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life!"Andy Rosenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1290702790373665252017-12-17T15:59:22.967-08:002017-12-17T15:59:22.967-08:00Rule #1: "Arrested Development" used it,...Rule #1: "Arrested Development" used it, but in a subdued way. It helps that the person who said it was a magician (Gob).lonestarr357https://www.blogger.com/profile/16738966825188441820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-22888630339654287612017-12-17T14:12:10.819-08:002017-12-17T14:12:10.819-08:00ScarletNumber beat me to it. Number 5 has at least...ScarletNumber beat me to it. Number 5 has at least one great exception.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00466932184113943306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-85657696091848079622017-12-17T14:07:32.006-08:002017-12-17T14:07:32.006-08:00ScarletNumber beat me to it. Number 5 has at least...ScarletNumber beat me to it. Number 5 has at least one great exception.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00466932184113943306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-49209881142255639882017-12-17T13:15:12.339-08:002017-12-17T13:15:12.339-08:00All that said, one of my favorite lines in all of ...All that said, one of my favorite lines in all of tv was Judd Hirsch on “Damages” implying reference to Kim Kardashian as “that Armenian girl with the big tuchas.”Laurienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-59606539524323341692017-12-17T09:04:13.451-08:002017-12-17T09:04:13.451-08:00Charlie missed the ultimate.
A: Wait, I have an i...Charlie missed the ultimate.<br /><br />A: Wait, I have an idea.<br /><br />B: That's just crazy enough to work.<br />Brucehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11533352815705482473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-84131246269523131372017-12-17T06:24:34.258-08:002017-12-17T06:24:34.258-08:00Fred: You might take a look at SUPERSTORE and THE ...Fred: You might take a look at SUPERSTORE and THE GOOD PLACE. Both NBC, both fresh and funny.<br /><br />Keith G.: You don't have to put in a laugh track when you have an audience of college kids and tourists and keep them hopped up on contests, sugar, pizza, and prizes, which is what they do at sitcom recordings.<br /><br />wgWendy M. Grossmanhttp://www.pelicancrossing.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-68157929492320328002017-12-17T02:44:22.193-08:002017-12-17T02:44:22.193-08:00I'd add: Any show in which the audience applau...I'd add: Any show in which the audience applaud and whoop when a guest star makes a scene entrance is a bad sitcom. Peternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-35801682273579899762017-12-17T01:52:05.079-08:002017-12-17T01:52:05.079-08:00A Friday question [that may or may not have been a...A Friday question [that may or may not have been answered before; I'm not sure]...Exactly what does a director do on an animated series? I can only assume that about the only thing he can direct would be the actors doing the voices. I'm assuming that he can't really have an influence on the animation; it's not like he could come in and demand they draw Homer Simpson differently. Inquiring minds want to know! [Or at least what's left of mine does.]YEKIMIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01921751875397071034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3562494482238394142017-12-16T22:03:12.368-08:002017-12-16T22:03:12.368-08:00Regarding wiseass octogenarians (#5)--Judith Lowry...Regarding wiseass octogenarians (#5)--Judith Lowry on "Phyllis."<br /><br />Lowry, though, was well-received, and I credit her with helping the show move past the Barbara Colby tragedy--until Lowry's own death in the second and final season of the show.Kevin FitzMauricenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-13842658124261126332017-12-16T21:19:32.154-08:002017-12-16T21:19:32.154-08:00Frasier breaks rule 1 in season 9, episode 6 (Roz)...<i>Frasier</i> breaks rule 1 in season 9, episode 6 (Roz). It breaks rule 2 in season 5, episode 20 (Daphne). Neither Charlie Hauck nor Ken wrote either of these episodes, but still... I'm not sufficiently interested to check other great sitcoms to see how the rules hold up. I'd guess Hawkeye Pierce said "Ta da!" at least once, though.bryonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03065232829677279838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-24166035705577856772017-12-16T20:49:24.405-08:002017-12-16T20:49:24.405-08:00Keith G, the laughter on BIG BANG THEORY is absolu...Keith G, the laughter on BIG BANG THEORY is absolutely from a live audience. People laugh out loud more in person than they do at home. There's something about it being live, and being in a room full of other people laughing. Been to six tapings of that show. It may be slightly sweetened in post, can't say for sure, but they do not need to add in laughs in spots where there were none. At least, not in the six I saw.DBAnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-10683582470961528472017-12-16T18:28:50.426-08:002017-12-16T18:28:50.426-08:00I just learned to my dismay that the great William...I just learned to my dismay that the great William Schallert's final acting credit came in 2014...on "2 Broke Girls." Why couldn't it have been at the stage next door at Warners where "Mom" is filmed? (It was in its first season in 2013-2014.) It would've been a far more fitting valedictory for this quintessential character actor.VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-87780051425018512442017-12-16T16:14:35.995-08:002017-12-16T16:14:35.995-08:00I generally like the ranch, and there are plenty o...I generally like the ranch, and there are plenty of real laughs, but the added laughs can be very distracting. The overdone laugh track is definitely one of the signs, but like I said, I like the ranch even though it overdoes the laugh track.<br />Exposition in general. I would love for a character to give the no shit Sherlock response when told some thing they would obviously knowJohn in NE Ohionoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-41605018610896887312017-12-16T16:03:54.961-08:002017-12-16T16:03:54.961-08:00Just as I suspected.
Mork and Mindy qualifies as ...Just as I suspected.<br /><br />Mork and Mindy qualifies as the worst sitcom every conceived. Everyone was just too afraid to say it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-61644642571336897082017-12-16T15:01:06.360-08:002017-12-16T15:01:06.360-08:00How about sitcoms where they add a laugh track aft...How about sitcoms where they add a laugh track after almost every line? BIG BANG THEORYKeith G.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-72759421726236787962017-12-16T14:19:55.201-08:002017-12-16T14:19:55.201-08:00Episodes based on "A Christmas Carol" me...Episodes based on "A Christmas Carol" mean the writers are out of ideas.Buttermilk Skyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07430011403223875192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-52251979315492844082017-12-16T14:08:39.250-08:002017-12-16T14:08:39.250-08:00Overly repeated = bad
The most common statement on...Overly repeated = bad<br />The most common statement on every TV program today is "I promise." Drama or comedy, super hero action or dystopian horror, at some point someone says "I promise." They'll get justice, or revenge, or get even or catch the killer, someone says that they'll do it, "I promise." All these promises. The thing is, I never hear real people saying "I promise," except politicians running for office. It is hard to listen to them, too.Professor Herbnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-43637041936377633782017-12-16T13:43:51.604-08:002017-12-16T13:43:51.604-08:00Any sitcom that has someone say "If I tell yo...Any sitcom that has someone say "If I tell you then I'll have to kill you,"is a bad sitcom.powershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11462146268479327244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69821204085713425752017-12-16T13:26:03.836-08:002017-12-16T13:26:03.836-08:00A marriage or baby virtually always signals desper...A marriage or baby virtually always signals desperation in the writers' room. So does a new "cute" kid who arrives when the old "cute" kid becomes less cute and even more annoying.<br /><br />In dramas, it's when several underlings get together and explain everything to the chief, in rotation, instead of leaving the exposition to one character (this is a cheesy way of letting more people talk). Character 1: I think he's going to Hawaii. Character 2: Hawaii is a state, located in the Pacific Ocean. Character 3: It consists of several islands. Character 4: He's probably one one of them...Todd Everettnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-4287587150643521762017-12-16T12:43:06.207-08:002017-12-16T12:43:06.207-08:00Any show where a character says, "Now let me ...Any show where a character says, "Now let me get this straight"...and then repeats exposition for the audience in a sarcastic voice is a bad sitcom.Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08600688674236630281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-88262076555895766682017-12-16T12:11:33.250-08:002017-12-16T12:11:33.250-08:00Pretty sure 30 Rock violated #10.
Pretty sure 30 Rock violated #10.<br />Robert "kebernet" Cooperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03336622901079453553noreply@blogger.com