Colin McEnroe Show: 'The Changing Landscape Of TV Comedy'
How is television humor evolving?
Why do we watch television comedies?
Of course, because we want to be amused. But I think we also watch because their ensembles beckon to us. They're a group of friends or co-workers, a little more diverse and a little more entertaining than our own circle of friends of co-workers. There's almost invariably a mix. There's the down-to-earth, more-or-less sane, anchoring personality. There's the lyrical, pleasantly crazy character in touch with a different reality. There's the deeply cynical laughably exploitive personality. There's the reliable buddy. There's the one who's not terribly bright.
We love these people because they're the stock characters from our lives. We've known them. Maybe dealing with them in person wasn't as much fun. They're a nice place to visit even if we don't always enjoy living there. Today, we'll explore aspects of TV comedy, with a special focus on the laugh track, which everybody claims to hate but ...well, you'll see.
Leave your comments below, e-mail colin@wnpr.org or Tweet us @wnprcolin.
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E-mail from Sara
I grew up in the wacky, zany world of Three's Company and Different Strokes. It seems like the shows in the 70's relied on stunts or catch phrases-What you talkin about Mr. Drummond? The characters were silly and unbelievable (the exception being All in the Family and maybe Barney Miller) As much as I wanted to be Chrissy Snow or Loni Anderson in WKRP I knew they were not real-no one was a dumb as Chrissy. There was a shift in the late seventies and eighties when shows like Taxi and Cheers and Seinfield created characters that were despicable but also hysterical and certainly more real than the crazy comedies of the 70's. I love to watch Larry David as I usually agree with him and wish I had the balls to air my petty grievances to whomever annoys me. Shows like Arrested Development, Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Ricky Gervais rely on horrible people in everyday and mundane situations where earlier sitcoms relied on stereotypical characters in outrageous and wacky situations.
E-mail from Karl
Please consider the incredible shrinking half hour comedy. I've read plenty of Erik Barnouw and such, but how many people know how much shorter the half hour comedy has become in the last 60 years, from "I Love Lucy" until today? And is the actual running time getting so short that there's no time for laugh tracks?
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