In the 50s, it was Jackie Gleason and Lucille Ball.
In the 60s, it was Dick Van Dyke and Andy Griffith.
Lucille Ball in ‘I Love Lucy’Fathom Events/Everett Collection
They contributed to more than just their show.
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So, who is the face of comedy in 2023?
And more important, theyre not true commercial successes like the sitcoms of yesteryear.
But does his success onTed Lassomake him a bona fide hitmaker?
We know what you are saying.Why does this matter?
And, why are there so many projects based on old IP?
Of course, youre right.
But we also deserve a minute to reflect on how much has changed and what we have lost.
And more often than not, maybe those suits will turn their noses up at bust-a-gut punch lines.
They want us to dig deeper, one award-winning sitcom veteran says.
Were getting hammered with, Less jokes, make it about something.
Or We like more of this sweetness happening here.
Im like, Yeah, well get to the sweetness, but can we be funny before that?
I always come back to the writers room after a notes call saying, They hate jokes.
For further proof, consider the students who attend McKairnes classes at Middle Tennessee State University.
For years, hes heard students comment on what they watch and dont watch.
More important, theyre quite specific about what they dont find funny.
That they werent watching linear TV at all was not a headline.
The on-screen sound of laughter as a response flat out turned them off.
In some cases, it even offended them.
The arms-folded ready-to-fight look-of-defiance reason from one student was, I dont want to be told whats funny.
But TV comedy can be kind of lame, and they just reject it all as pretty lame.
But there have been a few breakthrough moments in his class, which gave McKairnes some hope.
When he exposed his classroom to some classic favorite multi-camera comedies, they saw the appeal, he says.
Scenes ofI Love Lucywere, lets go with,enjoyed.
It was the same for Sammy Davis Jr.s famousAll in the Familyappearance too, McKairnes says.
TheCheerspilot from 1982, shown in its entirety, was universally accepted, and even praised by some.
And they live forThe Office, even now.
Thats funny; we do, too.
