I always muse on how much better the theme songs from the '70's TV drek, er, sitcoms were than the actual shows themselves. Let's see: Welcome Back Kotter, The Jefferson's, Gilligan's Island, Night Court, Laverne and Shirley, WKRP, Cheers, Taxi, (what was that show about the police chief and his crew, all set in one room?...)seriously, this list is interminable.........
So all the amazing musicians of the day were figuring a way to connect themselves to hollywood, while all the really good scriptwriters were.....on strike? on crack?
Granted, most of these shows derived their format from the stage model (filmed in front of a live audience: watching will render you comatose), which meant that derivative, boring punch lines came at you so slowly that you had better be doing the ironing, lest you be accused of not missing anything...........
Most of those sitcoms attempted to walk the line between social commentary and broad humor, and that combo's not known for producing quality, funny shows. No matter how many times they said "filmed in front of a live studio audience," it always seemed canned.
That said, I do love all those old shows. They're not as funny as they used to be, but the wit and wisdom (there was some) still stand up pretty well.
I always muse on how much better the theme songs from the '70's TV drek, er, sitcoms were than the actual shows themselves. Let's see: Welcome Back Kotter, The Jefferson's, Gilligan's Island, Night Court, Laverne and Shirley, WKRP, Cheers, Taxi, (what was that show about the police chief and his crew, all set in one room?...)seriously, this list is interminable.........
ReplyDeleteSo all the amazing musicians of the day were figuring a way to connect themselves to hollywood, while all the really good scriptwriters were.....on strike? on crack?
Granted, most of these shows derived their format from the stage model (filmed in front of a live audience: watching will render you comatose), which meant that derivative, boring punch lines came at you so slowly that you had better be doing the ironing, lest you be accused of not missing anything...........
Barney Miller.
ReplyDeleteMost of those sitcoms attempted to walk the line between social commentary and broad humor, and that combo's not known for producing quality, funny shows. No matter how many times they said "filmed in front of a live studio audience," it always seemed canned.
That said, I do love all those old shows. They're not as funny as they used to be, but the wit and wisdom (there was some) still stand up pretty well.