Stephen Cudmore is up first.
MASH had a lot of anachronisms in it, like Radar doing an impression of John Wayne from McClintock. Were these goofs, or at some point did the writers decide they were okay with the show not being set in any particular decade?
I would say that 90% of the goofs, mostly anachronisms, were unintentional. Here's one you may not know: In our first episode, OUT OF SIGHT/OUT OF MIND in the tag if you look closely, you’ll see one of the nurses is reading the paperback of JAWS.
But it was tough since the show lasted 11 years and the war lasted 2. Trying to keep a timeline was impossible. And later in the run they did an episode that all took place over one the course of one year and the completely obliterated any timeline and the existence of Trapper, Henry, and Frank. I wasn’t with the show then.
B Smith asks:
Perhaps I haven't looked hard enough, but I've yet to see a film or TV show that acknowledges the COVID-19 pandemic (never gets mentioned, no-one wears a mask, no restrictions or anti-vaxxers). Given that it's probably not going to disappear miraculously, do you think films and TV set in the present day ought to?
There are shows that deal with it. Two, off the top of my head, are THE GOOD FIGHT and BULL. I’m sure my astute readers will have other examples.
It’s a tricky dance. You want to be true to the real world, but audiences don’t like seeing it. And I think when the idiots finally get vaccinated and this goes away (years later than it should with much more hardship that could have been avoided), there will be no nostalgia for this period. Viewers won’t want to be reminded of it. So for a show to dwell on the current situation does so with the understanding that their shelf life might be limited.
How I would handle it? It truly would depend on the show and how necessary it was to deal with the pandemic. Bring back MASH.
From MikeN:
Why are Cheers and Frasier on Paramount instead of Peacock?
Because the shows are Paramount shows and they’re owned by Viacom, which owns CBS and Paramount +. Although those shows aired originally on NBC, they have no hold on them and so Peacock is out of luck.
It’s one of the main reasons why networks wanted to own their own shows. Peacock would love to have FRIENDS. But they’re owned by Warner Brothers so HBO Max is their home.
And finally, Darwin's Ghost has a question about the JEOPARDY host opening.
Serious question, Ken. Why don't you audition? You've got tons of presenting experience, you're funny, and you know the show inside out. And the only thing anyone could dig up from the past is Mannequin 2, and that wasn't your fault.
Call your agent to get on it Monday morning!
Thank you for your faith in me. I think they’re looking for someone a little younger and someone who has an actual name that people know.
But when Vanna White retires…
from By Ken Levine
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