JS starts us off.
What is your Favorite show that lasted awhile but got lost in Time? Mine is "Early Edition" -that show was so good and different and launched Kyle Chandler into a great career. William Devane was really good in his guest appearances.
Since it’s lost in time you probably won’t know it, but there was a show called THE PRACTICE in the mid-70’s that starred Danny Thomas as a crusty but lovable neighborhood doctor that was a treat. The creator and primary writer was Steve Gordon, who later went on to write and direct the movie ARTHUR.
Sadly, Steve passed away very young. But he wrote crackling dialogue that was effortlessly funny. He's one of my comedy writing idols. The show lasted a year. It too was gone before its time.
Neil wonders:
What's your opinion of the proposed Additional Literary Material credit for all participating writers who do not otherwise receive writing credits on motion pictures.
I don’t think it’s a bad thing. Why should everyone who works on a movie including craft-services assistants get credit except for the writers? That's the way the system is set up now.
From Tom Asher:
LOVE Christine Baranski... you ever work together, Ken?
I love her too. I never really worked with her. She was a finalist for a part in one of my pilots and I got to spend the afternoon with her. Ultimately, she wasn’t totally right for the part, but I really wanted to work with her.
By the time we had our next series she was already on CYBILL, but I’d still love to do something with her.
She’s also a very classy and lovely lady.
And finally, kcross has a question about the HISTORY OF SITCOM debacle that CNN ran.
How would you have approached the assignment? If someone came to you with a lot of money and a really good staff, what would your sitcom history look like?
Very simple. I would treat it like a history course. I would start in the late 40’s and work my way up through the decades. I would immerse the audience in the various decades, sprinkle in some news and societal norms for context, and maybe God forbid mention a writer or two.
I would show trends, I would praise the shows that were genuinely funny or innovative.
Along the way I would show sitcoms evolved and how they reflected society as a whole.
What I wouldn’t do is spend half the series pointing out all of sitcoms failings because they didn’t adhere to 2021 sensibilities in 1955.
What’s your FQ?
from By Ken Levine
Comments
Post a Comment