History of Comedy

A multi part documentary on the origins and progression of comedy as a form of engagement in America is currently playing on CNN.

I have watched a few early episodes that chronologically were not as exciting to watch but did build the curve to the more contemporary genre where situational comedy is king. The 'Leave it to beaver' and 'Fawlty towers', even 'Cheers' and other sitcoms of yesteryear for which I have no perspective nor empathy were fast forwarded (thanks to DVR tech) till George Carlin made an appearance.

To be a successful comic could mean a variety of things - and the show does justice to show those various facets. Audience measurement, financial success for all involved in the making of the production, studio support to do more than one season are all various KPI that you could use to determine how good or bad an individual performance was.

But ultimately some shows and their cast just click with the zeitgeist and make it look easy. Both film and TV comics are portrayed in terms of their likability and staying power. In my memory Jerry Seinfeld and his motley crew of Jason Alexander (George), Michael Richards (Kramer) and Julia L D (as Elaine) hit a true home run with nine consecutive seasons of making America watch the Show about Nothing, on NBC. I still watch the shows on DVD before going to sleep.

Why am I watching it even now? Its on TV.

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