Why the fuck not?

As I pounded my head into the wall, trying to figure out what do with my Saturday, and furthermore, my entire life, I thought to myself that perhaps instead of doing myself considerable brain damage, I would blog instead. It took me a little while to weigh out the pros and cons of each way to pass time. Finally, I decided that I could use the blog to answer a question that I get asked pretty often.

I have been known to go on about how I think sitcoms are the greatest thing in the world. Generally, my rant centers around the key points that watching situations that we all face on television brings us together, a triumph of the will, if you will. That and the fact that humor is fun. I always get asked the question though, what do I think is the greatest sitcom of all time?

Before I start though, I should preface my list with some warning. This by no means is meant to be an objective list. It is entirely subjective, not only in that my sense of humor isn't the same as the next guys, but also in the sense that, while I do watch an extensive amount of television, I have not seen every show. I can only put on the list the shows that I have seen. Two good examples of shows that might be on the list, had I given them a chance, would be The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and the Bob Newhart Show. For these reasons, I will not call this list, The Greatest Sitcoms of All Time, rather, The Sitcoms That I Like the Most. Lastly, as a precaution, I should also mention that I have no idea right now what I am going to put on this list, so, your reading it might just be as surprising as me writing it. Here we go.

10. Roseanne
So, During the 90's, when sitcom was king, the major fad was to take any stand up comedian with a reputation, and just create a show built around that character (I just thought. Wouldn't it have been great if Steve Martin had gotten a show like this. I only think this because he more than any other stand up comedian really had a stage character he had developed, very similar to The Jerk (one of the greatest comedies of all time) but I guess that wouldn't go along with the theme of the 90's, the Everyman). More examples of this would include Home Improvement, Seinfeld (kind of what started it all) and later the George Lopez Show. Of these waves of shows, this show always stood out to me for several reasons. First, it tried very hard to be "real" in that Roseanne, when the show starts works her ass off in some factory. Money is always a central issue for the Conner's in the show. It would get very dramatic at times, but not really after school special. It was a good blend. Then there was the last season...almost pushes the show out of recognition. The last season, in which the Conner's win the lottery and Dan leaves Roseanne for another woman, finally ends with that crazy 10 minute monologue with Roseanne revealing that the whole show was made up by her, the character, for a book. The kids married opposite husbands, Jackie was a lesbian, and Dan died. Then there was some quote. I forget by who. Odd.

9. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Thank you Nick at Nite for bringing this show back. I can remember watching it in syndication after school. I didn't really care for it back then. Perhaps because I associated it with Mr. Cooper which I think came on before it. Since Nick at Nite has forced me to watch every episode several times over, I appreciate it for such great comedy. I wouldn't say this show fits into the Triumph of the Will genre of sitcoms, but it certainly makes me feel good when I watch it. I happen to think that Will Smith is amazingly talented with excellent timing. Any show that can pull off switching a mother mid-series, and have a kid age 4 years over the course of one summer, and call attention onto itself, is good in my book. Take a look at a past entry on Lost in which I discuss this.

8. The Cosby Show
Nick at Nite also brought this show back to my attention. I only put it on the list because of Bill Cosby himself. Yes, it can be very after school special, however, I have to admit, every time Bill starts telling a story, he tells it so well, I always listen. Plus, it was always fun to watch what a "normal" family would be like. I'd like to think that I can be as good a father as Bill Cosby. He's the kind of dad who can help his kids when they need it, and can laugh at them when he knows they don't. Fuck it. It goes on the list.

7. South Park
I have trouble with putting this show on the list, for obvious reasons. Not just because it is animated, but that it really is hard to define it as a situation comedy. Otherwise, I might have pushed it higher on the list. This show, better than any other I feel, really captures what a satire should be. I do not think it will really stand the test of time, however, it is more than any show a part of our time. I still am amazed sometimes at how well the writers really nail an issue on the head. This on top of the fact that it is sometimes extremely funny. Satires and spoofs are some of the easiest forms of comedy I think, but South Park really is the top of it's game when it comes to this.

6. Scrubs
Now this show I really want to put higher on the list as well, but, I just kind of feel like I would be that kid who hears a new song on the radio and concludes in that second that it is the greatest song ever. I say this because I have only started watching it with the syndication on Comedy Central. This is a show, much like Roseanne, that loves to blend the comedy and the drama. When they do comedy, it's funny, when they do drama, it's real. I dig it. Most people are turned off by Zach Braff, and I agree. He is kind of a weasel. But once you get past this fact, you get Dr. Cox, who I think is one of the greatest characters ever. But who am I?

5. The Simpsons
Here is the thing. I hate the new episodes. The entire style has changed. When I go back and watch the core years though, fuck, they're brilliant. This is the classic Everyman, Homer Simpson. A dysfunctional family like any other. Just classic. I actually prefer Futurama to the new episodes of The Simpsons, but as bad as these episodes are, nothing will change the good years.

4. Cheers
Again, thanks to Nick at Nite for giving me this on back in High School. Never really wanted to watch it. I think the dark set always turned me off. Awesome that a show can pull off taking place in a bar 90% of the time. It is the kind of show that you watch and think, which character am I? Cliff? Fuck, I'm not Cliff am I? Nah nah. I'm Norm. Yeah. Er. Sam. Yeah. Sam.

3. I Love Lucy
I have to put this high on the list for several reasons. First, there needs to be some classic show on this list, and I am most familiar with this one. Next, this was actually the first show I ever got into. I remember being into Gilligan's Island, but this show was the one what I first started watching. A couple weeks ago I watched the episode with Harpo Marx, and they end up doing that bit at the "mirror." So many moments like that that anybody could just list off. If a show can still run on network television 50 years after airing, who am I to reject it? This isn't to mention all the groundbreaking it did by using multiple cameras and really breaking ground for televised sitcoms.

2. Seinfeld
I don't feel like it is necessary to back this up. I have yet to meet a person who has watched this show and not liked it. I wouldn't put Curb Your Enthusiasm on this list, just because I feel like it would be redundant. If Seinfeld didn't exist though...eh...maybe I would put that show on this list. Then again, the last two seasons really have been let downs.

1. All in the Family
Thanks again to Nick at Nite in the late 90's for putting this show on. By far, the most intelligent comedy ever aired, All in the Family truly invoked critical thought throughout America. This show stands as proof of the power of artwork. I remember hearing Norman Lear (I think it was him talking) about what made the show so powerful. It wasn't so much that everybody hated Archie, more so that, as much as one might have disagreed with Archie on his ignorant views, every so often you might find yourself in Archie. That turned one person onto himself. This is kind of manipulative in that Lear could really control America. At the same time though, this show maintained a classic sitcom environment, while raising some of the most important issues during the 70's. All the while, it remained number 1 in ratings for years. To end the list, I will quote Archie hearing somebody say that Jesus was a Jew, 'Yeah, but only on the mother's side.'

Why Lost is a Great Show

First and foremost, I should admit the following. When Lost first came out, I couldn't have cared less. I had heard there was this buzz floating around about some show about a plane crashing on an island. I thought, well, maybe that is cool, but all the wrong people liked the show. Then I heard the show, for substance, went through flashbacks of all the characters and I concluded, "fuck that." This was further supported after, one Wednesday night, I watched an episode...it was horrible.

Now the only reason why I find it necessary to mention all of this, is to say, I too, like some of the readers out there, may be too be thinking, "fuck that." Others may think that it could be a good show but they just don't have the time or enough interest to invest in another show. Well, allow me to continue.

So then the year was 2006. I was in the middle of my last semester at Berkeley, working on my thesis. I borrowed the first season on DVD from a friend. Fellow blogger, Gunny McPeterson and I decided to give it chance, with the intention of justifying our preemptive hatred for the show. We put the first episode in sometime around 8 P. M. I think it was around 6 A. M. when yet another episode ended and without saying a word, we looked at each other, nodded, both well aware what we had just agreed to. Finally, taking only a couple breaks for food, sleep, and class, we were able to complete the entire first season within 48 hours. We were, needless to say, blown away. Since then, I have been a hardcore Lost fan. It is the only thing I have ever really followed the blogs on and the only show I have every truly followed. So why is Lost such a good show?

EPIC PROPORTIONS
What immediately struck me by the show, as I assume most of America, was the sheer epic extent of the show. I remember being a bit pissed off that they didn't show the actual plan crash. As it developed progressively through the seasons, I can see why. But in those opening minutes, amidst the chaos of the burning wreckage, the opening shot is simply of the eyeball of one man, clad in his tattered suit, confused as to what the hell just happened, laying down in the middle of a forest. Once he comes to, he returns to "fix things." The plane is in shambles, people bleeding all around him. Luckily, there is a doctor in the house. In the middle of this hell, characters emerge. The doctor, the fat guy, the Black guy, those Koreans, everybody shows their face. All of this on the gorgeous island (filmed in Hawaii). I read, as many of you may know, this was the most expensive pilot ever made. Money well spent in my book. As the show has progressed, the large ensemble cast has developed, each with their own story. This is no easy task for a television show to pull off, with only one hour every week, somehow keep the audience interested in every character. And then, to continue to add more characters throughout the seasons, this is one bold move. Yet the show pulls it off. Throughout the series, I am always blown away by the epic landscapes, the vast depth of the plots, and the cinematic charm the show has. It is one epic son of a bitch. A far ways from Gilligan's Island.

The Music
Now this is where you really have to watch the show as I can't convince you of it. It isn't that I am a bad blogger, but rather, ABC, like NBC as Dr. No Face has pointed out, has made it impossible to find full clips of the show on youtube. There is not some original epic score like Ben Hur or anything, consistently though, it just works.

Men Crying
I may lose some of you here (if I haven't already), but I don't know why, but for some reason, if you take a male, alpha male works best, and you drive him to the point of tears, not because he just got his balls ripped off or something, but say, oh, I don't know, 30 years ago, some wacko con-man slept with your mother, stole your dad's money, to which your dad killed your mother, then killed himself, and all of a sudden, after 30 years of searching, you just came face- to- face with the same asshole con- man, throw in some intense piano chords, and bam, you have yourself some excellent television.

Breaking the 4th Wall
What show could be good if it didn't break the 4th wall? I think The Fresh Prince of Bel- Air pulled this off best when at the beginning of one of the later seasons, Will's buddy, Jazz, asked, 'who is playing the mom this season?' Then, Nikki, who was just a baby in the previous season finale, enters a 6- year old boy, 'the same mommy I had last season.' Will, then comments, 'they grow up so fast.' Sorry, back to Lost. Once in a while, Lost makes fun of itself, usually with Hurley. There are the obvious jokes, why hasn't Hurley lost any weight. Or Sawyer's question, "who the hell is Paolo?" The fact is, the show knows what it is. From interviews and press conferences, the writers have always impressed me with their knowledge of other shows. They are well aware of the risk they constantly run of 'jumping the shark.' They know it is absurd that of the 40 some odd survivors, we only focus on these few 13 who always happen to be the center of attention. It is television after all. They might as well have fun with it.

Editing
Again, as with the music, this is something you really need to see if for yourself. Obviously, Lost faces a major challenge by having the present story while showing flashbacks to the characters before the island. Ultimately, the goal is to show, what the fuck does this flashback have to do with today? Usually, not always, it is pulled off with flying colors.

Hand- held camera
One of the problems I always have watching a war movie is the hand- held work. I usually get a headache and scream, "stick the fucking thing on a tripod already!" Alas, Lost, due to the challenge of filming far from the typical Hollywood set, constantly uses hand- held cameras. What is amazing though, is half the time, I don't even think about it. This isn't really something to write home about, but it is just another way that Lost pulls it all off.

Character Development
This, to me, is the most important part. First, let me preface this by saying that to begin, Lost has some of the best characters of any show I have ever watched. Each in their own unique way too. A few months ago, I was reading that the writers really didn't want the audience to be so fixated on the Dharma Initiative and who the hell the Others are. Instead, they wanted people to care about, who would Kate choose? Jack or Sawyer? When I read this I thought, "FUCK YOU Damon Lideloff! Don't get so fucking full of yourself! Just fucking write what you're good at and keep this fucking bullshit out of it." Several months later, I have to admit, I care. The coolest thing about the show when it first began, wasn't really the hatch, or the Numbers. It was the 'tabla rosa,' the idea that this island was a blank slate for all of the survivors. As much the characters past has been revealed, it has come to be that each character was 'lost' in their own way. The island is that second chance. This is best exemplified by Desmond's character who now only wants one more chance with his true love Penelope as he will 'do it right this time.' The island has taken each character from hell and back again, and as the audience, we have witnessed this all the way. Only occasionally, have I thought that somebody did something out of character, and for television, occasionally isn't bad. Each character has had their own revelations and maturities that have been nothing but well executed. To me, it has thus far been a job well done.

So what do the assholes of the world say?

The show is just drawn out. The writers make it up as they go along.
Well. First of all, fuck you. Second, just watch one random episode from Season 1, then one episode, say this week's, and just try and tell me it is drawn out. Things have developed to the point that it is difficult just to recount how it all got here. Third, fuck you. Fourth, what if the writers do make it up as they go along? For one thing, if they didn't know what was in the hatch when they wrote it, then job well done for thinking that up over the summer. Because I don't care what the hell you think, what was in the hatch not only topped any 'who shot J. R. ?' cliffhanger, but it was cool and really advanced the plot. This isn't to mention that the writers have said for a long time now that they have a beginning, middle, and end planned for the show. Either way, I don't care. They have proven to me, with their ability to add characters well into the show (Desmond really only had a full episode at the end of Season 2 and is now my favorite character) and develop great plots continuously.

I don't like Science Fiction
Fuck off. Don't be such an elitist. Like you haven't enjoyed some horror movie. Just because you like Lost doesn't mean you have to attend ComicCon or learn Kilingong (I have no idea how to spell it... go ahead, correct me... dork). While I'm on that subject, I think it is great that Lost has really built on this whole television 2.0 so to speak, having show secrets revealed online and what not, but fuck, who gives a fuck? Just worry about staying on the air, don't invest time and money into this bullshit that to me, discredits the name. I'm lazy, so click this link: http://www.cityofsound.com/blog/2006/03/why_lost_is_gen.html
Hyperlinks take too much work. And I have a cold. Anyway, the writers said that when all is explained, there will be nothing supernatural about the show. If they can pull that off... awesome. If not, hey, I enjoyed it. Bottom line though, as the writers have said, it is really a show about characters. Not monsters and polar bears.

Anyway, as mentioned, I have a cold. People have been yelling at me for weeks for not posting. And I need to eat before Lost starts tonight. So I'm not going to proofread this. In closing, if you don't watch Lost, you probably have no taste, and it is likely that you spend your time watching snuff films. At least I have something to look forward to on Wednesdays. What do you look forward to? American Idol? Go fuck yourself.