Summary

The website content introduces a series that aims to scientifically determine the greatest era of TV comedy, using a robust rating system to evaluate shows from the 1960s onwards, considering factors such as innovation, Emmy nominations, and the diversity of comedy styles.

Abstract

The article titled "And Now For Something Completely Different — PART 1" embarks on a journey to crown the golden age of television comedy, emphasizing the importance of this pursuit in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown. The author, acknowledging the unprecedented cancellation of American sports due to the coronavirus, suggests that engaging in the analysis of comedic TV shows can be a beneficial activity to pass the time while also boosting the immune system through laughter. The rating system proposed will account for the historical impact of shows, their longevity, and their recognition by established ranking lists, while also rewarding innovation and ensemble performances.

Opinions

The author believes that the world's "new normal" due to the coronavirus pandemic justifies the exploration of trivial yet engaging topics such as ranking TV comedies.
The article posits that watching comedies can be therapeutic, citing Norman Cousins' work on the importance of attitude in health.
The author criticizes the lack of transparency in methodology used by other websites when creating lists of TV shows.
The piece suggests that sustained excellence, much like in sports, is a key indicator of a great comedy show, requiring a minimum run of three years.
The author argues that a show's impact on television history and its ability to be innovative should be factored into its ranking, regardless of modern standards of humor and political correctness.
The article expresses a clear preference for shows that have been nominated for Emmys and feature a strong ensemble cast capable of delivering laughs.
The author implies that the current pandemic and the resulting social distancing measures have created an opportune moment for such an analysis, with the potential for a second wave of the virus making this a timely endeavor.

And Now For Something Completely Different — PART 1

Just What You’ve Been Waiting For… the One True Rating System to Determine Comedy’s Golden Age

Best. Season. Ever?

This is Part 1 of a series that will scientifically determine the greatest age of TV comedy. Today we’ll answer the question “why do something this useless?”

You know you hunger for the kind of trivial knowledge that can only come from wasting hours of research into a subject no one in their right mind would explore.

Naturally, that meant waiting for me to do the heavy lifting.

It’s Day 30 since the lockdown began,¹ the perfect time to dive deep into the rabbit holes of human activity, such as impossible rankings about things that only a small percentage of humanity even cares about.

For those of you who aren’t aware, the day the United States shut down was March 11, 2020: the night the NBA cancelled its season, followed by every other major sport deciding the same thing on the next day.

Why is the cancellation of sports so important?

Because no external event in history has ever cancelled an American professional sport.²

Not World War I (although they shortened the season and played the World Series a month earlier than usual because of the impending entry into the conflict).

Not the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 (which infected 25% of the world’s population at the time and killed between 17 and 100 million, depending on estimates).

Not World War II, mutually assured destruction of the world, Vietnam, assassinations of JFK, MLK and RFK, the Oil Embargo, AIDS, 9/11 and terrorism, not even the election of Agent Orange.

But the coronavirus did.

This now-broken record was not a testament to the courage of the American people or the wise judgement of its leaders, but a sign of how lucky we have been up to now.

Why focus now on meaningless, impossible-to-win arguments over TV comedy shows?

I can give you three good reasons:

Let’s face it, the world is not going to go back to normal until immunologists discover a coronavirus vaccine. We’ve already seen Hong Kong let its guard down and experience a new outbreak of the disease as it allowed citizens returning from abroad to bring the disease back with them. Epidemiologists have already warned us of a second wave that will come this fall. Just look at what happened to the world in October 1918.
Could you think of a better activity to pass the time for the next 12–18 months than watching comedies? And that’s the best case scenario for developing a vaccine.
Your body’s best defense is a strong immune system, and laughter is the best medicine. Norman Cousins’ book “Anatomy of an Illness” is a classic study in how important our attitude plays a role in helping us stay healthy.

What are the rules for this contest?

While other wildly popular websites have their staff or individual writers create lists based on their personal favorites, nobody explains their methodology.

Being a fan of advanced analytics in sports, it’s time to establish a more robust rating system, which I did a few years ago for cowbell-infused music.

Just like 538.com, I search for statistics that correct for both personal preference and the evolution of comedy at the time.

Rankings will start in the 1960s when 90% of America had televisions, there were more comedies on the air, and the iconic shows can still be viewed more easily.

If a show broke new ground in 1971, like All in the Family, it gets credit for being a revolutionary show, even if the jokes and language are tame compared to modern standards.

On the other hand, we can’t penalize shows that contain language and behavior that might be objected to by modern audiences. Archie Bunker was a terrible, bigoted character, but that shouldn’t negate the effect that All in the Family had on the perceptions of viewers during that time period.

Here are the criteria I will use to determine the greatest era of modern TV comedy:

A. To be eligible for inclusion in an era, a show must be primarily a comedy, regardless of how unfunny it might be. Entourage and Ally McBeal are not really comedies, even though there are some hilarious characters. Friends is a comedy, even though none of the actors are comedians, nor all that funny. Saturday Night Live is listed as a comedy sketch and variety show in name only, since there are only two songs in the entire show (again, regardless of how unfunny some episodes can be). The Daily Show, and any other show on Comedy Central are comedies, even though Wikipedia may list them as late-night talk and news satire programs.

B. A show must last at least three years to be considered one of the great comedy shows of in the modern era. Like any great career in sports, sustained excellence is the mark of a true champion. No matter how much of a cult following a show has, if it doesn’t last at least 24–30 episodes in the Netflix-HBO era, it’s tough to call it a series.

C. A show needs to appear at least once in an all-time ranking list. Lists to be reviewed include, but are not limited to: IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, and Rolling Stone.

D. Bonus points are awarded to shows that are: nominated for an Emmy; have multiple characters³, including guests, who get big laughs; are innovative; feature a wide range of comedy styles.

E. Saturday Night Live will be ranked by the best casts to help determine the strength of a particular era.

Let the games begin!

FOOTNOTES:

¹Some people think the lockdown began when a mayor or governor ordered the closure of all restaurants and bars, prohibited public gatherings, and introduced the word “social distancing” to our vocabulary.

That date could have been March 15th if you lived in Los Angeles, Illinois and Ohio, New York, or Massachusetts. (Officials in New York and Massachusetts apparently made a deal with the pandemic not to spread for two days, as the orders were issued on the 15th, but the shut down didn’t go into effect until the following Tuesday).

It could have been March 19th, when the governors of Texas and California joined the stay-in-your-own-home party, along with just about every non-brain dead governor in the country.

But it could be some future unknown date if you are the Virus-in-Chief, whose inaction and stupidity give the flexibility for Fox News and governors from Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota to act is if the COVID-19 pandemic is no big deal.

²I did not include closures due to lockouts by greedy owners, strikes by the players, or stupid disagreements between sports leagues, such as the 1904 World Series.

³Ensemble in comedies get more points when anyone in the cast can get a laugh.