NBC:
Master of 'Comedy Done Right'
NBC
was the reigning network for the better part of two decades—from
the 1980s to the early years of the current—thanks in no small
part to its Thursday night comedy lineup. From Cheers through
Friends, The Cosby Show to Seinfeld, NBC
built a “Must-See-TV” block that no one could rival.
But all
good things eventually end, and once Friends finished its ten-year
run in 2004, NBC’s superiority abruptly unraveled. Not only did
its rating drop, but the quality of its shows, especially the comedies,
declined as well. Father of the Pride and Joey were
either quickly cancelled or should have been, leaving only the aging
Will & Grace as sole survivor to a dynastic legacy.
But then
came The Office, My Name Is Earl and 30 Rock.
Neither made their debut in the coveted Thursday night lineup, but all
three eventually made their way there. And although the ratings are
not anywhere near those of their predecessors, this new “Comedy-Done-Right”
trio are the creative equals of Thursdays past.
My
Name Is Earl is the only one of the three to not win a “Best
Comedy” Emmy, although, ironically enough, it has won for “Best
Writing” and “Best Directing,” as well as “Best
Supporting Actress” (Jaime Pressly). Earl Hickey (Jason Lee) is
a petty criminal who has spent his entire (low) life doing “bad”
things. Upon winning $100,000 in the lottery, however, he is hit by
a car. Not only does he end up in the hospital but is soon divorced
by his two-timing wife (Pressly) and thrown out of his trailer park
home. But his life changes when he sees Carson Daly on TV talking about
karma—do
bad things, bad things happen; do good things, good things happen. So
Earl makes a list and sets out to right all the wrongs he's ever committed.
My
Name Is Earl can serve up low-brow humor on par with its white-trash
cast of characters, but beneath that exterior is an intelligently-crafted
critique of modern society. The series is also that rare comedy exception
that can be both funny as well as wax poetic words of wisdom. In one
episode, for instance, Earl tries to make up for pretending to be God
to guest star Roseanne Barr’s angry trailer park manager only
to have it back fire: believing she really did hear the voice of God
(her hearing aid picked up Earl’s walkie-talkie frequency), Barr’s
character changes her life and becomes a nun, but returns to her old
ways when she finds out it was all a scam. Earl then tries to fool her
again, and when that fails confronts her instead:
“You
want to know what’s crazy? People waiting for some big sign to
push them into doing something they oughta be doing in the first place.
It’s like me. I’d still be a low-life dirt bag if I wasn’t
hit by a car. And you were a miserable b-word until you heard the voice
of God. What were we waiting for? We could have been better people all
on our own.”
Although
it has yet to land Roseanne Barr, 30 Rock has had more than
its share of high-end guest starts as well, including Isabella Rossellini,
Paul Reubens, Conan O’Brien, Whoopi Goldberg and Jerry Seinfeld.
Set behind the scenes of a Saturday Night Live-type show, 30
Rock stars Tina Fey and Tracy Morgan, neither of whom are strangers
to the behind-the-scene-on-goings of SNL, and veteran film
actor Alec Baldwin. And just as Earl’s brother Randy (Ethan Suplee)
can steal that show from his counterparts, Baldwin’s Jack Donaghy
does the same on 30 Rock.
Baldwin
is a master comic actor with impeccable timing and deliver, as well
as an intimidating physical presence that suits his character as an
NBC executive perfectly. 30 Rock also regularly lampoons its
network in a way not seen on television since the short-lived Grosse
Pointe aired on the WB. One of the best recurring “gags”
has to do with NBC being part of the GE conglomerate. Donaghy first
explained the corporate structure when Tracy Gordan (Morgan) wanted
to manufacture a “meat machine”:
“You
see, GE owns Kitchen All of Colorado which in turn owns JMI of Stamford
which is the majority shareholder in pokerfastlane.com which recently
acquired the Sheinhardt Wig Company which owns NBC outright. NBC owns
Winnipeg Iron Works which owns the Ahp Chanagi Party Meats Corporation
of Pyongyang, North Korea, and they will make the meat machine.”
Corporate
America serves as the brunt of The Office as well, but on a
local level as opposed to the higher-ups. An adaptation of the classic
British series of the same name, the NBC version set itself apart from,
as well as proved to be an equal to, the original due to its remarkable
casting ability. From Steve Carell to Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer to
John Krasinski, and even extending to the supporting roles of Angela
Kinsey and Creed Bratton (guitarist for the 1960s rock group the Grass
Roots), The Office has an ensemble cast on par with any ever
assembled on national television.
The characters
they portray can be identified by anyone who has ever worked in an office
setting, while the weekly plots—although extreme and exaggerated—likewise
resonate. And although The Office does not employ guest stars
like My Name Is Earl or 30 Rock does, it still regularly
recruits guest directors along the lines of J.J. Abrams, Joss Whedon
and Harold Ramis.
While
My Name Is Earl has been accused of being too “dumb”
at times, there is often an underlying brilliance to that dumbness.
The same also holds true with The Office, although that series
has stepped over the line on more than one occasion. In season three,
for example, Jim (Krasinski) hires a Ben Franklin impersonator instead
of a male stripper for a bridal shower. Dwight (Wilson) is later convinced
that this impersonator is the actual Ben Franklin, and although amusing
it is too farfetched for a series that has the potential to someday
the join the “classic comedy” ranks. Such lapses in judgment
are rare, however, as more often than not The Office is a spot-on
satire of the struggles the majority of Americans face while trying
to make a living in a blue-collar work environment.
When a
network faces viewership decline it is more willing to take chances
and show patience with quality shows despite their ratings. NBC had
such a philosophy in the early 80s with Hill Street Blues and
Cheers, and was rewarded with two decades of dominance. Although
nowhere near the top of the charts, My Name Is Earl, 30
Rock and The Office are worthy heirs to the comedy kings
of previous Thursday night NBC sitcoms, and are fortunate to be on a
network struggling to find its footing against CBS, ABC and FOX.
Then again,
it’s the fan of intelligent, quality television who may be the
lucky ones. And although NBC may not be the network of popular “Must-See-TV”
at the moment, it is still the master of “Comedy-Done-Right.”
October
22 , 2007
