Television Comedians
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Comedy comes in many different forms, and in recent years standup comedy has come into its own. The growth in comedy clubs across the nation and the creation of new outlets on cable television give comedians more exposure than ever before. Styles of comedy change over time, and one of the reasons comedy changes as rapidly as it does today is television. Television uses up material and requires a constant influx of new comedians and new material to satisfy the audience. Comedy has been a vital element in network programming since the beginning of the medium. The massive ratings success of I Love Lucy in the 1950s produced a continuing search for the next long-running hit. A number of comedians have made their mark in recent years with innovative programs or programs that featured their strong points. Several have used their popularity on television as a springboard to feature films, where they become even more widely known than before, leading to a renewed interest in their television shows, which then gain a wider distribution in syndication. An examination of several television comedians shows how their styles differ and how their experiences may differ as well. There has been considerable note taken in the media recently about the number of standup comedians who are becoming television stars, or who are at least being given the opportunity in shows of their own. This trend spoken of as if it were something new, when in fact it is not. In the 1950s, television com
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e elite may not understand the appeal of Roseanne is evident in some articles on the show, such as one in Time magazine which lumped Roseanne with programs deemed anti-family:
The Conner household on Roseanne is hardly an abode of peace and contentment either. Mom has a constant chip on her shoulder about her job, her housework, her nagging kids. "They're all mine," she says in a moment of reflection after a Thanksgiving get together. "Of course, I'd trade any one of them for a dishwasher" (Zoglin, 1990, 85).
Anyone watching the show over time can see that it is pro-family, however, and that the real change that has taken place is that the family unit is not the functioning social entity it was once believed to be but is more dysfunctional, or at least pulled this way and that by tensions within the family and from society at large such as may not have existed in earlier decades. Whether these forces existed before or not, Roseanne and her family have to cope with them now, as do her viewers, which is why the viewers identify so closely with her struggle.
Both Roseanne and Jerry Seinfeld have had a major impact on television, leading to a number of imitators who have not done as well with the same formulas. Both have also
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Arnold Conner, Thomas Seinfeld's, Jerry Seinfeld, Tim Allen, Tim Allen's, Love Lucy, Harry Dave, , Home Improvement, Roseanne Barr, home improvement, jerry seinfeld, night court, television comedians, tim allen's, home life, standup comedians, situation comedy, standup routine, compass theater, judge night court, section 2 33, 1994 section 2,
Approximate Word count = 2872
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)
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