Welcome to a new Wildcard Wednesday! This week, I’ve got another Q&A entry, where I answer questions submitted by readers. Thanks to everyone who sent in something — if you don’t see your “Q” here, I just may “A” it next time. (And keep them coming — any related topic on which you want my opinion and/or a little research? Just let me know!)
Bob Richter writes in with… Jackson, While I realize long running sitcoms can sometimes reuse ideas, as a Bewitched fan it’s always interesting to me to see later season shows that not only reuse plots however at times lift entire dialog verbatim from early season episodes. Are there any other sitcoms that you can think of that just lifted scripts from earlier episodes.
Yes, it was not uncommon in radio for shows to recycle not only stories, but whole scripts too, for nobody expected reruns. Re-performing popular episodes, or variations of them with slight tweaks, was considered a treat. Some of the radio shows that made the successful jump to television tended to maintain that general reflex, most notably The Jack Benny Program (a quasi-sitcom — a variety show with elements of a situation), and The George Burns And Gracie Allen Show, both of which also switched mid-run from live broadcasts to film — a move that encouraged redoing scripts, for the live shows were never going to be added to the syndication package. As for Bewitched, it was unusual by the 1960s for any filmed series to recycle so explicitly. I think the Darrin swap is the main reason for this remaking practice, as a new costar seemed to give the show added permission to revisit old material — for a variety of reasons: to legitimize Dick Sargent, to overwrite Dick York, and most importantly, to eradicate any need for the black-and-white years in syndication. Just as with Burns And Allen and Jack Benny when they went to film and started banking material for future sale, I think Bewitched anticipated that its modern seasons would be more financially lucrative in the marketplace and wouldn’t even be competing with their earlier counterparts — particularly the York episodes in black and white. I’d guess that predictive calculus was used in its last few years to justify the recycling habit.
MDay991 asks… Do you have any favorite episodes of Cheers featuring the late George Wendt? He was perfect in that iconic character.
I agree that he was perfect; George Wendt was such a natural as Norm Peterson that they feel one and the same. That’s a testament to his seemingly effortless performance. In terms of individual episodes, Norm is best as atmospheric support; entries where he carries the A-story are not among the show’s finest because they force a basically inactive character into an active role that doesn’t play to his as-defined strengths. But if I had to pick one, “Norm, Is That You?” is notably funnier than baseline, reinforcing his characterization by playing against it.
Charlie has a similar request… In light of his recent passing, what episodes of The Cosby Show do you feel contain Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s best moments?
The episodes that leap to my mind are the same big Theo episodes that probably leap to yours — “A Shirt Story,” which boasts a visually memorable central gag, and “Theo’s Holiday,” which is maybe the funniest application of his character in a situation-affirming “Theo learns a lesson” plot. Additionally, I’d say a candidate for the best scene of the entire series occurs in the strong “Pilot” — where Cliff uses Monopoly money to impart some wisdom to his son. That’s the entire show right there. What a tragedy to lose him so soon!
And speaking of recently deceased sitcom stars, Eboni says… I have always found Loni Anderson to be one of the best things about “WKRP In Cincinnati” but she seems to be underrated among sitcom fans, and even lovers of WKRP. What do you think of her? Do you agree she’s underrated?
The late Loni Anderson was great in her role on WKRP In Cincinnati. She helped the Jennifer character maintain a clear definition without resorting to easy tropes or clichés (and sometimes even subverting them). However, I’m not sure that the show often gave her sublime material — that is, she didn’t often get to showcase any extraordinary skills as a comic actress, because the series just wasn’t designed to afford her with a lot of opportunities on that front. Is she underrated? Well, I’d say WKRP is probably a trifle underrated in general, but overall, I think her contributions therein tend to be appreciated in context. They should be, anyway.
Jon B. wants to know… Who do you think is the funniest sitcom actress of the 2000’s decade?
I think the funniest sitcom actress of the 2000s is 30 Rock’s Tina Fey, but, honestly, her greatest strength is probably more on the writing side — her ability to conceive of great ideas, which she then could commit to and execute. I’m not sure anyone else comes close on that front. However, in terms of sheer performance — and acting ability — I think people like Lisa Kudrow on The Comeback and Julia Louis-Dreyfus on the nevertheless mediocre The New Adventures Of Old Christine really proved their consistent superiority during this era, while Patricia Heaton from Everybody Loves Raymond, a late 1990s multi-cam that actually had its best seasons in the early part of the 2000s, was also among the decade’s finest performers.
Have a question for me? Submit it at the “Ask Jackson (Q&A)” link.
Come back next week for another Wildcard! And stay tuned for more Big Bang!