Tickling the Shark
By Mitch Berg
I never liked Happy Days much; I very, very rarely watched it. But to the extent that I ever did watch it, I tuned out even faster when it got to the point when every major character would walk on camera, the in-studio audience would erupt in pro forma applause; when Fonzie would go “‘eeeey”, the house would practically come down, as if Henry Winkler repeating “‘eeeeey” for the ten thousandth time was…well, worth applauding.
Drove me nuts.
I used to love MASH. The first bunch of seasons were good stuff – even though after the first six seasons Alan Alda started taking over as the show’s driving creative force (with the commensurate increase in political preachiness), it pretty much kept its “snap” about it…
…until about the the eighth of its eleven seasons. It was about the time Gary Burghoff left the show that the wheels seemed to come off. I don’t think it was Burghoff’s departure itself, but some shuffling among the writing staff that scuppered the show.
Whatever; for the first three or four seasons, the show was brilliant; seasons five through seven, uniformly excellent.
Eight through eleven?
It was like the cast stopped playing a couple of sarcastic pacifist doctors, a conservative brahmin blueblood, a crusty old regular army guy, a neurotic nurse, a mild-mannered priest and a grumpy but ingenious draftee; they all became one-liner machines that lived like doppelgangers within the bodies the “the” stock surgeons, colonel, nurse and ex-transvestite characters, serving only the message and the writers; you could almost predict every line:
UNSYMPATHETIC OFFICER CHARACTER: “If we stop trying to take back North Korea, what’ll we have?”
HONEYCUTT: “Peace?”
UNSYMPATHETIC OFFICER CHARACTER: “What are you? Some kind of comsymp?”
HAWKEYE: “Well, compsymple pleasures are the best…”
COL. POTTER: “Captain Pierce, I suggest you stop trying to kill the major with comedy before you kill your patients!
KLINGER: “Habibi!”
I write this, mostly, to set up some background for the most depressing thing that’s hit me all week.
I saw an episode from the newest seasons of Scrubs – by far my favorite new TV discovery – the other day. Now, Scrubs has been for five seasons one of the most crisply written and inventive shows ever, and a show that did “side-splittingly hilarious” (pick your episode) and “mind-warpingly poignant” (the “Waiting For My Real Life To Begin” dream musical sequence with the heart-transplant patient stands out, and totally kills me) with equal, sometimes dazzling facility. And everyting you really need to know about parenting, you can learn from Perry Cox.
Unfortunately, the episode I saw the other evening reminded me of one of those episodes of MASH I hated so much back in ’81; where instead of the fanciful-yet-believeable ensemble that made the show such a standout, we got “a metrosexual, a black doctor and his bossy Latina wife, the neurotic rich girl and the arrogant jerk with a heart of gold” mouthing lines that might have been written for “Happy Days”.
I’m hoping they pull out of it soon…
September 27th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
Americans need to follow the example of British TV and kill sitcoms before they outlive their welcome. Witness (from Wikipedia):
Fawlty Towers – 12 eps
The Office – 12 eps, 2 specials
Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister – 38 eps
Blackadder/Blackadder II/Blackadder the Third/Blackadder Goes Forth – 24 eps, 3 specials
Monty Python’s Flying Circus – 45 eps
compare
M*A*S*H – 251 eps
All in the Family/Archie Bunker’s Place – 202 eps
Happy Days – 255 eps
Not to mention the innumerable spinoffs, most of which were execrable.
September 27th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
I think there’s something to that.
The British TV “season” is six episodes long, IIRC. It helps a writing staff focus a little better, I think.
Oh, yeah – the Benny Hill Show – 101 eps.
September 27th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
[…] From the comments in this post over at Shot In The Dark: AC: Americans need to follow the example of British TV and kill sitcoms before they outlive their welcome. Witness (from Wikipedia): […]
September 27th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
I like Scrubs, but almost all of the episodes are nearly interchangeable.
But, I think Scrubs could be boiled down into one episode containing just the bra and panties scenes from the five seasons. The 30 seconds of Heather Graham would be worth watching.
September 27th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
24 was the same way. Season 4 was amazing. Season 6? preachy and more about the interpersonal relationships of everyone. I heard rumors on the radio today that Janine Garafolo might be involved with Season 7. If that happens, Kiefer can kiss season 8 goodbye.
September 27th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
Milwaukee Journal had a column on this years ago. The writer said the first season of Happy Days was the best and fairly accurately portrayed life in Milwaukee in the 1950’s. Then it became just bad cliches with things like making Fonzee the star and always saying “eyyyyyyy”.
September 27th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
Since we’re on the subject…I loved “ER” the first….6? seasons. Stopped watching in 2000/2001 just because I got busy. Noticed a lot of MASH style preaching on a few subsequent episodes that I tried viewing. Perhaps it’s time for a nice retirement.
September 27th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
Best thing I’ve seen on TV lately was the new BBC show “Jekyll” 6 episodes and (despite rumors and a possible sequel hook) it’s self contained.
September 27th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
I remember the first episode of Happy Days. It was about 20 minutes on Love, American Style. Then the first season or two with Chuck, Fonzee was a dangerous thug, no studio audience, and stayed in the 50’s. Downhill after that. Mash was a funny book, and good movie, and the first couple of years, pretty funny. After Col Blake and Trapper left, straight downhill.
ER still on?
September 28th, 2007 at 1:09 am
I thought it was a mix of Gary leaving, Klinger dropping the drag act, the show running for 8 years, the original writers and producers long gone, and Alda’s preachiness going unchecked. I love MASH and I’ll even watch later repeats once in awhile, but if Radar’s head isn’t in the opening shot I’m less likely.
As for Scrubs, I thought the wheels were starting to come off last year with JD’s girlfriend pregnant for 12 months and an increasingly psycho Elliot. Still good, but starting to show its age. This is the last season, so we’ll see what they do with it – 7 years is difficult for just about any sitcom.
September 28th, 2007 at 5:10 am
Mitch,
Might I suggest you switch to The Office, which is the American version of a British sitcom and is quite brilliant actually. Ass off, I laugh mine, when I watch it.
September 28th, 2007 at 8:37 am
The office is perhaps the best thing on. Rent the DVD’s and watch with the writers comments. Much sublte and ab-libed material.
But last night…..I think the magic is gone. Perhaps three seasons (actually 2.5) is enough. We’ll see.
September 28th, 2007 at 9:40 am
Agreed about MASH. Hilarious early on. A DailyKos lecture later on.
As for grating preachiness, let’s not leave Mike Farrell out of the mix. Ugh.
The one thing I probably liked most about the late seasons, though, was how Hoolihan transmogrified into a softer, kinder person. Early Margaret, as a by the book foil, and partner in crime to No-Chin Frank was great, too, but she was much more likeable at the end.
September 28th, 2007 at 9:53 am
Heh, Mike Farrell came to speak on campus when I was going to college. He praised communism (this was just before the Berlin Wall fell). The line I’ll always remember is “we just need to give it a chance”.
September 28th, 2007 at 10:30 am
Sure he did, Chuck.
At Angryclown’s graduation from Klown Kollege, Scott Baio pledged his undying commitment to restoring the Third Reich.
September 28th, 2007 at 10:39 am
Seems like an odd booking for a Klown Kommencement speaker.
September 28th, 2007 at 11:19 am
Homey the Clown had to cancel.
September 28th, 2007 at 11:24 am
Well no wonder Scott Baio is 45 and single. I hate Illinois Nazis.
September 28th, 2007 at 11:36 am
Hmmm, reviewing some of Mr Farrell’s writing, I see he has spent time trying to get Mr Stanley Tookie Williams, and Mr Mumia Abu Jamal new trials as they were clearly railroaded and probably innocent. Doesn’t mean he likes those dirty communists though. Seems to like Castro though. Such a contradiction. But isn’t that the way of the artist?
September 28th, 2007 at 11:40 am
Any scoops on Andy Dick’s politics, buzzkill? An anxious world awaits.
September 28th, 2007 at 11:46 am
Yeah, I think he’s a democrat.
September 28th, 2007 at 11:51 am
However, given the choice of hanging out with Mike Ferrell or Andy Dick, I would of course pick Mr Ferrell. The man is a big time motorcyclist, so we would have lots to talk about without getting into politics.
September 28th, 2007 at 9:47 pm
Buzz-
Amazing things, motorcycles. Sort of a universal translator. I’ve got a ’77 sporty, completely rebuilt in 1999, sitting in my garage rusting away. When I sum up the costs of returning it to service I’m mightily tempted by the thought of building up a 60’s or 70’s brit bike. Better suited for this climate & it gets you out of the HD culture. In HD land you end up stuck with either the sunday driving local guys or the Cali working class types.
September 28th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Buzz-
Amazing things, motorcycles. Sort of a universal translator. I’ve got a ’77 sporty, completely rebuilt in 1999, sitting in my garage rusting away. When I sum up the costs of returning it to service I’m mightily tempted by the thought of building up a 60’s or 70’s brit bike. Better suited for this climate & it gets you out of the HD culture. In HD land you end up stuck with either the sunday driving local guys or the Cali working class types.
I would love to lay my hands on an ol’ Norton Commando. Torquey, fast, with and intersting engine. All that with electric start!
September 28th, 2007 at 9:56 pm
Amazing things, motorcycles. Sort of a universal translator.
I’ve never owned one (I came close in ’82; had a choice between a bike and a trip to Europe; I wouldn’t change a thing), but as a guitar player, I find myself drawn to a 1952 Vincent Black Lightning.
September 29th, 2007 at 1:14 am
Mitch-
The movie Lawrence of Arabia begins with T.E. Lawrence (Peter O’Toole) jumping on his Vincent and going for a morning’s ride. He is killed when a bicyclist crosses his path and he has to take evasive action.
Motorcycles are dangerous. Very dangerous. Incidents that would result in a fender bender or a flat tire in a car will kill you if you are riding a motorcycle.