So I'm on the El last night reading the printout of Marc Berman's newsletter for Mediaweek and he's writing about the premiere of "Parks and Rec"--and he actually wrote the following, after the network logline:
The Reality: Had NBC found a better suited vehicle for the past SNL star (how about a harried mother with a few rambunctious kids, a dumbbell husband, smart-mouthed housekeeper and wacky neighbor?), this might have a chance. Poehler does, no doubt, possess solid comedic chops. But casting her as an Indiana based parks and recreation employee sounds a) limited, b) boring and c) more like a public service announcement than a comedy. Who the heck named this show? Since Parks and Recreation is set in Indiana, I have an idea. How about sending over former One Day at a Time janitor Dwayne Schneider for a visit? I bet Pat Harrington, Jr. could use the gig. ---------------------------------- Now I know that Berman's tastes are aggressively old school (he loves Lucy, actually likes "Mama's Family" and insists that if "Golden Girls" were still on Saturday nights, it would still be a hit), but if he really serious about wanting Cliched Sitcom Format No. 1 back on the air as an Amy Poehler vehicle--and done without irony, except for the winks slipped in by the Harvard Lampoon alum writers (if sitcoms are still hiring those guys)? Now, of course, his main argument would be the Monday night CBS lineup, the only across-the-board ratings hit comedies on the air, and he'd especially point out that the critically-reviled multi-cam "Rules of Engagement" holds on to "2.5 Men"'s audience much better than the critically-mixed one-cam "Worst Week" did. He'd also call "The Office" and "30 Rock" more 18-49 demo hits than real hits. Still, is what he suggests what anyone under the age of 65 really wants--or is the one-camera mockumentary workplace sitcom becoming as cliched as the family multi-cam laugh track one? --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ TV or Not TV .... Smart (TV) People on Ice! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
