light-hearted like magnum p.i. were very popular. after m.a.s.h. went off the air, the next season there wasn t a single sitcom in the top ten. first time that had ever happened in tv history. the prevailing feeling was that the sitcom was dead. brandon tartikoff, nbc programming chief, says reports of the sitcom s death were greatly exaggerated. time and time again, if you study television history, just when someone is counting a form out, that is exactly the form of programming that leads to the next big hit. 1984 the cosby show comes on. bill cosby is not new to tv. he s had other tv shows, but the cosby show is very different. it stands apart from everything else he s done. i wanted my eggs scrambled. coming right up. they talked about parenting. previous to that, the kids were cool and the parents were
they had given me this 23 minutes to address whatever topic i want, and it s such a privilege, that s more than the president of the united states gets, and it s kind of thrilling to have that every week. i would be lying if i didn t say i put my opinions in the show. excuse me, but you lovely ladies look like you are in need of a little male companionship here. trust me when i tell you you have completely misassessed the situation at this table. and moving on to scene g. i am a woman and i am a writer, but i don t really enjoy being called a woman s writer. i think labels are harmful to us. with murphy brown, just about everything about that program felt new. the civil rights movement and the women s movement had just begun to sort of be reflected in the programming you saw in television in the 80s. murphy, you know the dunfree s club is for men only. and they have great dinners with great guests, and i don t
i know what s wrong with you. the empty-armed madonna. mourning the baby that she couldn t have and the baby that she almost got to adopt. that is it, isn t it? you miserable bitch! there was a bigness to the stories. and they could afford to do it on a network if you are doing one episode a week. you can t do that if you are doing five episodes a week for a daytime show. so just the production value gave it that pizzazz. if you can t have it, watch other people with it, or so say the three networks who are programming nearly 40% of the primetime fare with series about the very rich and the public is devouring it at such a rate that make-believe money has become ratings gold. the characters were larger than life, they were more evil and more cunning and manipulative. and more gorgeous. i mean, really, look at the way they were dressed. look at the way they lived. everything, it was fascinating. alexis. yes?
supporters over there in the cesarean section. it s healthy to be an outsider. as a comedian, and canadians are always outsiders, but they are looking at the other culture which is right next door to them. i love you, i want to bear your children! it was the type of comedy that had only been accessible if you could have gotten into the improv clubs in chicago and toronto. i had never seen anything like second city tv. james bridgeman, parkdale. sorry, no, never mind, i m sorry. it was far more conceptual in its humor because it didn t have to be performed in front of an audience. and there was also just the idea that it was this sort of low-rent thing. it was this sort of by the seat of their pants kind of operation that gave it an authenticity. now that our programming day has been extended i m going to be spending where do you want me to put
happened in tv history. the prevailing feeling was that the sitcom was dead. brandon tartikoff, nbc programming chief, says reports of the sitcom s death were greatly exaggerated. time and time again, if you study television history, just when someone is counting a form out, that s exactly the form of programming that s leads to the next big hit. 1984 the cosby show comes on. bill cosby is not new to tv. he s had other tv shows. but the cosby show is very different. it stands apart from everything else he s done. i wanted my scrambled. coming right up. they talked about parenting. before that, the kid were cool and the parents were idiots. then cosby says, the parents are in charge, and that was something new. instead of acting disappointed because i m not like you, maybe you can just accept who i am and love me