The whole notion of outsider is a strand that goes through most sitcoms, i think. Take Tongue Right out of my mouth. Outsiders help us relate as an audience. Are you some kind of nerd . Not some kind of nerd, the king of nerds. They are seeing everything with fresh eyes. You rang. That dynamic is pretty awesome. Its special. That confidence really made people feel like they could be okay to be whoever they are. Did i do that . And i think if i believe in who i am and own it, i can still be cool. Hello anybody in there . Fly, be free. [ laughter ] the absolute essence of a successful sitcom is one word. And that is emotion. We abolished emotions A Billion bleems ago. They took a Vote And Everyone said, everyone in favor. They have a great look for alien characters struggling with the same Human Dilemma we all struggle with. How do we behave like good human beings. Yo, kate, where do you keep your Casserole Dishes . Why . The Cat Wont Fit in the toaster. Aliens make for great comedy because you get the ultimate outside here can make fun of us but you also can do anything with them. And in the 60s with the space race, u. S. Versus russia, it was just such a natural fit, i think, to satirize. You still have the suburbs but now theyre being invaded by martians. Youre the martian. Youre supposed to be smarter than i am. I know. Its this living here on earth. It agains to rub off on one. My favorite martian hid his spaceship in the garage with a sheet. Come on, man. Uncle martin, all you have is a simple common cold. All . Common . Simple . Dont you realize im not the common man. Im a martian and my system is not prepared for this ahchew My Favorite Martian only lasted a few years in the 1960s. You people baffle me. So illogical, so emotional. Earth is all right for a visit but i wouldnt want to live here. By the 1970s We Saw Nostalgia Take over from science fiction. Garry marshall who was Executive Producer of Happy Days was a fan of My Favorite Martian. His son scott says to his favorite father, i think there should be an alien on Happy Days. That would be funny. Grary writes mork. Head of casting comes down with a young man very quiet, very shy. This young Man Robin williams picks up the script and we start doing the scene. Is he the finger of his. He just points it once and wam, bam. Goodbye, cunningham. That was the last time i ever heard the script the way it was written. Come along specimen. Let me tell you something. You aint taking my buddy here. You want to rumble . Rumble. Da, da, da. Let us make it official. Let me introduce the local celebrities. Its like the Sound Stage 19 was picked up off its foundation, rattled like a Baby Rattle and thrown back down and i realized that my job was get out of this mans way. Because it was so free form at that time, it was different. Than all the other situation comedies. You ad libbed . Huge. You go off and have people that go with it, three cameras, good luck. Must be pretty tough. Not a question of toughness. Im protected by a stellar force field. Watch. See . Mork on Happy Days is a star driven performance. He was a force of nature. Robin williams was just unique comic at the time when he came on, just had so much energy and so magnetic. People loved the character and thus, Mork And Mindy was born. How do you say thank you in your language . We spit. The Mork Character was a Misfit Failure on his planet. They sent him to earth and said you go study that. You expect me to eat this slop . Then he lived with all that complex. What are you doing . Putting your bones in orbit. I was the best paid actress in hollywood for going, oh, mork, what did you do . Early Sensor Reading says state of depression, defunk. What seems to be the matter . Im just disappointed in the mail. Let me teach you something. Its common throughout the universe for a female species to be disappointed in the male. By the late 70s when Mork And Mindy became a huge success, the producers of the show said, lets make the about something. We had a lot of writers in their early 20s and there was social upheaval they tried to wake people up. Are you sure youre in the right place . The night they raided minskis is a fascinating episode because mork unbeknownst to him is supporting this politician who happens to be part of a White Supremacist group. Lets try this on for size. Do you have a Frankenstein Mask . There are no steins in here. Mork doesnt really realize what this group stand s for. Mork, do you know what bigotry is . An italian force, bigotry. I think what made the alien Character Work so beautifully is his observations were pure. I feel strange. Me, too. Look. Blake is black. What happened . I reprogrammed their genes. Mork and mindy was explosive and surpassed everybodys expectations because it just felt original. I had never watched My Favorite Martian Mork And Mindy. I never thought id do sitcom but it was that captivating an idea. Four aliens came on a Research Mission trying to figure out how to be human. Got ten fingers, 11 toes . Check. Good. I guess were in. Everyone comfortable . I have three holes in my face. They were looking for an actor who was a combination of Aril Flynn and bugs bunny. In 1996 here he is displaying what turned out to be his deliciously goofy side. Look, Life Forms and theyre cleaning each other. We were a whole school of fish out of water and i was an alien that could do anything but understood nothing. What is that thing on your head . Its beautiful. Thank you, its authentic. Makes me feel connected to my ancestors. Thats the traditional headdress of ancient secretaries . Third rock from The Sun is looking at our society from a different perspective going my goodness, were ridiculous, arent we . In case you havent noticed, im black. Oh, of course i noticed, and dr. Albright, you are . Could i be any whiter . Third rock was a curiosity. It had a certain Comedy Style unlike nothing else on television. What . Im sorry, all you people look alike to me. Excuse me . Oh, im incredibly proud of playing dick solomon. I guess it was the first time i tapped into just how important sitcom is to everybody. I guess its because its a shared experience. I just dont see why people have to divide up into these arbitrary subsets. Skin color, please. You may see color but i see people. Boost mobile is all about giving you more power. And now, we give you more power over your health. Boost is the only mobile carrier to give you free 24 7 access to live doctors from your phone. Switch and get a free Samsung Galaxy A32 5g. Only on americas largest fastest 5g network. 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Like that. Bus, pants, car. An outsider like kimmy is great because shes seeing the world as it is and has a lot of questions about it. I feel like a Butterfly Bursting and falling from the nest. Yeah, you need this education. I love you. Dont get lice. The outsider is super important. Especially in comedy because its someone struggling with traditions and norms that they might not be used to. Excuse me but i seem to be lost. Could you direct me to Mockingbird Lane . Aah its delightful to see them have this conflict and it helps us to understand our culture better. Back in the 60s what was going on in the country was a lot of people were having issues about who was living next door to who. This was such a nice neighborhood until they moved in. We were of color even though it was green but we were like the family you didnt want to have move into the block. I saw The Munsters as the black people, and i thought, i like this. This is good. Uncle hermann, id like you to meet my date. This is [ laughter ] oh, uncle hermann. What is the matter with me, anyway . Back then, the world is bubbling up for a change. I just wish the producers could have you know Cast Black People but they couldnt. They had to go with real monsters, which is deep in itself. Joe and bob created The Munsters. They just finished Leave It To Beaver and they really wanted to keep this mold of the Family Sitcom but marry it to something new and strange. Marlyn, take the chicken back to the kitchen. Im afraid its not quite done. Looks good to me. The fact of the matter remains, we were a normal family. Hermann went to work and willy kept the House And Cousin marilyn went to college and i was a normal kid. It was perfect. Can i try kicking one . Sure. Thank you. [ laughter ] Hermann Munster is just a soft little Teddy Bear on the inside so it was really your first lesson of like, dont judge a book but its cover. I think im take up golf. But im not sure about being in The Sun too much. Id hate to lose my power. In a desperate effort to be one of the rest of the neighborhood, they even joined a country club. When that mr. Munster shows up to play golf, if he isnt our idea of a human being, ill throw them out personally. At that time, Country Clubs were very, like, certain people werent allowed in. Certain religions. [ laughter ] oh, oh, oh, i made it. I made it. As a standin for ethnic minorities, The Munsters are striving to be accepted. As they say in golf, eddie, you got to play them where you hit them. I dont think that the Adams Family cares. The Theme Song was great. Theyre creepy and cooky, mysterious and spooky theyre altogether ooky Adams Family the Adams Family was a Comic Strip in the new yorker. Very dark humor. That doll doesnt have a head. Its aunt and her head was chopped off. The Adams Family are more subversive because theyre not striving to be like the typical american family. Gomez, we have ourselves some very peculiar neighbors. Only one thing to do, get rid of them. Ill get rid of them. I havent used this beauty since the Tax Man was here. The Addams Family has a different set of values that are real to them that dont align with anything else in the world. You remember our honeymoon, gomez . Who could forget our first night in Death Valley . Morticia and gomez have a lot of sexual tension. She does not look like a suburban mom. She was hot. That was my first crush. Lets go down to the cave. Thats what we save for special occasions. You know what you do when you call me that. It slipped up. Control yourself. You love it as a kid because you love wednesday, lurch is a riot. Thats what i remember most about Addams Family. You rang . Cousin it, thing. All great but i didnt get it until i was older and then could really sit back and go thats some smart clever, satirical writing in the best sense. Darling, there is something i was hoping i wouldnt have to tell you. The other afternoon i sue pugsly playing with a bat. A bat. Thats more like our boy. A baseball bat. Its a game played outdoors in The Sun. [ laughter ] oh. The Addams Family just like The Munsters only lasted two seasons. But while they were there they served a very, very important fus. Theyre tackling the changing face of The American family. Like the idea American Society messed up and these are the only people that understand why its messed up. Go ahead, fester. Get another shot. This time get him right in the old heart. Whats the matter with your friend . I dont know. I dont know. Weird, isnt he . New dove men, plant based Body Wash is different. With plant based cleansers. And moisturizers for healthy and hydrated men, skin, relax your body and mind, shower with new dove men. What happens when we Welcome Change . We can transform our workforce overnight out of convenience, or necessity. 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And bewitched captured that. I wish i had a drink. A straw. The premise of bewitched is this is nerdy executive from new York City falls in love with a woman who can do magic. Youre a witch. Thats what ive been trying to tell you. It could be a typical suburban family except for the fact her entire family are witches, and they have one adorable little girl. Powers are amazing. Despite the fact that shes the product of a mixed marriage. I wanted to be invisible like her. Hop from one side of the room to the other. These ladies are straight up magic and their husbands want them to hide it. Dont Tell Me youve forgotten how to levitate. Of course i havent forgotten. It is just that darrin prefers i dont do any of this stuff anymore. I remember that really pissing me off as a little kid. I was like shes magic. Young man mother, dont consider yourself lucky youre not at this moment an artichoke. You can watch that show as a minority of any kind and identify with how she feels like she has to hide a part of herself, and you look at Paul Lind as Uncle Arthur who a lot of Lgbt Community say i see myself in that character. You even look at Agnus Morehead and you can see a lot of early touchstones for drag. Dont you realize youre under a spell . I know, dear. But when youre in love the whole world is under a spell. That was groundbreaking. The great thing about the show is that samantha, she wasnt defined by supernatural powers but defined but humanity. That picture is offensive. Offensive . Is that how you think i look . Will you come down . Well, do you . Of course not. The real message of bewitched was prejudice. Why did you do it . Most people think thats how witches look. Is that any reason to discriminate against a Minority Group . What Minority Group . Witches, of course. Bewitched is an immediate Hit And Everyone is twitching their nose and put them on the map. So now nbc wanted to do a witch show. I dream of genie was about an astronaut on a deserted island where he found a bottle and he rubbed it and of course theres a genie and boom. I must have went further into orbit than i thought. The only way to understand I Dream Of Genie is to see it as a backlash against whats happening in the real world. One egg and two slices of bacon. Thats right. You couldnt do it today. The cultural appropriation, the misogyny. Hey this is oil. No, no, no. Please stop. But the 70s welcome to the giant mystery that is the 1970s. Brought a different sophistication to television. It was the days of all in the family. The Mary Tyler Moore show. Magic was lost until it was brought back in the 90s. Its a cauldron. Wow. Sabrina, we have something to tell you. You see, there are two realms. The natural and the supernatural and it turns out that youre a witch. Sabrina the teenage witch a Fun Magic Comedy about a girl that finds out she is actually a witch. All right. Lets start with the basics. Orange into an apple. She didnt feel confident and empowered. Apple, pineapple. Thats very close. No, it is. The aunts and the cat look after her. Sabrina is sort of on her own. Im the wrong witch to ask. They werent lenient with me. Sentenced to 100 years as a cat. I love the Cat And Idea of a 90s Club comic talking cat. Sound of the Can Opener is the only thing that makes me feel truly alive. [ laughter ] it was my version of bewitched. Thats how i grew up. But if we cant make fun of geeks, who will we make fun of . Hi, sabrina. Super freak. You just want to see a Weirdo Outsider who has secret powers cut through everyones nonsense. And i think thats why we had a lot of success with sabrina. Sevenyear run and 163 episodes, animated series and three Tv Movies and huge franchise internationally. It was crazy. excited Laughter Ahhh Ohhhh Fridge Closing Crowd Noises cheering laughter ive been telling everyone. The secret to great teeth is having healthy gums. 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Wow, thats a heck of a commute, huh . We have class, race, gender. All of it is here because were a nation of people that came from somewhere else. You cannot run in Los Angeles at night. This is the city of Charles Manson and Harvey Weinstein is. Every week no matter the show, there are little Pressure Release valves that go off. And you see that play out throughout the history of the sitcom. At first thought you may imagine 40s, 50s sitcoms being very white suburbia. There are a lot of shows of immigrants becoming a part of The American dream. Life with luigi about an italian family, i remember mama about a norwegian family. The goldbergs is about a jewish family in this jewish ghetto. Those shows certainly what america was trying to accomplish in the 50s and later when immigrant characters would pop up in comedies, it would be for comedian effect. Tell me something. How come i never understand a single word you say and yet i always know what youre talking about . I think everybody thought that he was nuts. [speaking foreign language] yeah, that must be it. I dont think anybody believed he was a sane individual. In my country, everyone shares with everyone. Thats beautiful. Otherwise they shoot you. May have been an alien for as much sense as he made. Do you know anything about bisexuals . Yes. They are very popular in my country. They are . One of our favorite sports is arresting them, and when they are not, we have special racks where we chain them up at night. Im not talking about bicycles, im talking about bisexuals. So am i. What was brilliant about taxi and Perfect Strangers am i looking up larry . Larry appleton, thats me. Larry Larry Larry they both came from madeup countries to have the most outlandish traditions. Which was great because nobody got insulted. They could get away with a lot more as outsiders and have a better perspective on us. My cousin three times removed is a Step Uncle to your father and my mother eastside. So were sort of related by rumor. The creators of Perfect Strangers were incredible. Prurks production team. Had been at the Los Angeles olympics in 84 and love the spirit. People coming to america and loving it and we want to do a show about an innocent making the way in america. What this . [ laughter ] only in america. You know to do that we had to squeeze a frog. Everybody is a fish out of water in some way. That Silly Ol boy, he doesnt know anything. It allows you to see yourself. When i nod my head, you hit it. Come again. When i nod my head, you hit it. [ laughter ] i cant do that. Dont make this complicated. Ill hold the wrench. Youve got the hammer. When i nod my head, you hit it. You hit it. [ laughter ] the Blind Leading The blind is often how we described it. Ready . Yes. [ laughter ] wait the reagan era was a time in which politics was embracing immigrants so to get this Rosie Picture of what its like being an immigrant in america made sense. Im turning right now. Signal Signal Signal there are people that really do feel marginalized to get the marginalized character. Take it take it everywhere i went, every kid from the age of 2 or whatever would come over and hug me. Because i was one of them. They got it and that was one of the great, great treats of that show. Now we are so happy we do the dance of joy hey. Hey. Hey. vo at tmobile for business, unconventional thinking means we see things differently, so you can focus on what matters most. Whether its ensuring food arrives as fresh as when it departs. Being first on the scene, when every second counts. Or teaching biology without a lab. We are the leader in 5g. 1 in customer satisfaction. And a partner who includes 5g in every plan, so you get it all. Without tradeoffs. Unconventional thinking. Its better for business. What if you could have the perspective to see more . At morgan stanley, a global collective of thought leaders offers investors a broader view. 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But in the 90s Network puts the teenager and what they want front and center. The time was right to tell the story about blossom because there was a vacuum of young girls Points Of View on television. My best friend six told me William Zimmerman who is only slightly better looking than Mel Gibson is interested in me. This is so cool. But why wouldnt he be interested in me . Im smart. Im funny. And ive got the body of a 13yearold. She was not the average girl. Maybe not the best looking girl in class, but certainly one of the brightest. Oh my gosh. You dont suppose this means were the girls with good personalities . That was one of the points of blossom, how she made her way in life not fighting in. Theyre saying you might not be a jock or popular person or cheerleader, but were all a little different and quirky. Its all right because im Saved By The Bell Saved By The Bell is all about the kids and their world. Screech is just weird. Whatever youre doing, dont. With the shift towards teenage in a sitcom, you also see the advent of the nerd. Lisa, my horoscope says were destined to dance together. My horoscope says beware of dorks. But there is sort of this lost Puppy Aspect to screech that takes him from a character of just the nerd to someone that the viewer actually roots for. Then with fresh Prince Carlton was one of the first black nerds on screen. Wait until we come down stairs in those tuxes. People may not think were twins but i bet theyll think were brothers. I dont think you have to worry about anyone mistaking you for a brother. I always loved carlton, the way he was true to himself. Go Carlton Carlton Go Carlton a lot of these Outsider Characters were a sidekick of sorts but once you get into the 90, geeks are becoming more and more part of the national conversation. Freaks and geeks is a push back against the Cookie Cutter characters and the typical teen sitcoms of that era. Im sick of being called a geek. I mean, what is so geek about us anyways, were just guys . Good news. Dungeons and dragons handbook. Well have fun friday night. I was handed the finished script of Freaks And Geeks and i loved it before i opened it up i just thought thats the best title. There is a girl in our school. She had premarital sex. You know what she did on Graduation Day . Died of an overdose of heroin. Paul thought he had never seen a truthful presentation of High School on tv. The good and the really ugly. Hey, amy. Hey, lindsey. Nice threads. Nice voice. Freaks and geeks is about two groups of friends, a freak group, a geek group. Sergeant pepper, where is the rest of the lonely Hearts Club Band . Looks like you ate them. The people that most Tv Shows ignore, the nerds, the pot heads. I understand youve just been through puberty and you dont think anyone understands. Lots of people do. Even mr. Alice cooper. At the time it was very unusual to have an hourlong comedy. Do you know this song . Lines form on my face and hands im 18 i get confused every day i thought it would catch on. I thought there has to be a hunger that is quality like this. Because everybody can relate to what it feels like to be an outsider in some way or another. I cant believe shes going to hang out with us. What if im asleep right now and this is just a dream and any moment maureen and i will make love . Eww. What are we doing here . In 1999, it was a different world and there was just snuffed out after one season. Lindsey, lindsey, wait, wait, wait. Ive got something for you. Its chocolates for a sweet trip. Thanks, neil. Thats nice. All right. Ill see you. And i think that its okay because we are able to remember Freaks And Geeks as an alltime great depiction of high School Life because it was killed before it could age and killed before it could age and wither. Milk, matilda. Great Job Moo youre welcome. 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We get unlimited for just 30 bucks. Sweet, but mine has 5g included. Relax people, my wireless is crushing it. Thats because you all have Xfinity Mobile with your internet. Its wireless so good, it keeps one upping itself. Switch to Xfinity Mobile and save hundreds on your wireless bill. Plus, save up to 400 when you purchase a new Samsung Phone or upgrade your existing phone. Learn more at your local xfinity store today. If you dont come out of there, im going to have to drag you out. You can try. But youll never catch me. Bazinga. Bazinga. We live in an age now where being nerdy and being supergeeky about something is cool. Thats not really our logo, is it . Looks like a Guy Sucking A [ bleep ] and hes Got Another [ bleep ] stuck behind his ear for later, like a snack. [ bleep ]. Here. Put them on. But that was not the case decades ago. And i think the sitcom had a large part in pushing Geek Culture to the forefront. Hi, mr. Winslow. Im steve erkel. Family matters was set in chicago and it was about the winslow family. Hello, ladies. I thought wed all do our homework together. Uhoh. Dads paying bills. Im out of here. Me too. And they had this really annoying neighbor, steve erkel. When i went to audition, i was just supposed to be a day player. Thats it. I brought the glasses. They belonged to my father. I got this little Pea Head and he gave me his glasses. They just kind of wobbled on my face. I hear you cant get a date for the dance. So you want to go with me . Shed rather eat worms. Okay. Some other time then. He was so quirky and so odd but he was so beloved. He loves cheese. Got any cheese. He had the dancing. And and and did i do that . Oh, did i do that . He really sort of took over the series. A lot of people feel awkward. So in the weirdest way, he instilled selfpride in other people. Its like, hey, that guy can be awkward and go after the girls of his dreams and share what he is about with others. So what did you invent this time . Well, youll see. In our neighborhoods where you had to be such a tough guy when youre outside your house, this was a the character that you get to be when youre with Family Members and friends, and you can be your goofy Self And Dance around. Steve urkel made the statement that we can be whatever we want. I played bruce lee. I played elvis. Albert einstein. The evolution of the nerd in sitcoms is an interesting one to watch because we went from Urkel And Screech that are, like, the Joke Character on their respective shows to something like big Bang Theory when you have a group of nerds who are the stars of the show. Just inconceivably brilliant guys who can figure pi to 80 decimals but were very childlike. Smell that . Thats the smell of new co comic books. Oh, yes. Sheldon played so wonderfully by Jim Parsons injected this humanity into him. You care a lot more about sheldon. Hes hes not comedic relief. He is sort of the hero in a way. Sheldon, what are the hell are you doing . Trying to figure out why electrons behave as if they have no mass when traveling through a graphing sheet. With marbles . I needed something bigger than peas now, didnt i . What makes these characters wonderful is they want to be included. And then, there is the very beautiful penny who lives across the hall from sheldon and leonard. Oh, welcome to the building. Oh, thank you. Maybe, we can have coffee sometime. Oh, great. Great. Great. Shes funny. But they show her as having a fraction of their iq. Howard wallowitz. Cal Tech Department of applied physics. You may be familiar with some of my work. Its currently orbiting jupiters largest moon taking highresolution digital photographs. Penny. I work at the cheesecake factory. But then, they bring in bernadette and they bring in amy fowler. And so, suddenly, there is like a bunch of women and the show felt much more balanced as a result. I am amy fowler. You are sheldon cooper. Hello, amy farrah fowler. She eventually became sheldons Love Interest and of course that opened up a whole other pandoras box. May i ask you a question before i gave it to you . Of course. Why are we saying give it to you like that . At the beginning, sheldon is an outcast, an intellectual, a geek. By the end, hes found his soulmate, he has friends. Hes won a nobel prize. I have been encouraged, sustained, inspired, and tolerated not only by my wife but by the greatest group of Friends Anyone ever had. You had big Bang Theory that stayed on forever. Its huge. And theyre nerds. We started to see articles written about how young people were going into s. T. E. M. Fields in school because the big Bang Theory made it look cool. I need to get to hear whats there. The earliest estimate of the singularity. So you are upset about missing out on becoming some sort of freakish Selfaware Robot . By this much. It used to be chic to be normal. And regular. But now, its very chic to be an outsider. The outsider is this Oddball Character that just comes in, and gets to throw fastballs. Fish out of water works because everybody really does feel out of place. Part of their lives. Whats going on . I dont know. I i looked around the room and i saw all the faces and the presents. And and it was just too much. Its in the nature of comedy that you provide an audience an object of identification. There is a time i never would have been friends with someone like you. And now, you are one of my favorite people. So if what you need is to spend your birthday in bathroom, im happy to do it with you. And you make people laugh not only at you but at themselves. Everyone will think im weird. Here we go. Pivot pivot