No. Everybody trying to get along. One problem with hiring women is that theyre frail and breakable. Is it possible youre thinking about light bulbs or your hip . Hilarious. What do you say to that . Whoa. Ow lets talk about earning a living. Yeah. Have you ever done it . No, but i could. Ha Lucille Ball with the chocolates, always funny. If one piece of candy gets past you and into the Packing Room unwrapped, youre fired. All the writers needed to say was lucy and a conveyor belt, youre good. Some of the most memorable episodes of I Love Lucy are when she gets a job outside of the home, but it always unravels. Youre doing splendidly. Speed it up when sitcoms started, they were Family Sitcoms. And for years, thats all there was. And then we move into the 1960s, we start to see more people working in an office than on a factory line. For the first time in the history of our nation, a majority of all workers are in White Collar jobs. And you were spending time getting to know your colleagues. You ready . Im ready. I got those the Dick Van Dyke show was laugh out loud funny. The Dick Van Dyke show i can clearly remember it was the Dick Van Dyke show, black and white. Thats what got me into sitcoms. That was groundbreaking. First of all, you had carl reiner. Carl reiner got his start on Your Show Of Shows with imogene Coca And Sid caesar. Which was not a sitcom, it was a variety show. Its supposed to be tent. The Writers Room abounded in talent. It just imbued carl with, thats a place, thats a gold mine. A Writers Room is a gold mine. I remember talking to myself on the Way Home and i said, what piece of ground do i stand on that nobody else stands on . So ill write about the life of a writer. Writers are lazy. People write what they know. We got a sketch due. There is nothing to worry about, kids. I have got an idea. Alan beatty will play the part of a talking bowling pin. I thought it was the greatest idea because in most sitcoms, you didnt know what the husband did for a living. The second Dance Number should come before the big sketch. Gee, i dont know. I like it. Now i like it. Yeah, Me Too. I like it, too. What do you know . Look at the tie youre wearing. I love the fact it was a glimpse into the Writers Room. Seeing how shows worked was just so fascinating to me. And of Course Mary Tyler moore. How could you not fall in love with Mary Tyler Moore . This isnt a whoopie rob, its years old. Yeah, but it still works. Give me a kiss. I must have seen about 30 girls and when she came into the room, she just said hello, her name was, and i heard a ping and a voice. Will it make you feel any better if i tell you how really sorry i am . Well, no. The original intent of the Dick Van Dyke show was mostly for it to take place in the workplace. Three, two, one, zero. Well, we did it. What . What did we do . We wasted a whole day. Audiences were used to the big Family Sitcoms of the time and didnt really take to the Dick Van Dyke show at first. At The End of the first season, they were going to cancel it. In real Life Mary had married grant tinker, who was a Cbs Executive on the Dick Van Dyke show. Grant tinker helped save the show by pushing Mary Tyler Moore to the forefront. Well, for instance i think you look very nice without your, uh hair . Oh. These shows that straddle Home And Workplace almost always result in something tasty. Now, im not saying this just because im in trouble, alan, although goodness knows i am. Would you like these . What do you suggest i do with all of these now, huh . Well, there must be some needy bald people. And it ultimately became a ratings sensation. Thats the best five years of my life. I dont believe this. The best thing ive ever done, hands down, no question about it. I was 19 in 1967, and it was Dick Van Dyke. It made a huge impression on me. After the Dick Van Dyke show, Mary Tyler Moore was clearly one of the larger stars in america. Mary and my dad started laying the groundwork for their own company. Mary Tyler Moore enterprises has a woman whose name is on this. And its like, i dont need to be this roaring, big, macho presence. And within that you have important messaging about women in the workplace and those politics appear on Broadcast Television in a Workplace Comedy like the Mary Tyler Moore show. You might just make it after all Mary Richards moves to minnesota to start work at wjmtv. What religion are you . Mr. Grant, i dont quite know how to say this, but youre not allowed to ask that when someones applying for a job. Want to call a cop . It did represent what women were going through in the 70s. They were standing up and saying, i must be heard. Sitcoms used to be about the wife was at home doing the dishes, and then this woman sprang onto our screens who had a job, and often the smartest person there. And it was sort of liberating. Youve got spunk. And i wait a dutiful moment and i say i Hate Spunk and i want to correct something right now. I dont Hate Spunk. I love spunk. It was a total shift in gender roles. Shes a single working woman, you know, living in a building with other single women. How would you both like to help abolish Capital Punishment . Phyllis, theres no Capital Punishment in this state. Well, that was easy. And you have this kind of shift in the workplace. Theres more men and women working together. Its creating this uncomfortable dynamic. I was right, huh . Yes, ted, you were right. You were wrong. Yes, ted, i was wrong. Ted baxter, the egotistical tv anchorman. You were wrong and i was ted, i was wrong all right, all right, mare, lets not dwell on it. And the extraordinary betty white. Who played sue ann nivens, who was voracious and man hungry and had a mirrored ceiling over her bed. I think television needs bright young women. Look at me. Thats what i love about workplace comedies. People that would never in A Million years have spoken but come connected anyway and have to live with humor on a day to day, second to second basis to get through it. Chuckles the clown is dead. The funeral of Chuckles The Clown is one of the great moments in comedy. He went to the parade dressed as peter peanut. And a Rogue Elephant tried to shell him. And everybodys making fun of it. Other than mary. I wonder which ones are the other clowns. Theyre all going to jump out of a little hearse. At The End of the day, all these comedies are about a crazy, dysfunctional family gathered together in a workplace. Chuckles the clown brought pleasure to millions. Its so relatable. So go ahead, my dear, laugh. For chuckles [uplifting music playing] i had a dream that someday i would just fly, fly away its another day. And anything could happen. It could be the day you welcome 1,200 guests and all their devices. Or it could be the day theres a cyberthreat. Get ready for it all with an advanced network and managed services from Comcast Business. And get Cybersecurity Solutions that let you see everything on your network. Plus an Expert Team looking ahead 24 7 to help prevent threats. Every day in business is a big day. Well keep you ready for whats next. Comcast business powering possibilities. If youre 55 and up, tmobile has plans built just for you whether you need a single line or lines for family members, youll get great value on americas most reliable 5g network. Like 2 lines of unlimited for just 27. 50 a line. Thats our everyday price. Plus, our plans always come with unlimited talk, text and data included. So, switch to tmobile and get 2 lines of unlimited for only 27. 50 a line. Thats half the price of verizon or at t. Only at tmobile. The leader in 5g. Psst psst allergies dont have to be scary. Spraying flonase daily stops your body from overreacting to allergens all season long. Psst psst flonase all good. I was just wondering, mr. Coleman, when you were dismissing some of the staff did you intend to fire Me Too . Especially me. I would have been happy to go on doing the Mary Tyler Moore show for an eighth year because i loved the job so much. But Mary And Grant and Mary Tyler Moore enterprises decided to end the show while it was still good. The Television Station where Mary Works is bought out. Everyone is fired. I think we all need some kleenex. Theres some on marys desk. How do we leave this room . We were saying goodbye to the show and to Each Other. Its a long, long way to tipperary its still emotional after all these years. Because that was a family. Its a long way to go the Mary Tyler MooreShow And Mtm enterprises were really powerful just in terms of the Workplace Sitcom. In the 1970s the Baby Boom Generation had not settled in to the domestic life, young professionals but who have not yet started their families. I didnt want to do the standard family show. Im sure he has girlfriends. But he denies it. Well, of course todds 13 now. The fact that so many people in hollywood were hitting the couch probably opened the doors for the setting of the show. I enjoyed the oddity of the people. What seems to be your problem, stan . Bob, you have no idea what its like to be incredibly goodlooking. I go into my office, and there is a ventriloquist. Well, doctor, frank here wants to break up the act and go out on his own. The Bob Newhart Show is kind of a model for how to do a Workplace Comedy or family comedy. You bring together all these eccentric types, and it worked so brilliantly because of Bob Newharts voice. Hey, bob, theyre flipping the coin. Youre going to miss the whole thing here. Right. Honey, i know you put a lot of Thought And Effort and energy into this. Bob, are you going to ask me if you can eat in front of the Television Set . Eventually, i was going to ask you. I think it was the beginning of a really smart, sophisticated, Ensemble Kind of comedy. Here they come i dont hear nothing. Wait for it. M. A. S. H. Is a workplace where the chaos of the war makes their work so intense and crazy. We were set in korea, but of course at that time that the show aired, the Vietnam War was going on. So people equated it. Those helicopters youre about to hear are going to be filled with canadians who went to a different party tonight. Without us, a lot of those kids are not getting home from that party. Attention, all personnel. Report immediately to admitting Ward And Operating room. We were people who were flawed doing their best work in an impossible situation. On m. A. S. H. I was always drawn to the offbeat characters who looked at things a little differently. If you say no, well tell everybody your brother is in jail. My brother is a warden. We wont say that part. Alan alda as Hawkeye Pierce was the center of the show. He was that pivot. And it was hawkeye and Trapper John flipping the bird to the establishment, to get one up on hot lips and frank. Ive always said it, behind every great man there is a woman with a vibrator. What do you want . And they run the camp that Colonel Blake thought he was running. Klinger, The One thing that General Macarthur may not understand is a Flower Girl with a 5 oclock shadow. There was also this constant debate about morality. Why are we here . How are we treating these people . How are we treating Each Other . I hope this guy doesnt mind ignoring orders by living. Then at The End of the third season radar, put a mask on. Gary bergoff walks in and says henry Blakes Plane was shot down over the sea of japan. There were no survivors. That moment is pure honesty. I have trouble telling that story 40 years later. I just never even think of it as a sitcom. You know, it just was it was m. A. S. H. M. A. S. H. Really blew up what a Workplace Sitcom could be. There was death. There was sorrow. There was really a mixing of genre that was groundbreaking. It was the first dromedy in prime time television. Thats gunfire. Its 2 30 in the morning. Maybe theres an afterhours war around here. M. A. S. H. Lasted 11 seasons. If we didnt have such a terrific union here, id put in my twoweek notice. But im too weak. February 28th, 1983, The War Is Over and the show is over. Its the most organically perfect finale. You boys always managed to give me a good Laugh Right when i needed it most. I was laughing to beat all hell. I love a good laugh like this. To this day, we are still the highestrated Tv Show. 125 Million watched that last episode. So many of us couldnt get through the goodbyes. We just kept crying. I turned to my dad, and he was crying. And it hits me that you can make people laugh for half an hour, but you can also in an instant, because they care, twist a knife that can last forever. vo singing, or speaking. Reason, or fun. Daring, or thoughtful. Sensitive, or strong. Progress isnt either or progress is everything. You booked a cozy vrbo mountain cabin. [laughs] with a kitchen where everyone can chef. [laughs] a Family Room where you can let your hair down. And a backyard that is a treelined living room. But the Thing Theyll remember forever . Watching the game together once again. The time for getting back together is now. Find it on vrbo. burke ive seen this movie before. woman you have . burke sure, this is the part where all is lost and the hero searches for hope. Then, a mysterious figure reminds her that she has the farmers home policy perk, guaranteed replacement cost. And that her home will be rebuilt, regardless of her limits or if the cost of materials has gone up. woman thats really something. burke get a whole lot of something with Farmers Policy perks. Wait, i didnt ruin The Ending, did i . woman yeah, yyou did. We are farmers. Bumpadum, bumbumbumbum and there you have it woah. Wireless on the most reliable network nationwide. Wow big deal . 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. People who want to work but cant find jobs are part of todays other bad economic news. The Unemployment Rate the 70s is kind of a lost generation, and everybody was trying to find themselves. The economy was in the tank, and you start to see the disillusionment of american workers reflected in the Workplace Sitcom. Toilet stuffed up again . Thats no longer a problem, mr. Beckman. Thats a tradition. Somethings wrong with your lights. If you look at the 12th precinct, it was such a decrepit place. Well, well, well, the same old melting pot. Okelly, what are you doing here . How do you like narcotics . You havent helped them a bit. Real cops dealing with funny situations. Get out of way. Im going to kill everybody in the precinct if i dont get out of here. Boy, do i hate to start a day like this. Hal linden is basically the Bob Newhart of that office. Surrounded by all the craziness. Lenny is my other personality. Does he got the same address . The Workplace Comedy is great because all the characters come in and theyre not related, so they dont have something in common. Turned out to be a diverse cast, which was i guess different in those days. Jack soo, gregory sierra, ron glass. That was pretty unusual and revolutionary. I believe that when the 70s happened, it was a fallout of the 60s. And they who might have had a dream about how america would be a completely different place then all of a sudden had to get a job. Were all parttime here. Im parttime. I only work 60 hours a week. We were a bunch of people in a garage. We had dreams. We werent going to make it. We were going to stick in that garage forever. But the dream was the thing it was about. Great news. I just called the gym. They want me to spar with carlos navarone. The champ . Wow. Imagine, the champ hitting my face. Danny Devitos Character on taxi, louie depalma, has got to be top five greatest Sitcom Characters of all time. He is terrifying. Once a bum, always a bum. Oh, yeah, yeah, i say tony has a good chance. I know hes got a good chance. I say he can win. Want to bet . Well ha, ha, ha, ha ha, ha, ha, ha, ha the friendships they had in taxi was what was going to get them through, and thats what made it all okay. Theres only one person you can trust. I do trust you, alex not me, damn it jim, when will you finally stand up and assert yourself . August. On that show people from completely different backgrounds created a dysfunctional family. And that to me is always so exciting for comedy because you get to bounce these people off Each Other. And now, heres arlene much like taxi, wkrp is a staff of working people who are doing their best and not always the best is coming from it. Cincinnati wkrp this is rock bottom. Wkrp was about a very lowrated station. What about this Stations Traffic Helicopter . We dont have one. So why do we have Helicopter Reports . Well, thats just me. See, i get on the air and then i do this. [ Helicopter Noise ] Traffic Today is light to heavy the workplace is a wonderful setting for so many comedies because its a refuge. You know, you get away from the kids, you get away from your wife. The moon is high. [ gong ] and so am i. Youre in this little environment with people that you get to know probably a little closer than you should know. And out of thats going to come conflicts. I dont take dictation. I dont know how jennifer ended up as the receptionist. Why dont you get coffee for all the guys here . I dont get coffee, mr. Carlson. We agreed. My mother was a 50s housewife, so she was not in a workplace. Will there be anything else i can do . Jennifer marlowe was so popular because girls are going like, yeah, you can be just as cute as you want to be and be smart and you dont have to do what you dont want. Thank you. Oh, no, thank you. How did she get away with that . Are you kidding . I loved wkrp in cincinnati. That Turkey Episode is one of the funniest things ive ever seen in my life. Herb, youre in charge of getting those turkeys. Every thanksgiving, wherever i am in the world, somebody will bring up turkeys away. Its a classic. Something just came out of the back of the helicopter. Its a dark object. Oh my god, theyre turkeys can you get this . They are trying to do a special event for thanksgiving, and they drop live turkeys out of a helicopter. I dont know how much longer the crowd is running for their lives turkeys are exploding all over the parking lot. Not since the Hindenberg Tragedy has there been anything like this. I dont know how much longer i can hold my position here, johnny. The crowd No One knew it was going to become an iconic episode of television. People yell it to me at the airport. God as my witness. As god is my witness. As god is my witness. I thought turkeys could fly. They cant. Ve encouraged Sert Friend to switch. Feels moisturized and clean. My friend stefanie, her skin was dry. Im like girl you better get you some dove. She hooked me up. With a quarter moisturising cream, Dove Cleans effectively and cares beautifully. Dennys now has bennys. Not just one, but many. Its the classic benedict plus two twist, so we really must insist that you try one, two or all three of our bennys. See you at dennys. Door ClosesDoor Closes excited Laughter Ahhh OhhhhFridge ClosingCrowd Noises cheering laughter visible is wireless that doesnt play games. No surprise fees, legit unlimited data, for as little as 25 a month. And the best part . Its powered by verizon. But it gets crazier. Bring a friend every month, and get every month for 5. Which is why i brought them. Two 5amonths right here. both hey. Plus the players in my squad. Hey. Whats up . Then finally, my whole livestream. Boom 12 months of 5 wireless. announcer visible. Unlimited data as low as 25 a month. Or bring a friend and you both get a month for 5. Wireless that gets better with friends. I was injured in a car crash. I had no idea how much my case was worth. I called the Barnes Firm. When a Truck Hit my son, i had so many questions about his case. I called the Barnes Firm. It was the best call i couldve made. Your case is often worth more than insuran call the Barnes Firm to find out i couldve made. What your case could be worth. We will help get you the best result possible. The Barnes Firm, Injury Attorneys call one eight hundred,est resul Eight Million it was a perfect launch into the history books. In the 80s there is a third wave of feminism, and it was transforming the opportunities for women. I will do my best to serve the court and this nation. And so the Networks Mantra became, you target the upscale professional woman. And Market Researchers found that women really responded positively to men performing domestic tasks. Tony micelli, im here about the job. Oh, sorry, there must be a mistake. This job is for a housekeeper. Thats me, mr. Goodmop. Angela, career woman extraordinaire, Advertising Executive, and Tony Danza plays tony micelli, the failed professional baseball player. Do you know this is the best sauce i have ever tasted . Its soup, angela. Domestic labor becomes recognized as such when men perform it. Whereas when women perform it, its just, you know, the duties of love that you undertake as a wife and a mother. Tony, you are the housekeeper and this is part of the house. Now, the private chamber may be mine, but the dust is yours. Whos the boss was a huge hit. It was a groundbreaking show in that the woman is The One whos really wearing the pants. Good morning, wallace mcquaid. Listen to the way she does that, sam. Thats why they made her the president. So angela is an Advertising Executive on whos the boss . Elyse keaton on Family Ties is an architect. They have these really professional, upscale careers rather than just jobs. Those are really powerful fantasies for women in the 80s. As a travel agent, i like to think that im a little cog in a big machine. A very little cog. In 1986, Linda Bloodworththomason went to cbs and she said, i just want to say what all women are really about, opinionated and successful when given opportunities. Linda bloodworththomason wrote for m. A. S. H. , rhoda, then created an Allfemale Version of the Workplace Comedy that we had not seen before. Im going to do what i always wanted to do, start my own decorating business. And no matter how many overwrought, tightfisted Bankers Wail and gnash their teeth, i have no intention of going under. It was a great cast and great writing. I cant seem to find any of my alimony checks. I think youve misplaced them. Well, excuse me. But theyre right here where they always are, in order of alphabetical husbands. I loved the outrageousness of those characters. If sex were fast food, there would be an arch over your bed. But they had an intelligence, which was refreshing to see on television. Yall watching . Were just about to vote. In 1991 Designing Women takes on the Clarence Thomas hearings with anita hill. I deny each and every single allegation against me today. They were tackling the Me Too movement before there was a name for it. This man does not belong on the supreme court. He belongs in the national repertory theater. We were at a point in history where women felt like they had some power, and i thought i would create this show around a woman who was a force of nature in a workplace that had traditionally been a mans world. And thats very different from what you could have written in the early 1970s. Im Connie Chung in new york. Im barbara walters. Im murphy brown. I remember pitching the show in a very cold room in the cbs building. And when i got to the point where she had just come back from Betty Ford hi, everybody. You could hear the Brakes Screeching in the room. You were fondling it while i was gone. They said, couldnt she be 30 and played by Heather Locklear . And i explained why when you shave down the rough edges of a character, you bland them out. And this is why maybe you havent had a hit for seven years, so murphy was defined by being excellent in her career. The Justice Department shut you down on 15 counts of fraud. They said you swindled 10 Million from unsuspecting investors. And she didnt care what people thought of her. Youre the most bullheaded person ive ever met. And youre elitist. You always have to make a point, dont you . Yes, i do. And heres another point. Murphy brown Hit Big and drew 20 Million to 25 Million viewers a week. And murphy had a baby. If i dont come up with a name for him in, say, a year, is that a very bad thing . Shes a single working mother. It got under peoples skin. With the california primary two weeks away, Vice President quayle blamed the breakdown of american families in part on the program murphy brown. Bearing babies irresponsibly is simply wrong. And i just thought, im trading oneliners with the Vice President of the united states. In a recent speech, Vice President quayle used me as an example of the poverty of values in this country. Diane english and Linda Bloodworththomason changed the game. Female Show Runners in a totally maledominated industry. Their shows were breakthrough. We could choose to blame the media or the congress or an administration thats been in power for 12 years or we could blame me. [ laughter ] 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. My name is monique, im 41, and im a federal contract investigator. As a single parent, i would run from Football Games to work and trying to balance it all. So, what do you see when you look at yourself . I see a person thats caring. Sometimes i care too much, and thats when i had to learn to put myself first, because i would care about everyone all the time but im just as they are. Botox® cosmetic is fda approved to temporarily make frown lines, crows feet and forehead lines look better. The effects of botox® cosmetic may spread hours to weeks after injection, causing serious symptoms. Alert your doctor right away as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or Muscle Weakness may be a sign of a lifethreatening condition. Do not receive botox® cosmetic if you have a skin infection. Side effects may include allergic reactions, injection site pain, headache, eyebrow, eyelid drooping, and eyelid swelling. Tell your doctor about your medical history, Muscle Or Nerve conditions, and medications including Botulinum Toxins as these may increase the risk of serious side effects. See for yourself at botoxcosmetic. Com things you start when youre 45. Coaching. New workouts. And screening for Colon Cancer. Yep. The american Cancer Society recommends screening starting at age 45, instead of 50, since Colon Cancer is increasing in younger adults. Im cologuard®. Im convenient and find 92 of Colon Cancers. Even in early stages. Im for people 45 plus at average risk for Colon Cancer, not high risk. False positive and negative results may occur. Ask your provider if cologuard is right for you. Dennys now has bennys. Not just one, but many. Its the classic benedict plus two twist, so we really must insist that you try one, two or all three of our bennys. See you at dennys. Do you have any idea what time well get out of here . This is michael scott, scranton. Well, we dont want to work. Its not fair to these people these people are my friends and i care about them from the 1990s, were definitely working more than ever before, and as a result of that, you start to see more Workplace Settings than might have been possible previously. Were a superstar short. Did we have any luck on Jim Carrey . We never let him plug ace ventura. In 1992, larry sanders On Hbo broke the rules in terms of Workplace Comedy. Thats Warren Beatty in the parking loss. The Larry Sanders Show is probably the most realistic show ever written about television. Listen, how would you like to come on my Show Tomorrow Night and just say a little goodbye to me . Because, you know, its The End of the whole thing tomorrow night. Goodbye. Capturing how broken and lowfunctioning the people are. Its a little unethical, dont you think . Unethical . Geez, larry, dont start pulling at that thread, our whole world will unravel. Thanks for the upbeat talk before the monologue, artie. Mary Tyler Moore didnt work in a newsroom. Bob newhart wasnt a psychiatrist. But garry had been a talk show host. See you tomorrow night, sleep well. Remember, well all be sleeping at the same time. I think he signaled that you could mine your life and make a show out of that. So what do i do now . Just pretend like youre talking to me till were off the air so it wont seem weird. Okay. The Larry Sanders Show really gave hbo their voice. But that was on pay cable. On network television, wed spent ten years doing these hangout shows. And eventually everyone realized, like, theres not going to be enough friends. And so we kind of returned to this notion theyre hanging out because they work together, they dont have a choice. I cant do this all On My Own by the time you get to the 2000s, scrubs is a good example of the trend. Im no superman my pitch was, a broad, silly comedy. Oh, dance a brother finally can breathe and youre inside of a young doctors head. Death is always hanging around this hospital. Boring m. A. S. H. Was obviously an influence on me, because i was drawn to comedy that somehow was still about something. This isnt really what i expected, you know . Most of my patients are checked out, mentally. Pumpkin . Thats modern medicine. Advances that keep people alive who should have died a long time ago. Back when they lost what made them people. For the love of god. What . Do you think we should be talking about it in front of her . Her . Shes dead. Then in the early 2000s, there was this hunger to reinvent the Network Sitcom and nbc decided to take a chance on a uk hit called The Office. Theres good news and Bad News. The Bad News is, some of you will lose your jobs. Yeah. Yeah. I know. I know. Gutting. Gutting. I was so impressed by that show. This is nothing like anything on tv right now. The good news is, ive been promoted. I had this dream that i was on this Comedy Court and they were all taking me to task for ruining the british show. And Greg Daniels was like, hey, you like the english office, lets stay close to their pilot. This is from corporate. How many times have i told you theres a special Filing Cabinet how many times have i told you theres a special Filing Cabinet the waste paper basket. Its called the waste paper basket. I mean, there are so many reasons for it to have failed. Mockumentary, weirdlooking actors. You know, but anyway, are we rolling . So the first season ends. No one likes it. Ironically, a lot of the reviews said it hews too close to the british show. And then the Big Thing was, okay, now were going to write all our own stories. And i was like, i want michael to be very optimistic. His intentions had to be good even when he was doing terrible things. Nobody leaves until we work this out. Cage match. Cage matches . Yeah, they work. How could they not work . If they didnt work, everybody would still be in the cage. The american show is just less cynical. Do i have a special someone . Well, yeah, of course. A bunch of them. My employees. I wrote a Christmas Episode where michael had bought ryan a video ipod, which had just come out. Oh, wow, geez. About four days later, apple announces that it has made content deals with nbc. Id like to just show you the Tv Show here. This is an episode from The Office. No youll thank me later. The first Episode Back was the highestrated episode, because everyone had spent weeks doing nothing but watching The Office on their video ipods. And this was astounding to the people at nbc. These are high School And College kids watching the show in droves, and theyve never set foot in an office. And eventually i realize, okay, well this is because this is their experience in school. Everything dwight does annoys me. Did you get your tickets . To what . The gun show. You know, theyre put at a desk next to another kid who they may or may not like. That must be what theyre identifying with. I manage my department, and ive been doing that for several years now. And god, ive learned a lot of Life Lessons along the way. Your departments just you, right . Yes, jim, but im not easy to manage. It was the biggest sitcom on nbc, and nbc was really sold on these quirky Workplace Sitcoms. With 30 Rock i wanted to see how far we could push a premise that you can trace back to Mary Tyler Moore. And the first version of it i pitched was set in a news environment. And nbc passed on it and said, no, write more of what you know. We were there at 30 Rock, we were there at snl. We knew what went on in The Office. Lets get into the first commercial parody. We were trying to think of a funnier cereal name. The favorite options so far include Honey Bunches of sadness, oat bung, and swastikos. Fruit lupus. Fart nuggets. 30 Rock is about a woman who ends up being a kind of a caretaker for an egomaniacal performer. And what about you two . Your job is to protect me from embarrassment. And her mentor who tries to teach her how to live. I cant fire rosemary. Yes, you can. Its easy. Observe. Jonathan, youre fired. The Workplace Setting is great for comedy because you have all kinds of different people. Listen, i understand this is tough for you, but what did i tell you . Not to freak out. Right. And what else . Stop falling in love with gay guys . Anybody who worked in a regular office could relate. Well, im The One that always has to clean up the mess afterwards. Thats why my job is way better than yours. Youre welcome. Breyers natural vanilla is made with 100 grade a Milk And Cream and only sustainably farmed vanilla. Better starts with breyers. burke ive seen this movie before. woman you have . burke sure, this is the part where all is lost and the hero searches for hope. Then, a mysterious figure reminds her that she has the farmers home policy perk, guaranteed replacement cost. And that her home will be rebuilt, regardless of her limits or if the cost of materials has gone up. woman thats really something. burke get a whole lot of something with Farmers Policy perks. Wait, i didnt ruin The Ending, did i . woman yeah, yyou did. We are farmers. Bumpadum, bumbumbumbum in business, its never just another day. Its the big sale, or the big presentation. The day where everything goes right. Or The One where nothing does. With Comcast Business you get the network that can deliver Gig Speeds to the most businesses and advanced cybersecurity to protect every device on it all backed by a dedicated team, 24 7. Every day in business is a big day. Well keep you ready for whats next. Comcast business powering possibilities. Do you know Joe Biden . Hes on my celebrity sex list. Trust me, you can do better than joe. No, i dont think i can. In the summer of 2008, the economy had collapsed. Barack obama was running for president , and the government was going to be playing a much more active role in peoples lives. Parks and rec is actually called Public Service at one point. We liked the idea of going for a boring title like The Office. Were taking the template of The Office, but The Office takes place in one of three rooms in the same dreary building. Suddenly were like now the worlds our oyster. Here we go. Wake up. Out of the slide. Leslie knope was very optimistic, but she really had big ambitions, which was big for comedy. We did it i like to tell people get onboard and buckle up because my ride is going to be a big one. Leslie knope is stopping for No One. We thought it was important for the main character to be a woman because we wanted it to be a show about a trailblazer in many ways. Excuse me, maam. Do you mind if i borrow your hat . I just want to throw it up in the air victoriously. It was a realistic work at a fictional version of an experience weve all had because there were people of all different shapes and sizes and ethnicities all mingling together. You have qualified for the Chris Traeger Management training seminar. Can you get me out of it . Yes. Normally if given a choice between doing something and nothing, id choose to do nothing. But i will do something if it helps someone else do nothing. When Parks And Rec ended, Dan Gore and i landed on a joint respect for barney miller, and the reason was that most life as an officer is not chasing bad guys through the streets. Its sitting around in the precinct and Killing Time because its an office. What the hells going on around here . Fire Extinguisher Roller Chair derby. Okay. And go the show started off as pretty silly. But one of the tricky things about a show lasting for a really long time is that attitudes change. And in this case, there was no version of telling a bunch of stories about a Police Precinct that could run from all of the issues about policing that the whole country is talking about. I got stopped by a cop last night. Stopped for what . Stopped for walking. That makes zero sense unless what are you doing . I live here. Put your hands on your head. Dont make any sudden moves. I didnt do anything. It is a remarkable achievement to take a social issue that is so serious, something like racial profiling, and not only find the humor in it but find the humanity in it. I was right outside my home. I cant believe this. Nothing like that has ever happened to me, and ive done some pretty suspicious things in the street. Hey, hey, there, what are you doing . Im just playing a prank on my buddy. Sounds fun. Carry on. After the reelection of president obama, there is no longer much room for hope in politics as much as there was division, which meant it was the perfect time for a show like veep. I cannot [ bleep ] believe how terrible you are at your job. What are you, running on a platform of higher taxes and episiotomies . If a bomb went off in that white house, i wouldnt care. Those are the worst people on earth. Where were you, by the way . You said you had it covered. No, i didnt have it covered. Its your job to know if i say i have it covered, i dont have it covered and you cover me. I think we like Workplace Sitcoms because we identify with them, with even these unlikable people in this unlikable world. They seem very excited about the possibility of a woman becoming president. Not necessarily you. Every generation gets the political satire it deserves. Nevada is my state. Im going to be president. But its tough to compete with reality, you know. The trump administration. Have a lovely inauguration. Billy joel is going to sing. So you guys have to stop the recount. Any show thats about a workplace or about a group of people, they eventually migrate into, well, whos the dad, whos the mom, whos the Crazy Uncle . They kind of fit into a family circumstance. I mean anywhere can be a workplace. Morning. Morning. Morning. You do realize im lost, right . Oh, its this way, sir. And it can be an american coach being dropped into a british Premier League Football team. Look at isaac. He looks like a Rodin Sculpture in cleats. They call cleats boots. I thought you said the trunk of a car was a boot. Also a boot. The workplace is endlessly fertile, yeah. Reflecting society, reflecting all of our faults, and yet being able to laugh at ourselves. Whether its 30 Rock doing a Tv Show or on a moon base. Do not take off your seat belt. I forget about my bird. Ill feed your bird. Whats your Birds Name . These workplace comedies, they hit us in a very deep place. Next stop, the moon. Thanks for joining me, im Robyn Curnow live in atlanta. Coming up, a Cia Warning that didnt arrive in time. A family in kabul mourns innocent lives lost in a u. S. Drone strike. Desperation under the bridge. Thousands of haitians wait at the Texas Border as Homeland Security announces it has a plan to deal with the problem. Plus splashdown. The first ever allcivilian Space Flight back on earth after three days i