Blogging update: Sitcoms, politics, and anything else you're interested in

My blog posts may be shorter this week, since I have deadlines for the freelance work that actually provides me with an income (writing and editing on public policy matters). But I welcome new readers and will try to keep the Top 100 Sitcom Episodes countdown proceeding on schedule.

Older readers of the blog may wonder what happened to posts on politics, urban life, Boston, and the like. There will be some more political posts as we get closer to the fall (like my 100-year charts and my piece on "What Each State Does Best in Presidential Politics"). Other stuff depends on my work schedule and my success rate at finding interesting experiences.

Please comment or e-mail if you have suggestions, questions, rebuttals, etc. Thanks for reading!

 

Comments

[Jerry Kaplan]

I love your in-depth analyses of these episodes, even the ones I've never seen (which are many). I was wondering if you might consider a list of hilarious, compelling, or otherwise riveting scenes embedded in less-than-riveting episodes. This occurred to me while watching an episode of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" featuring Jerry Van Dyke, Dick's real-life brother, playing Rob's brother Stacey. The scene was set in an early-60's version of a Greenwich Village coffeehouse called "The Coffeepot" (misnamed by character actor Herbie Fay as "The Teabag"). The writing, delivery, and timing were airborne, not uncommon for TDVDS. But in this case, the scene stood out in an otherwise good-but-not-great episode.

Also wondering if there might be a list of episodes in which a regular cast member appears with a noticeable change, such as a cold affecting the voice, a bandage or cast, on crutches, in a wheelchair, pregnant (the actor, not the character), or other such alteration. It would also be interesting to know if the alteration is acknowledged in the episode or ignored. I realize that a list like this may suggest that I am certifiable, I'm just sayin'.

[Robert David Sullivan]

A list of great scenes in OK episodes is a very good idea. Some series, like "The Dick Van Dyke Show," were of such high quality that episodes with weak stories often had stand-out scenes.

There is a probably a long list of episodes with hidden pregnancies. Elaine refusing to take off a bulky coat in "Seinfeld" comes to mind. On "WKRP in Cincinnati," there was a running gag in which Les appeared with bandages on different parts of his body, without any explanation.