Hampton Stevens' recent article on NBC's sitcom Community has inspired me to create a blog wherein the show can be reviewed, broken apart, examined, and discussed at length. I have chosen to do this because I regard Community as a program of profound significance in the history of the television sitcom, as well as the history of comedic storytelling. Mr. Stevens calls the show the most innovative of all time, but makes a point of withholding the terms "best" or "funniest." I believe this is fair, since both terms are highly subjective and impossible to definitively prove. That said, it is important for the reader of this blog to know that I am approaching my criticism from the viewpoint that Community not only has an outside shot at being the best sitcom in the history of the medium, it has, in its forty-nine episodes and two seasons, established itself as a frontrunner for this position. I will support this theory by outlining, with notable volumes of respectable criticism to back me up, the parameters by which I believe a sitcom should be judged, with "best" being the show that most completely embodies these qualities. In addition, I will address a host of sitcoms that are often referred to in a conversation about the best ever, and compare the qualities espoused by others regarding these shows, comparing them to the same quality found in Community.
As of now, I will entertain suggestions for shows to consider in my comparative criticism and examination. This may change in the future - at some point, I think I will be too far along to retroactively address certain qualities in a new show that a reader suggests. That said, please know that I have looked very carefully at sitcom history, and I am considering many, many shows for comparison, including:
1. Seinfeld
2. Arrested Development
3. I Love Lucy
4. The Dick Van Dyke Show
5. The Mary Tyler Moore Show
6. Cheers
7. M*A*S*H
8. The Andy Griffith Show
9. The Cosby Show
10. Newsradio
and many more than that, including shows like The Office, Three's Company, Fawlty Towers, All in the Family, and Sanford and Son. My point being, if you're wondering, there's a good chance I considered the show you're suggesting, and I have found admirable qualities in all of these programs. I've even found something brilliant in Gilligan's Island.
We will also spend time (mostly this summer) looking at each of Community's forty-nine episodes and figuring out how they work, what makes them great, and how Dan Harmon and company are slowly buy surely building my case.
Comments, discussions, and suggestions are highly encouraged. If we aren't discussing something you want to see discussed, bring it up, but be careful before you elaborate too much. Everything will have its time, and just because we aren't discussing any of the paintball episodes YET doesn't mean we won't soon.
I look forward to this journey.
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