MUCH like the old one and two reel comedy shorts, the Sitcom can draw on the familiarity of their audience in order to create a laugh-friendly atmosphere. This should NOT be confused with a 'Smoke Free Work Place', but is just important to a shows' ratings.
WHENEVER Sam, Norm, Dianne, Cliff or whoever comes on the screen, we are predisposed to laughter; being that we know these characters as well as our own family. Just the very same way that Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd, Langdon, Laurel & Hardy, the 3 Stooges, Marx Brothers, et al, are known by their audiences, so too are the established characters in the weekly sitcoms. The better the series, the more successful the show the more familiarity we have.
THAT explains the highly successful runs of classic series such as BARNEY MILLER, TAXI, CHEERS, COACH; not to mention the standards like I LOVE LUCY, THE HONEYMOONERS, HAPPY DAYS, AMOS 'N' ANDY and HEY MULLIGAN! (Just kidding about the last one!) CHEERS (Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions,1982-93) was particularly successful in this area; owing their popularity to both the main setting of the bar as well as the cast of regular participants in the festivities. Hence if Woody, Coach, Frazier, Liith or any others come to center stage, we already know their personalities and are spared any unnecessary exposition. The comic situations flow forth, naturally and with both speed and vigour.
TAKING for example, today's lucky victim/reviewee, 'Death Takes a Holiday on Ice', which came along in the shows eighth (8th) season; we have the table set long before the gags start a flowing. Not only that, but by this time the production knows their audience as well as themselves. Furthermore, as far as how far they could go with the funny business, they had been pushing the envelope ever since the show premiered in 19??.
THIS night was it was Carla's turn in the spotlight and she (Rhea Perlman) made the most of it. Trading on her character's personality, energy and foibles, a situation featuring the demise of her estranged hockey player of a husband is concocted. In lesser hands, such a story line would seem both contrived and decidedly unfunny.
BUT in the hands of the CHEERS Production team, the subject of a death that is rendered more complex with the introduction of certain complications that are introduced at the wake by the sudden appearance of one Gloria LeBec (Anne De Salvo) who lays some real surprises on the hard-boiled Carla.
THE Charles/Burrows/Charles team does an excellent job of handling what is called 'Black Humor'; not being that sort of comedy originating from Black Comedians, but rather humor which has a serious or grim subject matter as its base. Death, war, failure and Love Lost are all potential subjects for Black Humor.
WE can only rate this particular episode a the very top rung of CHEERS multi-season successful run.
POODLE SCHNITZ!!
