Chuckles Bites the Dust

This episode is well-known for being a classic, and upon finally seeing it I can concur with everyone else around the world who has seen it since it originally aired in 1975 and say that it is well-deserving of the iconic status.

There are too many excellent moments to mention here. It's not all about the final scenes at the funeral, this episode is a master class (by writer David Lloyd) in building up to a great moment, and everyone in the cast is on top form to bring it to life.

Great comedy doesn't date, and I fully expect people in the year 2075 to still be laughing at this excellent example of sitcom greatness.

I am obsessed with television. Far too much of my life has been spent watching television, in primetime, in the middle of the night, etc. If there was one episode of a situation comedy that I would point to as perhaps the greatest single episode of a situation comedy in the history of television, this would be it. It is THE lesson in how to write black comedy, and could only be executed by this cast. Every single member of the cast has their moment in the writing spotlight. Every close friend I have has been exposed to this episode as of rite of passage for sharing a common space with me. No spoilers, no hints, no explanation. Just...enjoy!

When Mary Tyler Moore died a couple weeks ago, I decided to watch all the episodes, in order, one more time. I can't express the joy that this series brought to me. No, not every episode was perfect, but she was a lovely woman and a great comedienne. I was wondering when, exactly, this episode would show up. I've seen it at least 25 times and I can't help but laugh out loud every time. First of all, the absurdity of Chuckles' death. The idea of him leading a parade, dressed as a peanut is funny enough, but to be crushed by an elephant. Not all of Murray's jokes were hilarious, but the guys falling apart were priceless. Of course, Mary is indignant at how disrespectful everyone is over the death of the clown. Those little phrases which I won't repeat here. But the crowning glory is the funeral itself. Here, Mary Tyler Moore is at her absolute best as she tries so hard not to laugh. You can feel her almost internally hemorrhaging as she holds it all in. This would be my first choice for funniest moment in television because of the pacing, the humor, and the writing. Rest in peace dear Mary.

Probably the show's most famous episode, for good reason.

It is very funny and everything flows perfectly.

Everyone has some great bits. Ted's newscast is a riot. The final act is all about Mary, and it is superb.

WJM's Chuckles the Clown is at a parade dressed as "Peter Peanut" and, as Lou Grant so succinctly put it, "a rogue elephant tried to shell him". Poor Mary Richards is emotionally devastated because of Chuckles' death, but unfortunately shows it in some not-quite-appropriate ways, culminating in a meltdown at Chuckles' funeral.

This is probably the funniest episode of this terrific series, and continually makes the lists of Top 10 comedy episodes. It's not every sitcom that can make comedy gold out of someone's death, but they pull it off flawlessly here. Everything is just letter-perfect: the writing, the directing, the acting--even Murray, probably my least favorite character on the show, comes off well. It's Mary Tyler Moore's turn to shine here, and she's just perfect. There were some episodes of the series that didn't quite come off particularly well--not many, but some-- but this is definitely not one of them. Besides being the funniest episode in this series, it's quite possibly the single funniest episode of any series, period. It's about as close to perfection as you can get.