OLLI0170 - Funny You Should Mention It: TV Comedy in The 21st Century

Course Description

"This [comedy] genre breakdown is, in fact, arguably the great artistic advancement seen on television in the last decade." That's how Jennifer Keishen Armstrong described the comedy we download today, the entertainment-business site thewrap.com on June 20, 2022. Built on a foundation of I Love Lucy, All in the Family, The Cosby Show, Seinfeld, and Friends, comedy now is as scripted as it is improv-ed (The Office); as star-driven as it is star-making (Fleabag); as by-the-books formulaic as it is out-of-the box innovative (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia); and as laugh-out-loud as it is emotionally dramatic (Ted Lasso, Atlanta). This course looks at the current state of prime-time sitcoms and of comedy itself, tracking the evolution of the TV comedy from its earlier simpler forms to the more recent complete revision of its writing, structure, pacing and timing, rules, and expectations. This course will be recorded.