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| Chevy Chase geeking out on NBC's "Community" |
The half hour comedy is probably the hardest endeavor for modern day television. With only 21 minutes (can’t forget about those commercials now, can we), writers have to have some solid character development, great storylines, and most importantly, some really funny ideas to keep audiences even somewhat interested. In the even larger scheme of things, seasons of these comedies need to stay fresh so that viewers don’t feel like they’re watching the same thing every time. You’ve got sitcoms with laugh tracks, screwball workplace comedies, and of course, the animated raunch-fest. There are millions of different kinds of comedies, while only a few really succeed long-term. Putting aside the classics like MASH and Happy Days, let’s look for a second at two shows that are on right now: How I Met Your Mother and Community. They represent vastly different stages in a comedy’s life and how show creators can either completely fail or brilliantly prevail.
