I love inside baseball stuff on comedy like this!!! There are a lot of great comedies from the last few years that only got a single season and it breaks my heart. There are so many talented writers and actors working today that, if it were the 90s or early 2000s, would be household names by now.
Co-sign on the theory and relate to the experience. When you’re in the 40+ episode zone everyone relaxes and enjoys making the show. Also: my 2 guys just finished watching all seasons of Brooklyn 99! It’s the 2026 father/son fishing trip?
I love this and it kind of even hits at where I think Simpsons went wrong. Many funny people pitch in to write simpsons episodes these days including people I die laughing to in other formats. But even with ALL those episodes, it often feels like the next person is trying to create the next great Simpsons episode. Storylines become way too focused and clean resolutions reign over jokes. What they need is someone to come in who doesn’t even care about the Simpsons. Here’s this family, write funny stuff, like life, major epiphany’s don’t come in 30 minutes every single day
I was just emailing a friend about this and noted the similarities to your article (which I earlier already sent him).
Loved your article, by the way, it's something I think about a lot. I can't tell you how often I marathon Community, New Girl, Bob's Burgers, The League.
Studies have shown that Gen Z is disengaging from streaming, either constantly subbing and canceling, or just going back to physical media. If I'm a network TV exec, why would I not capitalize on people's overall weariness from streaming and say "come back to us. We're free, we have 22 episodes a year, we brought you these shows, we'll bring you more?" And couple that with a strong lineup. People are coming back to vinyl, CDs, and used book stores... is there a potential comeback to free network TV?
I like this. I think a lot about how entertainment has shifted over the last decade or two, and have been conducting interviews with folks who still build in the "vision-first" model, and others who are "data-first" or "ephemeral and algorithmic." The latter group just doesn't know how to make vision-first products, they're actually opaque to how great products get made (because it's been so easy to copy and paste over the last decade or two -- that's where a lot of value has been). To some extent, this is okay because it makes some amount of sense just to optimize returns -- but decoupling these instincts from how great products actually get made -- and the people who have experience making them -- has put us in a really odd time & place from a creative investment perspective. I suspect this may shift in the coming years. Better off to build things that stand, than to build a world that expires by default.
This was such a really insightful inside take on TV comedy - how the means of viewing shapes content. The value of 50 episodes really rings true for me, and the importance of continuity and narrative you mention - and shows finding their audience only later in their run, like Only Murders in the Building (definitely something I got "drawn into").
It reminds me of when I talked to a prolific British comedy producer and writer, Henry Normal of Baby Cow (a lovely guy, who made a lot of very original series for BBC Three). He told me that when streaming came in, he dropped out of making comedy shows because there was no money it anymore - he said it's all dramas, eps were preferred to be 50 minutes, but he felt comedy was best in half hours.
I wrote the next schitts creek. It’s called fudge river.
I love inside baseball stuff on comedy like this!!! There are a lot of great comedies from the last few years that only got a single season and it breaks my heart. There are so many talented writers and actors working today that, if it were the 90s or early 2000s, would be household names by now.
A favorite in our house is Superstore. Such an underrated gem of a comedy. Our girls can’t stop watching it,
Co-sign on the theory and relate to the experience. When you’re in the 40+ episode zone everyone relaxes and enjoys making the show. Also: my 2 guys just finished watching all seasons of Brooklyn 99! It’s the 2026 father/son fishing trip?
I love this and it kind of even hits at where I think Simpsons went wrong. Many funny people pitch in to write simpsons episodes these days including people I die laughing to in other formats. But even with ALL those episodes, it often feels like the next person is trying to create the next great Simpsons episode. Storylines become way too focused and clean resolutions reign over jokes. What they need is someone to come in who doesn’t even care about the Simpsons. Here’s this family, write funny stuff, like life, major epiphany’s don’t come in 30 minutes every single day
it's always sunny is my comfort show
Great article by Lucas Shaw
https://x.com/lucas_shaw/status/2073894186185802110?s=46
I was just emailing a friend about this and noted the similarities to your article (which I earlier already sent him).
Loved your article, by the way, it's something I think about a lot. I can't tell you how often I marathon Community, New Girl, Bob's Burgers, The League.
Studies have shown that Gen Z is disengaging from streaming, either constantly subbing and canceling, or just going back to physical media. If I'm a network TV exec, why would I not capitalize on people's overall weariness from streaming and say "come back to us. We're free, we have 22 episodes a year, we brought you these shows, we'll bring you more?" And couple that with a strong lineup. People are coming back to vinyl, CDs, and used book stores... is there a potential comeback to free network TV?
WKRP the funniest show ever!
Shout out to Grace and Frankie getting 94 episodes!
Agreed. Let’s do it.
I like this. I think a lot about how entertainment has shifted over the last decade or two, and have been conducting interviews with folks who still build in the "vision-first" model, and others who are "data-first" or "ephemeral and algorithmic." The latter group just doesn't know how to make vision-first products, they're actually opaque to how great products get made (because it's been so easy to copy and paste over the last decade or two -- that's where a lot of value has been). To some extent, this is okay because it makes some amount of sense just to optimize returns -- but decoupling these instincts from how great products actually get made -- and the people who have experience making them -- has put us in a really odd time & place from a creative investment perspective. I suspect this may shift in the coming years. Better off to build things that stand, than to build a world that expires by default.
Two and one half men has gone on for two and a half too long
Put Paul in charge! I just started Sean Conroy's new podcast, (Punching Up) & he brought up some of the same issues
This was such a really insightful inside take on TV comedy - how the means of viewing shapes content. The value of 50 episodes really rings true for me, and the importance of continuity and narrative you mention - and shows finding their audience only later in their run, like Only Murders in the Building (definitely something I got "drawn into").
It reminds me of when I talked to a prolific British comedy producer and writer, Henry Normal of Baby Cow (a lovely guy, who made a lot of very original series for BBC Three). He told me that when streaming came in, he dropped out of making comedy shows because there was no money it anymore - he said it's all dramas, eps were preferred to be 50 minutes, but he felt comedy was best in half hours.
Love this, Paul!
I loved Reboot, on Hulu… 1 season, 8 episodes. Should’ve kept going.