Achieving Comedy Balance

Contrary to previous speculation (see the comments), I'm not a 65-year-old female; that doesn't mean I don't enjoy a good vintage TV show or 5 every now and then, though. In fact, as current TV comedy becomes cruder and cruder, I like to go back and revisit the old days just to kind of balance myself a bit.

Now, this is NOT a post about how depraved society is and how its going to hell in a handbasket, there are no moral standards, etc. That's all true, of course, but I don't care, because I think many of today's crude shows are damn funny (that's right, I said, "damn"). It's just that after the Wednesday/Thursday trifecta of "South Park," "The Sarah Silverman Program," and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," I feel a little dirty.

Yep, I'm in the habit of watching that trio each week, and I find them humorous and overall entertaining, but there's no denying that each one is a little over the top in terms of language, subject matter, and bodily fluids. Any single half-hour selected from among these might be enough to make me a little unclean. But since their new episodes all premiere within a span of barely more than 24 hours, I wind up watching all 3 by the end of the week. After running that gauntlet, hoo, boy. I don't walk around my house throwing out the "s-word" to my wife and daughter, but I do have more than enough edge to last a week, let alone the following weekend.

So I often seek balance, some kind of older, less crude comedy to counter the modern stuff I see on cable. Lately it's to the DVDs I go! Some critics contend that old sitcoms like "Father Knows Best" epitomize bland 1950s conformity, but I find the world they represent a charming one, a world I certainly don't mind visiting. I enjoyed renting Shout's season 1 "FKB" discs and look forward to maybe buying the upcoming season 2 (reportedly uncut episodes this time).

"My Three Sons" would be part of my comedy balance rotation if Paramount hadn't botched the DVDs by butchering the music. However, I still have options like "Hazel" and "Ozzie and Harriet." I might rent some more "Family Affair" episodes. "Make Room for Daddy" is available, and there's a "Donna Reed Show" collection now. "Bachelor Father" is on RTN weekday mornings.

I don't claim that watching these more innocent sitcoms will cleanse my spirit or make me a better man. I just think that man cannot live on bedwetting and bedpooping jokes alone, and after the tag team combination of "South Park," "Silverman," and "Sunny," it's often a relief to put on a show and not have to worry about, say, Don Defore beating a guy unconscious with a hammer. It's all about balance.