Lisa Kudrow Calls Modern Multi‑Camera Sitcoms Tame
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- Lisa Kudrow told Lily Tomlin in Interview Magazine that she wishes modern multi‑camera sitcoms were evolving and that they lack the shock value of earlier shows.
- Lisa Kudrow praised 30 Rock, Seinfeld, and Friends as “really funny and really well written,” but said she isn’t drawn to new multi‑camera sitcoms performed before a live audience.
- Lisa Kudrow argued that current multi‑camera jokes are “tame” and lack the surprise element she defines as “I can’t believe you just said that.”
- The Comeback’s third and final season, which premiered last month on HBO, features Kudrow’s character Valerie taking a lead role on a new sitcom called How’s That?, secretly written by an AI program.
- The Comeback originally premiered in 2005, returned for a second season in 2014, and its third season marks the show’s return after a long hiatus.
Why it matters: Kudrow’s critique underscores a perceived decline in risk‑taking humor among today’s multi‑camera sitcoms, pressuring writers and studios to revive edgier jokes, while the AI‑written How’s That? signals a burgeoning production model that could reshape sitcom creation and talent dynamics and influence future hiring practices.
