Roush on Return of Jezebel James
Question: I read reviews of
The Return of Jezebel James that panned the show, but I decided to give it a try anyway. I was expecting it to be uneven, but I thought that maybe the combined talents of Amy Shermin-Palladino, Parker Posey, Lauren Ambrose, and Dianne Wiest would win out. And then, the laugh track. As anyone who has ever watched even one episode of
Gilmore Girls knows, ASP's writing isn't meant for setups and punchlines. It's witty and certainly humorous, but not in that old "taped in front of a studio audience" kind of way. So what I want to know, Matt, is why? Laugh tracks are not in style. Surely ASP didn't want one. I would be willing to give this show a few more weeks to find its footing, if not for that laugh track. So again I ask, why?
— Ashley
Matt Roush: Why? Because Jezebel James isn't Gilmore Girls. Amy's background is in traditional sitcomedy (most famously with Roseanne), and it's not beyond reason that she would want to go back to that classic format after the exhausting process of running an hourlong comedy-drama for years. Jezebel is filmed in front of a live studio audience, and there's no doubt the laugh track is sweetened here as it is on most shows of its type. While this practice may not be in vogue with "hipper" audiences, there are still some very popular shows who pull this off quite well. Jezebel James, sadly, is not one of them. I agree, though, that nothing's worse than a laugh track that's being called into service for a show that just isn't funny.
