I felt a twinge of something as I watched the last episode of Black Books. Maybe it was regret -- after all, it was the final episode, and I was sad to let these characters go. The entire episode took place in the shop, with only the three primary characters. It was an ordinary, and therefore fitting, goodbye. But something happened in the episode that struck me as out of place: Bernard, drunk as always, reveals to his equally drunk friend Fran that he's so sardonic because his ex-girlfriend had died. A beat. Then Fran counter-reveals that No, she's not, and she's got photos and dental records to prove it... the joke continues.
But in the moment when Bernard acknowledges his dark and unfriendly disposition is the result of a death of someone he actually loved, I believed it. For a few seconds, he wasn't a cut-out spouting Linehan gold; he was a real person, for just a moment. It was there to build up for the joke, I know, but I wonder if it was saved for the characters' swan song because it would have felt strange anywhen else. (On the other hand, in the first season of The IT Crowd, there is a similar seemingly sincere sequence in which Roy acts gentlemanly to Jen, but it is actually the build up to a gag.) Either way, I loved that extra dimension, and I regret it was gone before it went anywhere. That made me think: I don't need emotion in my comedy -- do I?
Some shows balance comedy and heart: Community, Glee, Friends, Modern Family, and Raising Hope are some examples. They've got quips and jokes, but also an emotional center (more often than not addressed at the end of an episode) as a result of the relationships among the characters. The emotion does not compromise the humor because the shows are built solidly around both.
So what of comedies that are more joke-based than character-based? I've written about how It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The IT Crowd are examples of this, along with the aforementioned other Graham Linehan work, Black Books. It's Always Sunny characters are tools (in more ways than one) that confront situations in outlandish, strange, and therefore funny ways. It's a show about stupid, selfish people. I love the show because Charlie's hobby is magnets, because Sweet Dee looks like a bird, because Dennis tapes himself having sex, because Mac cuts the sleeves off all his shirts. I don't think the show needs to humanize its characters and explore their emotions; in fact, I think that would make it a weaker show, because I don't need to care about these characters to think their antics are funny. I can't relate to them, and don't need to to enjoy the show.
On the other hand, there is 30 Rock, a show that is also clearly joke-based. At the end of season 2, Liz thinks she's pregnant and leaves Jack a string of increasingly panicked voicemails. Any jokes made were secondary to the range of emotions that played over Alec Baldwin's face, which smartly comprised the entire scene. Liz's messages are first surprised and panicked, then accepting, then excited, until her brief, final message plays: "Never mind, I am not, um... Never mind." It works because women can identify with Liz Lemon and her love of eating, her frustration with work, her taped-together bras. 30 Rock is a great, hilarious show. To me, this scene made it even better. I knew the added dimension wouldn't necessarily be visited again, but it worked as part of the episode's story, and didn't compromise any of the humor.
Bolstering character is harder when they are more one-dimensional. In Extras, Maggie is the definition of simple. However, there is a quiet scene in which we see her in her apartment, straightening her hair, because she's told she needs to grow up. It's sad because Maggie is fine the way she is; she is ditzy but lovable. In the last episode of The League of Gentlemen, Ross gives a little wave and a smile to Pauline on her wedding day, even though he is a manipulative "villain" character. Even though Ross is one-dimensional (arguable, I suppose, after series 3), it's a heartbreaking moment.
Arrested Development had a straight man in Michael Bluth, "the one son who tried to keep it all together." Even so, I'd estimate he was only about 60/40 -- if the episode needed him to make a "huge mistake" or act like a fool like the rest of his family, he would. All the emotional parts of the show had to center around him, because he was the one normal people could relate to. He pined after Marta and the two "normal" characters shared a sincere moment or two. So did the sincerity richen or weaken the show? The humor? The sincere moment itself was not played for a joke (though later their relationship would be) and it contributed to the humanization of Michael Bluth. Michael needed to be perceived as a person, not as a caricature like the rest of his family. In this way, I don't think it weakened the show. In addition, I don't believe the audience's identification with Michael was a detriment to the show's humor -- the jokes worked or they didn't, perception of Michael irrelevant.
Other examples of the straight man placed in a comedy of errors are Henry and Casey in Party Down and Tim and Dawn in The Office. The relationships between the "normal" characters gave something for the audience to empathize with. Because the storylines were typically separate, they did not compromise the comedy usually provided by the rest of the cast.
Finally, as antithesis, there are a few shows that I feel would suffer if emotion was added: Peep Show, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (like I mentioned earlier), and Flight of the Conchords. Maybe because Peep Show is so personal already, what with point of view monologues from the main characters, I already feel like the show covers the whole range of emotion, with comic twist. Flight of the Conchords, by contrast, simply has no relatable characters, like It's Always Sunny. It would be weird to me if Jemaine and Bret had a truly believable, sincere exchange, because the two characters are so uncomplicated. Not the right tone at all.
ETA: I didn't talk about Michael Scott!! I will edit this later and talk about Michael Scott. And David Brent in the Christmas Special. And the Extras Christmas Special.
ETA2: I clearly didn't think this through. Community breaks rules. Will edit later. Maybe.
ETA3: Yeah, actually: Spaced. I don't know what I'm talking about.
ETA4: The last ten minutes of Catterick. I don't know what to think anymore.
