What is the key to a good comedy? “That it’s funny,” says the co-showrunner of “Abbott Elementary” Justin Halpern simple. “When we bring the story to light, we try to think about how to make people laugh. That’s our intention.” We spoke to Halpern and his showrunner colleague “Abbott” Patrick Schumachertogether with the creator of “Palm Royale” Abe Sylviafor our “Meet the Experts” panel of Emmy-nominated TV showrunners. Watch our exclusive group discussion above. Click on each name above to see that person’s individual chat.
“Abbott Elementary” and “Palm Royale” have a combined 20 Emmy nominations, including Best Comedy Series, but for Sylvia, “there is an underlying pathos behind every joke … In this world, it’s like Joni Mitchell says: Laughter and crying are the same release. So when you make someone laugh, it’s because it hurts. There’s a recognizable catharsis that comes with it.” Halpern agrees with the focus on emotional truth; his favorite comedies are those “that stick to the human experience, and that’s the underlying foundation. And from there, we try to build on that and be funny.”
“It’s funny that you mentioned this dichotomy that laughter and crying are the same relief,” Schumacker responds. “Because we’ve gotten a lot of feedback from teachers, at least about ‘Abbott’s,’ and most of them say, this is hilarious and I feel seen. But there’s a smaller percentage of them that say, oh my god, this show gives me PTSD, I feel seen. So two sides of the same coin, yeah.” Maybe that explains why the saying goes, dying is easy, comedy is hard.
Make your predictions now at Gold Derby. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans as well as our experts and editors for the best prediction accuracy scores. Check out our latest prediction champions. Can you top our respected leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated as they influence our latest racetrack odds that strike fear into the hearts of Hollywood bosses and stars. Don’t miss out on the fun. Have your say and share your angry opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders flock daily to follow the latest awards buzz. Everyone wants to know: What do you think? Who are you predicting and why?
