Sitcoms Built Around Characters Can Do Well As Reruns

“I Love Lucy” holds up.

“Happy Days” doesn’t.

“The Honeymooners” holds up.

“Three’s Company” doesn’t.

“Bewitched”? Only in black-and-white.

What beloved hits from the past are, in reruns, simply not as good as we remember? The shows haven’t changed, but we have, as individuals and as a society. And TV has changed with us.

So what works over the long haul? A lot of it has to do with the writing.

The best shows have scripts rooted more on the characters than the times or the situation (the “sit” in sitcom), according to Diane Robina, associate general manager and head of programming for the rerun heaven network TV Land.

For example, “The Dick Van Dyke Show” creator Carl Reiner banned jargon or discussions of current events from the scripts of the 1961-66 CBS comedy. According to Robina, Reiner had a keen eye for what would work in syndication.

“The old `(I Love) Lucy,’ and `Honeymooners,’ `Dick Van Dyke,’ `Mary Tyler Moore,’ `Seinfeld’ - these are all character-driven shows,” she said. “The shows that will last forever are character-driven, like `Frasier’ … maybe even `Larry Sanders.”’

There are period shows, she added, that speak to a generation, but when they speak to just one generation, they don’t last.

Of course, she notes, there are exceptions, like “All in the Family”: Archie and Edith Bunker are eternal even if the issues of their day are not. Similarly, “The Brady Bunch” is just ‘70s camp bordering on the bizarre (but in grave danger of being played out).

Notice most of the discussion has been about comedies. That’s because, as a rule, dramas do not hold up.

Sitcoms of yesterday and today are comparable; the jokes change, but the vehicle remains pretty much the same. Not so with dramas.

So what contemporary television shows will our grandkids be watching as adults? Episodic shows like “Law & Order” and “Touched by an Angel” will be around.

On the other hand, the ratings monster “ER” probably won’t last. Once we find out what ultimately happens to the individual characters, we will stop caring.

“Seinfeld” is a good bet, but because of its heavy rotation the comedy will have to be put on the shelf for a while - say, a decade - to refresh itself.

No, the one everlasting “I Love Lucy” of tomorrow is right in front of us. In fact, this classic collection of characters is still on the air, as well as in syndication. If you didn’t guess the title, smack your forehead and shout “D’oh!”

“The ultimate television classic will be `The Simpsons,”’ Thompson said. “I would be willing to go (ahead and call it) the best comedy ever. That should be able to run forever.”