Chick-cow Chick-cow!

I think Seinfeld is hands-down the funniest show of all time.

I think Arrested Development and 30 Rock are the closest competitors.

Note: I'm not including Extras or The (British) Office in this because there were only 12 episodes and a special of each and well, that's not fair. Shows slip, they don't usually gain momentum. But if I was boiling it down to just 12, these two shows would be head to head with Seinfeld.

I've seen every episode of Seinfeld at least 25 times, save for a few that they don't show that often. Some of them, definitely more. I know most of the words to the entire show... the entire series. I frequently drop Seinfeld-isms into my daily life, which is, ironically one of my biggest peeves with other people. But come on, it's Seinfeld!

There was only one truly terrible episode of Seinfeld (the finale) and a few that I don't really enjoy, mostly in the earlier seasons. My favorite episode of all time is the one with the Merv Griffin show ("It's not a pet. It's a wild invalid. And it knows that I tried to kill it. As soon as it gets better, it's gonna gnaw my brain out in my sleep.") I probably have watched at least one episode a day for 10 years. That's sort of crazy huh?

It's funny that a show that ended when I was a freshman in high school is still so funny to me. I occasionally watch Cheers re-runs, and while it was a great show, it doesn't really make me laugh. Of course there was a lot more melodrama there, so it will probably rest with The (American) Office in 10 years.

I've heard a lot of people question how well 30 Rock will hold up over time since it has so many current cultural references. It's a fair point. Before this last week's episode I thought it was starting to slip -- but I was laughing again. Out loud. (Always the mark of a good show. I don't want to chuckle. I want tears in my eyes. Otherwise you're just wasting time right? And I never do that ...)

Jeff and I are currently running through Arrested Development. We only have the finale left. It's hilarious of course, but again, slipped in the third season. The whole story line with Charlize Theron was stupid (no pun intended.) I'm still crossing my fingers for a movie version to be made, if only to further my crush on Michael Cera.

Really good comedies are so rare. Why is that? Why are good comedies so hard to find, to sustain? Of course it's because it's harder to write funny than to write serious. I've tried to be funny in this space many a time and failed miserably.

Like many "writers" I'd love to write a funny script one day, either for a show or a movie. Never gonna happen, but fun to dream. The Boston Globe sports section would be a perfect backdrop. It's amazing how many characters there were at 25 or so desks. Most of the college kids that worked there had great senses of humor, and others were perfect fodder. If I ever had the opportunity to write something, I'd definitely draft from that group.

Of course, they already made "My Boys" so I'm probably out of luck.