But one activity that isn't high on Van Dyke's list is watching TV, particularly comedy.

“Most of the sitcoms today are just punchlines,” he says, allowing that he did like Seinfeld. “For me, everybody is trying too hard. You can see them trying, and that's death. You cannot try to be funny.”

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I agree with Dick! The classic sitcoms had a rhythm. Set up, punch line, set-up, punchline. Today's sitcoms just try to hit you over the head with punchline after punchline. And it's not nearly as funny!

^That's largely because the classic sitcoms took their cues from real life, and let the comedy grow from that reality.

Today's sitcoms, by contrast, take their cues from OTHER sitcoms, probably the sitcoms that the writers watched as kids. And as Dick said, try so hard to be funny that they lose all sense of reality. It's very sad and I despair of them ever successfully turning the clock back.

Dick, I agree with you 1000%!!!!

while i do like a number of todays sitcoms mr van dyke does have a valid point too many of todays sitcoms lack a certan createtiveness that the classic sitcoms had . of course anytime a network gets something createive the mess with it anyway

Just one more reason not to like the network executives - they screw everything up!!! :mad: :mad: :mad:

Dick, I agree with you 1000%!!!!
I second that! BTW, is that a recent picture of him? He looks amazing! Does this man ever age? ;)

He has held up very well indeed. God bless him. :D