The "Laverne & Shirley" Paradox

Not too long ago, I was watching an episode of “Scrubs” while getting ready for work. “Scrubs” was not a TV show I watched regularly when it was first on, but I find the reruns pretty funny. In this episode, one doctor greets another doctor, calling him Beardface. The man turns around, revealing that he was a big, bushy beard. Rather crossly, he replies, “It’s Beard-fah-SAY!” And for some reason, I found this joke hilarious. For several days, every time I logged in to Facebook, I’d think, “It’s Fah-SAY-book!” and crack myself up. This, ladies and gentlemen, is what I like to call the “Laverne & Shirley” Paradox. What is that, you ask? It’s the state where you find a TV sitcom rerun hilarious, where before you either ignored the show, or found it unfunny. What causes it? I think it has to do with expectations. When I sit down at night to watch TV, I want to be entertained. I’m tired, I’ve worked all day, and I’ve got 8 million things I should be doing, so if I’m going to sit down and spend my time with TV, then I certainly want it to be worth my while. But during the day, or on the weekend, it’s a different story. I just want something silly to amuse me. So I’m more willing to spend 20 minutes on Scrubs or The Brady Bunch or almost anything that isn’t an infomercial. And with lightened expectations, I can find the humor among the silliness. Why Laverne & Shirley? Because my sister, so many years ago, mentioned in passing how funny she found the show while she was doing housework.