‘Thanks’ for Nothing

Howard Rosenberg needs to know that someone using his byline published a piece on Aug. 2 (“ ‘Thanks’ for Just a Few More Laughs”).

Now, I respect the man and his opinions. I have for years, and he has led me to many good shows. After reading the piece, I trusted his judgment again and devoted 30 minutes of my time left on Earth to the pilot of “Thanks.”

Having watched it, I’ve concluded that it must have been someone else’s judgment I trusted. “Funny”? “A rollicking sitcom about Pilgrims”? It may be about Pilgrims, but “rollicking”? I’ve been to funnier funerals.

I badgered my wife and 12-year-old daughter (who’s been studying Pilgrims in school) into watching it, and they rolled their eyes at me from about the fourth minute until the end. Nobody laughed at anything--except of course those raucous folks on a laugh track loud enough to make the Guinness book, who thought everything was funny and jabbed us in the ribs every 30 seconds so we’d get the joke too.

Whoever wrote that review has been watching way too much TV.

SPIKE BRAGG

Long Beach

*

You were off the mark on this one, Howard. The scarlet letter should be “TA” for truly awful.

I got through the first six minutes, three of which were commercials, and turned it off. The laugh track and truly uninspired one-liners have only contributed to the summer doldrums.

BUD MURPHY

Huntington Beach