Comic Strips: The TV Show

Present a weekly whirlwind tour of all sorts of newspaper cartoons, from both comics and editorial pages. Shows inspired by a single strip pull a narrow audience. But delivering a variety of toons at a rapid-fire rate could appeal to almost everybody, young and old alike, in an easy, breezy, short-attention-span kind of way. DO NOT HAVE HUMAN HOSTS! Argh! Nothing worse than yakety yak about history and biography and obviosity. “Here’s a cartoon …” Duh! Have cartoon hosts who act out more than introduce. Ways to boost appeal: (1) Include a few serials with weekly cliffhangers. (2) Include a play-at-home contest — send in your original jokes, if yours is chosen you win a car and an autographed strip. (3) Have a call-in poll where viewers can pick a punchline or a storyline for an upcoming strip. (4) Toss in some blasts from the past classics — as long as they can stand alone without histriobioblabber. Prediction: Best not to let movie animation bits infiltrate the show, except during commercials. High-octane screen tomfoolery would overpower the subtle, leisurely joys of less animated toons.

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