Episode 106 Network Run-Through
September 24, 1999

Is it wrong for me to love being at work? Is it unnatural that when I'm at my job, I sometimes find myself laughing uncontrollably? Don't get me wrong. The IBM mailroom was like one big Mardi Gras, but this job may just have that one beat.

The show premiered this week, and I came to work yesterday after finding out how we did in the ratings, and I have to say I was a little bummed out. The numbers weren't bad, but they weren't necessarily good either. I was hoping for more. As 'pessimistically realistic' as I like to portray myself, somewhere inside I thought we'd shock everybody and hold on to 95-100% of Drew Carey's audience. That would have been fun for me to see. We didn't. We dropped down to 85%. And came in third behind CBS and NBC. So I was dragging a little.

An hour later, Steve and I were rehearsing our marathon scenes and it all melted away. The numbers, the ratings, the share, the retention, the marketing -- all the insanity that makes up the 'business' of show business. And as important as it might be sometimes to have a grasp on it, there are other times when you just have to let it all go, let it take care of itself -- the data, the analysis, the spin-doctoring.

I was having so much fun rehearsing the scenes for this week's show, for this piece of entertainment (art?) that we all love so much, that I completely forgot that the world was conspiring against us. The show and the people are so great and I am so blessed to be a part of it. And as much as I may hate to admit it, the ratings really are out of my control. My job is to go to work every day, have some fun, and make as many people enjoy themselves as are willing to tune in for a half-hour on Wednesday nights.

That said, I think this episode is awesome. Our run-through today was so on and got so many laughs. The premise is good and the jokes are really starting to come together. There's some great visual gags, and, well, i have a lot of scenes and a lot to do, which is cool (at least for me). We shoot the marathon scenes Monday and the rest Tuesday, so we're going to be very busy. But you know, if I happen to be stuck at my job all day, I can't imagine a better place to be.

Go on to Episode Six Shoot.

Episode 106 | Behind the Scenes | Oh Grow Up