Comedy, Pathos, and a Muse with Boundary Issues

Sunday morning, slightly hung over and I’m in the shower. I hear a familiar voice inside my head.

Muse: Pathos is the bedrock of comedy.

Me, rubbing conditioner in my hair: Uh huh.

Muse: And that’s why Call Me Kat is doomed to failure.

Me: I haven’t watched it. Have you?

Muse: Don’t need to. All the evidence is right there in the trailer. Awkward but lovable girl quits her job and starts to live her dream of running a cat cafe…shenanigans ensue. Where is the conflict? Where is the sadness? In a comedy, you need to torture your main character probably even more than in a drama. The only difference is that in comedy, you’re twisting the screws for laughs.

Me: But Call Me Kat is basically a rip off of Miranda and that show was a blast. How could it go wrong?

Muse: True, Miranda was good but do you remember when you stopped watching?

Me: Somewhere in the third season. It wasn’t funny anymore.

Muse: And that’s because Miranda was happy. She got her dream beau. Before that her comedy was based on how large, awkward, and socially inept she was. Her friends ridicule her and every adventure is a set up for humiliation. It was hilarious!

Me: Huh.

Muse: And this Kat show is starting at Miranda Third Season.

Me: Huh. Can I finish doing my hair now?

Muse: Sure. Just remember, I called it.

Me: Great. Get out.