After honing his skills on the writing staff of Saturday Night Live and The Office, Michael Schur created a series of groundbreaking sitcoms that defined the comedic taste of much of the 2010s.
Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and The Good Place utilize gentler humor and present more optimistic perspectives than more deadpan early noughties comedies like Arrested Development, depicting close-knit characters whose interpersonal conflicts are generally minor and easily resolved. Schur and his writers authored several of the most amusing and important lines delivered on network television.
Chidi’s Concern About Michael’s Emotional State (The Good Place)
“At Any Moment, That Denial Could Collapse And He’ll Be A Mess. He Is A Jenga Tower Of Sadness.”
Chidi (played by William Jackson Harper and widely considered one of the best sitcom boyfriends of all time) makes this hysterical observation in the season 2 episode “Existential Crisis” as Michael (Ted Danson) experiences an emotional fallout upon acknowledging his own mortality.
Witty asides inserted into serious discussions are a staple of Michael Schur’s writing that serve to secure viewers’ attention as information crucial to the plot is provided. This melding of the grim and the light distinguishes The Good Place from the majority of the sitcoms that preceded it, and it is a testament to Schur’s mastery over the medium.
Janet Admiring Eleanor’s Resilience (The Good Place)
“There Was A Moment On Earth When All Hope Was Lost, And I Watched You Have Hope Anyway.”
Schur is far more comfortable embracing emotion than the majority of comedy writers, viewing sentimental moments as valuable contributors to a sitcom’s overall quality rather than unnecessary, ham-fisted additions. Janet (D’Arcy Carden) offers this note of gratitude to Eleanor (Kristen Bell) while the central characters are awaiting a cosmic judge’s verdict on the fate of the human race.
Such earnest and moving compliments are regularly included in Schur-created series such as The Good Place, proving comedy’s ability to comfort and inspire audiences in addition to amusing them.
Jason Reminiscing About His Days In Jacksonville (The Good Place)
“In Jacksonville, I Got A Flu Virus Named After Me ‘Cause I Kissed A Bat On A Dare.”
Jason Mendoza (Manny Jacinto) is regarded by many as the most hysterical of The Good Place‘s primary characters, with much of his eccentricity stemming from his unconventional upbringing in Jacksonville, Florida.
This brilliant bit from a season 3 episode follows Tahani’s decision to donate to the Sydney Opera anonymously rather than allowing one of the facility’s rehearsal halls to bear her name. Jason’s naivety and his obliviousness to his surroundings are depicted as endearing — possibly even virtuous — as he is gentle-hearted and easily contented as a result.
Tahani Subtly Bragging About Her Status (The Good Place)
“One Of My Shyest Friends — I Won’t Say His Name, To Preserve His Privacy — But He Found My Presence So Comforting That He Asked Me To Co-Host His TV Show, Anderson Cooper 360.”
While Tahani (Jameela Jamil) is initially depicted as a selfless philanthropist, it is gradually revealed that she craves public attention and is deeply fixated on status. One of The Good Place‘s most notable running jokes is that in which she refers to famous figures whom she knew throughout her life in an effort to indirectly project her importance (with this mention of Anderson Cooper being of one Tahani’s best name drops).
In later seasons of the series, Tahani recognizes her egotism and actively combats it, placing her with Eleanor as the characters to progress most noticeably over the course of the show’s run.
Jake And Amy Planning Their Families’ Joint Thanksgiving Dinner (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
“Our Objective Is Clear. Our Parents Will Laugh, They Will Bond, And Then, When The Time Is Right, Our Fathers Will Share A Hug Goodbye, And It Will Be Weird, But In The Good Way.”
In addition to being the central couple of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Jake (Andy Samberg) and Amy (Melissa Fumero) are also among the show’s most eccentric characters, due in large part to the dysfunction and chaos of their respective upbringings.
Perhaps the most significant challenge to the stability of the pair’s relationship is the tension between each of their fathers — men who adhere closely to traditional masculine norms and tend toward aggression as a result. In this bit from one of the biggest episodes for Jake and Amy’s relationship, the gentler Jake pines for a warm and loving connection between the men who raised them.
Captain Holt Offering Advice Concerning Sharon’s Childbirth (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
“Make Sure She’s Not Pushing Prematurely, Fatiguing The Uterus.”
While Captain Holt (Andre Braugher) was introduced as a serious foil to the more carefree and immature Jake, Brooklyn’s writers quickly recognized the character’s comedic value as an absurdly formal and robotically calm father figure.
Several of Holt’s most effective gags involve the captain being overly analytical and thorough in casual conversation, often using technical, scientific language that most would never think to employ. Like all iconic sitcoms, Brooklyn acquired and maintained its fan base with its exceptionally-hysterical cast of characters, and Holt is arguably the most brilliantly written and performed among them.
Scully Commenting On His Poor Memory (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
“I Barely Remember How I Got To Work This Morning. I Think There Was An Ambulance Involved.”
Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s season 6 episode “Hitchcock & Scully” delighted committed fans of the series by depicting the precinct’s resident slackers as brave and competent heavy-hitters in their early years as officers. The pair — whom are frequently depicted as useless additions to the staff in the present day — are revealed to have been “the studs of the Nine-Nine” in their youth, regularly apprehending suspects with their athleticism and agility.
The contrast between Hitchcock and Scully’s past and present selves amused audiences to a degree that only Michael Schur and his equals are capable of.
Ron Alluding To His Unconventional Family Background (Parks And Recreation)
“That’s Swanson Family Mash Liquor. Made From The Finest Corn Ever Grown On American Soil. Its Only Legal Use Is To Strip Varnish Off Of Speed Boats.”
Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) became one of the most iconic characters in sitcom history due to Schur and company’s laborious writing and Offerman’s perfect deadpan delivery. This line, like many of the character’s most notorious, is characteristic of Ron’s gruff temperament and the old-fashioned background that endowed him with such rugged masculinity (it is also one of the best Ron Swanson quotes).
The contrast between Ron’s stoicism and the emotive nature of his colleagues is one of the most widely-appreciated elements of the series, and it is the product of multiple individuals’ commitment to the craft of comedy.
Tom Bemoaning Jerry’s Occasional Competence (Parks And Recreation)
“[That Was] A Disappointingly-Good Idea From Jerry.”
Jerry (Jim O’Heir) is the most consistently abused character in Parks and Recreation, with the poor treatment he endures being established as a running gag early in the series’ run. Tom responds to one of Jerry’s ideas with this comically-off-kilter line, which highlights the enjoyment that the central characters derive from Jerry’s frequent missteps.
Related: 10 Times Parks And Rec Characters Were Nice To Jerry
Schur and his colleagues at The Office previously employed a similar trope with the character Toby Flenderson (Paul Lieberstein), one of several instances of Schur maximizing the potential of a worthy concept.
Ben Acknowledging His Fear Of April (Parks And Recreation)
“I’m Excited To Bond A Little With April. She’s Like The Little Sister I Never Had, Because The Little Sister I Do Have Is Normal And Not Terrifying.”
Now-stars Adam Scott and Aubrey Plaza launched their careers with outstanding performances on Parks and Recreation, where their respective characters often clashed due to their divergent personalities. Ben’s love of structure and routine repelled the free-spirited and almost anarchic April, rendering episodes that paired the two characters exceptionally hysterical.
The bluntness of this line is characteristic of Schur’s writing and can be easily observed in the comedy writer’s other series (most evidently in lines delivered by Rosa in Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Chidi in The Good Place).
