A few times I've found myself wondering if Newman's character is a ripoff of Cliff Claven. Possibility?
Newman: Ripoff?
Jan 17, 19989 posts by 6 posters
❓ Question
Fans discuss whether Newman's character is derivative of Cliff Claven from Cheers, noting that postal workers are frequently portrayed as buffoons in sitcoms.
9 posts
I've thought about that as well, but more in the sense that US Postal employees on great sitcoms are almost always portrayed as buffoons.
On 17 Jan 1998 16:29:21 GMT, [email] (BraveHeels) wrote:
Must have presented an interesting challenge to Wayne Knight to out-buffoon John Ratzenberger.
Could you imagine a "Cheers'/"Seinfeld" spinoff with Wayne Knight and John Ratzenberger, with each of them transferred to run a post office branch in Syracuse or someplace like that? The mind reels...
Ya know, that's not a bad idea!!!!
On 18 Jan 1998 00:18:01 GMT, [email] (VPaterno) wrote:
Knight and Ratzenberger. The possibilities.
I think they are two diffferent characters: Clavin is the ineffectual feeb bureaucrat, who overestimates his power; Newman is the malevolent bureaucrat, who abuses his (such as it is).
In either case, a pretty unfair depiction of bureaucrats, but they do make easy targets in a culture where attacking government is the reigning paradigm.
Cheers PD
[email] (BraveHeels) wrote:
I have never thought that. Newman is "evil" in a sense. Cliff is a bit slow but his isn't dastardly like Newman is.
On Mon, 19 Jan 1998 02:16:26 GMT, [email] (Ted Drummond) wrote:
He's immature, like Cliff. He's socially isolated, like Cliff. He delivers the mail when he feels like it, like Cliff. About the only important thing they missed was the domineering mother.