The Laughs We Needed

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The Laughs We Needed originally appeared on L.A. Mag.
I remember the first time I fell in love with comedy—not just the laughs, but the making of them.As a kid, I went with my family to see The Cannonball Run in the theaters. I remember enjoying it, though at 8 years old, a lot of the jokes went over my head. What stuck with me most came after the movie: the end credits.A blooper reel of Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise cracking each other up. Missed cues, slapstick stumbles, muffled giggles that exploded into uncontrollable laughing fits.That was the moment I knew I wanted to be part of whatever that was.
There's something uniquely powerful about comedy—especially from an ensemble cast. It doesn't just entertain us; it becomes a reliable friend.These shows and movies fill dorm rooms and hospital waiting rooms, light up bar TVs on first dates, and play during midnight reruns when you can't sleep. They meet us in breakups, boredom, and burnout... and they make us feel okay.Whether it's Arrested Development, Anchorman, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, or Ted Lasso, the best ensemble comedies create a kind of gravity. They pull us in. They make us feel like part of the group—like we're hanging on the couch at Central Perk or grabbing a drink at Cheers.And often, what we remember most isn't the plot, but the feeling—that rhythm when the cast clicks. The scene where someone breaks character and everyone else tries not to lose it. Saturday Night Live is never funnier than when the cast themselves start to crack.
There's a phrase people always say after a great comedy:"They must've had so much fun making that."We never say that about thrillers or dramas. We say it when the joy on set seeps through the screen. When the chemistry is real, and the camaraderie is contagious. When it feels like the cast is having just as much fun as we are.From Ghostbusters to Superbad, MASH* to Parks and Rec, there's a kind of magic when the process becomes part of the product. Even if it's messy, even if it's rough around the edges, you feel the joy. You want to stay in that world just a little longer.As The Office's Andy Bernard once put it:
'I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you actually left them.'
Nostalgia has a way of making everything feel like the good times are all behind us—forever locked away in re-runs and memories.You start to wonder: Do they still make them like that anymore?
Every so often, something new comes along that gives you that old feeling. Not because it's copying what came before... but because it shares its spirit. A little chaotic. A lot joyful. And full of people who genuinely seem to enjoy making each other laugh.This summer, a YouTube series called Shanked quietly fits that bill.Set at a barely-functional L.A. country club teetering on the edge of hosting a major PGA event, the show feels like a cousin of Caddyshack and Eastbound & Down—but with a modern, creator-led twist.Shanked has the feeling of a camera, a golf course, and a group of comedians and creators trying to make something weird and wonderful.And isn't that how the best ones always start?
You never know where the biggest laughs will come from...John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell destroying each other in Step Brothers.The infamous bridal boutique blowout in Bridesmaids.And if you've ever seen it, you'll never forget Chuckles the Clown's funeral on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.Comedy finds us when we need it. It doesn't promise to fix everything. But it reminds us we're not alone. That someone else saw the absurdity—and loved it just as much.
A good comedy, made by a cast with the right intentions, is one of the most generous things you can share. You laugh, and then you want others to laugh with you. That's the power of it.You don't have to be on the set to be part of the experience—you just have to be watching.It becomes your own little ensemble.Your own inside joke.Your own memory.And that's the magic we need to keep finding.Truth be told, I had nothing to do with the making of Shanked.I just thought I'd share the laughs... and lend a hand to a group that's in it for the right reasons and armed with the best intentions.
ShankedPremiering June 13 on YouTube, Shanked is a new ensemble comedy set in an unhinged Los Angeles country club on the brink of hosting a PGA Tour event.Created by and starring digital-native comedians including James Lynch, Patrick Farley, Mikey Smith, Laura Clery, Blake Webber, Mitsy Sanderson, and Dylan Adler, the series is directed by Adam Newacheck (Workaholics) and Christian Breslauer (Industry Baby), and produced by London Alley.
This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.