Absolutely Fabulous, because I think it would be crazy fun to work with Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley every day.
Definitely The Dick Van Dyke Show.
We recently discovered the MeTV channel (Memorable Entertainment?), one of the digital channel offshoots, and it hosts lots of shows from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, so we set our DVD to record Dick Van Dyke and Bob Newhart. I’d love to work near Morey Amsterdam and Rose Marie.
I’d pick Twin Peaks, for much the same reason that silenus chose Buffy. Lynch works with the same people again and again. Plus it’s David Lynch, how trippy would it be to be around him for weeks on end?
Top Gear… the BBC version of course. I’d get to check out all the pretty new cars. And the guys are hilarious.
I agree wholeheartedly with the OP’s choice of Sid Caesar—he, the writers and fellow cast members, at least in Sid’s first two variety series, culminated in a true and iconic comedic powerhouse. Who wouldn’t want to be part of that?
In those bygone days of television antiquity, where cynicism was eschewed in favor of pure unadulterated hilarity, cast-members truly seemed to support one another for the sake of the laugh, enjoy their job immensely and be cursed/blessed with a low threshold for breaking character when they just couldn’t hold their laughter in any longer. By all appearance it was a unique admixture of innocence and sharp wit, with the cast simpatico with the audience—not very common these days
So, my television cast member genre of choice is comedy-variety, with a nod toward the oldies. In descending order of preference, my list includes:
Your Show of Shows
Caesar’s Hour
The Steve Allen Show
The Carol Burnett Show
The Smothers Brothers Show (strife certainly existed between hosts and management, but harmony seemed apparent between cast members)
**Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In **(this was a tough one. I chose this because cast members appeared to really enjoy making the the show, and it was cutting edge and pretty funny at the time. But the humor of this show, more than any other, in my opinion, holds up least well to modern eyes and ears. It’s almost embarrassingly unfunny).
The following hosts didn’t have shows with much in the way of supporting casts, but had they, I’d choose to be on them as well, since they always struck me as naturally funny, quite professional…and nice guys:
Red Skelton
Ernie Kovacs
****Johnnie Carson
****Dean Martin
Flip Wilson
Jackie Gleason
Alternately, I’d love to be on an old sit-com whose humor I identify with and whose cast members all seemed to get along. The Dick van Dyke Show, as a fourth member of the Allen Brady writing team, exchanging witticisms with Rob, Sally and Buddy, throwing bald barbs at Mel and groping Laura when the opportunity arose. Or, the Andy Griffith Show, as Aunt Bea’s wacky cuckolded husband perhaps.
I would like to be a researcher for that Hollywood auction show. Imagine, getting to see all the props close up <needs drooly smiley>
Supernatural.
Cheers – looked like a really fun group, though I maybe I’m wrong about that. Who knows, maybe I can pick up some of Sam’s cast offs.
My second choice would be the Carol Burnett Show – I think it was the funniest show ever done.
Third choice – the Bob Newhart Show.
Blackadder. One of the most rewatched shows ever, plus it’s just hilariously funny, jam packed with top British comedy talent. To have been somehow mixed up in that would be glorious.
The original Saturday Night Live, of course!
Community.
Alison Brie, Danny Pudi, Joel McHale, and Donald Glover- well, and Gillian Jacobs too, I guess- being around me all day? I like the sound of that.
DAMN I must be getting soooo old. I have never heard of this show or a single one of these people.
Arrested Development: I’d like to be the forgotten brother who suddenly shows up after GOB has to depart due to an “extended enlistment in the CIA Covert Magic Action Squad” (ref: Kristy McNichol’s sudden disappearance and replacement on Empty Nest).
“Isn’t there still money in the banana stand?”
Stranger
SNL a little later, with Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Martin Short, Lovitz, Hartman…
can you imagine the cast parties?
I’d go with Law & Order, original recipe. A steady gig for a decade or more would be cool, and I could catch reruns of me at seemingly any time of day or night!
Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Can’t imagine it was boring.
I’d say Glee, except that I can’t sing.
Oh wait, they can just autotune me.
Alright, I’ll say Glee.
oh I want to be famous so I can be the star in the reasonably priced car …
“and your lap time was …”
leans forward
Dukes of Hazzard
“Daisy, I’m behind you all the way.”
Hmmm …
Big Bang Theory.