History isn't typically a laughing matter, but in the case of famed director-producer-writer James L. Brooks, it usually is. Brooks, whose credits include "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Taxi" and "The Simpsons," has a long and esteemed history in the movie and television business, though his hasn't always been an easy road. Still, it's also not a unique road; the path that Brooks traversed has been walked before, and it's certainly being walked again.
Look no further than "Funny People" director Judd Apatow, whose career is starting to mirror that of James L. Brooks. Sure, the two have wandered down different forks in the road at times, but Apatow's trajectory is nonetheless similar to Brooks' own in some very meaningful ways.
For one, both Brooks and Apatow are well-known for their works on high quality television programming. Brooks created "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," which paved the way for spin-off series' "Rhoda" and "Lou Grant." He's also responsible for the Andy Kaufman-led comedy series "Taxi." Despite winning awards and critical acclaim, "Taxi" suffered through poor ratings and experienced multiple cancellations.
Apatow experienced difficulties in his small screen endeavors as well. Nearly all of his television projects -- "The Ben Stiller Show," "Freaks and Geeks" and "Undeclared" -- found cult followings but failed to appeal to the masses, resulting in what many would call premature cancellations. It's hard to feel too badly for Apatow or his collaborators however -- Ben Stiller has become a superstar and several cast members from "Freaks and Geeks" and "Undeclared" have made their way into Apatow-produced film fare and more, most notably Seth Rogen and James Franco.
Interestingly, Apatow and Brooks's television troubles intersect on "The Critic," the Fox-produced comedy starring Jon Lovitz. Brooks created the show as a spin-off of "The Simpsons," and Apatow came aboard the project as a producer and staff writer. Their combined comedic prowess sadly fell short of wowing audiences; sure enough, "The Critic" was dead after only a handful of episodes aired.
Beyond their similarities in television, Apatow and Brooks intersect in the film world as well. Both made the leap from small screen to big, to varying degrees of success. Apatow cut his feature teeth with the screenplay for "The Cable Guy," which failed to find box office gold (though Apatow himself found gold in eventual wife Leslie Mann). Notably, "Cable Guy" still enjoys a sizable cult following, and it features early screen appearances from Jack Black and David Cross. Now, such a failure seems almost unfathomable for the director of "Knocked Up," "The 40 Year Old Virgin" and "Funny People."
As a director, Brooks is responsible for many character-driven dramedies such as "As Good As It Gets," "Terms of Endearment" and "Spanglish," which starred "Funny People" leading man Adam Sandler. Indeed, "Terms of Endearment" holds similarities to Apatow's most recent directorial effort; both feature a wealth of talented actors as well as a focus on the very unfunny subject of cancer.
Almost in his seventies, Brooks is certainly well-accomplished as a film and television veteran, but it's Apatow's career that is most exciting at this stage. As he continues past "Funny People," where will the writer-producer-director wind up? Might he return to television with a more successful effort, much like Brooks has had on "The Simpsons"? Could he deliver an Academy Award-winning film like Brooks's work on "As Good As It Gets"?
However it shakes out, Apatow's path is an enjoyable one to walk. If his career continues to share similarities with Brooks -- if history repeats itself -- then Apatow's future is sure to be filled with a healthy blend of laughs, tears and talent.
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