Skip to main content

Daily Inspiration Quote by Jenna Elfman

"Especially while television I think is going through some growing pains or is in need of - I think current comedy is a bit, uh, not happening, you know?"

About this Quote

You can hear the late-90s/early-2000s temperature in this line: an actor trying to diagnose a medium in real time without sounding like a snob about it. Elfman’s phrasing is all hedges and soft landings - “I think,” “a bit,” “uh” - which is exactly the point. She’s making a critique while staying employable inside the very system she’s critiquing. The verbal shrug (“not happening, you know?”) turns what could be a takedown into a shared, almost conspiratorial observation: we’re all watching, we all feel the slump, let’s not pretend.

The intent is twofold. On the surface, she’s commenting on comedy’s creative lull on television, framing it as “growing pains” rather than failure. That’s generous language, and it carries industry awareness: TV cycles through formats, network notes, ratings panic, and trend-chasing. Calling it “growing pains” implies the problem is temporary, systemic, and solvable - not that comedians suddenly forgot how to be funny.

The subtext is sharper: comedy can’t “happen” when the conditions don’t let it. That could mean risk-averse executives, focus-grouped punchlines, sameness across sitcoms, or a culture moment where irony and sincerity are fighting for the steering wheel. Coming from a working actress, the critique lands as both cultural and practical: if TV comedy is stalled, so are the kinds of roles, voices, and experiments that performers like her depend on. The casualness is strategic; it smuggles a real indictment under a conversational tone.

Quote Details

TopicSarcastic
SourceHelp us find the source
Cite

Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Elfman, Jenna. (2026, January 16). Especially while television I think is going through some growing pains or is in need of - I think current comedy is a bit, uh, not happening, you know? FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/especially-while-television-i-think-is-going-110613/

Chicago Style
Elfman, Jenna. "Especially while television I think is going through some growing pains or is in need of - I think current comedy is a bit, uh, not happening, you know?" FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/especially-while-television-i-think-is-going-110613/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Especially while television I think is going through some growing pains or is in need of - I think current comedy is a bit, uh, not happening, you know?" FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/especially-while-television-i-think-is-going-110613/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.

More Quotes by Jenna Add to List
Jenna Elfman on television growing pains in comedy
Click to enlarge Portrait | Landscape

About the Author

USA Flag

Jenna Elfman (born September 30, 1971) is a Actress from USA.

25 more quotes available

View Profile

Similar Quotes

Elvis Presley, Musician
Elvis Presley