Fun City: TV's Urban Situation Comedies of the 1990s

Abstract

The show begins with a black-and-white photograph of the New York City skyline reminiscent of the opening moments of Woody Allen's Manhattan. In the same Allen style, there then follows a photomontage of the happy couple enjoying the city, strolling across a bridge in Central Park with the Dakota apartments behind them, hailing a cab in the rain, walking their dog past a churchyard, ordering food at a deli, browsing through a bookstore, returning from a trip to the corner grocery, buying flowers at a street stand, sharing wine and lunch by the Central Park lagoon, and walking along the East River promenade. Several shots show them engaging in public displays of affection: They are caught snuggling up to each other on that Central Park bridge; the man kisses the woman's shoulder as they wait for the subway train at the Union Square stop; they pause in the midst of a nighttime stroll down a crowded city street to kiss each other once again, and finally they commit to a serious kiss as the East River shimmers in the background.