History Sandbox / BoltDMC

''Series/MyWorldAndWelcomeToIt''

''My World... and Welcome to It'' was an American sitcom that aired on NBC during the 1969-70 season. The cartoons and short stories of Creator/JamesThurber served as the basis for the program’s material, with the show’s title being lifted from one of the author’s books. Creator/WilliamWindom played Thurber {{Expy}} John Monroe, a cantankerous DeadpanSnarker cartoonist and writer who works for the fictional New York-based magazine ''The Manhattanite'' (clearly modeled after ''Magazine/TheNewYorker'') and lives in the Connecticut suburb of Westbury with his patiently indulgent wife Ellen (Creator/JoanHotchkis) and precocious pre-teen daughter Lydia (Creator/LisaGerritsen).

The show received positive reviews for its polished scripts, clever format that neatly integrated live action and animated sequences (the latter derived from Thurber’s cartoons and produced by Creator/DepatieFrelengEnterprises), and deftly-mixed elements of fantasy and reality. Despite this, the half-hour sitcom only managed to muster moderately good viewership numbers (in part because it was slotted against ratings juggernaut ''Series/{{Gunsmoke}}'') and was cancelled after only 26 episodes. It subsequently won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, with Windham taking the Emmy for best actor in a comedy series.

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!!Tropes:

* AdolfHitlarious: A BlackComedy example. The episode "Dear is a Four Letter Word" sees John daydreaming that the school principal who called him into his office to discuss his daughter gradually morphs into a blustering UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler. Subverted in that once John begins to actually listen to what the principal has to say, he realizes the man is very reasonable and sympathetic to John’s viewpoint (unlike Lydia’s teacher, Miss Skidmore, who initiated the complaint).
* BracesOfOrthodonticOverkill: Lydia is frequently seen wearing a wire teeth-straightener that wraps around the sides of her face when at home.
* {{Catfight}}: The climax of "The Middle Years" shows John daydreaming that his wife Ellen and comely widow neighbor Mrs. Bessinger are engaging in a fiery battle over him. It’s sufficiently spirited that the two women are seen [[TrashTheSet zealously destroying John’s living room doing so]].
* DeadpanSnarker: John’s dialogue (as well as his cartoons and stories) is crammed with wry wit and withering criticism.
* {{Expy}}: The characters who work at ''The Manhattanite'' are based on Thurber and his colleagues at ''Magazine/TheNewYorker'', specifically:
** John Monroe is modeled after Thurber.
** Magazine editor Hamilton Greeley, a recurring character, is based on ''New Yorker'' managing editor Creator/HerbertRoss.
** Writer Phil Jensen, a recurring character, is very similar to American humorist Creator/RobertBenchley.
** Writer Dorothy Carter in “The Wooing of Mr. Monroe is modeled after American writer Creator/DorothyParker.
* FantasySequence: John frequently daydreams imaginary scenarios in these episodes. One especially notable example is seen in "Nobody Ever Kills Dragons Anymore," where he repeatedly imagines himself as a secret agent, complete with a fawning {{Fanservice}} FemmeFatale girlfriend. He does so while riding the commuter train to work and in the office, as well as [[DreamSequence in bed asleep]].
* MarsAndVenusGenderContrast: Echoing a recurring trope in Thurber’s work, several episodes present husbands and wives as incompatible adversaries, most notably the episode "The War between Men and Women." Here, an argument between Phil Jensen and his wife Ruth escalates to the point where she throws him out of the house. Phil and his colleagues at The Manhattanite scheme to get him back home covertly and run afoul of their own wives in the process. Detente is finally reached by all parties when the men threaten to [[CreditCard Destruction close off their wives’ credit cards]].
* NoFourthWall: John serves as in-universe narrator in all episodes, frequently looking at the camera and addressing the viewer to explain what’s going on, usually in DeadpanSnarker mode.
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''My World and Welcome to It'' was an American sitcom that aired on NBC during the 1969-70 season. The cartoons and short stories of Creator/JamesThurber served as the basis for the program’s material, with the show’s title being lifted from one of the author’s books. Creator/WilliamWindom played Thurber {{Expy}} John Monroe, a cantankerous DeadpanSnarker cartoonist and writer who works for the fictional New York-based magazine ''The Manhattanite'' (clearly modeled after ''Magazine/TheNewYorker'') and lives in the Connecticut suburb of Westbury with his patiently indulgent wife Ellen (Creator/JoanHotchkis) and precocious pre-teen daughter Lydia (Creator/LisaGerritsen).

* AdolfHitlarious: A BlackComedy example. The episode “Dear is a Four Letter Word” sees John daydreaming that the school principal who called him into his office to discuss his daughter gradually morphs into a blustering UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler. Subverted in that once John begins to actually listen to what the principal has to say, he realizes the man is very reasonable and sympathetic to John’s viewpoint (unlike Lydia’s teacher, Miss Skidmore, who initiated the complaint).

* {{Catfight}}: The climax of “The Middle Years” shows John daydreaming that his wife Ellen and comely widow neighbor Mrs. Bessinger are engaging in a fiery battle over him. It’s sufficiently spirited that the two women are seen [[TrashTheSet zealously destroying John’s living room doing so]].

* {{Expy}}: The characters who work at The Manhattanite are based on Thurber and his colleagues at Magazine/TheNewYorker, specifically:

** Magazine editor Hamilton Greeley, a recurring character, is based on New Yorker managing editor Creator/HerbertRoss.

* FantasySequence: John frequently daydreams imaginary scenarios in these episodes. One especially notable example is seen in “Nobody Ever Kills Dragons Anymore,” where he repeatedly imagines himself as a secret agent, complete with a fawning {{Fanservice}} FemmeFatale girlfriend. He does so while riding the commuter train to work and in the office, as well as [[DreamSequence in bed asleep]].
* MarsAndVenusGenderContrast: Echoing a recurring trope in Thurber’s work, several episodes present husbands and wives as incompatible adversaries, most notably the episode “The War between Men and Women.” Here, an argument between Phil Jensen and his wife Ruth escalates to the point where she throws him out of the house. Phil and his colleagues at The Manhattanite scheme to get him back home covertly and run afoul of their own wives in the process. Detente is finally reached by all parties when the men threaten to close off their wives’ credit cards.

* {{Catfight}}: The climax of “The Middle Years” shows John daydreaming that his wife Ellen and comely widow neighbor Mrs. Bessinger engaging in a fiery battle over him. It’s sufficiently spirited that the two women are seen [[TrashTheSet zealously destroying John’s living room doing so]].

* FantasySequence: John frequently daydreams imaginary scenarios in these episodes. One especially notable example is seen in “Nobody Ever Kills Dragons Anymore,” where he repeatedly imagines himself as a secret agent, complete with a fawning {{Fanservice}} FemmeFatale girlfriend. He does so while riding the commuter train to work and in the office.

* {{Catfight}}: The climax of “The Middle Years” shows John daydreaming that his wife Ellen and comely widow neighbor Mrs. Bessinger engaging in a fiery battle over him. It’s sufficiently spirited that the two women are seen [[TrashingTheSet zealously destroying John’s living room doing so]].

* {{Catfight}}: The climax of “The Middle Years” shows John daydreaming that his wife Ellen and comely widow neighbor Mrs. Bessinger engage in a fiery battle over him. It’s sufficiently spirited that the two women are seen [[TrashingTheSet zealously destroying John’s living room doing so]].