Here's what I think.
I think that Seven Second Delay isn't in a state where it produces singularly great shows anymore. Sure, sometimes "the shows that worked" were few and far between, but you could count on a handful of classics every year. I don't think that's the case anymore. I'd say the last stand-out was "How Big Is Your Cubicle?" from October of last year.
And yet. I don't think this is a bad thing. Because in my mind the show's undergone a subtle shift over the last few months. The concepts are less ambitious, meaning Ken and Andy don't strike out on great ideas like "Fever", yet they're not unambitious enough so as to become a basic talk show. The show is a little more continuity-driven. It happened with the Metropolitan Diary, which, unlike the Don McLean feud, actually began on Seven Second Delay, and it didn't pay off for a couple of weeks. The giggling girls laugh track wasn't just a conceit to fill out one episode, it looks like it's a semi-permanent part of the show.
Even through the bad shows, Seven Second Delay has always succeeded (on some level) on Andy and Ken's personalities. Even if a show's not working, Andy or Ken rarely go down an ugly direction themselves, and as a result, the show can't follow. The show, now, seems a little less-concept driven, and a little more personality-driven, which maybe is what you need, after 15 years on the air, to stay off the bottom of the barrel.
Yeah, I think the show's on the rebound. But like you care what I think.
