Of course, Shannon has enjoyed memorable stints on a number of sitcoms: Her one-off on Seinfeld as a woman who drove Elaine Benes nuts because her arms didn't swing was hilarious, and her continued appearances as Grace's foe Val Bassett on Will & Grace exhibited her signature delirium. But it's impossible to shake the memory of Kath & Kim, her solid mother-daughter NBC sitcom that failed to connect with viewers, or her recent Glee guest-starring role as Sue's nemesis Brenda Castle, a role that began with a lot of blog hype, but yielded very little screen time and was then forgotten about altogether.
One could argue Shannon's brand of humor is best suited for sketch work -- her characters are caricatures, and skits usually provide enough space to take such roles to a logical resolve. But it's difficult to say whether that mania translates to characters we grow to know over a series, since their appeal is in establishing themselves as a recognizable, if cartoonish "type." Once that's accomplished, where is there to evolve? Kath & Kim was a sharply written comedy, but Shannon's role delivered as much furrowed-brow sincerity as any of one of her SNL characters -- and perhaps that kind of batty earnestness is best explored in a less formal format than sitcom. Judging by the description of her role in this HBO ex-nun comedy -- a virgin who leaves the convent after 20 years -- we'll be seeing plenty more of her hapless sincerity.
What do you think? Is Molly Shannon's character type sustainable in series form?
ยท HBO developing ex-nun comedy starring Molly Shannon [Deadline]