I don’t know why this just occurred to me, but have you ever noticed that the actors who play the dumbest characters have a surprisingly good shot at becoming stars? For example, Vinny Barbarino – played by John Travolta – was, by my lights, the worst character on “Welcome Back Carter.” If you’d asked me who had the best shot from “That 70’s Show” to have a break-out career, I never would have guess it’d be that Ashton Kutcher guy. The main character is a vastly –vastly superior actor. Christina Applegate is now a bigger star than the rest of her “Married, With Children….” Obviously there are exceptions. Tony Danza isn’t bigger than several of his Taxi co-stars, but he was indisputably the worst actor on the show and he’s doing better than the guy who played the actor. But it’s indisputably true that Potsy from “Happy Days,” Stan ‘Wojo’ Wojciehowicz from Barney Miller and many others haven’t made it big. But it does seem that, statistically, you have a better shot at doing better career-wise if you start out playing a moron than if you don’t. Just look at Sean Penn, whose break-through role was in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.”

And before you all say it, yes I am aware that this might explain my relative success at NR.

Update: Yes, I know. It’s Kotter. Not Carter. Stoopid mistake.