Taylor Swift has added another variant to her growing "The Life of a Showgirl" campaign. A shimmering blue countdown clock appeared on her website at 11 a.m. ET on Aug. 21, set to expire at 2 p.m. ET.

One of the ways television offers comfort is in familiarity. Sitcom characters tend to behave in predictable ways, from Kramer on Seinfeld plotting bizarre schemes to Lucy Ricardo on I Love Lucy ...