ArchiveGuy, I think your analysis is pretty spot-on. . . yet I have to wonder if new viewers would actually be turned off by the subtleties you describe. If anything, I find they only make the show more addicting. Because once you start grabbing hold of the zingers that are flying so fast and furious, warming up to the rhythym of the show in other words, then it’s like, the comedy Comstock Lode. You can’t believe you’ve stumbled upon such riches.
I’m a new viewer and it took a few minutes to fall into the rhythm of the show, but once I did it was great. I love how subtle it is and several times I probably missed jokes because mentally I was saying, “Did they just say that? Or is that my sick mind? No, they really said that.”
I do the same. And you can generally bet they said it. 
Yeah, I figured that out during the series of “Volvo” jokes, ending with the complaint that “they’re so boxy”. And I loved the gag about the statue at SAD being of a little boy who found a severed hand.
I wish I had the first season already so I can watch it until the power goes out Friday night. I’m in Houston, and we’ll be off work Friday waiting for Hurricane Rita since we live in an area that isn’t necessary to evacuate.
I don’t doubt some new viewers would find it refreshing, if not revelatory, to discover a comedy show that’s smart, sophisticated, and devoid of the pandering that a lot of TV indulges in.
But I think an equal amount of viewers (if not more) may simply not “get” it. Some jokes will need explanations (which usually makes them less funny), some humor is drier than people prefer, some people will become impatient with the pacing and format since they’re not being lead by the nose to the humor, and these people (particularly if there’s a lot of counter-programming to resort to), might be too quick with the remote. There are some terrible sitcoms out there that are inexplicably in their 4th or 5th seasons (Still Standing anyone?), so you know there are huge groups of people who are not only less demanding, but prefer entertainment that will challenge them less. Sad, but true, I think.
My roommate’s girlfriend has a pretty good sense of humor. She loves Family Guy and South Park, which we all watch together, and she’s a huge Sex in the City fan (so nobody’s perfect). But she was totally lost watching the season premiere of AD with us, since we’ve seen every episode and she had never watched it before. She didn’t laugh much and complained of feeling completely lost and not enjoying it. A friend of mine’s parents had an even more intensely negative reaction, and they were new viewers as well.
omg, Lou just brought back a horrible memory screaming back- I recommended AD to my parents months ago. They thought it was terrible, too! :eek: Could I have been sired by half-wits?
I honestly didn’t care for this episode too much. Yep I’ll say it. It seemed like a parody of AD.
I don’t think I laughed out loud once in the first five minutes. And normally I am laughing out loud like a madman during AD.
Two vagina joke bits in about 4 minutes? Family restaurant/Sex parlor? WTF The show seems to be trying to hard.
The Narrator should be the guide for new people. What else is he for? He should fill you in on tiny bits of backstory so you understand what is going on if you haven’t seen every episode.
<“If I had a son, which I don’t.” “He does” > is absolutely necessary because it explodes the typical sitcom joke and lets them go straight to the absurd.
Michael: I almost had Pop-Pop in Reno
George Michael: Me too.
I love that they have puns that span seasons.
Is it a bad thing that I want George Michael and Maeby to end up together?
That episode was just great. I love how Michael found out it was Oscar behind the glass and not his father. “You kid comes first” and how they showed the fishing pole and sleeping bag on the sides of everyone who was left behind to go camping.
Just brilliant!
I’m glad AD is back, though another Emmy would have been nice and may have helped the ratings.
Probably. But I’m rooting for them too.
Probably! (I introduced my first-time viewer parents to the show with the last episode of S2, and they guffawed like mad.)
–Cliffy
She could have have been adopted…
Maeby
I especially liked that these scenes included one of Barry Zuckercorn’s assistant (the one who was suing him in season 1 for harrassment or something, about being gay).
And ArchiveGuy is right. I love that this show has so many subtle bits that requires you to pay attention to catch. But it will also certainly turn off a lot of new viewers who just don’t want to think – the ones who need an annoying laugh track to tell them when to laugh.
Hell, ever since Afternoon Delight I’ve been secretly rooting for Michael and Maeby…but that’s one that’s DEFINITELY probably not going to happen.
I’d sure love to hear that Michael/George-Michael conversation if they do get to talk about it…
George Micheal actually did tell his dad on one occasion.
His dad laughed and thanked him for the joke.
I remember that. But if they had that long talk while fishing, you might expect Michael to get it this time. I’m sure they won’t show that talk for just that reason, but…
I do wonder how Michael would react to that.