I turn on Friends last week (a show I can barely watch anymore) because nothing else was on. And I’m watching and watching and I stop to think “Is this humor”? To me this is something a child would find funny. Comedy on television has gotten so childish and repeated I don’t know how people continue to watch it and be very entertained. Letterman and Leno have got to get new writers because it’s just getting so humorless. Everything now, standups on Comedy Central, All network shows like Malcolm in the Middle, Will and Grace etc. Just when I think it’s just beginning I watch a rerun of Seinfield and I realize that it’s always been like this.
I watch the standup Seinfield does before every show, compare it to George Carlin and I think I could write funnier, more original things. Why isn’t humor more intelligent nowadays? Is it because more uneducated people watch these shows instead of middle class people? Why do we always have to listen to some fat lady scream on Drew Carey instead of say a skit or parody of something or standup of at least mediocre quality. Is it because the writers rush to write the script for these shows that they have no coice but to include corny jokes. Is that why SNL always have some skits that you’d think they added to take up time. What do you guys think about this? Do you feel the way I do or do you think I’m some humorless schmuck? Let me know, I’d like to hear what people think about this.
Ever think about the minefield a TV comedy writers has to negotiate to get a script out. Make it funny but don’t piss anyone off makes for very bland fair. The only time I turn mine on is Wed night. Southpark definetly has redeeming social value but reruns suck.
Not long ago, I moved into a place where cable isn’t even available, and I get no reception with rabbit ears. I could have gone with satellite, but I’m not going to be here long enough to make that worthwhile. So anyway, I’ve got several months now without any TV whatsoever. Now, I’m not one of these people who get up on their high horse and sneer at the lowly sheep who are being brainwashed, blah blah blah - that’ been done on these boards, and I find it very tiresome. But, that said, I haven’t missed it at all. I have DVDs of most of the shows that I really really like, but I’ve found that other than that, most of the time, I only had the TV on as background noise. It’s really been quite nice.
Oh, and I agree that most modern TV comedy is complete dreck, with a few exceptions. Simpsons reruns and Home Movies come to mind.
The difference between me and a writer, donkeyoatey
Is that it’s their career. All they do all day is try to come up with some new jokes to go along with the plot line. I don’t do that. That’s why I won’t even bother giving you a script, though it was a pretty clever response on your part I must say. I think the reason the humor has been so low is because of censors who seem to work closely with these Christian family foundations that wouldn’t dare letting our children hear things about sex as they might go deaf and go to hell.
Yes, T.V. comedy is bad. The sole purpose of T.V. comedy is to earn money, mostly through selling advertising space. This means that the shows must be acceptable to a) the advertisers, and b) the widest possible audience. They must be generic enough not to offend, confuse, or completely turn off the audience. T.V. that is sharp, or edgy, or takes any kind of risks will only appeal to a certain small segment of the audience, and therefore will not earn the big bucks. And shows that might possibly be offensive will have a hard time finding willing sponsors. I’m no T.V. snob (I’m a big fan of soap operas), but I haven’t watched a sitcom in years because they don’t simply don’t entertain me. That said, I caught some of The Daily Show this week, and I admit to laughing even while I was cringing at how offensive it was. Humor is very subjective – if you can’t get your daily quota from T.V., you’re going to have to look elsewhere. I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for T.V. comedy to improve.
Huh? We have a proliferation of low comedy because there aren’t enough sex jokes? Color me confused. I thought that’s what you were complaining about, at least partially–low, coarse humor–and I was going to agree with you.
So, just for fun, tell me of a time where there was less censorship, more sex jokes, and hilarity was the watchword.
I realize that humor is quite subjective, and my tastes are different than most (AFAIK; films like Dumb and Dumber aren’t my cuppa but seem to do well). However, I think that some of the best humor had little to do with sex or bodily functions.
Go to Nick at Nite or watch some old Carol Burnett Show reruns. Tune into the Cartoon Channel. Actually, I find Dexter’s Laboratory far funnier than any network comedy.
No Elemenopy , I wasn’t refering to sex jokes being the best humor. I was just saying that as SpoilerVirgin wisely put it, that the networks try to get the widest range of the audience and not offending anyone is how they do it. I’m personally a Jew but I wouldn’t mind watching someone offend Judaism or Christianity. But our country being as sensitive as it is can’t seem to take jokes anymore, the only people on network TV you see offending another race is maybe Wanda Sykes (but that’s just getting picky). And her show has gotten pretty poor as well I might add. So basically networks are scared to death right now to put out shows offending anyone (except maybe terrorists). I know it seems like I’m answering all my questions from my OP but when I started this thread I just wated to know how many dopers out there agreed with me about TV comedy.
But you were right saying we have less censorship now than ever but it’s still very conservative in my view.
When Red Skelton died that was the end of true comedy. I remember watching him when I was a kid. No profanity or offcolored stuff and it was hilarious. I don’t know how he’d do in this day and age.
Read_Neck, you’re an idiot. Red Skelton was not a comedian, he was a clown. A funny clown, with excellent mime skills and some amusing stuff, but if you called him a comedian (and if he were still alive), he’d spit in your eye (except that he was much too nice a man to do that, so I will – p-tooh!)
Comparing the mostly silent work of Red Skelton with an essentially verbal form like true comedy makes no sense at all.
Gertrude and Heathcliffe were my favorites but Freddy and Clem did have their moments. To this day I can’t look at a seagull with a straight face. Idiot? Yea,I’ll take one on the chin. It’s Friday the 13th,I just threw $300 bucks out in the street and my girlfriend is pissed at me. IDIOT? Very valid point.
“Curb Your Enthusiasm” is funny, and so was “The Larry Sanders Show,” but that’s HBO. They can have an edge and not worry about pissing anyone off. A show like CYE would never get a chance on a network, yet it’s a thousand times funnier than shit like Friends."
