Do you like it when sitcoms have “serious” issues pop up or does it make you cringe?
I tend not to like it though a few can get away with some forms of it like “Friends” because they still keeps things wacky. Same goes for the Simpsons or Malcolm. It really bugs me when a show like Frasier has people in the hospital or all these big dramatic moments though it maybe cause I’m not as emotionally attached to those characters. Should comedies have serious storylines or stick to only funny?
If I want drama, I don’t turn on a sit-com in the first place.
I think The Simpsons is one of the only sitcoms I’ve seen (keeping in mind I hardly watch any) that has been able to have Very Special Moments and actually make them work.
There are episodes that have me rolling on the floor one minute and crying the next, while most other shows have a half hour of flat out emotional exploitation every time something important happens. The episode of Full House where the kid’s grandfather all of the sudden shows up just to die in that episode comes to mind.
It depends if I feel the dramatic scenes “fit” in the universe the sitcom built up. I always like The Simpsons episodes that showed a little heart, that’s because the writers were skillful enough to write in some “tender” moments without staying from the shows feel. I don’t watch the show any more… in fact, I can’t stand it and would rather catch something else on.
I agree with you about Friseur, it just doesn’t seem to work. I often like when Dramatic series lighten up. The X-Files did a few funny shows, most of which dealt with different perspectives of the characters, (Jose Chung, Bad Blood). The writers in those specific episodes knew how to make you laugh, and still feel like you’re watching the same show as last week.
I could never stand shows like Full House, or Family Matters for this very reason, and they had a “message” EVERY WEEK. There has to be consistency, and skillful writing to make it work.
Frasier*
Sorry.
I hate Friends as a comedy or drama, it’s crap.
I agree, The Simpsons can get away with it, another show that can do this is Futurama, which has two really depressing episodes. The reason these shows can get away with it is because they a) don’t hit you over the head with it, and b) the episodes are just as funny as the rest.
That said, I can't watch the two Futurama episodes above because they are so damn depressing, but I don't regret watching them the first time.Which two are they? I’ve seen all of the episodes from seasons 1 and 2 and none of them ring a bell…
That brings back memories of how preachy, stupid, and bland both sit-coms were.
I don’t like when sitcoms get touchy feely. I think if a sit com is going to try and prove a point, they should use humor to do this. South Park for instance is great at this. As an obvious reference, look at how the movie proved the point that parents care more about swearing than violence. They made it funny, not touchy-feely and stupid, and it proved it’s point better than it would of had it tried to be emotional.
I forgot to mention that I always hated whenever a sit-com or any other show had a drug episode. Saved By The Bell andDinosaurs are examples that come to mind. That episode of king of the Hill about smoking turned me off becauseof it’s preachiness.
There is a simply wonderful episode of Futurama about Fry’s lucky charm. The sadness and other emotion in it is better than most shows presented as drama. Additionally there are some really funny lines and moments.
“I’m just one skull away from a Mouseketter reunion.” - Bender
This is why I love Family Guy, no lessons are ever taught, and every time Peter “learns a lesson” he either denies it or Stewie alters time thus negating the lesson. Brilliant show. The more you know.
Then there’s the episode where Fry finds his fossilized dog from the 20th century. That was a great episode that manages to be very touching and sad, but not preachy and irritating to watch.
You should watch Season 5. It was a great season to end on because it really fleshed out a lot of the characters and had a lot of heavy-handed, unique stories, like the above “Jurassic Bark” as well as “The Farnsworth Paradox” and “The Sting.”
the worst offender of all was the very last DINOSAURS in which the Evil Giant Corporation decided to harness the energy by blowing up the world’s volcanoes (hey- I just realized this could reference the Xenu Incident of Scientology!), thus bringing on the great freeze that killed the Dinos.
That just sucked! And I thoroughly loved that show.
I think Roseanne sometimes did it really well when it touched on topics like domestic violence (tho the lesbianism sucked a bit, and not in a good way): the show wasn’t afraid to treat in in a bleak and shocking manner. But it had a lot of soap opera elements anyway, and was generally semi-realistic.
Frasier can be good in its more serious moods, since it is capable of showing different sides of the characters and the cast is very good, but often the seriousness is just as contrived as the farce. The big problem for me isn’t shows raising serious issues if they’re prepared to really deal with them, it’s shows going for easy pathos and brushing problems under the carpet. In other words, any show that solves the problems in half an hour.
Except South Park. South Park should deal with serious issues forever.
Sometimes I think the problem with Frasier is that the two main characters, Frasier and Niles Crane, aren’t that sympathetic to begin with and the only way most people can stand them is through comedy. When it’s a dramatic sense, it’s unrealistic. At any rate, that’s why I am not fond of when Frasier takes a dramatic turn.
Seinfeld never, ever got touchy feely. I hate that about most sitcoms and it’s why I stopped watching Will & Grace. I don’t think I watch any live action sitcoms unless Reno 911! is a sitcom.
I think it’s really all in the writing, acting, and direction. If you have a great script, awesome actors, and a director who can piece it together, you can have a dramatic edge to a sitcom that works. These are usually the shows that are the best quality at being funny, too. When you have a show like Full House or Family Matters, which pretty much sucks when it’s just being funny, it’s going to be so much worse when they take on “issues”.
For that matter, comedies that take on issues even when they have good people doing it, usually still fall flat. Some of the best dramatic moments I’ve seen have been in sitcoms and they weren’t about drugs, alcohol, or someone’s guest-starring grandpa dying. They were usually moments when a main character delved deep into their own personality. These moments caused me to become a writer/actress. I wish I could give you examples but I don’t have any coming to mind right now, but I know they’re mostly old shows that have done this.
I don’t watch a whole lot of sitcoms. I still watch Friends because I’ve seen every episode and can’t stop now although I find the characters insipid and boring. The Simpsons, Scrubs, and Futurama exist on a higher plain for me, probably because they don’t have laugh tracks to tell me what I’m supposed to find amusing. Same for Curb Your Enthusiasm (I caught the repeat of the pubic hair episode last night and nearly died all over again.). Scrubs is an amazing example of balancing the serious with the bust-a-gut funny. It succeeds pretty much all over the place. J.D. always learns a lesson at the end of an episode but I don’t find his process so objectionable. Perhaps it’s the musical numbers and Dr. Cox. Then there’s Seinfeld, where nobody ever learned a lesson and generally treated each other like shit and I thought that was hilarious too.
I’ve felt that apart from the “very special episode” episodes, touchy-feely and serious moments often pop up for ratings purposes; say, around sweeps or something; in the case of Frasier, this season’s premiere seems to be pretty touchy-feely.
The death of McLean Stephenson’s character on MASH was very emotional for me. (Stupidly, I can’t think of his name. Colonel… Colonel… Bah.) MASH was preachy quite often, but I think they handled some serious matters exceptionally well.
I don’t remember it well enough to say how good it was, but I remember being affected by “Cheers” when the old bartender (Coach?) died. It seems “Night Court” did well with their two deaths, too.
It makes me wonder what “8 Simple Rules” will end up doing.
Julie