Now a dying breed, sitcoms were top of the heap when it came to comedy on TV for almost half a century. Surely there have been different ideas; they have been edgy, light, over the top, subdued, and with high concepts and straightforward ones. But they are an important part of television, and I think they should have their own thread.
The only thing I really have to state here is that laugh tracks are poison and the best sitcoms used actual audience reaction not unlike a play. Laugh tracks are fake ways of inducing comedy in a situation, while audience reaction enhances enjoyment.
What do you feel are some of the best sitcoms? IMO, I haven't enjoyed a proper sitcom in at least half a decade. ABC became too squeaky clean like Full House and CBS became too obsessed with raunchy sex jokes. The less said about NBC and FOX's attempts, the better.
I've mentioned before that I think that HIMYM, Modern Family, and Community are all funny shows with good characters, clever situations, and damn good scripts.
Nothing currently on appeals to me though, but I still watch these every week.
I still like Two and a Half Men, and yes, How I Met Your Mother is pretty funny(although I don't watch it much, and when I do it's in syndication). I used to watch 30 Rock off and on too, but haven't kept up with it the last couple of seasons.
Most sitcoms from the 1970s through the 1990s are good watchin' for me. There are exceptions, like I never liked The Facts of Life, I've mentioned it before but I can't stand The Cosby Show, and since you guys were just talking about it Full House is terrible. Oh, and Friends. That one sucked too.
In my opinion, Friends actually ruined sitcoms for a short period. I think they sort of mentioned it in Animaniacs (or was it P&TB?), but when Friends was at its peak EVERYONE copied that coffee shop gimmick and sub-Seinfeld show about nothing shtick about upper class young people living in the city.
I think it ruined good ideas like Two Guys, A Girl, & A Pizza Place (When the Pizza place died, the show did) and I suspect they tried to input it into TGIF shows at the time as well. The worst part for me, was that Friends was boring as hell. The characters were all bland, the plots unmemorable (I remember the monkey and little else), and yet it was loved by all when it was on. Thankfully, it seems people are no longer looking back fondly on it but seeing it for what it was, but it doesn't change the fact that it was a boring show.
I stopped watching 30 Rock after the time change. The more Jack and Liz became apparently canon, the more my interest was fading out. Now that it's not airing next to Community like it used to, I don't see a reason to bother anymore.
The first few seasons were funny, but I tend to dislike when most sitcoms start focusing on relationships. These types of writers aren't really prepared for that, and more often than not, they ruin the dynamic. I can think of long-lasting relationships (part of to full seasons) added that have successfully contributed to a sitcom in one hand.
Is this what you're talking about? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TILSsO8QiTY)
Wow, it's been a while since I've seen this.
"Sorry, we're doing that in here. If you wanna come in, you'll have to do something."
"We've never tried that before!"
Yeah, that's the one! They really nailed the show there.
Yes they do. There's another relevant P&TB episode I'm thinking about, but that's a half-hour one.
I have a friend who is STILL obsessed with the show. He is very poor but owns the complete series set... even though he still watches it on syndication daily. ::)
Honestly, I don't hate it, but it has really become overplayed over the past 15 or so years, and none of the characters are all that interesting.
Off-topic, but wow, this one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-V4KEnbYo0&feature=related) is harsh! I'm not too familiar with the later run Animaniacs, since they ran on Kids WB and I didn't have it until later on.
I haven't seen that in a while either. I'm watching Level E now so I have it paused for after the episode is over, but I remember it being pretty harsh.
A! really went overboard with the Disney callouts, especially in it's later years. I think this came out the same season as the BATB episode.
Pocahontas felt formulaic even at the time, but still that is pretty harsh.
But I digress.
I wish Nick @ Nite wasn't showing George Lopez. That show sucks.
Reminds me of that Super Bowl commercial.
Sitcoms can still be fun, but Disney Channel has totally claimed that market for the kids, leaving the adults with the animated cartoons and a handful of semi-witty Prime Time shows that if I were mainstream I should watch but I don't, like 30 Rock or The Office.
Although I have to admit that TVLand's Hot in Cleveland is kinda funny considering it gathers all the stars and guest stars from those old sitcoms.
To be fair Pocahontas deserved the bashing, I still stand by my previous comment though.
On topic, this is great. (http://www.hulu.com/watch/182263/community-my-whole-brain-is-crying)
I actually just rediscovered All in the Family since an LA-affiliate here is airing it in the mornings. It sucks that its on at 10 in the morning though, since I have classes at that time, so I usually just catch the Friday airing. Strangely enough, it still feels as edgy as it was back in the day simply because of Archie's constant zingers.
I'll also admit I watch The Nanny nightly and thoroughly enjoy it. I used to watch it with my mom when I was a kid and that show was my window to what East Coast life is like, and I still believe its somewhat like that. I actually wish Fran Drescher did some more ocmedy after that show ended, because she's hysterical.
That 70s Show also continues to be one of my personal favorites. It may be based on a different time period, but I grew up with it in my teenage years so it was very easy to relate. Although now that I'm older, its become very obvious to me that Red was right, Eric is a dumbass.
Boy Meets World gets an honorable mention for being one of the best sitcoms from ABC. It didn't simply have witty comedy, it had the show evolve as the characters grew up. You watch Cory go from being an immature kid to preparing for marriage and his career. I was mad as fuck when the DVD sets were canceled, but thankfully they're back in the plans.
I actually do like the Nanny, surprisingly. It's not one of my favorites, but it fits on Nick @ Nite like a glove and it's fun to watch.
Other shows I really got into were Frasier (whose final season was completely ignored because of Friends' finale) and Cheers. Those ones never get old to me.
Daft finally got me to take one of his recommendations.
I've been watching Parks and Recreation thanks to him, and I shockingly like it a lot. I can see how it's similar to The Office, except Amy Poehler isn't anywhere near as annoying as Steve Carell and I actually like the characters. Ron and April are my favorites. I even like the relationship between April and Andy.
I'd add it to the good list.
I've been rewatching a lot of Seinfeld lately. It's definitely a series that just gets better with age. The affiliates around here like to rerun the same batch of episodes very close to each other, but since I always pick up on a new joke or something each time I watch it, I don't really mind.
I also find that my favorite character has shifted from Kramer to George. There's something about a cocky, neurotic bald man that's just so absurdly hilarious.
One of my favorite aspects of Seinfeld is the weird relationship between George and Lloyd Braun. Just the way his parents idolize a total loon (who is hilarious in his own right) and constantly compare George to him gets me every time.
Serenity now; insanity later.
Quote from: Avaitor on March 04, 2011, 01:09:23 PM
Daft finally got me to take one of his recommendations.
I've been watching Parks and Recreation thanks to him, and I shockingly like it a lot. I can see how it's similar to The Office, except Amy Poehler isn't anywhere near as annoying as Steve Carell and I actually like the characters. Ron and April are my favorites. I even like the relationship between April and Andy.
I'd add it to the good list.
I caught an episode of this last week and it might go into our regular rotation.
I've been watching random episodes of Golden Girls and Empty Nest, and they've both help up pretty well.
One that is just as insanely funny as it was when it was on the air is Frasier. I've been watching reruns of that, and saw the episode where his political candidate of choice goes on about being abducted by aliens. I still can't believe people were more excited for the Friends finale at the time both shows ended, its quite easy to see which one was the better show.
Quote from: Angus on May 17, 2011, 01:15:29 PM
Quote from: Avaitor on March 04, 2011, 01:09:23 PM
Daft finally got me to take one of his recommendations.
I've been watching Parks and Recreation thanks to him, and I shockingly like it a lot. I can see how it's similar to The Office, except Amy Poehler isn't anywhere near as annoying as Steve Carell and I actually like the characters. Ron and April are my favorites. I even like the relationship between April and Andy.
I'd add it to the good list.
I caught an episode of this last week and it might go into our regular rotation.
Was that the one where April, the doom and gloom girl, calls Neutral Milk Hotel her favorite band, and Andy, her husband in a rock band, gets offended?
If so, good call.
My Wife & Kids on N@N is a weird show. I don't really like the early episodes, they're quite boring and typical sitcom-ish, but as it goes it gets progressively better as character based humor becomes more prevalent but it manages to stop just short of going all out cartoony and making the characters annoying. I think this is one of the few shows where I actually do think the second half of the show easily trounces the first half.
Hey guys, I know some of you are more familiar with That 70s Show than I am, and I don't want to say this in a rude way... But when does the show stop being... uh, unique? Is that the word I'm thinking of?
The early stuff on Nick @ Nite is pretty damn good, but I know at some point it just loses all its charm and becomes a pretty bog standard sitcom with some nods to the 70s.
So far I'm liking it, but I'm just curious if there's a point most people think it goes off the rails.
Season 5 was supposed to be the last, but Fox renewed it at the last minute. You can tell that they were ready for the end on the last couple of episodes from then, and it loses steam after. Season 6 is still pretty good, entirely watchable, but it's still a bit of a step down, and replacing Laurie's actress (keeping her to begin with then was stupid) didn't help.
Season 7 is a lot worse, though. Donna dying her hair blond was one of the biggest blows the show took, and the attempts at character development (Hyde's half-black! Kelso's a cop and future dad! Eric wants to grow up! Jackie kind of likes Fez!) did not work at all.
And I think you've heard about the last season, and the less said there, the better. Oh, and Seth Green's character blew.
For some reason every time I watch reruns on TV, I always see the later episodes you're talking about. The last two (possibly 3) seasons with the things you mentioned. the stuff I'm watching now on N@N is stuff I've never seen in reruns before for the most part.
Which is a shame because it's much better.
There's still some good in those seasons. Leo returns in season 7 and is still a riot throughout, and I think "Fun It", from the last season, is among the series best episodes. And like I said, 6 isn't too bad at all.
But they're still an undeniable step down from the first 5 seasons.
All of That 70s Show is streaming on Netflix if you use the service. It's really worth checking out the first five seasons (and season six) because it really was a great sitcom. But yeah, season seven is a step down and the season after that is just terrible.
I don't watch much TV these days but I will say that I love The Office. Parks & Recreation is great too. Then, of course, there are Seinfeld reruns.
N@N has yet to play a single post-"Graduation Day" episode (including that one), which is weird. When they aired Malcolm In The Middle they never went past Francis at the ranch either. I'm wondering if they specifically air only the episodes they know people want to see? If so, then fuck yeah, Nick.
Quote from: Desensitized on May 17, 2011, 02:11:04 PM
One that is just as insanely funny as it was when it was on the air is Frasier. I've been watching reruns of that, and saw the episode where his political candidate of choice goes on about being abducted by aliens. I still can't believe people were more excited for the Friends finale at the time both shows ended, its quite easy to see which one was the better show.
Old post, but... yeah, definitely agree.
I've been re-watching a lot of it lately, and it's just as brilliant as ever. One of my all-time favorite episodes (Door Jam) is when Frasier and Niles get invited to a new health spa, and become obsessed with advancing past each new door/level they stumble upon (in order to overcome the "icy depths of the Silver Level", as Frasier puts it). The side-plot with Daphne and Martin watching an episode Rockford is also hilarious; "Congratulations, you've
ruined Rockford for me!".
Great episode, IMO. The fact that this was a late-run script all the more proves just how solid this series was; never really "ran out of steam" at any point. 11 seasons, all of them just as great as the last.
"Well damn, Jackie, I can't control the weather!"
That 70's Show, still great.
Why have I not watched Night Court before? Holy crap, I've been missing out big time.
Yeah, good choice; I love Night Court. 'Tis too bad there really aren't a whole lot of decent avenues to watch it through, though (haven't seen it on TV Land in ages, and the DVD sets have been abandoned, as far as I know).
Where are you watching it, by chance? Just online or what?
It's on the Canadian channel Comedy Gold with other stuff like both bob Newhart shows, Murphy Brown, SCTV, Mary Tyler Moore, Rhoda, Red Green Show, and the like.
I'm quickly loving this channel more and more.
I could use some more Mary Tyler Moore in my life.
To be honest, the only Night Court I've seen is the reunion on 30 Rock. Should probably change that whenever I can.
I was blown away by how nutty it is. This show should be on more.
Quote from: Desensitized on September 09, 2011, 02:46:54 PM
It's on the Canadian channel Comedy Gold with other stuff like both bob Newhart shows, Murphy Brown, SCTV, Mary Tyler Moore, Rhoda, Red Green Show, and the like.
I'm quickly loving this channel more and more.
Ah, that would explain it.
In the States, we really don't have anything like that. I know there's Antenna TV, and a couple of other "over the air" type deals in select markets, but I don't get any of those. TV Land is the only supposed dedicated channel that comes to mind, but that's pretty much garbage anymore (Everybody Loves Raymond, and a myriad of reality shows starring Joan Rivers do NOT qualify as classic/retro entertainment).
I'd love to see Murphy Brown again, as well. Yet another classic series stuck in eternal DVD gridlock because WHV owns the rights, and they just simply don't give a shit.
Quote from: Kiddington on September 09, 2011, 05:07:34 PM
I'd love to see Murphy Brown again, as well. Yet another classic series stuck in eternal DVD gridlock because WHV owns the rights, and they just simply don't give a shit.
Yes, bad situation there, but a reasonable one. I've seen a bunch of the first season sets shoved in the dollar bin, and adding in how the moments that people remember the most about the show happened early on, there's no financial gain in trying to put out future seasons. Still a shame though.
That's why, IMO, these shows should be airing on TV. How would I have known about Night Court otherwise? Randomly buy a DVD set of a show I've never even seen?
Other than illegally watching this stuff, there's few options for those of us who legitimately want to see this stuff or get exposed to it.
Well, even then; the Night Court sets are old, incomplete, and, I believe, out of print. They're not very easy to find anyway, except for maybe Amazon or eBay or something.
...but yeah, agreed; the lack of decent classic television programming in this day and age is rather disheartening, to say the least. Things like TBS and TV Land used to specialize in this kind of stuff, but are now becoming just as watered down as every other network on cable. It's quite a shame.
Repeats just aren't very fun to find nowadays. As much as I love That 70's Show, Married... With Children, and early Raymond, it seems like on the channels that could be airing some of the shows we've been talking about, these air in their place ad nasum. And all of these are easily available on DVD, the first two even on Netflix.
It just sucks for a lot of shows today.
Raymond is so hit or miss for me. The very early stuff is alright, if inconsistent, but I got tired of it as time went on. It got really ridiculous towards the end of its run. Normal people aren't nearly as sensitive or as easily pissed off as these characters, and the whole "Debra-Marie" feud that they'd keep driving into the ground time and time again really got old.
It's a decent sitcom in small doses, but there are so many other shows that I like more (and would much rather see in its place on places like TV Land).
Was never a big fan of Raymond, but then again I never watched much of it. For some reason most of those late 90s early 2000s CBS sitcoms(Raymond, King of Queens, Becker...) I didn't really watch; I think it's because they all look rather boring, and I've always kind of viewed CBS as the boring network out of the bunch anyway(I did spend several years watching JAG with my parents, which I found extremely agonizing).
I really like the character dynamics of the show. The Barones are delightfully demented, and I like how Debra slowly gets corrupted by them and becomes less of the voice of reason and more of a nuisance as it goes along. By the time Robert and Amy get married, it really starts to fall into a rut, and becomes considerably less fun to watch.
My grandfather watches the show every day, even now, so I've seen every episode multiple times thanks to him. Although I am tired of it, I do think it was a good show at some point.
I actually like Becker. Well, sorta. It's a complete-180 for Ted Danson (John Becker is about the farthest character from Sam Malone you could possibly imagine), but he actually pulls off the role of bitter curmudgeon pretty well. It's nothing special, but it's a decent sitcom, all things considered.
Never been a King of Queens fan. I tried (namely due to Jerry Stiller being so heavily involved), but it just isn't very funny. Lot of fat jokes, as you might imagine... I dunno, I just don't care for it. I think like every sitcom, it has its share of moments, and there is nothing about it that is inherently awful or anything. It's just not my kind of humor, I guess.
Since we're talking kinda about the bad (well, I am now), anyone here have any sitcoms you truly dislike? Friends, According to Jim, Roseanne (God, I hate that show)... just a couple of bad ones off the top of my head. Anything else? Let's hear it.
I don't get the appeal of the Big Bang Theory at all. To me, all the jokes equate to just LOL THESE NERDS ARE TOO CONFUSED TO GET LAID gags ad nasum, with the occasional generic Star Trek or super hero reference. I don't see why people call it the go-to sitcom for nerds when Community's on, and does it much better.
In terms of "classics", all I can really think of is The Cosby Show. I can't stand Bill Cosby in any amount. A whole show full of him is too much for me.
Part of the appeal, I guess, to TBBT is that the token "nerd" references are so overt and in your face, it's an easy sell. I'm not exactly sure how NBC promotes Community, but the way CBS promotes this (with numerous Star Trek plugs right in the ads), it's very obvious to all who they're targeting... and it seems to work.
I dunno. Probably my biggest issue with the show, more than anything, is the quote unquote "appeal" of Sheldon Cooper. Why he was pegged as the series "breakout character" when all does is act like a stiffened idiot who repeats the same joke time and time again (Penny *knock* Penny *knock* Penny *knock* PENNEH... yeah, you know what bit I'm talking about) is something I will never quite comprehend. The fact that Jim Parsons is also running away with a truckload of Emmy's every year for playing this role is another issue in of itself.
...and speaking of CBS, here it comes; Two and a Half Men. Please, PLEASE, tell me I am not alone here in hating it. My entire family loves this show, but the appeal is totally lost on me (it's basically nothing but rapid fire sex jokes, an occasional touch of ill-timed toilet humor from the kid, and the whole "LOL ALAN IS POOR" gag they've been driving into the ground for years). I'm still convinced that if it weren't for Charlie Sheen being a douche, this show wouldn't even be HALF as big as it is.
I'm surprised that 2 1/2 Men is the highest rated sitcom on TV. I honestly don't know that many people who watch it, and when they do, they only catch syndicated repeats and don't catch it regularly.
And you're not alone. Just like anything that's popular, there's a fair amount of backlash towards the show's existence. I actually kind of like what I've seen, but I can understand why it has haters. Alan's a weasel, Jake is tedious, and a lot of the jokes are lame. But clever lines slip out of the cracks every now and then, and Charlie Sheen actually pulled a good job as himself.
Still, I think it's fair to say that HIMYM is by and far the best of the CBS comedies.
I'm literally appalled Big Bang Theory is not only popular, but there's an audience that actually finds this shit funny (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKZUg-bTOak). I laughed more at the comments than that fucking scene.
As for other shows...well, I still think Step by Step is one of the worst ones to come from the 90s. Painfully unfunny, boring characters, its probably one of the most generic TGIF shows to come out of that block. And yet that theme song remains stuck in my head after all these years. Fuck you ABC.
Quote from: Rosalinas Spare Wand on September 10, 2011, 12:55:28 AM
I'm literally appalled Big Bang Theory is not only popular, but there's an audience that actually finds this shit funny (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKZUg-bTOak). I laughed more at the comments than that fucking scene.
:whuh: :wth:
Welp... I guess if nerds find
that funny, more power to 'em. Jesus Christ, though... that was
painful.
That clip leads me to something I've always wondered about this show; anyone know if that's an actual studio audience busting a gut over the "joke", or if that's just the good ol' fashioned laugh track that, I thought, people hated nowadays?
If that IS indeed canned laughter, and this show actually remains popular in spite of that, than the excuse that today's audiences don't like multi-camera "typical" sitcoms is quite simply bullshit.
Quote from: Kiddington on September 10, 2011, 01:48:08 AM
Welp... I guess if nerds find that funny, more power to 'em.
They don't. Big Bang Theory's target audience is middle-aged people and 12 year old girls who think it's "cool" to be "nerdy."
Most of CBS's sitcoms routinely rely on the same jokes episode after episode to the point where it feels like every episode is the same freaking thing.
It's too bad that they seem to be the only network of the "big 4" trying with sitcoms, because their track record has been awful as of late.
I just can't get into Chuck Lorre's stuff at all. Even his older work, like Roseanne, I can appreciate, but have never been able to get into.
Another sitcom that I hate which I can't believe I forgot to mention is Full House. I watched a lot of crap back then, but the fact that I ever liked this show just sickens me.
I mean, I think Pokemon and Power Rangers are junk now, but I'll gladly admit that I loved those shows back then, and while I think the X-Men and Spider-Man shows were lifeless rips from the comics, I at least give them credit for giving me interest in the Marvel Universe at a young age.
Full House... the Nostalgia Critic's review of that is my personal favorite of his, just because of how he trashes the show. And I think he was too kind.
The only thing I can "appreciate" (if you call it that) about Full House is the fact that Dave Coulier wears a Red Wings jersey during the opening title sequence. Everything else is just... wow. 'Twas one awful show, during a period that gave us a lot of great sitcoms.
Watching it now, another show from around this time I cannot stand anymore is Family Matters. A half-way decent, if unspectacular and/or slightly corny, family sitcom in the early going quickly erodes into the Jaleel White variety hour within the matter of one season, and it's an all downhill slide from there. You'd hardly know the other characters even
exist in those later seasons. They merely serve as cannon fodder to Urkel and his nonsense for 22-minutes a night. Sitting through this
now, it's really embarrassing.
Quote from: Avaitor on September 12, 2011, 08:24:20 PM
Even his older work, like Roseanne, I can appreciate, but have never been able to get into.
Personally, I can't even go that far.
To be honest, I probably wouldn't hate the show THAT much if it weren't for Roseanne herself. Everything about her just gets under my skin. I probably still wouldn't like it even without her (the writing it atrocious, for starters), but most of my overall dislike stems from her involvement. She's just so painfully unfunny to me, I can't take her presence for more than 10 minutes.
As far as "family sitcoms" go, I've always thought Home Improvement does everything Roseanne tries to do, but
that much better. I understand that it's not quite the same type of show (the Taylors are pretty well off, whilst the Connors are borderline poor, among other differences), but just as far as a general "raising a family" sitcom goes, Home Improvement is just much more enjoyable for me. It's funnier, and the characters are far more likeable, IMO.
I think Family Matters was pretty average, but I thought Waldo was pretty funny. Whoever wrote his dialogue was the best writer on the show by far.
The only TGIF shows I ever really got into were Full House, Boy Meets World, and Sabrina.
You know my opinion on the first and probably the second as well. As for Sabrina, it's not awful, but from what I've seen of it in recent years, I think Clarissa holds up better.
I actually enjoy Step By Step a lot. It's completely unoriginal in about every way, but I never turn it off when it comes on.
I don't think I ever really got to watch Step by Step. I think it was a little before my time on the block, and I don't recall catching any repeats.
Really? I think it was one of the longer running shows on the block. I mostly started it when Full House was moved to Tuesdays, so I don't even remember seeing Perfect Strangers when it was on there.
Mainly Family Matters, Boy Meets World, Step By Step and Sabrina is what I remember. Most of the later shows after them ended pretty fast from what I remember.
I don't think I really watched the block that much at all. I mostly remember watching BMW on Disney Channel, and I know I've only seen Full House in syndication, along with some Family Matters. I watch Sabrina on the block sparingly, and maybe BMW as well. That's about it.
I love Roseanne, was always one of my favorites growing up(although so was Home Improvement). The thing about it though was, like The Simpsons and Married... With Children, it dealt with many issues that most other sitcoms weren't touching on at that time. It was a much more crass show than Home Improvement or Full House or The Cosby Show, a much more honest look at middle class America.
And how can you not remember Step by Step? Fox Family/ABC Family reran the shit out of that show for years, and I actually thought the reruns could still be found on the channel.
The Big Bang Theory - I prefer The IT Crowd; that one at least has some LOL moments. If I wanted to watch nerds in action, got plenty of places for that.
Full House - I remember seeing clips of Bob Saget's act on Comedy Central and it's the total opposite of his squeaky clean image.
Home Improvement - It's a formula show with some Super Dave like stunt in the middle. Watched a bunch of it before Tim Allen wrote his first book and became Buzz Lightyear.
Fuck the world. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1627031/)
Quote from: Foggle on September 17, 2011, 01:04:33 AM
Fuck the world. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1627031/)
What's eerie is that it's just like a real episode. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp2aGbJpi7A)
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on September 17, 2011, 07:41:02 AM
Quote from: Foggle on September 17, 2011, 01:04:33 AM
Fuck the world. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1627031/)
What's eerie is that it's just like a real episode. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp2aGbJpi7A)
:wth: :wth: :wth: :wth: :wth:
...complete with a badly-timed laugh track and all. Wow.
Quote from: Kiddington on September 17, 2011, 06:40:47 PM
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on September 17, 2011, 07:41:02 AM
Quote from: Foggle on September 17, 2011, 01:04:33 AM
Fuck the world. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1627031/)
What's eerie is that it's just like a real episode. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp2aGbJpi7A)
:wth: :wth: :wth: :wth: :wth:
...complete with a badly-timed laugh track and all. Wow.
Disappointed that they didn't give it a parody title like Gang Bang Theory or Big Wang Theory. What's a porno parody without the sleazy name?
NewsRadio was just recently put on NetFlix here. I'm not sure if you guys got it down south and I'm assuming so, but if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. It is one of my personal favorite sitcoms with a pretty all star cast, and it has Phil Hartman and Stephen Root being hilarious pretty much all the time.
I'm hoping they put more shows like it on here (our NetFlix is notoriously slow with getting stuff you guys get) as stuff like this really makes me appreciate the service.
Yeah, good choice; another one of the 90's greats. Sadly, the wheels came off after Phil Hartman's passing... but man, those early seasons are excellent. FYI, this is also pretty much the only thing I have ever enjoyed out of Andy Dick (and even then, his character can be grating at times). Still a lot of fun, though; a really underrated sitcom, as evidence by its almost non-existent syndication life.
Another one of my old favorites that I've been catching up with again is Just Shoot Me (bought Season 3 on DVD for $5; got it for 90% off through Borders closing sale). A pretty atypical "workplace" comedy, you've gotta love the cast, if nothing else. Jack especially; he's great, and I'd love to have him for a boss. =P
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on September 17, 2011, 06:47:26 PM
Quote from: Kiddington on September 17, 2011, 06:40:47 PM
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on September 17, 2011, 07:41:02 AM
Quote from: Foggle on September 17, 2011, 01:04:33 AM
Fuck the world. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1627031/)
What's eerie is that it's just like a real episode. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp2aGbJpi7A)
:wth: :wth: :wth: :wth: :wth:
...complete with a badly-timed laugh track and all. Wow.
Disappointed that they didn't give it a parody title like Gang Bang Theory or Big Wang Theory. What's a porno parody without the sleazy name?
Most of the ones I've seen are like that, stuff like parodies of Seinfeld, That 70's Show, Beverly Hills 90210, or The Brady Bunch. Usually they just tack on a "XXX Parody" to the end, or sometimes "This is not..."(e.g. "This is not Beverly Hills 90210"). Don't know why, anybody could easily think of 30 Cock, it's not that hard...
Anyone checked out The New Girl yet? I watched it with my mom a couple weeks ago. We laughed so much at half the jokes that we had to rewatch it just see the other half. It got crazy ratings from it's premier, so hopefully that means it'll get the star treatment like Glee.
Oh, is that on FOX? That might explain why I didn't see it. I haven't actually watched FOX in years now.
Indeed it is. From what people are saying, it looks to be their first live-action comedy hit in quite some time, at least since That 70's Show (not counting Glee, as Glee is not a sitcom).
I'm a bit surprised, actually. For one thing, it's Fox (their sitcom track record is pretty tepid). And on a more personal note, almost every one of the new comedies this year didn't look very good to me at all (from the promos, anyway). The CBS output looks dreadful as usual (other than HIMYM, their sitcoms REALLY suck), and anything with Whitney Cummings name attached to it is already instant fail. About the only one that did look appealing to me was Tim Allen's new deal over on ABC, but admittedly, I'm only interested in that because of Home Improvement (the promo wasn't very funny, tbh).
...but yeah, I'll have to give this one a shot. Zooey Deschanel is pretty awesome, and people are giving this some good marks early on, so it should be worth a couple viewings at least.
I watched it with my mom, and honestly, I just didn't get it. I think Zooey is adorable to death and is cute enough on the show, but very few lines got me to react at all.
A lot of blogs on my tumblr dash loved it though, and reblog a lot of scenes from it. Maybe it'll improve as it goes along, but I don't really find it funny at all.
So I've found myself watching Absolutely Fabulous. It's hilarious in how disturbingly real it can be while being over-the-top. And Patsy reminds me of so many women I've known in my life, that it just becomes kind of creepy. It's like the first time a sitcom's scared me.
The following is something that surpasses the qualifications for a proper shark jump. (http://www.sfx.co.uk/2011/12/06/glee-to-resurrect-star-wars-christmas-special/)
Quote from: Lord Dalek on December 06, 2011, 11:37:34 AM
The following is something that surpasses the qualifications for a proper shark jump. (http://www.sfx.co.uk/2011/12/06/glee-to-resurrect-star-wars-christmas-special/)
Ryan Murphy is giggling as we speak.
Seriously, does anyone outside of the LGBT community even care about Glee anymore?
Quote from: Avaitor on December 06, 2011, 11:41:07 AM
Seriously, does anyone outside of the LGBT community even care about Glee anymore?
From what I've seen, even gay people think Glee sucks because of how much of a prick Kurt can be.
From what I can tell, lesbians really like the show for Santana and the obvious girl bromance between Lea Michele and Dianna Agron's characters. And even stupid girls that think gay guys are adorable but lesbians are gross and fake love Kurt, lord knows why though.
Seriously, from what I can tell, everyone on the show is either gay, bi, or so deep in the close that they can find their knock-off ruby red slippers. I'm a gay rights supporter and all, but anyone with common sense tell that they're pandering way too much to that particular demographic
Glee is considered a sitcom?
Not really I guess.
Speaking of actual sitcoms though, this week's ep confirmed why HIMYM is my favorite show. I really can't think of another sitcom that can be as heartbreaking as it is at times.
Hey Avaitor, have you ever watched Two Guys, A Girl, & A Pizza Place? It seems like it might be to your tastes.
Not the later stuff, anyway. Once they dropped the Pizza Place it became a generic Friends clone, but the first two seasons are still pretty funny. Sort of like early Drew Carey Show in a lot of ways.
Watching too many Britcoms like Black Books, Father Ted, and Peep Show. They've just captured my charm more than American sitcoms have. Mostly since they're much shorter, and thus have more concentration within the jokes.
Nope, I haven't. I should get around to it sometime I guess.
Also, I just can't get into British humor, it seems. The Young Ones aside, at least.
I remember watching some of it when it was originally on(used to watch Dharma and Greg with the parents, and I'm pretty sure it came on either before or after it). Don't really remember much about it. Is there anywhere that you can even watch it anymore? Seems like one of those shows that got buried in the past.
Youtube, mostly.
The show was a bit of fresh air at the time like Drew Carey was with the sort of weird but wacky style, the first season was pretty out there especially considering how boring ABC was at the time, the second season was a bit more grounded but it still had its own style. After that they retooled it into "Two Guys & A Girl" (they literally destroyed the pizza place) and in the last two seasons it was pretty much a Friends clone. Like we didn't have enough of those at the time.
Also, Ryan Reynolds is in it as well as Traylor Howard (she was Natalie in Monk), and Nathan Fillion, so that might be why some people remember it.
So why is it I find Parks and Recreation consistently funny while 30 Rock / The Office is rather bleh? I must not be brainy enough to care about the humor.
Then there's Up All Night which is good to see Christina Applegate acting again.
Quote from: Angus on March 27, 2012, 01:16:54 PM
So why is it I find Parks and Recreation consistently funny while 30 Rock / The Office is rather bleh? I must not be brainy enough to care about the humor.
From what I've seen, there's really nothing intelligent about the humor in 30 Rock or The Office (US).
Quote from: Foggle on March 27, 2012, 01:42:42 PM
Quote from: Angus on March 27, 2012, 01:16:54 PM
So why is it I find Parks and Recreation consistently funny while 30 Rock / The Office is rather bleh? I must not be brainy enough to care about the humor.
From what I've seen, there's really nothing intelligent about the humor in 30 Rock or The Office (US).
There used to be.
The Office used to be great back in Seasons 2-3, IMO, but it's been an all downhill slide from there. I still watch it every once in a while out of blind loyalty, and it's just amazing to me how quickly the show peaked, only to subsequently fall back to just being another sitcom by Season 4, and now teetering on the verge of borderline unwatchability. It's a shame they lost it so fast, because it used to be a lot of fun.
I never really did get into 30 Rock though (even the early stuff), probably because I don't like Tina Fey, for starters. The one episode I did see that I truly liked was the one with Jerry Seinfeld a few years ago, but that was probably due to his presence more than anything. Otherwise, it's never done anything for me.
Parks and Rec is fantastic, though. It's pretty much everything that made early Office episodes great, but done that much better. The writing is solid, the characters are solid... everything about this show just works. Other than Community, this is by far the best thing NBC's got going for it right now.
I really like older 30 Rock, but they're killing it with all these creepy ships- Liz and Jack don't belong together, as much as the writers want us to think they do, and that may not even happen anymore because Jack is falling for his wife's mom while she's held under hostage in North Korea.
wut.
But yeah, Parks and Rec is great. I never got into The Office at all (blame my dislike for Steve Carell on that one), and that this point, it's 10 times the show that ever was.
Quote from: Avaitor on March 27, 2012, 02:43:35 PM
I really like older 30 Rock, but they're killing it with all these creepy ships- Liz and Jack don't belong together, as much as the writers want us to think they do, and that may not even happen anymore because Jack is falling for his wife's mom while she's held under hostage in North Korea.
Sitcoms are "smarter" now, huh? ;)
The Office won't end because there's money to be made. That's IMO the #1 problem with US shows, they never just pack it in when they're clearly out of gas.
I was just watching the E! True Hollywood Story of That 70s Show and geez do the people behind it (THS, that is) pointlessly seem to dog Topher Grace for everything bad that happened.
His co-stars liked to party and he preferred a private life, yet they try to paint it like he didn't like them. He wanted to move on to more than just teen fare, and they go on like he's jealous of Ashton Kutcher's popularity. He left the show, and they try to paint it like it's his fault the show fell apart because he left.
But besides that they talk WAY too much about the scandals and escapades of Ashton, Wilmer, and Danny, and not enough about the actual show. Tommy Chong seems to get mentioned more than any of the actual permanent cast-members.
I guess I was hoping for too much, but it was disappointing either way.
Like I stated before, I can't even watch T7S anymore without wanting to punch Fez in the nuts.
Isn't Wilmer supposed to be on some cop show over on NBC now? I thought I read that somewhere, but I could be mistaken.
Yeah, plus he's Handy Mandy on Disney Channel.
In case you don't know, the reason I hate Wilmer is Demi related. I won't say anymore.
For a second I was thinking of Demi Moore but then I remembered.
I remember Wilmer on Yo Momma and yeah Handy Manny, which was alright for a little kids show.
So what sitcoms do you guys not like? I mean besides obvious stuff like Full House are there any sitcoms you just can't watch because they just flip the wrong switches for you, an actor grates on your nerves, or the story just isn't funny at all?
For me that would be the two following sitcoms, Dharma & Greg and Will & Grace.
Dharma & Greg was just painfully unfunny. People rag on Full House for being sappy (and it is), but Dharma & Greg is one of the worst sitcoms ever to me for failing to EVER make me laugh even once in an episode during it's entire overlong run. The premise is hackneyed enough as it is, but nothing original is done from writing to plot to characters, and there isn't even any charm or charisma to make up for that. I have never met anyone who liked it when it was on and I have yet to meet anyone who remembers it now.
Will & Grace... You guys remember Ellen? Ellen DeGeneres' first show in the 90s? The one where she came out? That was funny. You know why it was funny? Because it didn't constantly beat you over the head with lame gay jokes about how something is "kooky" because it was gay. However, do you know why Ellen ended? Because the last season was pretty much about nothing but gay jokes to the point where even Gay Rights people thought it was embarrassing and the show was canceled for low ratings. Will & Grace is one big unfunny gay joke just like that terrible season. It offers nothing else to the viewer, all it is every single episode is gay stereotypes making poor jokes that are only "funny" because being gay is like so "kooky"! It's a total waste of time and is another show I have never heard anyone say anything positive about. How this lasted so long is a total mystery to me.
Big Bang Theory, King Of Queens, and Roseanne all make me profusely vomit blood upon the mere mentioning of their names. Are those obvious choices? Oh well.
The first two definitely are (I hate sitcoms that are formulaic to the point where every episode is essentially the same thing), but what is it you dislike about Roseanne? A lot of people really seem to dig that one, though I go back and forth on.
Besides all kidcoms, I'm more apathetic towards any sitcoms that I don't like than annoyed. And that's honestly any American traditional sitcom in the last few years not named HIMYM.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on April 02, 2012, 01:48:25 PM
but what is it you dislike about Roseanne? A lot of people really seem to dig that one, though I go back and forth on.
Mostly just the character herself. My mom used to watch it a lot and that woman's voice/dialogue made me want to tear my hair out. Granted, I've never really sat down and given it a fair shake.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on April 02, 2012, 01:48:25 PM
The first two definitely are (I hate sitcoms that are formulaic to the point where every episode is essentially the same thing)
I figured as much. BBT is quite honestly my most hated non-reality show currently airing. Typical scene:
"Hey Sheldon, what are you doing?"
"Only using the worst operating system ever... Windows 7!"
*audience begins laughing hysterically*
"But Sheldon! I thought you
liked Windows 7!"
"More than Vista... but that's not really an accomplishment!"
*laughter begins breaking sound barrier*
"I mean, really, I miss the old Minesweeper. This new one is too colorful and stuff."
*several audience members die from laughing so hard that they began having seizures*
Not to mention that he's really the most unlikable character on TV.
But then I could say that about ANY Chuck Lorre show. The man has a rotten sense of humor.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on April 02, 2012, 02:03:22 PM
But then I could say that about ANY Chuck Lorre show. The man has a rotten sense of humor.
Yet has the inert ability to get the highest audience numbers. He's like that lame kid at school who tells shit jokes, but everybody likes for some reason.
Chuck Lorre's writing credits according to imdb:
My Two Dads
Roseanne
Dharma & Greg
Two and a Half Men
The Big Bang Theory
My god. This man is like the antichrist of comedy.
No idea what he did on Roseanne, since that was pretty much dominated by her, but I'm sure he contributed the bad traits.
Quote from: Foggle on April 02, 2012, 02:05:30 PMDharma & Greg
I KNEW IT!Painfully unoriginal, no comedic timing, unlikable characters, and punchlines that amount to little more than cliche sentence fragments from other shows.
I literally have no idea why this man has such popularity. This man is killing traditional sitcoms (everyone aping his style is not helping, either) with his tasteless and flavorless comedy.
And that's why I'm sticking with Britcoms.
Ellen's still around. At least there's Up All Night to make fun of such shows.
Add House of Lies to the "too brainy for me" sitcom list. I get the feeling it's mainly for people who live in that world. And the first episode is like that Adam Sandler movie "Just Go With It". I'll have to watch it when there are no pups around.
I haven't been annoyed by the audience laugh track in a while, outside of the Disney kidcoms.
Besides what you guys have mentioned, I don't really like The Nanny at all. Sometimes late at night, I'll turn to TV Land to see if Home Improvement or Three's Company is on, and this is instead. I'll try to sit through an episode, but I never laugh once.
For a project in my film class last year, we had to sync up a scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey with a song of our choice and present it to the class.
I played the Home Improvement theme over the part where the monkeys were learning how to use tools. I got a B+. :lol:
Two Broke Girls just featured a joke about one girl masturbating in the other one's tub.
This is what sitcoms have become.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on April 02, 2012, 07:08:47 PM
Two Broke Girls just featured a joke about one girl masturbating in the other one's tub.
This is what sitcoms have become.
This is what American comedy has become.
At 8pm on a Monday night no less.
For some reason, I expected that to a joke you hear on a cable show on at the same time.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on April 02, 2012, 07:08:47 PM
Two Broke Girls just featured a joke about one girl masturbating in the other one's tub.
This is what sitcoms have become.
What a surprise. That just so happens to be another one of Whitney Cummings, ahem, "contributions" to the television industry.
That woman is poison.
Quote from: Kiddington on April 02, 2012, 07:19:07 PM
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on April 02, 2012, 07:08:47 PM
Two Broke Girls just featured a joke about one girl masturbating in the other one's tub.
This is what sitcoms have become.
What a surprise. That just so happens to be another one of Whitney Cummings, ahem, "contributions" to the television industry.
That woman is poison.
She also does "Whitney" right?
How do these talentless people keep having success?
Where did the writers for all the great sitcoms go? Yeesh.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on April 02, 2012, 07:22:40 PM
Quote from: Kiddington on April 02, 2012, 07:19:07 PM
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on April 02, 2012, 07:08:47 PM
Two Broke Girls just featured a joke about one girl masturbating in the other one's tub.
This is what sitcoms have become.
What a surprise. That just so happens to be another one of Whitney Cummings, ahem, "contributions" to the television industry.
That woman is poison.
She also does "Whitney" right?
How do these talentless people keep having success?
Where did the writers for all the great sitcoms go? Yeesh.
Yeah, she's actually the star of Whitney.
I don't know how deep her involvement is with Two Broke Girls, but I know it was her idea (she basically created and pitched it to CBS), if nothing else. I want to say she's also written a couple of episodes herself, but I don't really know that for sure; it was so terrible when I watched it the one time, I haven't payed any attention to it since.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on April 02, 2012, 07:22:40 PM
How do these talentless people keep having success?
Where did the writers for all the great sitcoms go? Yeesh.
American audiences don't respond well to actual wit or comedic timing. This is the reason why britcoms are often referred to as "boring," Adam Sandler and Friedberg/Seltzer still get work, and K-On manga sells better than Excel Saga manga overseas.
Quote from: Foggle on April 02, 2012, 07:32:05 PM
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on April 02, 2012, 07:22:40 PM
How do these talentless people keep having success?
Where did the writers for all the great sitcoms go? Yeesh.
American audiences don't respond well to actual wit or comedic timing. This is the reason why britcoms are often referred to as "boring," Adam Sandler and Friedberg/Seltzer still get work, and K-On manga sells better than Excel Saga manga overseas.
Well... (http://www.mediaite.com/tv/2-broke-girls-panel-gets-incredibly-ugly-after-critics-ask-creator-about-racial-stereotypes/)
Anyway, the thing is that you CAN be witty
and appeal to the lowest common denominator. Married With Children proved that. Heck, older shows like All In The Family showed that too.
The thing is, nobody tries anymore. That's why writing is so weak. Everyone pigeonholes themselves into a niche and turns their noses up at everyone else. Not only is it horribly limiting, it makes for some very shallow TV.
Well, not nobody. The non-traditional sitcoms like Community or Modern Family are doing it right. It's just that no good American writer besides the HIMYM staff want to try their hand at old-style sitcoms.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on April 02, 2012, 08:12:07 PM
Well, not nobody. The non-traditional sitcoms like Community or Modern Family are doing it right. It's just that no good American writer besides the HIMYM staff want to try their hand at old-style sitcoms.
That's pretty much my issue. The old style sitcom is just a valid genre as any other, and any writer worth his salt can make something good in its format.
That it's been relegated to being made by people who clearly have no respect for the format, the audience, or the history behind it is frustrating.
I may have issues with HIMYM, but I would rather watch that than pretty much anything else CBS or NBC runs these days.
QuoteWhen pressed further on whether it's appropriate for him to be writing those jokes, King argued, "I'm gay! I'm putting in gay stereotypes every week! I don't find it offensive, any of this. I find it comic to take everybody down, which is what we are doing."
[Critic Dan] Fienberg leaped in at this point and asked whether being a member of one oppressed minority gave him license to make fun of every other oppressed minority.
"Being a comedy writer gives you permission to be an outsider and poke fun at what people think about other people," King said.
-
Things took a particularly uncomfortable turn when the reporter who had initially asked about Tassler's comments again tried to get King to clarify his remarks, reading the exact quote from the transcript of Tassler's executive session.
King asked the reporter for his name. The reporter gave it.
"So you're Irish?" King asked.
"Yes," the reporter replied.
"So we've identified your sexual problem," King said."
This is easily the worst thing I've read in quite awhile. Fuck this guy and fuck his shitty idea of what constitutes "comedy."
Guy sounds like a fucking Family Guy writer.
That's too much of an insult towards Family Guy.
Ick.
Modern 'edgy' humor in action.
No taste whatsoever.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on April 02, 2012, 08:15:32 PM
I may have issues with HIMYM, but I would rather watch that than pretty much anything else CBS or NBC runs these days.
I've been meaning to ask, what problems do you have with the show exactly? You mention them but never really seem to point them out.
Barring the local news(and it's only one channel, the NBC station), I don't watch anything on the major networks anymore, so I don't know what they air or how mediocre it is.
Quote from: Foggle on April 02, 2012, 08:22:04 PM
QuoteWhen pressed further on whether it's appropriate for him to be writing those jokes, King argued, "I'm gay! I'm putting in gay stereotypes every week! I don't find it offensive, any of this. I find it comic to take everybody down, which is what we are doing."
[Critic Dan] Fienberg leaped in at this point and asked whether being a member of one oppressed minority gave him license to make fun of every other oppressed minority.
"Being a comedy writer gives you permission to be an outsider and poke fun at what people think about other people," King said.
-
Things took a particularly uncomfortable turn when the reporter who had initially asked about Tassler's comments again tried to get King to clarify his remarks, reading the exact quote from the transcript of Tassler's executive session.
King asked the reporter for his name. The reporter gave it.
"So you're Irish?" King asked.
"Yes," the reporter replied.
"So we've identified your sexual problem," King said."
This is easily the worst thing I've read in quite awhile. Fuck this guy and fuck his shitty idea of what constitutes "comedy."
Wow, that last line... what a douche.
Who is this guy anyway? Does he have an actual resume pre-Two Broke Girls?
Edit: it appears as though he does. His credits before this include Sex and the City, Will and Grace, and Cybill.
:whuh:
Don't you see, Kidd? He's a comedian! That means everything he writes is funny!
Quote from: Avaitor on April 02, 2012, 08:34:15 PM
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on April 02, 2012, 08:15:32 PM
I may have issues with HIMYM, but I would rather watch that than pretty much anything else CBS or NBC runs these days.
I've been meaning to ask, what problems do you have with the show exactly? You mention them but never really seem to point them out.
Mostly character related. Marshall gets on my nerves (most of Siegal's wishy-washy characters do with me, though), and Ted just... I dunno what it is, but I just don't really like him all that much.
The plots and jokes are fine enough, but sometimes I just sit down and can't get into it because certain characters just don't click for me.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on April 02, 2012, 08:32:28 PM
Modern 'edgy' humor in action.
No taste whatsoever.
I could tolerate stuff like that if they actually knew how to make such humor funny. Some of the jokes in In Bruges are pretty damn tasteless, and yet they end up being hilarious because they have a place in the script and fit with the characterization perfectly. Setup, proper characterization, timing, and delivery are all key elements of humor, but modern comedies are lucky to get even
one of those things right.
Ted's kind of an asshole, yeah. He was a pretentious hipster student that's still transitioning beyond that phase, but he still can be obnoxious. I think one of the biggest parts of the show is how we him outgrow his old instincts and grow up to become the man that narrates, since he also still acts like a kid. Why he grows into Bob Sagat is beyond me though.
But Marshall? He's cuddly, bitch. Deal with it!
Marshall is fine if I watch like one episode at a time, but he gets a bit much if I try to watch more than that. Ted is fine when he's the straight-man, but when he is the one making jokes he grates.
Quote from: Foggle on April 02, 2012, 08:46:04 PM
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on April 02, 2012, 08:32:28 PM
Modern 'edgy' humor in action.
No taste whatsoever.
I could tolerate stuff like that if they actually knew how to make such humor funny. Some of the jokes in In Bruges are pretty damn tasteless, and yet they end up being hilarious because they have a place in the script and fit with the characterization perfectly. Setup, proper characterization, timing, and delivery are all key elements of humor, but modern comedies are lucky to get even one of those things right.
Yeah, with me tasteless humor comes in two forms. One is when it generally comes out of nowhere as a throwaway joke in an unexpected situation. The other is when it's from a character how is trying to be funny by being tasteless and just plain fails at it which is where that humor mostly used to come from.
When it's sprayed all over a script it not only comes off as completely fake (Which Kevin Smith sort of made fun of in Chasing Amy with Jay "Who talks like that?") but it wears thin very fast since there's no depth or heart to it. Like imagine if every character in Clerks was like Randal or Jay. That's when it just doesn't work.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on April 02, 2012, 08:54:35 PM
When it's sprayed all over a script it not only comes off as completely fake (Which Kevin Smith sort of made fun of in Chasing Amy with Jay "Who talks like that?") but it wears thin very fast since there's no depth or heart to it. Like imagine if every character in Clerks was like Randal or Jay. That's when it just doesn't work.
Agreed completely. When used sparingly and sensibly, offensive jokes can be very funny. But when all of the humor in your production is tasteless, your writing is fucking terrible.
Sitcoms are basically supposed to be stage plays performed in front of an audience, anyway. That's how they were conceived. So like any play, good characters and a story that involves their interactions is key. It's how they lasted for over 50 years, with high concepts, low concepts, family-oriented, edgy adult oriented, kid-coms, and eventually animated. There's a lot that can be done in such a framework, as testament to its longevity.
That's why I enjoy them. They're simple and straightforward, but have tons of potential for originality. Obviously not everything can be done in this style which is why the multi-camera format was also invented, but I don't think one renders the other obsolete. and I think traditional ones should at least be made by people who, you know, like the genre.
Not comedians who are so vain they think everything they say is funny. Those people already ruined stand-up comedy, and its a shame to see them infecting sitcoms.
Going to be honest, my favorite sitcom is The Addams Family. Don't give a damn what anyone says, that show is hilarious. Just wish it didn't have a laugh-track... I hate that crap.
Eh, don't mind laugh tracks as long as they're used sparingly.
Oh, and my favourite's Absolutely Fabulous.
As you all know, mine is HIMYM. But I've really been falling back in love with Lucy lately.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on April 02, 2012, 09:15:04 PM
Eh, don't mind laugh tracks as long as they're used sparingly.
You get used to them, yeah, but I just think a laugh track cheapens the essence of comedy. I don't like being told what's funny and what's not. ;)
Quote from: Foggle on April 02, 2012, 09:13:36 PM
Going to be honest, my favorite sitcom is The Addams Family. Don't give a damn what anyone says, that show is hilarious. Just wish it didn't have a laugh-track... I hate that crap.
See, I don't think laugh tracks are
that bad when they're just there, and they're not so loud that it distracts you from actually watching the show. I mean, I don't go out of my way to vouch for them or anything, but I can live with it if it's not
too obnoxious. It's a formula of the traditional sitcom, after all, even if it's not a great one.
For me, it just depends on how they go about using it. Seinfeld had a good laugh track; one that wasn't too loud, too overbearing, just kind there. BBT, on the other hand, has probably the utmost ungodly awful laugh track in television history. There is a difference.
I prefer live audiences, in all honesty. Not to "tell me when to laugh" (Ugh, I hate that argument), but because it feels like you're watching a live play preformed in front of an audience. Laugh tracks are kind of counter-productive to that feeling since they're canned and tend to not fit the show.
To be honest, I like a lot of sitcoms. Cheers, Fraiser, Seinfeld, Married With Children, Night Court, Titus, NewsRadio... And those are just from the 90s.
Quote from: Kiddington on April 02, 2012, 09:17:42 PM
BBT, on the other hand, has probably the utmost ungodly awful laugh track in television history.
The audience practically starts convulsing at every awful joke. I rage every time.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on April 02, 2012, 09:19:05 PM
I prefer live audiences, in all honesty. Not to "tell me when to laugh" (Ugh, I hate that argument), but because it feels like you're watching a live play preformed in front of an audience.
Laugh tracks tell you when to laugh. Live audiences are cool for exactly the reason you said. ;)
Uh, The Simpsons. Helloooo.
In seriousness though, I'm not sure what my favorite(non-cartoon) sitcom is. There's quite a few I enjoy, but I guess the ones I come back to the most are Married, That 70's Show, Roseanne, and Home Improvement.
Quote from: Foggle on April 02, 2012, 09:20:17 PM
Quote from: Kiddington on April 02, 2012, 09:17:42 PM
BBT, on the other hand, has probably the utmost ungodly awful laugh track in television history.
The audience practically starts convulsing at every awful joke. I rage every time.
About 80% of those "jokes" would go over any normal persons head anyway. I just... I don't know
who in their right minds could possibly find this show funny, when it's impossible to understand half of what they're even talking about with all these scientific references that are as old as dirt (and the other half just being a piss-poor excuse for "comedy" in general). Unless Sheldon being the biggest dick on the planet is funny to people, I just don't get it.
Really, I don't get the appeal to that entire network as a whole. CBS has some of the absolute worst garbage on television (both as far as sitcoms and procedural go), and yet they're constantly tops on network TV from a ratings standpoint. The American viewing public really has the worst taste sometimes.
Yeah, I miss when they went out of their way to tell you that it was filmed in front of a live studio audience. Even Boy Meets World (a 'kid-com') was filmed in front of a studio audience. I think after the 60s most were done that way, with exceptions, for a long time.
Titus, I remember, took that idea very seriously. Commercials were used as genuine act breaks, and the audience knew when to keep it in check during dramatic moments, and could reel it in for the funny scenes. It's also sometimes fun to hear what other people might find funny when hearing reactions in unexpected parts.
But stuff like Full House, that was obnoxious.
I think 2 1/2 Men is shot in front of an audience.
I know that the Disney Channel shows are, and the way they're set up is weird. You can go into a recording for free, but you need to have someone under the age of 18 with your party if you do. So that means that kids can go in without any accompaniment but adults can't go without bringing their children or nieces or whatever. I guess they do that to weed out pedophiles, but it's still pretty weird.
Quote from: Avaitor on April 02, 2012, 09:29:47 PM
I think 2 1/2 Men is shot in front of an audience.
:burn:
Quote from: Avaitor on April 02, 2012, 09:29:47 PM
I think 2 1/2 Men is shot in front of an audience.
:wth:
...and yet, at the same time, I can't say I'm really all
that surprised.
If it is, you really can't tell. Every joke has the exact same reaction.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on April 02, 2012, 09:35:07 PM
If it is, you really can't tell. Every joke has the exact same reaction.
Because they're all drones. ;)
You know, I still don't really hate Two 1/2 Men, but I can understand why you all aren't so hot on it, and I'm not its biggest fan either. The show really struggled in its earliest run when it tried to combine "edgy" sex jokes with cutesy Jake jokes, and shortly after it edged out the more family friendly stuff to focus on Charlie and Alan after Jake started to grow up, the writing became considerably less clever.
I really do wish that the new season would have tanked, though. Ashton just doesn't fit with Lorre's type of humor at all, and what I've seen of his run of the show is just dreadful.
Speaking of Chuck Lorre, have you guys seen Mike & Molly? It's fucking awful, and exactly what it looks like- nothing but fat jokes. I still can't believe that Melissa McCarthy won an Emmy for being a bland glutten over Amy Poehler.
Interesting requirement for those Disney Channel shows. Is there a lower age limit though, like 8? Warner Brothers studio in Burbank has a minimum age requirement (8 or 9, I forget) for their studio tour.
Home Improvement was quite formula but it did have the Super Dave like stunt of the week.
It'd have been awesome to be in the studio audience for Married with Children, SNL, or Tonight Show in its prime, but I guess there's always pro wrestling.
Home Improvement had a formula, but it had a lot of variety to it. It had family humor, workplace humor, guy humor, smart humor, and slapstick. I know some people like to dog it because it was a family sitcom, but it really is a lot of fun to watch. I wonder how the studio audience dealt with the crazy stunts?
Home Improvement did kinda get a little weird towards the end (the kids became a lot more grating as they got older, and I don't really like what they did Mark's character, in particular), but it was still a pretty solid show all the way through. If you want a family sitcom done
right, look no further.
Quote from: Avaitor on April 04, 2012, 11:11:54 AM
Speaking of Chuck Lorre, have you guys seen Mike & Molly? It's fucking awful, and exactly what it looks like- nothing but fat jokes. I still can't believe that Melissa McCarthy won an Emmy for being a bland glutten over Amy Poehler.
Wow. Don't even get me started.
I really can't believe
this is what's actually credited as launching Melissa McCarthy's career. She's such an unlikeable bitch in this show, I just can't imagine why anyone would look at this character she plays, and say to themselves "wow, she's great!". And as far as the show itself goes, as a whole, I don't think I've ever laughed less at a sitcom than I did here (well, maybe Big Bang Theory).
You know, I have to say it again; it annoys me so much that CBS is the #1 network on TV. I mean, other than HIMYM (and Person of Interest is decent, as far as procedurals go,), everything, EVERYTHING else on this channel is unwatchable. It just goes to show what awful taste people have sometimes.
Tried watching BBT last week and it was as funny as a Disney/Nick kidcom. The funny parts were where they were doing regular comedy and not "shop".
You know, I never saw this quote from the Glee creator:
QuoteThis feud started after Kings of Leon declined to allow the Fox series "Glee" to cover one of its songs on a future episode.
"Glee" creator Ryan Murphy was pissed and sent a message to the band via The Hollywood Reporter: "F**K you, Kings of Leon," he said.
"They're self-centered a**holes, and they missed the big picture. They missed that a 7-year-old kid can see someone close to their age singing a Kings of Leon song, which will maybe make them want to join a glee club or pick up a musical instrument. It's like, OK, hate on arts education. You can make fun of Glee all you want, but at its heart, what we really do is turn kids on to music."
Ego much?
I wouldn't want the Glee cast covering any of my songs, either. :lol:
Still hard for me to believe that the same guys responsible for Glee -- the same guys -- also had a hand in American Horror Story. I mean, AHS is weird, but at least it's entertaining.
...and speaking of Glee, I see that was just renewed for a 4th season recently. Honestly, why? Do people actually still care about this show?
It was really popular with the hipsters in high school. Probably still is.
It's the irony of popular songs sung by a glee choir. Hipsters love irony.
Basically it's a one trick pony.
I thought people liked Glee because it told the basic underdog story you always hear in high school movies, at least for the first season.
Probably. I wouldn't even care if it didn't rely on songs that were badly pro-tooled versions of songs that other people wrote to keep it afloat and make money.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on April 12, 2012, 01:47:33 AM
I thought people liked Glee because it told the basic underdog story you always hear in high school movies, at least for the first season.
I could probably buy that if pretty much every main character
wasn't an unlikeable douche.
The premise of the show really isn't for me anyway, and there are a lot of things other than the songs I don't like, but I think the cast might be what cinches it. The people that you're supposed to be "rooting for" as the underdogs are just as nasty as anyone. It defeats the whole purpose of a feelgood story when the underdogs are nothing but a bunch of backstabbing, catty shrews themselves.
I don't even care about how Glee plunders music from other artists. At this point, it pisses me off just by the simple fact that it is by far the most consistently poorly written show on TV, yet it's still popular.
This is the show where the stereotypical bullies become far better developed than the lead "good guys", where one character can become pregnant, go punk, fall in love with her best friend and get in a serious car crash all in the course of 3 years but act like nothing has changed at all in her life, where the fat girl has an orgasmic moment singing "Losing My Religion" to her fucking sandwich, has what was supposed to be a PSA episode that ends up saying that it's fun to see underage teens get drunk... need I go on?
Yeah, the show is absolutely ridiculous (in a bad way). I really hate how offensively stereotypical the LGBT characters are, too. This show should be embarrassing for anyone to watch, and yet it's loved by many. :-\
Quote from: Avaitor on April 12, 2012, 09:15:38 AM
I don't even care about how Glee rapes music from other artists. At this point, it pisses me off just by the simple fact that it is by far the most consistently poorly written show on TV, yet it's still popular.
This is the show where the stereotypical bullies become far better developed than the lead "good guys", where one character can become pregnant, go punk, fall in love with her best friend and get in a serious car crash all in the course of 3 years but act like nothing has changed at all in her life, where the fat girl has an orgasmic moment singing "Losing My Religion" to her fucking sandwich, has what was supposed to be a PSA episode that ends up saying that it's fun to see underage teens get drunk... need I go on?
You fucking nailed it right there.
I watched the season premiere this week and ended up zoning out through most of it because of how it just dived directly into complacentville. They left it on the cliffhanger of Quinn getting into a car crash and something about how she's the third wheel in the main relationship on the show, and then immediately came back with her singing a song that was about being stuck in a wheelchair now. So fucking retarded.
Oh yeah, and they're trying another pregnancy storyline, this time with Jane Lynch's character. I don't even need to watch to know where this is going.
Musical numbers about miscarriages? Could become CAD: The Live Action Series.
Buckley probably works on the show. Hardly any of the actors can emote beyond a B^U face, even when they're crying.
Are you saying the actors are as experienced as the high schoolers they're representing or are they accurate?
Sometimes I wonder how much slack we give to new actors on TV shows these days. I expect them to be better than reality TV stars.
It's looking like Whitney might get the axe. But unfortunately, Two Broke Girls was renewed for next season.
Huh, really? Haven't heard anything about that yet, but good news if it's true.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on April 13, 2012, 05:52:33 PM
But unfortunately, Two Broke Girls was renewed for next season.
Baby steps, my friend. Baby steps.
Unless you
really bomb (see: Rob Schneider's sitcom from earlier this year, which was as equally terrible), CBS is an easy network to score a renewal out of. Being first place and all (again, I still don't get that; they're programming, by and large, is terrible), they probably don't see the need for a lot of turnover from year to year, even if shows like Two Broke Girls aren't exactly critical darlings.
Honestly, I have yet to see anyone that actually likes show, so hopefully it's only a matter of time.
My mom and sister adore the show. They really do seem to be the only people I know who do though.
I honestly think that it does so well just because it's sandwiched inbetween HIMYM and 2.5 Men. That is a pretty good way to start your run off, really.
Two & A Half Men has yet to be renewed, too. The Ashton Kutcher stuff is really not doing it.
I don't see CBS's material lasting much longer at this rate. Though I guess they'll just rush out another Lorre show like FOX does with MacFarlane.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on April 14, 2012, 03:28:09 PM
Two & A Half Men has yet to be renewed, too. The Ashton Kutcher stuff is really not doing it.
Hmm, interesting. Seemed like for a while there everyone was sure that a was a good bet for renewal. Wonder what changed.
Meanwhile, somewhere in California, Charlie Sheen is laughing and doesn't know why...
You know what other comedy I hate? New Girl.
I still think Zooey is hot as fuck, but her tastes in roles are just dreadful. Not one joke works in this awkward mess, yet it's one of the hottest things on TV. I truly don't get it.
Juu and I currently torturing ourselves and each other watching episodes of Full House.
YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT PAIN IS.
Oh, cut it out and have mercy.
How rude, It doesn't get that grating!
Remember to watch some IT Crowd to wash the pain away.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on April 20, 2012, 04:00:23 PM
Oh, cut it out and have mercy.
How rude, It doesn't get that grating!
Pshhh, whatever.
What can I say? I'm a lean mean hugging machine.
Anybody here got some... *looks left and right* wood?
Go home, Roger!
Ola Tanneritos!
Well, pin a rose on your nose.
There's always time for poppycock!
Kimmy called me a geek-burger.
UNCLE JESSIE DOESN'T WANNA PLAY BALLERINA!
Geekburger Jr.
This man is not a hamburger and I am not a side of fries!
OH MY NOSE!
Geekburger with cheese!
Hey, Kimmy; Big Bird called... he wants his legs back!
That is SO not Raven!
Quote from: Avaitor on April 20, 2012, 05:25:04 PM
That is SO not Raven!
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.qkme.me%2F35e5p6.jpg&hash=89e39b784702804702bb38328affbf44ec2e6239)
Sweet niblets.
Quote from: Kiddington on April 20, 2012, 05:30:02 PM
Quote from: Avaitor on April 20, 2012, 05:25:04 PM
That is SO not Raven!
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.qkme.me%2F35e5p6.jpg&hash=89e39b784702804702bb38328affbf44ec2e6239)
OH SNAP
I JUST HAD A VISION
WE GON GIT PIZZA AND WINGS!!!
A Horoscope? What's that? A scope that only sees your face?
BURN!
We don't need to remind you about that hokey pokey accident.
Baby beluga in the deep blue sea,
Swim so wild and you swim so free.
Heaven above and the sea below,
And a little white whale on the go.
Baby beluga, baby beluga,
Is the water warm? Is your mama home,
With you so happy?
Way down yonder where the dolphins play,
Where you dive and splash all day,
Waves roll in and the waves roll out.
See the water squirting out of your spout.
Baby beluga, oh, baby beluga,
Sing your little song, sing for all your friends.
We like to hear you.
When it's dark, you're home and fed.
Curled up snug in your waterbed.
Moon is shining and the stars are out.
Good night, little whale, good night.
Baby beluga, oh, baby beluga,
With tomorrow's sun, another day's begun.
You'll soon be waking.
Baby beluga in the deep blue sea,
Swim so wild and you swim so free.
Heaven above and the sea below,
And a little white whale on the go.
You're just a little white whale on the go.
...This is great. I got the baby beluga dancers, I'm drinking moo juice. When did my life become a G rated movie?
This is Danny Tanner reminding *you* that disco will never die!
Ahh... the smell of Clorox in the morning.
I'd take a bullet for that rhino.
How does the Batman theme go?
Come and knock on our door
Come and knock on our door
we'll be waiting for you
We'll be waiting for you
The thing and the thing and the thing and the thing
THREE'S COMPANY TOO
Michelle? Wouldn't you rather have an Elvis party? Instead of those goofy hats, your friends could wear little tiny sideburns!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
JOSEPH!
Hey....where are all the bunnies?
Now I want oyu all to take these bunnies and pet them softly. That's it, pet the bunny... NOT YOU.
NOT THE SOCK RUN FOR IT!!!!!
I have recently found myself watching Golden Girls.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on April 23, 2012, 11:43:28 PM
I have recently found myself watching Golden Girls.
It's a classic, IMO.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on April 24, 2012, 02:36:51 PM
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on April 23, 2012, 11:43:28 PM
I have recently found myself watching Golden Girls.
It's a classic, IMO.
I love that show. This was the first thing I watched that included Betty White and showed me how much of an awesome person she is.
Heh, Golden Girls where she's within her demographic, unlike Hot in Cleveland, where the sitcom women gather but she's still funny.
So I found season 4 of Seinfeld for $6 at GoodWill, but passed on it for whatever reason.
I should probably go back.
Yes, you should.
They're actually pretty cheap everywhere I see them now, though, so I suppose it's not that overly crucial. Whenever Target has them in stock, they're usually about $10 or so.
The only sitcom that I'm currently watching is 30 Rock, and even then, the earlier seasons were better. The show is at it's worst when it focuses far too much on Liz and Jack's romantic relationships. Thank goodness for Comedy Central showing the reruns of seasons 1-4.
Regarding The Big Bang Theory, that's honestly a better idea than it is a show. TBBT should be a comedic celebration of nerd/geek culture, kind of Welcome to Eltingville meets Weird Science. It has the potential to be so much more than just the theme of "These nerds don't know anything about women" week after week.
True, but even then, we already have Community for that nowadays.
So Whitney Cummings is getting her own talk show on E!
:burn: :burn: :burn:
I miss the old days where you were run out of Hollywood on a rail when you failed hard.
The talentless are given way too many chances these days. (Compare Ashlee Simpson to Milli Vanilli or R. Kelly to Michael Jackson for examples)
On top of that, TV By The Numbers seems to think that her sitcom is probably going to be renewed now after all.
Why do people like this woman?
Wow, good sitcoms have been canceled for less. :-\
I wish Hollywood was more in touch with what people actually wanted.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on May 08, 2012, 04:52:02 PM
Wow, good sitcoms have been canceled for less. :-\
I wish Hollywood was more in touch with what people actually wanted.
It is in touch. Just happens to be in touch with the dumb people.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on May 08, 2012, 04:53:06 PM
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on May 08, 2012, 04:52:02 PM
Wow, good sitcoms have been canceled for less. :-\
I wish Hollywood was more in touch with what people actually wanted.
It is in touch. Just happens to be in touch with the dumb people.
"Dumb people" must encase a pretty small audience, then. This show is doing miserably, and I have yet to meet anyone who likes it.
She must know the "right" people.
What I don't get is, who are they even renewing this show for? Almost everybody on the internet hates it. The marketing campaign leading up to it last summer was a total disaster (and probably what turned people off so quickly to begin with, other than the show being complete garbage of course). And the ratings suck. They had to move it off of Thursday nights after only a few weeks; it was drawing in numbers even worse than Steve Carrell-less Office, which is practically in full-blown zombie mode by now.
It's like she's got the dirt on people that actually matter in Hollywood, and that's why she sticks around. I can't explain it otherwise.
I don't even view NBC as a competent network anymore. Other than Community, what's there to watch?
I take it you don't like Parks and Rec?
Quote from: Kiddington on May 08, 2012, 05:03:52 PM
I take it you don't like Parks and Rec?
Tried, didn't find it that funny.
The last thing I remembered enjoying on the network was Frasier.
We're a long way from Frasier.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on May 08, 2012, 05:04:42 PM
Quote from: Kiddington on May 08, 2012, 05:03:52 PM
I take it you don't like Parks and Rec?
Tried, didn't find it that funny.
Did you give up after the first season? The second is when the show gets good.
Parks & Rec is pretty much the only show I watch on NBC besides morning news/The Today Show, although my better half tries out more shows like Grimm and Up All Night, sometimes Leno.
Hmm, celebration of geek culture? Would that be Freaks and Geeks? Beat the Geeks?
So NBC is apparently cancelling Community, Parks and Rec, and 30 Rock, all in one fell swoop. But not The Office.
I have nothing. No words. Just... no words.
Quote from: Kiddington on May 09, 2012, 10:39:24 PM
So NBC is apparently cancelling Community, Parks and Rec, and 30 Rock, all in one fell swoop. But not The Office.
I have nothing. No words. Just... no words.
:huh:
REALLY? That's insane!
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on May 09, 2012, 10:49:00 PM
Quote from: Kiddington on May 09, 2012, 10:39:24 PM
So NBC is apparently cancelling Community, Parks and Rec, and 30 Rock, all in one fell swoop. But not The Office.
I have nothing. No words. Just... no words.
:huh:
REALLY? That's insane!
According to this, it is indeed the case. (http://www.opposingviews.com/i/entertainment/nbc-makes-drastic-call-veteran-comedies-30-rock-community-and-parks-recreation)
In a way, I can kinda see where NBC is coming from on this (even though I'm still extremely pissed at them). All three shows have, historically, never pulled in great numbers, and they felt it was time for a change. Okay, I get that.
What I don't get is, why was The Office able to withstand the brunt of the impact? If you're going to clean house, go ahead and clean house; don't leave stray garbage left behind. It's pulling in
series low numbers (the ratings this year are even worse than Season 1, which was only a 5-episode mid-season replacement that nobody cared about at all), and the show isn't even running on fumes anymore; it's just terrible at this point. If anything needed to go,
this was it. It's a tired, exhausted series that doesn't have anything left to offer, and yet it was the only one out of that entire Thursday night lineup that survived.
Between this and the possibility of a second season of Whitney, NBC is so dead to me.
.......
Ugh.
Well, at least they're getting one more season, and 30 Rock isn't news. But still.
I'm really going to miss Parks and Rec the most. Sorry Insommy, but it's better than Community.
Quote from: Kiddington on May 09, 2012, 10:39:24 PM
So NBC is apparently cancelling Community, Parks and Rec, and 30 Rock, all in one fell swoop. But not The Office.
I have nothing. No words. Just... no words.
The FUCK. I mean, I won't miss 30 Rock at all, but those other two... WHY NBC WHY :cry:
Quote from: Brak's Dad on May 10, 2012, 01:13:54 AM
.......
Ugh.
Well, at least they're getting one more season, and 30 Rock isn't news. But still.
I'm really going to miss Parks and Rec the most. Sorry Insommy, but it's better than Community.
Yeah I know, but I figured I might as well mention it anyway (not that I'm really too broken up over that one, though; as you know, I've never liked 30 Rock).
The other two, though, those hurt. Both shows still have a lot left in the tank, unlike a certain aforementioned series that will be coming back, and to see them both get axed like this, so short into their runs... it's really a shame. I know the ratings weren't great, but come on, the stuff they're bringing back is doing just as bad! I mean, seriously; what gives?
...and speaking of which, if they really do go so far as bringing Whitney back, after all this, I am not
touching this network ever again. Last place for a reason. Idiots.
Well Community isn't too surprising. It has no right to be on the 8 PM timeslot, especially when something as competable as Big Bang Theory is airing there. And while the show has a sizeable enough fanbase that catches it on Hulu or elsewhere online, the majority of which just doesn't watch it on TV. The major shot in the foot though came from the beginning of the season, when it got rather depressing and drab. It picked up before being replaced midseason by 30 Rock, but it was too late for it.
Parks though, I thought could have been saved as long as it remained to be the critical darling that it is. I mean, 30 Rock isn't the second coming of Friends in the ratings itself but it's stayed on for so long due to its multiple Emmy wins and love affair in the press, and while P&R hasn't been as lucky during Emmy time, it's earned far more love than 30 Rock ever did with critics. I guess that still isn't enough, though.
So people would rather watch The Voice? Ugh.
At least the P&R stars are getting movie deals.
Well, I actually enjoyed 30 Rock's 1st 2 or 3 seasons, but now, yeah, it's time for it to go.
I can't comment on The Office because honestly, I've never seen it. I just assumed that The Office would die a quick death without Steve Carrell.
If they're keeping The Office around it's probably only because they're planning on retooling next season and giving it one last chance.
Still, NBC is finally cleaning house. I wonder what they have planned now?
I've heard rumblings about a possible spinoff involving Dwight, and his day-to-day life on Schrute Farms, but that... I've got to be honest, that sounds like a terrible idea. I hope that's not what they actually had planned.
...and as far as retooling the series, I'm not sure what more they could really do to it that they haven't already tried. The show was going stale well before Steve Carrell left. Adding more new characters won't accomplish any more than James Spader and Catherine Tate already have. There's just a point when a series runs its course, and this one simply has.
Whatevs, I'm not going to get too hung up over it. Unless, like I said, they do end up renewing Whitney after all, and then I will be mad again. That would be such a slap in the face.
According to Daft, who keeps up more with these shows than I do, they aren't reteooling the show. Not only that, but Ed Helms is leaving too.
So why that's staying while shows with much more steam left in them like Community and Parks are dying early deaths is beyond me.
Quote from: Brak's Dad on May 11, 2012, 03:26:07 AM
According to Daft, who keeps up more with these shows than I do, they aren't reteooling the show. Not only that, but Ed Helms is leaving too.
So why that's staying while shows with much more steam left in them like Community and Parks are dying early deaths is beyond me.
:whuh:
It's like the Law & Order/CSI of sitcoms now. Recycle the cast every five years, and go from there. I can only imagine what the ratings will be like as its dogging through its 12th season, and all of the originals are gone.
Good news-
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F25.media.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_m3vhwi684O1qzadjlo1_500.png&hash=1402e06bbdf4a06eade6f43aef0fa34e4dccf4f4)
Parks gets a full season! Maybe, just maybe, if Amy Poehler wins her well-deserved Emmy this year, it'll get another season on top of that. But that may be too wishful thinking for now. Let's just celebrate what we have.
Hope it works out! :thumbup:
Wow, that's great news.
Even if it does turn out to be its last, at least it'll be the full 22 episode order (that should get it up to around 90+ episodes, hopefully enough for a good syndication run). That softens the blow a little.
...on the down side, however, the bastards did end up renewing Whitney (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/nbc-renews-parks-recreation-up-all-night-323551), just as I thought. Between this, Two Broke Girls, and now a talk show, this woman just will not go away. Ugh.
Well, at least we got another full season of Parks and Rec to enjoy, so I won't complain too much.
It's funny, I hear that Whitney Cummings' stand-up isn't that bad, it's just her show that is awful. I still find that hard to believe myself, since there's only so many cunt jokes I can take, and that's all her shows seem to consistent of, besides racial stereotypes.
Most of the shows being canceled look more interesting than the ones renewed. Sigh, NBC.
I remember reading somewhere that most laugh tracks were recorded in the 50?s and most of the people laughing in them are dead. which totally makes sense because no living person would laugh at the big bang theory.
Saw this on tumblr, and it made me laugh. More than the show ever has, at least.
Quote from: Brak's Dad on May 12, 2012, 12:43:30 PM
I remember reading somewhere that most laugh tracks were recorded in the 50?s and most of the people laughing in them are dead. which totally makes sense because no living person would laugh at the big bang theory.
Saw this on tumblr, and it made me laugh. More than the show ever has, at least.
Brilliant. :joy:
The sad thing is, I know people that legitimately enjoy BBT. Too many, in fact.
It's moments like these where I wonder if little things like canned laughter actually do in fact a long way into the mass appeal of certain sitcoms (and as we know, this show has an obscene amount of it). Do people really find this show funny, or are they simply going through the motions and laughing when they're told to? I mean, if you sit down and really listen to the jokes on BBT, I don't know how any normal person could possibly find this material even remotely funny. That's where the laugh track comes in, and it's basically telling you "this is the joke, now laugh" (and in this case, it's not just normal canned laughter either; it's gut-busting, joke of the year, studio audience totally out of control non-stop laughter). I mean, as far as I can tell, the only time the show isn't talking down to you with obscure scientific references is when Sheldon is in full douchebag mode, and that's hardly what I'd consider good comedy either. Where is the appeal, exactly?
Either way, it makes me so sad that reruns of this on TBS actually get better ratings than premieres of Community and Parks and Rec. What a shame.
Canned laughter is a way to "fool" the audience into laughing at bad material, so they don't have to invest into bringing audiences in to give a legitimate live reaction. I wish more shows would embrace the "live play" appeal of sitcoms. IIRC, even the Golden Girls went to England and performed an episode on stage for the Queen and she (and the audience) loved it.
The realization that they use more canned laughter than ever probably indicates their confidence in the level of material... and them being cheap. :D
For the record, I really don't have a problem with canned laughter when it's used in moderation. A lot of sitcoms of the 90's knew how to utilize a laugh track the right way; Seinfeld, Frasier, Cheers, stuff like that. It was there, and you heard it, but it wasn't some spit-take jungle of mass chaos like the laugh track for BBT is.
Ultimately I do prefer the lack of one either way, but I can live them as long as they're tolerable.
Yeah, I don't hate canned laughter either. I mean, HIMYM wouldn't really work without it.
Quote from: Brak's Dad on May 13, 2012, 04:31:26 PM
Yeah, I don't hate canned laughter either. I mean, HIMYM wouldn't really work without it.
The thing is, I think some canned laughter is actually used from test audiences who get screened the episode in advance. You can tell from some of the audience reactions some times that it definitely wasn't made in the '50s.
However, stuff like Full House was waaaay too obvious. BBT definitely takes after that in the Laugh Track department.
Here's NBC's Fall schedule.
QuoteNBC Fall 2012
Mondays
8:00PM The Voice
10:00PM The Revolution (NEW!)
Tuesdays
8:00PM The Voice
9:00PM Go On (NEW!)
9:30PM The New Normal (NEW!)
10:00PM Parenthood
Wednesdays
8:00PM Animal Practice (NEW!)
8:30PM Guys With Kids (NEW!)
9:00PM Law & Order: SVU
10:00PM Chicago Fire (NEW!)
Thursdays
8:00PM 30 Rock
8:30PM Up All Night
9:00PM The Office
9:30PM Parks & Recreation
10:00PM Rock Center with Brian Williams
Fridays
8:00PM Whitney
8:30PM Community
9:00PM Grimm
10:00PM Dateline
Saturdays
8:00PM Repeats
Sundays
7:00PM Football Night in America
8:15PM Sunday Night Football
Read more: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?p=4679585#post4679585#ixzz1un4pSoBw (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?p=4679585#post4679585#ixzz1un4pSoBw)
It looks like Whitney's done, Kidd. :o
Friday night? Yep, it's a goner. Only sci-fi shows seem to survive then.
Quote from: Brak's Dad on May 13, 2012, 06:04:05 PM
Friday night? Yep, it's a goner. Only sci-fi shows seem to survive then.
...Except on the Syfy channel, ironically. :??:
Quote from: Goldstar on May 13, 2012, 06:28:03 PM
Quote from: Brak's Dad on May 13, 2012, 06:04:05 PM
Friday night? Yep, it's a goner. Only sci-fi shows seem to survive then.
...Except on the Syfy channel, ironically. :??:
Well, can you blame them? Aside from Battlestar Galactica, how many good SyFy originals can you name off your head from the past 10 years?
Quote from: Brak's Dad on May 13, 2012, 06:38:25 PM
Quote from: Goldstar on May 13, 2012, 06:28:03 PM
Quote from: Brak's Dad on May 13, 2012, 06:04:05 PM
Friday night? Yep, it's a goner. Only sci-fi shows seem to survive then.
...Except on the Syfy channel, ironically. :??:
Well, can you blame them? Aside from Battlestar Galactica, how many good SyFy originals can you name off your head from the past 10 years?
Well, I did enjoy
Farscape, up until the last couple of seasons that is. In any case, any sort of sci-fi programming would be better to air on Syfy than
WWE Smackdown.
Quote from: Goldstar on May 13, 2012, 06:42:23 PM
Quote from: Brak's Dad on May 13, 2012, 06:38:25 PM
Quote from: Goldstar on May 13, 2012, 06:28:03 PM
Quote from: Brak's Dad on May 13, 2012, 06:04:05 PM
Friday night? Yep, it's a goner. Only sci-fi shows seem to survive then.
...Except on the Syfy channel, ironically. :??:
Well, can you blame them? Aside from Battlestar Galactica, how many good SyFy originals can you name off your head from the past 10 years?
Well, I did enjoy Farscape, up until the last couple of seasons that is. In any case, any sort of sci-fi programming would be better to air on Syfy than WWE Smackdown.
I remember reading that Farscape was originally made for an Australian network, only to be shown on SyFy after that.
And by "any sort of sci-fi programming", I hope you don't mean those z-movies they show on Saturdays.
Quote from: Goldstar on May 13, 2012, 06:42:23 PM
Quote from: Brak's Dad on May 13, 2012, 06:38:25 PM
Quote from: Goldstar on May 13, 2012, 06:28:03 PM
Quote from: Brak's Dad on May 13, 2012, 06:04:05 PM
Friday night? Yep, it's a goner. Only sci-fi shows seem to survive then.
...Except on the Syfy channel, ironically. :??:
Well, can you blame them? Aside from Battlestar Galactica, how many good SyFy originals can you name off your head from the past 10 years?
Well, I did enjoy Farscape, up until the last couple of seasons that is. In any case, any sort of sci-fi programming would be better to air on Syfy than WWE Smackdown.
Speaking of which, I'm not a big fan of Smackdown being taped, compared to RAW which is live a good 95% of the time. I can barely get into it knowing that I can go to a site like Wrestleview later on Tuesday or Wednesday to know the results. That is like my only gripe with Smackdown.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on May 13, 2012, 05:15:27 PM
Here's NBC's Fall schedule.
QuoteNBC Fall 2012
Mondays
8:00PM The Voice
10:00PM The Revolution (NEW!)
Tuesdays
8:00PM The Voice
9:00PM Go On (NEW!)
9:30PM The New Normal (NEW!)
10:00PM Parenthood
Wednesdays
8:00PM Animal Practice (NEW!)
8:30PM Guys With Kids (NEW!)
9:00PM Law & Order: SVU
10:00PM Chicago Fire (NEW!)
Thursdays
8:00PM 30 Rock
8:30PM Up All Night
9:00PM The Office
9:30PM Parks & Recreation
10:00PM Rock Center with Brian Williams
Fridays
8:00PM Whitney
8:30PM Community
9:00PM Grimm
10:00PM Dateline
Saturdays
8:00PM Repeats
Sundays
7:00PM Football Night in America
8:15PM Sunday Night Football
Read more: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?p=4679585#post4679585#ixzz1un4pSoBw (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?p=4679585#post4679585#ixzz1un4pSoBw)
It looks like Whitney's done, Kidd. :o
:happytime:
Might as well have not even renewed it to begin with, but I can't complain. Friday night is a death song,
especially for sitcoms.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on May 13, 2012, 05:15:27 PM
Here's NBC's Fall schedule.
QuoteNBC Fall 2012
9:30PM The New Normal (NEW!)
10:00PM Parenthood
Wednesdays
8:30PM Guys With Kids (NEW!)
9:00PM Law & Order: SVU
What's with all those new age shows? I thought NBC was always old audience central.
Also, I laughed at the 2 back to back Wednesday shows.
Quote from: Rosalinas Spare Wand on May 13, 2012, 08:51:11 PM
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on May 13, 2012, 05:15:27 PM
Here's NBC's Fall schedule.
QuoteNBC Fall 2012
9:30PM The New Normal (NEW!)
10:00PM Parenthood
Wednesdays
8:30PM Guys With Kids (NEW!)
9:00PM Law & Order: SVU
What's with all those new age shows? I thought NBC was always old audience central.
Also, I laughed at the 2 back to back Wednesday shows.
I always thought CBS had the retirement home reputation.
Either way, I can't say I'm overly excited for most of the new stuff. But, at least we're getting a full season of Parks and Rec, and Whitney was unofficially given its pink slip, so I'll take what I can get.
CBS used to be that way, but since Chuck Lorre they've sunk to lowest common denominator. They're two steps away from FOX, IMO.
Quote from: Rosalinas Spare Wand on May 13, 2012, 08:51:11 PM
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on May 13, 2012, 05:15:27 PM
Here's NBC's Fall schedule.
QuoteNBC Fall 2012
9:30PM The New Normal (NEW!)
10:00PM Parenthood
Wednesdays
8:30PM Guys With Kids (NEW!)
9:00PM Law & Order: SVU
What's with all those new age shows? I thought NBC was always old audience central.
Also, I laughed at the 2 back to back Wednesday shows.
I think most audiences just want a good family sitcom that isn't gimmicky. NBC has been trying to be edgy so much that they've seemed to lose touch with that audience.
Which is interesting because NBC was known not for being original but for being the best at working within the standard. I don't feel people want NBC to be "hip".
Well we have that with Modern Family now. But it does feel like other networks are trying to steal ABC's thunder with MF's success.
And this is why cable exists, people.
Cable isn't exactly thriving with family comedies.
Quote from: Brak's Dad on May 13, 2012, 09:00:35 PM
Well we have that with Modern Family now. But it does feel like other networks are trying to steal ABC's thunder with MF' success.
That's the biggest problem. I know the whole "follow the leader" thing has been around a long time (look at all those shows copying Lost, Survivor, Seinfeld, Cheers, and Roseanne over the years), but they used to be less blatant than the Modern Family clones.
Here's the "leaked" FOX line up (might be fake, but it's looking real):
Quote
Fox Fall 2012
Mondays
8:00PM Bones
9:00PM The Mob Doc (NEW!)
Tuesdays
8:00PM Raising Hope
8:30PM Ben & Kat (NEW!)
9:00PM New Girl
9:30PM The Mindy Project (NEW!)
Wednesdays
8:00PM The X Factor
Thursdays
8:00PM The X Factor
9:00PM Glee
Fridays
8:00PM Touch
9:00PM Fringe
Saturdays
8:00PM College Football on Fox
Sundays
7:00PM Animation Domination Encore/NFL Football
7:30PM Animation Domination Encore/The OT
8:00PM The Simpsons
8:30PM The Cleveland Show
9:00PM Family Guy
9:30PM American Dad!
Mid-season: The Following (drama), The Goodwin Games (comedy)
Read more: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=299322#ixzz1uob04emB (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=299322#ixzz1uob04emB)
Is Bob's Burgers still alive? Or is it just missing from here? If it's gone and Cleveland manages to survive despite worse ratings, that would be really disappointing.
EDIT: The list might be out of date according to this (http://www.deadline.com/2012/05/fox-renews-family-guy-american-dad-postpones-decision-on-the-cleveland-show/#more-269663) since Bob's Burgers was renewed but Cleveland is on the bubble.
I think that Bob's Burgers is going to remain a midseason replacement. For some reason, I don't think that Lauren Bouchard or other Home Movies alumni are able to pull out much more than 13 episode seasons.
Also, I guess I'm watching X-Factor this season...
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on May 13, 2012, 11:32:50 PM
EDIT: The list might be out of date according to this (http://www.deadline.com/2012/05/fox-renews-family-guy-american-dad-postpones-decision-on-the-cleveland-show/#more-269663) since Bob's Burgers was renewed but Cleveland is on the bubble.
Huh, I thought that already was renewed. Guess my sources were wrong.
Either way though, they've still got a pretty large crop of unaired episodes (some finished, some still in production) that won't air this season, so I assume it'll be back at least for half of next season, renewed or otherwise.
Two and a Half Men was renewed... :srs:
Menmenmenmenmanlymenmenmen
Didn't this season totally tank even with Kutcher on board? Guess CBS would rather finish up his run instead of canceling early which would be the same as admitting they messed up with letting the show run without Shen.
Speaking of Sheen, I saw an ad on FX today about some new show he's gonna be in. It even mentioned how they killed him off 2 and a Half Men. I guess he wasn't being crazy, he just wanted out of his contract.
Not bad considering he's got a show lined up while his last one is on its death bed.
Guess Charlie Sheen is a master troll after all.
They're keeping this show alive simply out of charity at this point (and because they don't want to admit they were wrong). They have no other milestone within reach; no "100th episode", no syndication deal looming (this has already been in syndication for roughly five years now), and it's certainly not being kept around because of quality.
I have to agree with the notion that they probably don't want to admit what a failure it was letting Sheen walk away. He was a dick, but very much a necessary evil for that show to succeed. Why else would anyone be watching it? Alan? The fat drunken house maid? Please.
Quote from: Brak's Dad on May 13, 2012, 06:38:25 PM
Quote from: Goldstar on May 13, 2012, 06:28:03 PM
Quote from: Brak's Dad on May 13, 2012, 06:04:05 PM
Friday night? Yep, it's a goner. Only sci-fi shows seem to survive then.
...Except on the Syfy channel, ironically. :??:
Well, can you blame them? Aside from Battlestar Galactica, how many good SyFy originals can you name off your head from the past 10 years?
Fact or Faked, Haven, and Haunted Collector. I think the others I liked were back when it was Sci-Fi channel (Tremors, Stargate SG-1/Atlantis after it moved from Showtime)
I guess BBT is funny if you like laughing at the Asperger's guy but given that we're not supposed to anymore, the other characters are still about as funny as a kidcom.
Quote from: Angus on May 15, 2012, 09:37:52 PM
I guess BBT is funny if you like laughing at the Asperger's guy but given that we're not supposed to anymore, the other characters are still about as funny as a kidcom.
He's pretty much the one character my family laughs at. Though I will admit that I don't like when my brother compares me Sheldon in how sociable we are. :whuh:
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi407.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp160%2FDaxdiv%2FGIF%2520Party%2Fawman.gif&hash=0b7f2a6cb8911a17e9ca1b99fce33b7a83ae23f1)
FUCKING HATE THAT! At least I know what is appropriate to talk about and not.
Sheldon is everything wrong with nerds bundled into one character. He's so annoying.
Fixed FOX line up:
Quote
Fox Fall 2012
Mondays
8:00PM Bones
9:00PM The Mob Doc (NEW!)
Tuesdays
8:00PM Raising Hope
8:30PM Ben & Kate (NEW!)
9:00PM New Girl
9:30PM The Mindy Project (NEW!)
Wednesdays
8:00PM The X-Factor /American Idol (mid-season)
Thursdays
8:00PM The X-Factor/American Idol (mid-season)
9:00PM Glee
Fridays
8:00PM Touch
9:00PM Fringe
Saturdays
8:00PM College Football on Fox
Sundays
7:00PM NFL Overrun/Animated Repeats
7:30PM The OT (NFL post-game)/The Cleveland Show
8:00PM The Simpsons
8:30PM Bob's Burgers
9:00PM Family Guy
9:30PM American Dad!
Mid-season: The Following (drama, Mon), The Goodwin Games (comedy, Tues), Hell's Kitchen (Fri), Cops (Sat)
Read more: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=299322#ixzz1v4WC6zdn
It looks like Cleveland is on the skids.
CBSQuoteMondays
8:00PM How I Met Your Mother
8:30PM 2 Broke Girls
9:00PM Two and a Half Men
9:30PM Mike & Molly
10:00PM Hawaii Five-0
Tuesdays
8:00PM NCIS
9:00PM Vegas (NEW!)
10:00PM NCIS: Los Angeles
Wednesdays
8:00PM Survivor
9:00PM Criminal Minds
10:00PM CSI: Crime Investigation
Thursdays
8:00PM The Big Bang Theory
8:30PM Partners (NEW!)
9:00PM Person of Interest
10:00PM Elementary (NEW!)
Fridays
8:00PM Undercover Boss
9:00PM Golden Boy (NEW!)
10:00PM Blue Bloods
Saturdays
8:00PM Comedytime Saturday (encores)
9:00PM Crimetime Saturday (encores)
10:00PM 48 Hours Mystery
Sundays
7:00PM 60 Minutes
8:00PM The Amazing Race
9:00PM The Mentalist
10:00PM The Good Wife
Mid-Season:
Returning series: CSI: NY, Rules of Engagement
New series: Friend Me (comedy), Made in Jersey (drama) and The Job (reality)
Read more: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=299324#ixzz1v4WlDt9M
ABCQuote
Mondays
8:00PM Dancing with the Stars
10:00PM Castle
Tuesdays
8:00PM Dancing with the Stars: The Results
9:00PM Happy Endings
9:30PM Don't Trust the B---- In Apartment 23
10:00PM Private Practice
Wednesdays
8:00PM The Middle
8:30PM Suburgatory
9:00PM Modern Family
9:30PM The Neighbors (NEW!)
10:00PM Nashville (NEW!)
Thursdays
8:00PM Last Resort (NEW!)
9:00PM Grey's Anatomy
10:00PM Scandal
Fridays
8:00PM Shark Tank
9:00PM What Would You Do?
10:00PM 20/20
Fridays (November)
8:00PM Last Man Standing
8:30PM Malibu Country (NEW!)
9:00PM Shark Tank
10:00PM 20/20
Saturdays
8:00PM Saturday Night College Football
Sundays
7:00PM America's Funniest Home Videos
8:00PM Once Upon a Time
9:00PM Revenge
10:00PM 666 Park Avenue (NEW!)
Mid-Season:
New Mid-Season: Red Widow (Drama), Zero Hour (Drama), Family Tools (Single-Camera Comedy), How to Live With Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life (Comedy).
Returning Mid-Season: The Bachelor, Wife Swap, Body of Proof
Read more: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=299323#ixzz1v4WxP3I3
All that's left is CW, but who really cares about that?
So Cleveland is essentially only going to air if the NFL game of the week doesn't go into overtime? Am I reading this right?
Nonetheless, whatever the case be, I am not sorry to it go. And good on 'em for keeping Bob's Burgers and American Dad; those two seem to never have an air of consistency, so at least to start, Fox is keeping them in a good slot.
It's getting the same death seat as Futurama and Sit Down Shut Up. It's pretty much whatever animated show FOX wants to burn off that gets placed there.
This one's for you, Kidd![/quote] (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=298868)
QuoteYou're wrong about the Big Bang Theory, IMO. Penny is not a one dimensional character and I'm sure many fans of BBT would agree with me on that. People care about the characters and if you don't believe it, go to the BBT message board at imdb sometime. I'm certainly no critic, but to me, the show is well written and has been from the beginning. Where else can you see a group of nerds bidding on the time machine from the movie "The time Machine", winning it and fighting over who gets to keep it? Another thing that separates this show from 2 1/2 Men is there's actually character development on BBT.
Such a deep and meticulously well crafted work.
As someone who leaves Fox LA on the background while he studies, I've had to sit through countless Big Bang Theory reruns and there is not a single shred of character development in this god forsaken show. What she's talking about is the shift from LOL NERDS ARE VIRGINS to LOL NERDS CANNOT INTO RELATIONSHIPS. I'd say its the same kind of poorly written relationships they forced in all of Friends run, but at least Fiends cast was believable and their relationship wasn't just another way to slap another SUCH A NERD XD joke into the show.
Fuck I despise this show so much.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on May 16, 2012, 05:23:40 PM
This one's for you, Kidd!
(http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=298868)
Agree with every word.
...and speaking of BBT, here's another insightful read into all of the things wrong with it (http://www.ugo.com/tv/11-reasons-geeks-hate-the-big-bang-theory).
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on May 16, 2012, 05:23:40 PM
This one's for you, Kidd! (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=298868)
QuoteI would say that "Dharma & Greg" kind of ruins your argument here. Not only was it a multidimensional sitcom, but it's female characters were very well fleshed out, very layered and more than one-note. Kitty, Abby, Dharma and Jane all had flaws, were likeable but also human.
It was a funny series with layers to it, it covered serious topics when needed and still kept the light flavor it needed.
The Big Bang Theory is also very good, it has a lot of layers to it
:whuh:
Quote from: Kiddington on May 16, 2012, 08:09:44 PM
...and speaking of BBT, here's another insightful read into all of the things wrong with it (http://www.ugo.com/tv/11-reasons-geeks-hate-the-big-bang-theory).
QuoteThe Big Bang Theory has one of the most intrusive and obnoxious laugh tracks on TV right now. Any actual enjoyment that you could get out of the show is suffocated underneath it. And even more bizarre, it's actually generated by a live studio audience
:zonk:
People actually remember Dharma and Greg?
What a world.
CW
QuoteFall 2012
Mondays
8:00PM 90210
9:00PM Gossip Girl / The Carrie Diaries (mid-season, NEW!)
Tuesdays
8:00PM Hart of Dixie
9:00PM Emily Owens, M.D. (NEW!)
Wednesdays
8:00PM Arrow (NEW!)
9:00PM Supernatural
Thursdays
8:00PM The Vampire Diaries
9:00PM Beauty and the Beast (NEW!)
Fridays
8:00PM America's Next Top Model
9:00PM Nikita
Mid-Season 2013:
New Series: The Carrie Diaries (drama), Cult (drama)
Read more: http://blog.sitcomsonline.com/2012/05/cw-upfront-2012-13-fall-2012-schedule.html#ixzz1v9fO4Xqo
It looks like they're still going after that pointless niche!
Are any of those even sitcoms? :o
Quote from: Foggle on May 17, 2012, 02:05:32 PM
Are any of those even sitcoms? :o
Nope, the streak is alive. Ever since they merged, they haven't produced one sitcom.
I'm also not sure why Arrow isn't called Green Arrow.
Arrow will probably do okay. Even though the CW has been considered to be the "woman's" station, their biggest hits are shows that appeal to the male demographic- Smallville, Supernatural, WWE before they took it off...
Hmm, I would think Supernatural appeals to both. Still need to get back to marathoning those eppies.
It really of does, if the Winchester shippers mean anything. But compared to just about everything else on the network, Supernatural seems like the only thing that would appeal to a straight male.
"1997-98: the season that slaughtered the sitcom" (http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/06/08/the-season-that-slaughtered-the-sitcom/)
QuoteI was revisiting NewsRadio season 5, and on one of the commentaries, Paul Simms mentioned a season ?where NBC had 18 sitcoms. So you can thank them for killing the multi-camera sitcom.? I checked, and discovered the season he was referring to was 1997-8. Though the Wikipedia schedule doesn?t apply to the entire year (NewsRadio was moved from Tuesday to Wednesday at some point, and shows rotated in and out of the Thursday slots), NBC did in fact have 18 sitcom slots that year: Monday through Thursday all had four sitcoms followed by a drama at 10, and there were two other sitcoms on Sunday. Now that?s what I call overkill.
The sense of a sitcom glut was increased by the fact that nearly all these shows were identical: four-camera sitcoms about young, affluent white people living in New York City. This description applied to the good ones (NewsRadio, Seinfeld, Friends) and the bad ones (almost anything airing after Seinfeld or Friends) alike. NBC?s overdose of comedy, combined with the fact that most of the comedies were the same and that the new ones weren?t in the class of Seinfeld/Friends/Frasier, made the network a joke and made it clear that they didn?t have much in reserve to replace Seinfeld. And this was Seinfeld?s last season.
It was in a way the comedy equivalent of ABC?s decision, a few years later, to do Who Wants to Be A Millionaire every night. In drama, CBS is currently becoming a punchline for a similar reason, since they have the same type of drama on over and over. It?s taken longer for that strategy to become a problem (maybe because dramas are easier to schedule than comedies, which have to be paired off), but the failure of the Criminal Minds spinoff, Laurence Fishburne leaving CSI and the lower-than-expected numbers for Hawaii 5-0 suggest that the network might finally have passed the saturation point.
But back to comedy, 1997-8 also saw the collapse of the family comedy, also because of over-saturation, though of a more specialized type. ABC filled its TGIF lineup with clones of Sabrina, and CBS, which was trying to launch its own family comedy block, unveiled its own magical-person comedy, the legendarily terrible Meego. The CBS lineup never got off the ground; ABC?s TGIF brand was never able to fully recover from having three versions of the same show in one night.
The lesson is a simple and familiar one: TV networks can never resist copying their own successes. It works for a while ? after all, NBC reacted to the success of Seinfeld by rolling out Friends and Mad About You. But 18 versions of the same thing is probably too much.
He's right. Not only did that year feature the rise of boy bands and nu metal, but also the death of the sitcom. Man, was 1997 lousy!
Also, while perusing Sitcoms Online, I found this article (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=108583) about how Friends inadvertently destroyed the genre on network TV.
The worst part is that the article is 8 years old and still relevant.
Good article when it comes to the precedent that it would end up setting, but the author still gave Friends way too much credit.
There is no singular era of that show that I find enjoyable. Even the early seasons - you know, the ones that people swear by - are still not that funny to me. I don't really find any of these characters particularly humorous or enjoyable to watch (probably the "funniest" of the group is Joey or maybe Chandler, and I'd hardly consider them good enough to make it worth watching), and all that "comedy" he's referring to... I just don't see it.
Seinfeld basically did everything that Friends did, only 1000 times better (take the aforementioned sex jokes in that article, for example. Seinfeld knew how to handle that stuff in a clever, almost veiled manner; Friends was as crass and loud about it as possible, just for the sake of being crass and loud). I know that's a tired, dead beaten horse of an argument in this day and age, but I still stand by it.
One thing that article did really get right was the soap-opera atmosphere of Friends, though. That one I totally agree with. Especially in the later seasons, you never knew what you were getting from this show; a sitcom, or a soapy, mellow-dramatic love story. That's just one of the many problems I've had with this show over the years.
To be honest, I think How I Met Your Mother pretty much took the Friends formula and made it work.
But it's true that even today EVERY SINGLE multi-camera sitcom on network TV has to have the stink of Friends and its cliches on it. No one seems to get that it was a fluke that will never happen again.
And I haven't watched Nick @ nite since they put Friends on it. Every time I try to watch it, the show grates on my nerves. And it's taking over the whole "family" block. Friends is not a family show.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on June 13, 2012, 10:45:27 PM
To be honest, I think How I Met Your Mother pretty much took the Friends formula and made it work.
You know, I was going to say this but I thought you guys would have been tired of my HIMYM praising so I let it slide.
But really, the one thing that the show succeeds with as opposed to Friends is that from the very beginning, they made it very clear that this show was going to balance comedy, drama and relationships. Friends just tried to combine all of this when it started to run out of ideas and the chemistry between the cast was running thin.
Also, are they still showing MWC on Nick@Nite? Whenever I turn to the block when accidentally going over [as], all I see is Friends and George Lopez
Quote from: Brak's Dad on June 13, 2012, 10:48:40 PM
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on June 13, 2012, 10:45:27 PM
To be honest, I think How I Met Your Mother pretty much took the Friends formula and made it work.
You know, I was going to say this but I thought you guys would have been tired of my HIMYM praising so I let it slide.
But really, the one thing that the show succeeds with as opposed to Friends is that from the very beginning, they made it very clear that this show was going to balance comedy, drama and relationships. Friends just tried to combine all of this when it started to run out of ideas and the chemistry between the cast was running thin.
And even then, despite it's popularity it's not the behemoth Friends was, which should hopefully show that the Friends formula is pretty much stretched as far as it will go. People don't want a formula, they just want good shows.
But the thing that stings the most is the whole "you have to be a megahit in the first few episodes" which rarely every happens. Again, Friends was a fluke. I mean, most every single sitcom that lasted a long time before Friends took between 2 to 4 seasons (even Full House!) before becoming huge. You rarely get to see that happen anymore since they get canceled before the first season is done most of the time, or buried in a death slot.
QuoteAlso, are they still showing MWC on Nick@Nite? Whenever I turn to the block when accidentally going over [as], all I see is Friends and George Lopez
They took it off. I guess it was a summer only thing last year. :/
George Lopez is still on there despite it having been there for like 5 years now.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on June 13, 2012, 10:59:44 PM
But the thing that stings the most is the whole "you have to be a megahit in the first few episodes" which rarely every happens. Again, Friends was a fluke. I mean, most every single sitcom that lasted a long time before Friends took between 2 to 4 seasons (even Full House!) before becoming huge. You rarely get to see that happen anymore since they get canceled before the first season is done most of the time, or buried in a death slot.
I know what you're saying, but honestly... I'm having a really hard time thinking of sitcoms that are on TV, right now, that were megahits coming out of the gate (unless my definition of a megahit is too steep).
The closest thing that really comes to mind is Modern Family, which was raking in the awards from Day 1 (not sure how the ratings were back then, though). Everything else, I really don't know. Maybe some of that CBS dreck like BBT and Two and a Half Men fits, but I barely remember people ever talking about BBT back in 2007-2008, when it actually debuted. Hell, even The Office, the closest thing to a megahit NBC has had in roughly 10 years, was only a mid-season replacement, and an entirely forgettable one at the time.
Who knows how they do stuff in the TV industry anymore. I really think the "throw darts at a wall and see what sticks" method is a more appropriate way of describing things than ever.
There is Glee, if you count it as a sitcom...
But honestly, from what I recall, Modern Family didn't really get attention until Emmy season came. It was well-reviewed and decently popular but wasn't exactly the smash hit and critical darling it is now. It also premiered at the same time as Glee, which did much better in the ratings, and Community which IIRC did and still does gather more props from critics.
Quote from: Brak's Dad on June 13, 2012, 11:51:36 PM
There is Glee, if you count it as a sitcom...
Well... ehhhh...
Actually though, wasn't Glee almost cancelled after Season 1, but Fox decided at the last minute to give it another chance (and then it
really took off)? I swear I remember reading that somewhere, but maybe I'm mistaken.
Well, I meant multi-camera sitcoms. Single camera sitcoms usually don't have the Friends stink plastered all over them, or are written for the lowest common denominator.
when was the last time you even saw a multi-camera sitcom with genuine effort put into it?
You know my answer.
Edit: Besides HIMYM, the last one that really comes to mind is... Raymond? And I'm hit or miss on that already. Fuck, it's been a while.
Ah.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on June 13, 2012, 11:59:00 PM
when was the last time you even saw a multi-camera sitcom with genuine effort put into it?
I thought this one was pretty decent. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_to_You)
The horrible mismanagement of being on a network totally wrong for the style of show this was, combined with the WGA strike, all but sunk it before it ever got off the ground. Far from the greatest sitcom I've ever seen, but I thought it still had heart. Certainly not as hollow as the crap CBS tries to pander anymore (HIMYM aside).
Kind of a shame, but maybe it was for the best. Ty Burrell moved on to bigger and better things only a year later, as we all know now.
I expect things to pick up for it in a few years, but we need a lot more failures like Whitney to get thrown out before we can finally get back to business again.
Night Court is very, very funny.
Very.
Can we just take a moment to appreciate how epic Ed Asner is?
As a voice actor, he's one of the best. Hudson in Gargoyles, Cosgrove in Freakazoid!, Carl in Up, Ed Wuncler Sr. in The Boondocks Jamison in the 90's Spider-Man show and Uncle Ben in SSM. Talk about some incredible highlights, right? He was perfect in all of them too. I was never a fan of SM:TAS' voice acting, but Asner nailed JJJ.
The reason I'm on this thread is for his role as Lou Grant in The Mary Tyler Moore Show. It's hard to be the best at the show, where everyone is gifted, but Asner sure comes close. This episode (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLGJi1eQ2FY), for example, is comedic gold, and one of his highlights.
So i've been watching some Cheers lately (Frasier too), and I can't believe I just realized this-
Diane is Ted Mosby's Rule 63. Same pretentious nature, same contempt for their uncultured friends, same high maintenance personalities, same refusal to accept their own faults. It's crazy when you think about it.
That episode of Fresh Prince where Will gets sucker-punched by that thug hitting on Lisa really irks me.
First of all, Will was right- he was sucker-punched. He turned around to face the guy and he swung at him. It was a cheap shot. Almost anyone would go down from that.
Second of all, Lisa cheap-shotted that guy in defense of Will to take him down. As far as I'm concerned, that's all there is to the issue.
But no, we have to go through twenty minutes of people calling Will a wuss because "he has his woman fight his battles for him" which makes no sense given the situation. Not only that, but everyone is unbelievably sexist about it, and pointlessly mean to Will on top of it, too. Lisa was right- there is no issue here, but it's everyone else dogging Will about a fight he had no control over that made it into an issue for really dumb reasons.
The whole episode is just so frustrating to watch because everything about it is aggravating.
I haven't seen that episode in years, bur yeah, looking back on it, doesn't seem too good.
Happy Days did it a lot better, IMO.
It doesn't bother me in the episodes where Will brings it on himself, but he really doesn't do anything wrong here.
It's sort of like a Mrs. Wakefield-style episode, and I just can't stand those.
Have you guys ever seen this? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHsIbjB5Ck0)
Quote from: Avaitor on June 29, 2012, 09:51:33 AM
Have you guys ever seen this? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHsIbjB5Ck0)
Once, and only once, about 3-4 years ago. Shame that it didn't have a longer shelf life; as commercials go, it's pretty good.
Cheers and Frasier are such good shows. I don''t know why it took me so long to get into them.
With Cheers, jut about the entire cast is great. I despise Diane Chambers (although I think we're supposed to, along with Ted Mosby and Elliot from Scrubs) and I'm also not crazy about Rebecca, but everyone else? Forget about it. Sam, Carla, Norm, Cliff, Woody, Frasier and Lilith are all great characters. Coach was also a good one who sadly passed on too soon. One of my favorite eps came from season 1 where he conned an "old buddy" of his who has been cheating him out of cash. It shows that there's more to him than just being the slow witted old man.
And with Frasier, while the relationship between Frasier and Niles is great and arguably the key component behind the show, I also love it when they explore their relationships with Martin. Especially since in actuality he's as smart as either of them, but nowhere near as snobby.
Yeah, I always liked Martin in how he was so different from Frasier and Niles, yet he was just like them at the same time. He might not be as "cultured" as his sons, but he's just as smart as them... maybe even smarter. In fact one of the things I liked about Frasier is that it rarely ever talked down to the audience or above them- and when Fraiser or Niles got too over the top, someone would usually knock them back down to earth.
"As usual, Fraisier has to save the day."
"As usual, Martin has to hear about it."
Such a shame that its finale was totally overshadowed by Friends ending, it was always the far better show.
Same with Cheers. Cheers was a little more standard, but that's where the charm was from. So many characters and ideas in that show, that it could have gone on forever. Shame it isn't as talked about these days, though.
The chess episode is the perfect demonstration of that. Martin could so easily knock Frasier down due to his critical expertise, but he was never in his face about it. When Frasier finally wins, he boasts all night. He and Niles are so radically different from Martin, but if you watch enough of the show, you can tell where their intellect comes from.
Oh, did you know that when the Cheers finale was about to come out, they did a poll asking who everyone's favorite character and most desired to star in their own spin-off were. Sam topped both in a landslide, and Diane was second. I believe Woody and Norm came right after. Frasier only got like 1 or 2 percent in both polls. Go figure.
Awesome, I Love Lucy is back on TV Land. I didn't know they got the rights to it back.
Yeah, Nick@Nite tends to get the rights to shows back and forth. Apparently they got The Dick Van Dyke Show back earlier this year, and only ran it for a month or two, and they did the same thing with Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie last year.
I caught some Lucy during the three day marathon. Yeah, definitely great stuff.
Andy Griffith died. A damn shame, really.
RIP. I didn't really watch too much of the Andy Griffith Show or Matlock(cue Grandpa Simpson), but he was still a legend.
:(
RIP
RIP.
The man was a legend.
I hope you don't mind me sharing one of my favorite Andy Griffith Show episodes with this. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DVSZ9xR1IY) Obviously, you can find the following two parts in the related side.
It's the kind of "young child has a silent revelation" episode that's been done to death since its initial airing, but still contains power today, despite how minor Opie's dilemma might seem.
RIP, not that I watched much of them when I was a kid, but sad to see legends like him go.
I think Frasier has both the perfect pilot and finale. The former sets everything up very well- Frasier's relationships with Roz, Niles and Martin, Daphne's eccentrics, Frasier's desire to move on with his life, Niles' unhappiness with his wife and his winning smirk, and Eddie's adorableness. Tje only thing they didn't touch upon is the massive crush Niles has on Daphne, but there's plenty of time for that later.
The finale, meanwhile, takes a couple of cues from Cheers, in that basically every character but the main one has a step forward occurring in their life, causing them to decide how they should pilot their own life from then, and throwing a giant curveball to us at the end. It does work really well, and it kind of has everything. A birth, a wedding, promotion, farewells, and some closure. It was a great way to end a great show that also had a great start.
Daphne: I was just about to step right out of this dress & embarrass poor Dr. Crane to death!
Niles: Well, we all have to die of something.
I love Niles' quips. He easily makes the show.
I just read Warren Littlefield's book on his run at NBC. It's a really cool read if you're into any of the shows discussed, and it contains snippets from tons of people responsible for these shows, from actors, creative forces, and executives. I just wish they got more people from Cheers in there, besides Kelsey Grammer, but the show was still well represented regardless.
I also like how the last chapter just outright bashed Zucker for the majority of it. The people interviewed didn't even attempt to hide their contempt for his run, and you can't really blame them. The Will & Grace camp especially got screwed over from him, after all.
Probably doesn't fit well, but we've got news about the new Munsters (http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/07/17/i-think-these-are-the-best-pictures-of-the-new-munsters-yet-and-not-just-because-of-the-dragula-shirt/). And before you go on about how reviving a kitsch show is a sign of the end times, know that the head writer made Dead Like Me, Pushing Daisies, and the good parts of Heroes. We might actually get something better than the source material like with BSG.
Rhoda is such a great character. Not only is her chemistry with Mary and Phyllis incredible, but she had the best opening appearance of any sitcom character ever. My B&N has her sets, but for some reason, it doesn't look like the first season was a part of that sale. A damn shame.
MTM is still great, anyhow.
I've slowly been coming around to Who's The Boss recently.
Sure it's a family sitcom, and it's not all that original, but it's nice seeing a show where everyone isn't either Full House levels of happy and saccharine to each other or always belittling each other at the drop of a hat. Everyone seems to have a good chemistry with each other and there's a lot of charm here.
It's not amazing, or brilliant or anything, but I think it's a bit better than most folks gave it credit for.
I don't get why people are saying that Full House is a better show than Modern Family. I mean, MF isn't perfect either, but seriously?
I do remember liking Who's the Boss when it was on Nick@Nite. Tony Danza was better in Taxi though.
It looks like NBC will be changing their comedic focus in the future (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=302322)
And here I thought "broad appeal" was the point of television from day one.
Blahhhh
Although I'm not surprised. But really, NBC's shows aren't too sophisticated. Community's humor is more niche, but it's not too far off of a Big Bang Theory episode when you get down to it, and 30 Rock and Parks are full of silly moments. Does this mean more family oriented programming and laugh track/live-studio audience fare? If so, I actually wouldn't be too against it if we don't get more crap like Whitney and Up All Night.
Also, "im glad inevver seen 30 rockor the community i don'tlike Parks & Recreation t or the ofice al they do is se andtalk to each otheri was never big fan of cheers"
The fuck kind of post is this?
Haha, yeah there's a few funny ones in there like that.
But NBC almost didn't renew those shows for this season, after all. It seems clear that they're no longer satisfied with the niche and want to reach the mainstream again. But to do that, they need better talent. If they want to go back to the multi-camera/studio audience path they need to get better writers than the people who write Whitney or whatever other mediocre pap they're pushing.
As much as I want a return to fair like Cheers or Frasier, it won't happen without the right people.
Yeah, I do understand that. Their sitcoms do bring in awards and critical praise, but that only goes so far. I wonder if NBC could get the people behind shows like Community and Parks onto something a little more "conventional" and make it work. They can pull it off if they try.
TV Land is playing a Jeffersons marathon in tribute to the late Sherman Hemsley, and I just caught a couple of episodes of it.
Hemsley was a ball. I used to watch the show when I was younger, but honestly, I've been more acquainted with his Fresh Prince and All That appearances in recent years. But he was great as George Jefferson, and Weezy was a hoot too. It's not a great show though. Norman lear's shows were very heavy-handed, which has not been kind to them in later years, and the scripts aren't as sharp as All in the Family or Sanford and Son. But it's still fun enough.
New York PBS is much more entertaining than Boston PBS when it comes to airing British series. Managed to grab a peek at Pie in the Sky, Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and Keeping Up Appearances.
I think one of the best scenes in Cheers is when they're talking about "Big wigs" and this random guy just keeps on yelling out "SINATRA".
It comes out of nowhere but it's great each time.
From one post about great scenes to another, I bring you this post (http://thecheersblog.tumblr.com/post/30569625445).
If you don't like this character, you don't have a right to an opinion.
I was at a McDonalds for lunch a couple days ago and their TV was showing a preview of a show called Dad's with Kids.
All I could think about was how silly and unrealistic that concept is. Divorced dad's don't get custody of their kids :P.
But seriously, I think this concept was already done before wasn't it? This looks pretty bad since all the jokes are about how the men are still stuck in their college bachelor style life and they have about as much common sense as a bag of rocks.
I can already imagine what it looks like now.
So who's watching Red Dwarf X or does that not count?
They show Roseanne on CMT now. I didn't really know this was a good fit for the channel, but then again the only show I've ever watched on it was reruns of Dukes of Hazzard.
I think the only time I've ever used that channel was watching an airing of Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
Oh, and my ex's mom had it on at all times whenever I went to her house. Eh.
Lately, Cartoon Network has been airing promos for this new sitcom on Nick at Nite titled See Dad Run. It's stars Scott Baio as a stay-at-home dad and the clips that are shown are so dull and generic and mediocre at best but each "heard it before" line is followed by a burst of guffaws from the obviously fake studio audience. Why do sitcoms even still have laugh track anymore? Apart from this and reality TV, it's no wonder why more and more people are turning to the internet for entertainment nowadays.
Oh, I forgot to mention that shortly after finishing season 1 of Mary Tyler Moore, I found season 2 used at FYE for $10. It came in a slim pack setting instead of the more portable case that the show was later rereleased in, but since the other sets are usually $25 or more elsewhere, I can handle the extra space this set takes.
Althoughhh, Best Buy now has the third and fourth seasons down to $10 as well, and I just got the third. I'm going to be into even more money in a short period of time, so I'll definitely go back to get the next set, along with some of the other sitcoms they're selling for that price now- Bob Newhart, M*A*S*H and Taxi, to name a few.
http://www.nme.com/news/nirvana/66780
lol. Well, it can't be any worse than the song, I guess.
QuoteBig Bang Theory writer working on show named after Nirvana song
Sure it can.
CBS is everything that is wrong with network television.
...and yet, the mass populous continues to eat up practically everything they throw at us (and no doubt they will with this too, at least to start; they're going to market the shit out of the fact that it's coming from a former BBT writer). Shame.
I just think it's funny because you know people are gonna have a conniption over this. OMG, how dare they name this shitty show after the song of our generation! Dear Kurty would never approve of this!
Although it is strange that Courtney Love would allow this(idk, maybe she needs money for blow), or even Novoselic and Grohl.
Courtney Love has no problem whoring her late husband's music out. She let Moulin Rouge! have Teen Spirit for free, in hopes that she would get the lead role.
She only got a cameo, but Fox got to use the song without paying regardless.
And that's why the more off fans believe that little conspiracy theory.
QuoteIf I was Kurt Cobain I'd be pissed right now.
QuoteThe butchering of Nirvana's legacy lives on
See, told ya. Legacy, ha.
Well, it is an absolutely stupid idea for a show. But of course that's not the real issue here, sooooo... :humhumhum:
Quote from: Avaitor on October 23, 2012, 07:27:05 PM
QuoteBig Bang Theory writer working on show named after Nirvana song
Sure it can.
:zonk: :zonk:
Caught an episode of Two and a Half Men in passing tonight (my parents were watching it... don't ask).
So apparently, the kid is now away in the military (?!), and has essentially been written off the show (first Charlie, now this apparently). So basically, it all boils down to Jon Cryer starring as the punching bag, and Ashton Kutcher... just being there. That's it. That's the show now.
:drool:
Was just reading the shows Wiki article, and this made me laugh:
QuoteIn the ninth season premiere (after Charlie's death) the beach house is sold to Walden Schmidt (Ashton Kutcher), an Internet billionaire in the process of being divorced from his wife Bridget (Judy Greer). Alan leaves to live with his conceited mother Evelyn (Holland Taylor) when the house is sold, but Walden wholeheartedly invites both Alan and Jake back to live in the beach house, needing friends to help him deal with his marriage breakdown, therefore forming a tight-knit surrogate family. Meanwhile, Charlie's spirit now lives on in Hell in the form of a woman (Kathy Bates) as eternal punishment for his womanizing ways during his lifetime. He continues to watch over his brother and nephew, still disgruntled by the fact they won't leave his former home.
Haha wut.
She won an Emmy for that episode.
So in good sitcom news, Red Dwarf is running its tenth season in stride. Not superb, but makes for perfectly good dinner theatre.
2 Broke Girls is doing an episode featuring the Amish this week.
Ho boy.
How did this show even catch on? Not even the random horse living in their courtyard can make this work.
Hey, speaking of bad sitcoms, whatever happened to Whitney? Aren't they supposed to be dragging us through a second season at some point here?
Quote from: Kiddington on November 19, 2012, 10:39:23 PM
Hey, speaking of bad sitcoms, whatever happened to Whitney? Aren't they supposed to be dragging us through a second season at some point here?
It was supposed to air with Community on Fridays, but both were initially dropped from that scheduling when NBC decided to keep their repeats of Grimm on instead. Whitney should be on now though, since it's supposed to have replaced Animal Practice, and Community will take it's original 8 PM Thursday night slot when 30 Rock finishes in February.
Also, speaking of Community, on second thought, I'm really starting to lose interest in it. When I rewatch the show, it becomes obvious that Dan Harmon doesn't care about character at all, and would rather make pop culture and meta references than do anything to expand upon his lifeless characters. And even though Harmon's no longer on the show, from what McHale says, it sounds like we're getting more of the same this season.
It's still a better show than any of Chuck Lorre's or Whitney Cummings' (I saw the vagina bed bit from 2BG the other day- THIS is what the nation wants?), but I don't have much need for it anymore.
Quote from: Avaitor on November 20, 2012, 10:47:32 AM
Quote from: Kiddington on November 19, 2012, 10:39:23 PM
Hey, speaking of bad sitcoms, whatever happened to Whitney? Aren't they supposed to be dragging us through a second season at some point here?
Also, speaking of Community, on second thought, I'm really starting to lose interest in it. When I rewatch the show, it becomes obvious that Dan Harmon doesn't care about character at all, and would rather make pop culture and meta references than do anything to expand upon his lifeless characters. And even though Harmon's no longer on the show, from what McHale says, it sounds like we're getting more of the same this season.
Someone just Britta'd it.
Well speaking of Community, Chevy Chase just left it. There's only a couple of episodes left that they haven't shot, which they're going to do without him.
Meh, I personally think he should have left instead of Harmon in the first place. It's not like Pierce was the main or even breakout character- this wouldn't have been a Charlie Sheen-like deal.
Quote from: Avaitor on November 19, 2012, 12:54:43 PM
2 Broke Girls is doing an episode featuring the Amish this week.
Ho boy.
You know why this is offensive? Because I can guess every single joke before they're made, and not one of them will be funny or have a point.
Am I the only one tired of this kind of humor? It's been the same one note jokes for like a decade now.
The sad thing is, taking the high road for an episode about the Amish would require ripping off North.
And who the fuck would want to steal from that movie?
My mom and sister are watching 2 Broke Girls now, and just hearing some of it is making my IQ drop. Literally a 4th of the dialogue in an entire act consisted of nothing more than "SUCK IT!". Literally a 4th.
And yet this show does better than HIMYM and any of the NBC sitcoms.
We need a "rural purge" for these gross-out fests.
2013: The year they cancelled any show with a vagina bed
Or a show with a sarcastic and dry brunette lead.
I honestly have seen none of Whitney, so I can't speak for its quality, but from what I have seen of 2BG, my head aches from its popularity.
It's basically like Friends but with characters written like the ones in 2BG.
Let's focus on good sitcoms instead-
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F25.media.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_lcfbhbJ0a91qanqlto1_500.png&hash=d66ce7d2a58620ab5d23a2b2df397b72fd3aaa78)
Classic. I wish I could find more Bob Newhart stuff on tumblr though.
You know what show I never really cared for, even at the time? Sabrina The Teenage Witch.
None of the characters were good or even memorable (and Sabrina is such a terrible friend that she seems to have a new best friend every week), every week is essentially the same plot, and all of the attempts to remain relevant were strange. For instance, Sabrina must be the only teenager in the world who was a fan of the Smashing Pumpkins and N*SYNC. Then it left ABC and became Friends-lite, and it was a lost cause.
I dunno, I still like Boy Meets World and Step By Step (the latter to a lesser extent), and I still find Full House and Family Matters watchable even if for filler despite them not aging well. The other shows are decent background noise, but Sabrina? It never clicked for me at all.
And yes I basically just said I'd rather watch Full House than Sabrina. They both feel the same to me, but I guess dealing with boring characters is a lot easier than dealing with an obnoxious teenage lead for a main character.
Honestly, Sabrina was the only other TGIF show I can tolerate now, but it means nothing to me. I really liked Archie and Melissa Joan Hart as a kid, so I ended up liking the show back then, but I dunno, I don't feel interest or disdain from watching it now, like I would from BMW or Full House respectively.
I dunno, even at the time whenever the show came on TGIF at the time I sort of lost interest. Family Matters at least had Waldo to make me laugh, and Step By Step was a fun generic family sitcom, and BMW was...well, BMW, but Sabrina didn't have much of anything for me to connect with. It was just filler.
And I'm not even talking about the latter years.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F25.media.tumblr.com%2F3ade1131c0a52c14c043e28693d93002%2Ftumblr_mevsjqTAjJ1qc87cgo1_500.gif&hash=732ad1600def359dff576eb0bafdac191e51764c)
Can someone just take one of Julie Bowen's Emmys away from her and give them to her instead?
As I get prepared to rewatch seasons 5 and 6 of the show, I'm just reminded of how "Slap Bet" might just be one of the best episodes of any TV show ever made. It's the perfect introduction to the show if you're unfamiliar or haven't been impressed with what you've seen, either.
And I pray that you did not spoil yourself by finding out the twist ending before you see it. That ruins the fun.
What were your thoughts when you first saw the episode?
Finally looking at this Better Off Ted. Quirky.
I don't really watch sitcoms these days. The only ones I'd actually go back to watch are Cosby Show, Different World, Boy Meets World, Home Improvement, Living Single, Friends and bits of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
As much as I like Tyler Perry, and I respect the content and story he tries to get across in his shows and movies, but I prefer he'd stick with his plays.
lol... (http://io9.com/5973907/the-big-bang-theory-asks-the-preposterous-question-what-if-girls-went-into-a-comic-store?post=55914565)
Quote from: Avaitor on January 10, 2013, 07:29:55 PM
[urhttp://io9.com/5973907/the-big-bang-theory-asks-the-preposterous-question-what-if-girls-went-into-a-comic-store?post=55914565]lol...[/url]
I really wish Hollywood would drop this inane mindset that girls and women don't read comic books, aren't into sci-fi and fantasy and don't attend conventions, 'cause I know for a fact that isn't true. Shows like TBBT and
Conan are constantly making "Girls don't go anywhere near geek stuff and geeks are all pimply, nerdy guys who've never talked to a woman besides their moms" jokes, well last week I dropped my younger bro off as MAGfest and guess what? Half of the people in attendance were female.
Wow, I really can't post links right, can I?
I agree with you, though. My local comic book shop is constantly filled with women, I run into more girls with comic book, cartoon or video game shirts on then men, and tumblr is completely full of fangirls over fanboys. The notion that girl nerds are a rarity has been dwindling down for a while now.
But what do you expect from a Chuck Lorre show? He treats his sitcoms like they're still in the 80's.
Man, I can recall a few times where I've seen girls in both of the comics shops I go to. Hell, even the hobby shop I go to is owned by a lady who's pretty nice considering the shit she has to put up with.
I've been watching M*A*S*H lately, and I just finished up season 3, which means I got to see "Abyssinia, Henry".
Damn.
http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/bullying-people-who-donE28099t-like-right-tv-shows/
Shawn linked to this on tz. Has anyone ever been a victim?
No. To be honest, I didn't even know such a thing existed or what comedy bullying was until I saw Shawn's post. My initial thought was that you go to a club and a stand-up comedian dogs you the entire time they're on stage. After reading the post and watching that clip, I'd say it's nothing different from other fandoms. Silly people trying to convince everyone to love their favorite just so they can have more people to talk to. I'm likely to be one of the ones that'll get banned or slapped with a lawsuit if people ever thought about trying to come at me with that crap (I have to work on my "Woosah").
That's what I thought as well!
Comedy Bullying seems like a surrogate for elitism in any form of entertainment, with this one special example. It's not too different from xcore gamers attacking Nintendo fans or Pitchfork-fapping hipsters who don't comprehend why Led Zeppelin or Van Halen still have fans.
I don't watch a lot of current shows.
Back in the day, there were quite a few that I will still catch up with on the cable periodically, like Happy Days, M*A*S*H, or Get Smart. I still have yet to crack open my season 1 DVD of Barney Miller, but that was an all-time classic.
Fun fact-
While he was still alive, John Belushi told his bro that James should stick to drama. His skills are much better suited for more "serious" acting over comedy. Of course, we know how well Jim took that advice when we saw him on SNL a couple of years later.
I'm bringing this up because one of those talk shows just finished on TV (not sure which, tbh) and our syndicate shows According to Jim afterwords. Still awful.
That link reminded me of every day I was on TV.com. :srs:
Oh, yeah, while I waas waiting for Archer the other night, I left FX on for a couple of minutes while Charlie Sheen's new show was airing. In this one, Sheen and his father are fighting over which sect of Christianity they're trying to convert his daughter over, and the grandfather has her go to Catholicism because she's OCD and all of the "trinkets" in the Catholic church appeal to her.
Well, that's a new one. I... guess?
Starting next year, FX will be airing repeats of Mike & Molly, which means that yes, it's getting into that point in its run.
Expect it to hit your markets soon, too!
This and I learned they canceled America's Most Wanted.
Great.
You know what, I really can't stand Melissa McCarthy. She's just awful.
The other guy on this show (can't remember his name, he was in My Name is Earl a few times though) is a nobody, so I can't say too much about him, but McCarthy's quote unquote "appeal" is totally lost on me. How did she become a household name again? More importantly, why?
I think people are afraid to not like her, otherwise it seems like they hate fat women, even if they're just rude and unfunny. Same thing with Rebel Wilson. Now why on earth would anyone like Pitch Perfect? That's the question.
Also, while we're talking about Lorre, just about every show on CBS was picked up for renewal this week... except for Men. Okay, that's not the only show that wasn't picked up as of yet by them, but do you think they're going to let this dog lie?
Speaking of Wilson, they were in Bridesmaids together.
I refuse to watch that movie by the way.
That was actually good. The only time I liked McCarthy, in fact.
Not enough finales for sitcoms have a mother smother her baby to death to keep it from crying.
That sounds scary. :cry:
Yeah, I think M*A*S*H is the only one that can get away with that.
But damn, that was a dark turn.
Really though, "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" is a great finale. One of M*A*S*H's main problems in its later years is that the further the show moves away from traditional sitcom territory, it attempted to be more like a conventional drama and give most if not all of the cast something to do in each episode, but everything ends up feeling incredibly rushed as they only have a half hour to tell a story.
With 5 times the amount of time, everyone gets the chance to have their own well-plotted, developed goodbye arc. And while some of it doesn't work, the last few minutes were near perfection. Still, the show peaked pretty early in its run, I'd say during seasons 3 to 5, with the 4th as its best. This is when the show dropped its more hijinks-oriented gags and was able to tell straight jokes while keeping its serious edge. The next couple of years are fine, but I feel like they were starting to repeat themselves pretty early on The 8th was the last year I especially enjoyed.
In other news, I think this upcoming season of Two and a Half Men will really be its last.
It could survive losing Charlie Sheen. It could even survive losing the half of the show. But now it's being moved an hour after its current timeslot, which means it'll air an hour and a half after Big Bang Theory. Since the majority of people who still watch it at this point mainly stick around since it airs after that, there goes what was left of the show's future.
Edit: In terms of good sitcoms though, if there is one thing I like about season 2 of Party Down, it's Megan Mullally as Jane Lynch's replacement. Now, I liked Lynch too, but I like how Mullally plays the polar opposite of her character, and thus has a great reaction among most of the cast. She's definitely better than the woman who replaced Jane Lynch in the last 2 episodes of season 1.
Quote from: Avaitor on March 28, 2013, 11:42:56 PM
I think people are afraid to not like her, otherwise it seems like they hate fat women, even if they're just rude and unfunny.
I'm chuckling over how it sounds like you're saying all fat women are rude and unfunny :D (I know that's not what you meant)
Anyway, I just can't get into new sitcoms. Even if I get recommended some good ones, I feel like a sheep for trying to get into them.
Something tells me that you'd like Better Off Ted and Party Down if you gave them a chance. They're only 2 seasons each, and neither have more than 26 episodes, so it wouldn't take too much of your time if you tried to invest in them.
I might give them a try. ;) Thanks.
So now I'm watching The Larry Sanders Show.
How did Rip Torn only win the Emmy once?
Watching some of Rhoda again, I think that one of the reasons that the show just isn't as good as Mary, besides the various bits of sabotage the creators went through with it (this article is great, BTW (http://www.avclub.com/articles/how-the-producers-of-rhoda-killed-the-show-by-maki,96424/)) is that the audience is obnoxious as hell. At least in some of the episodes I've been watching, they've been treating only decent gags like they're the funniest things on earth. It's like Big Bang Theory level irritating.
But there is some strong writing and the cast is great. I just don't think I can get into it on the level of MTM.
Also, I can't hear Brenda talk without imagining she's trying a new voice for Marge. I'm never going to take her for any other role.
I started watching That 70s Show on Netflix again. Damn, this show still manages to crack me up. It really is great.
Shame about the last couple seasons. So many shark jumping moments... Donna going blonde, Hyde being half black for no reason, Kelso becoming a dad, Jackie and Fez hooking up...
Randy... :whuh:
But there's no denying that those first five seasons are excellent.
In my head canon, Donna never went blonde. The second that moment occurs, the series goes straight to shit, and everything after that is just awful.
But yes, I love That 70s Show's first few seasons.
To be fair, Laura Prepon is pretty hot as a blonde.
And with black hair. Seriously, Orange needs more love on here.
I prefer it red. ;)
Quote from: Eddy on September 05, 2013, 12:58:16 AMI started watching That 70s Show on Netflix again. Damn, this show still manages to crack me up. It really is great.
Agreed.
I don't know why some people really do turn up their noses at it, it's extremely fun and clever. Probably ages better than
Scrubs as well.
The one thing that really keeps me from watching T7S again, besides how much I overplayed it in middle school through sophomore year, is Fez.
Yeah, Fez became the low point of the show when he became aware of his own character, if you know what I mean. Once he started using his own characteristic traits as excuses for the shit he does, like, actually acknowledging them out loud, he got really annoying.
My favorite character was always Eric. Everyone had their funny moments (especially, surprisingly, his bratty sister) but Eric had actual energy in his dryness.
I obviously have to re-watch the show sometime, I barely remember Fez.
I always had a soft spot for Laurie myself. Not so much when they replaced her actress and she was married to Fez, but during her original time on the show she had some great lines.
Oh, apparently the original Laurie died recently, too. That's a shame, but it seems like she was having drug issues for a while.
I completely forgot about how they replaced Laurie's actress. Of course, I forget a lot about the last couple seasons.
All the characters have their moments but I think I'd have to say my favorite character is Red.
Oh yeah, he's top 3, easily. Eric's whole family is hilarious.
Yeah, Forman's all the way for me.
Just bought the complete series sets of That 70's Show and Roseanne for $32 each on Amazon. I'm amazed at how cheap the sets were.
edit: holy shit, Married With Children complete series set at $26 as well. Too bad the Home Improvement set is $200...
Yeah, FYE has the Roseanne set on sale for like $30 this week. I'm not even a big fan, but if I had the money, I'd definitely consider hitting that up.
Quote from: Comeau on September 07, 2013, 01:30:23 PM
Just bought the complete series sets of That 70's Show and Roseanne for $32 each on Amazon. I'm amazed at how cheap the sets were.
edit: holy shit, Married With Children complete series set at $26 as well.
Holy smokes! Those are real bargains! If I had the dough, and the time, I would totally get those!
And I second that Eric's family was hilarious. Red and Kitty made the show for me more often than not.
Oh, I was at FYE today, and I was wrong. They're $25 there.
Still too rich for my blood now (especially since I owned a bunch of T7S sets until I pawned them off), but totally awesome.
Imma try the ranking game for Parks and Community.
Parks and Recreation
Season 1
5/10
Now to be fair, it's only 6 episodes long, and there are some good moments there, but the first season is considered watching only out of necessity for a reason. The writers tried a little too hard to make the show emulate The Office's success by making P&R a little too similar to it, with Leslie being too much of a dead ringer for Michael Scott in particular. There's definitely potential here, but I hope that newcomers don't bail after only a couple of episodes.
Season 2
8/10
A step up in about every conceivable way, but there's still signs of season 1's problems there. Thankfully the jokes at the expense of Tom's skin don't make it to the next season, as they were never funny to begin with. The show also tended to struggle with Mark and Ann's relationship, but that does make sense. Combining a stick in the mud with another stick just makes for a bore. But we get some more of Ron, April and Andy saving the day, as well as a taste of a couple of additions who will help to make the show what it is, and it's also a plus to let Donna and Jerry have their time to shine as well. Leslie also gets the boost she needs, as Amy Poehler decides which version of her she needed to pull off- the hopeful kind.
Season 3
10/10
And everything just seems to click all at once. Ben and Chris make for GREAT additions, giving the already splendid cast more great actors to play off with. Leslie and Ann's friendship also becomes increasingly more palpable, finally giving one of the show's trickiest characters to write for something worthwhile to do. The only problem is that it's so short, but there isn't a stinker in the bunch.
Season 4
9/10
The writing's about as good as ever, but what makes me refrain from giving this season a perfect score is that the election storyarc shows a sampling of one of the show's biggest problems now- it gets too silly for its own good. There are some very unbelievably stupid or twisted characters that Leslie has to deal with on her way to the top, Bobby Newport and Jamm in particular. We don't see too much of the former after he loses, but the latter won't become very useful no matter how often he shows up. I do give the staff credit for realizing that a little bit of Jean-Ralphio goes a long way, however. Everything else, from whatever Ron says to Ben's growing appreciation of Pawnee, is still gold.
Season 5
8/10
Still quite solid, but the show is starting to have its weakness show, with the problems I mentioned in the previous season, among other issues. Like Ann's relationship with Tom, which went nowhere, and shows just how much of a challenge it is for the writers to deal with her. There's still some great character bits, April in particular growing in a good way, but I think the show has peaked already, which is very sad. Many were calling this The Office done right, but it wouldn't be unfair to say that the staff is making some of the same mistakes again.
Community
Season 1
7/10
A bit of a low score, since the show deals with the same bit of roughness that many first seasons do, but to be fair, it redeems itself fast when Harmon began to realize that Jeff's running of the group isn't as fun of a premise as it should be, and decided on what route to take the show- a full-on attack of most anything in modern culture. The awkardness is still too apparent in the earlier episodes, but when it gets good, there's no going back. Especially with that lovely finale.
Season 2
9/10
Not a perfect ten? Well, the stop-motion episode was kind of disappointing, while some eps that blew me away at first left me a little flat in repeats ("Mixology 101"). But Harmon got it down HARD, and made this the reconstruction and rebuild of the sitcom in the course of a season. It just needs to be seen to be believed.
Season 3
8/10
A weak batch of beginning episodes and a so-so finale are what mars an otherwise great follow-up season, with some of the show's best episodes. I never intentionally rewatched an episode of a show as fast as I did when "Remedial Chaos Theory" first came out.
Season 4
4/10
Well, it's not all bad. The show is still able to pull of dramatic moments, and any joke at Britta's expense still works. But yeah... the show lost a lot of its charm and love here. I think it can regain itself this coming season, so I'm hopeful.
I agree with your Parks rankings, but personally, for me both seasons two and three of Community are perfect 10's. I dunno, I just didn't not love a single episode within those two seasons, but I suppose they could have been even better than they were. Agree with seasons 1 and 4 of Community, though. I hope season 5 will be a lot better...
I think the only thing I really don't like about Community's second season was what a fucking villain Pierce became. I preferred him more as just a bumbling old fool with good intentions and ego problems. Though the one where he's in the hospital manipulating them all is still great, if only for Jeff's threatening speech to him, complete with bleeping. :lol:
True, I don't like how vindictive Pierce suddenly became. I also feel like they stopped running out of good ideas for Chang after the first season, but that's just me.
I thought Chang was at his absolute best in season 3, myself.
oh, I really didn't care for his arc at the end of the season. That's what made me drop a point off of season 3, actually.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F24.media.tumblr.com%2Fd6914ca75087a154b67756fd08e741e1%2Ftumblr_mvdxv11FcR1qe9t4zo1_500.jpg&hash=ccdbde3e88859b9d994b232faf7ebda5c4b497a9)
And the award for best costume goes to...
Whoa! (http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Newhart-Season-2/19148)
From what I've seen, the show gets better as it gets along and lets the residents take over the asylum. I hope it sells some more.
You guys were talking about Mill Creek in another thread, but I just wanted to point out that they are releasing Married With Children sets next year that has the opening theme intact.
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Married-Children-Seasons-1-and-2/19163
The first 2 seasons actually had the original theme in. They didn't replace it with the generic music until season 3, but yeah, this is cool anyway.
So right now on my three main shows currently airing new episodes, which each happen to be comedies, we have
-Sunny, which ended one of its better seasons last week. The show tends to get a little too reference-heavy in recent seasons, which doesn't always work for it, but the only time that was really a problem this season was oddly enough, the finale, which was the weakest link in an otherwise fun season full of great concepts. The episode written by the Game of Thrones showrunners in which Charlie "becomes smart" is a particular highlight, as is the one where the gang gets stuck in a convenience store during a robbing.
-HIMYM, which had a GREAT start that helped to give us an idea of what the mother's like and how she fits in with the group and, more importantly, Ted. There's been some great moments afterwords, but a surprising lack of development when there's a need to, as well as a severe lack of Marshall and the degeneration of the character of Barney's brother, but the past 2 episodes seemed to make up for that with incredible sequences all around that made up for great wholes. If we get more episodes like this, the show is going to have a classic final season.
-And Parks, which like HIMYM, had me with the premiere, but kind of lost me with the following episodes. Until we got last night's episodes, which returned Andy, albeit briefly, and more importantly, had Leslie lose for once. That loss in particular helped to shape things up for a potentially strong storyline this season. Let's hope it delivers!
Not bad, TV.
RIP James Avery
:cry:
RIP Uncle Phil/Shredder
R.I.P.
I was just watching a Fresh Prince episode yesterday and admiring how talented he was.
R.I.P. Actually watching an episode right now on ABC Family(my God Will, what is up with that shirt?). The joys of having a late night watch with a TV in the room.
R.I.P. :'(
Quote from: Comeau on January 02, 2014, 12:24:40 AM
R.I.P. Actually watching an episode right now on ABC Family(my God Will, what is up with that shirt?). The joys of having a late night watch with a TV in the room.
You could say that about anything he wore on that show. :D
But yeah, I pulled out an episode from one of my DVDs (I never spent too much on them- GoodWill had the first 2 seasons for under $5 years ago and apart). Fresh Prince wasn't the most groundbreaking or intelligent comedy out there, at the time or in general, but as 90's family sitcoms go, I think it holds up well enough, and Avery was perfect as Uncle Phil. I still say that it surpassed the Cosby Show in no time.
Thanks to the AV Club, I'm compelled to make a top episode list of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
1- (tie) The Lars Affair/Chuckles Bites the Dust
2- Put on a Happy Face
3- Rhoda's Sister Gets Married
4- The Dinner Party
5- Ted Baxter's Famous Broadcasters' School
6- Rhoda the Beautiful
7- Ted's Change of Heart
8- Murray Takes a Stand
9- The Seminar
10- (tie) Support Your Local Mother/The Lou and Edie Story
There's just so many good episodes to choose from for here.
Quote from: Avaitor on January 08, 2014, 11:24:22 PM
Thanks to the AV Club, I'm compelled to make a top episode list of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
1- (tie) The Lars Affair/Chuckles Bites the Dust
2- Put on a Happy Face
3- Rhoda's Sister Gets Married
4- The Dinner Party
5- Ted Baxter's Famous Broadcasters' School
6- Rhoda the Beautiful
7- Ted's Change of Heart
8- Murray Takes a Stand
9- The Seminar
10- (tie) Support Your Local Mother/The Lou and Edie Story
There's just so many good episodes to choose from for here.
That's a blast from the past. I haven't seen that show for years on end. There's a lot I forget about it but I remember Ed Asner's character (Lou) getting some funny lines in. I'll use your list if I decide to look this show up again.
Just like All In The Family, this seemed to be one of those must-see sitcoms of the 70s.
Actually, I just found this list (http://www.vulture.com/2013/08/best-mary-tyler-moore-show-episodes-chuckles-free.html) from the author of the MTM book I just read. This one is based off of impact more than direct quality, but there's still some good choices, including crossover with my personal choices, and YouTube links to the eps in question.
Quote from: Comeau on November 10, 2013, 12:58:41 PM
You guys were talking about Mill Creek in another thread, but I just wanted to point out that they are releasing Married With Children sets next year that has the opening theme intact.
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Married-Children-Seasons-1-and-2/19163
Not only will the next set keep the original theme in, but they're going to keep in unedited episodes (http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Married-Children-Seasons-3-and-4/19507) as well, unlike the last time season 4 was released.
That 70s Show is on TV Land now. Wow.
Eh, so is (was?) Curb. That's not too surprising.
Curb really doesn't belong on cable. Watching it edited is a surreal (and frankly kinda boring) experience.
Beloved what?
Here's a theory- HIMYM is a bizarro-world Cheers.
Think about it. The first couple of seasons of both shows have similar designs- at first, it introduces these characters, a man who has been a part of a circle for a little while, and a woman who is just now entering this circle, and takes it from there. A lot of the first season of both suggests that one or the other would like to try a relationship, but something always happens to prevent this until the end, where they hook up. The second season of both then spends the year showing how they do and don't work as a couple, until a depressing end. Things... trail off after that, but generally the next part of the show for both has hints of there still being a spark, and the odd reconciliation, until around season 5, where things definitely change for both.
Until the finale, and we all know what happened to HIMYM's. But Cheers was one of the HIMYM showrunner's biggest influences, yet it's fascinating to see how drastically different they both end up.
The Cheers theme might be the only sitcom theme in the world that everyone in the room will start singing when the first notes are hummed.
And I'm perfectly okay with that.
Y'no, I have to ask, would it be fair to call MWC one of the most underrated show of all time?
It never shows up on most greatest lists, despite being as strong as it is, and there isn't a better lead actor in a sitcom than Ed O'Neill as Al, and he wasn't even nominated for an Emmy. The show still has its fans, but I do think that it deserves better.
11 seasons, 4 remakes, half of the cast still getting TV roles even to this day, and an 8.2 on IMDB don't make an underrated show.
Quote from: Avaitor on June 14, 2014, 03:35:32 PM
Y'no, I have to ask, would it be fair to call MWC one of the most underrated show of all time?
It never shows up on most greatest lists, despite being as strong as it is, and there isn't a better lead actor in a sitcom than Ed O'Neill as Al, and he wasn't even nominated for an Emmy. The show still has its fans, but I do think that it deserves better.
I think it does when some people pass it off as simply "stupid", but that's the whole point. As far as live action cartoons go, I don't think there are many better.
But if that's not what you want from a sitcom, you might simply not fit the appeal it has.
I guess. I just wish that I heard it discussed more than it does, since it's honestly a better comedy than some of the greats. Definitely not for everyone, but fuck, nothing is for everyone.
A list of the music they couldn't clear for The Wonder Years release (http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Wonder-Years-The-Complete-Series/20182)
Time Life did a good job overall.
This is becoming a great year for TV shows coming to DVD. (http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Better-Ted-Season-2/20252)
In terms of sitcoms with a studio audience or a laugh track, my top five:
-I Love Lucy
-Seinfeld
-3rd Rock from the Sun
-Red Green (though this is more of a sketch show than a sitcom, it still has "plotlines" in-between the sketches)
-Everybody Loves Raymond
Take out laugh tracks/audiences and we're looking at a much different list, obviously.
Not a sitcom, but that reminds me that it's kind of awkward to me that Key & Peele does not have a laugh track/studio audience.
Look at this music list! (http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/WKRP-Cincinnati-The-Complete-Series/20286)They're going all out here.
Now that I've seen Seinfeld all of the way through, I think it's time to do a full series rank for it.
Season 1- 5/10
This isn't really the show as we know it. Well, it is in a superficial form, but it's clear how Jerry and Larry don't have much of any idea what they're doing. The character beats don't feel right for the main four, and Jerry's parents aside (Morty doesn't even have his right actor, though!), none of the recurrings that we all love are present. It may not be too fair to rank this, since it's such a short run, but the series can do so much better.
And the pilot is just so weird. Not only is the lack of Elaine jarring, but it doesn't feel right. At all. George shouldn't be the one giving Jerry advice, just as Kramer (oh, I'm sorry- Kessler) isn't timed well here. Jerry's apartment looks uninvitingly grim, which puts all of the scenes there off. Meanwhile, the diner that substituted Monks doesn't look right- too much neon that dates this to the 80's, which keeps the pilot even more foreign. It's a fascinating time warp to before the show was ironed out, but doesn't work as anything more than a quick curio.
Season 2- 9/10
Like this! Easily one of the biggest jumps forward in quality between seasons. Not every episode is a winner, and there are still some things that feel off, but Jerry and Larry really were starting to find the show's voice here. Also getting Larry Charles onto the staff certainly helped. I also have to say that even without Kramer, "The Chinese Restaurant" might be the show's finest episode.
Season 3- 9/10
Truthfully, I think the first few episodes is mostly meh. "The Note" is especially dated with its questionable homoerotic politics. And there are some other less-than-stellar episodes later, like "The Boyfriend" which comes off as padded with an overlong, dated JFK parody. But there are about as many strong to downright classic episodes to fill up the second season, and it does really feel like the character patterns are almost entirely down. Newman is also a welcome addition here, being given some great stuff to break the group's dynamic.
Season 4- 10/10
This is when it became THE show, basically. The only flaw in the main storyline is the fact that Jerry would trust George enough to be his show's producer, but I don't think he cared enough about it in the first place. But thankfully, everything else about it works, and helps to fit into the show's core. And the episodes that don't contribute to the story are also great, to the point that I can't recall any duds. Granted, I've never been a big fan of "The Contest", but I do give it credit for introducing Estelle, who was certainly a welcome addition. Along with Frank, even if his original actor couldn't compare to Jerry Stiller. Quite possibly the best season.
Season 5- 10/10
Although this season is just about as good. While I initially didn't think there was as much to this year as the previous, David Sim's reviews did make me consider that there is an overall arc to the season- this is the fall, then rise, of George. As the Costanzas become more integrated into the show, it becomes increasingly apparent how George ended up the way he is, as he also consistently commit deprived acts, before a sudden victory in the excellent season finale, which introduced the world to Larry David's iconic Steinbrenner impression. And there really is some great stuff throughout. Besides the world of the Costanzas, Kramer has some of his best wacky plots here, as Jerry and Elaine also have some great material all year long. Clearly the show needed the back half to cement its icon status, but if it ended here, I would have been happy.
Season 6- 7/10
I have to admit, this is when the series started to fall for me. Andy Ackerman definitely has some talent and tight shot placements, but I felt that Tom Cherones was a much better director for the show, and had a clearer idea of what fit for it. I also miss Larry Charles, as even though there were some great writers to appear at this point and later, the show did miss a bit of his twisted grounded basis when he left. There are some great full episodes, and plenty of enjoyable plots, but there are one too many eps where one or more story just doesn't work. And I just don't think that Mr. Pitt was a great boss for Elaine to deal with, while it took some time for George to get worthwhile material for his time with the Yankees.
I like Bania though. At least in the small doses we got him. A little bit of Bania goes a long way. A long way, Jerry!
Season 7- 8/10
I do think this was a step up from the previous season, a fitting end for Larry David's run. George's engagement to Susan doesn't pay off in every episode, but it definitely builds up to some great moments, primarily a hilariously dark coda for her. At least George started to get some stronger material from the Yankees, as did Steinbrenner. And I always felt that J. Peterman was a better boss for Elaine, as he also proved himself to have an interesting bond with the rest of the gang that I wish was explored more. But if there is a problem, I guess it's that I don't remember too many of Jerry or Kramer's plots, aside from "The Bottle Deposit", which I feel conflicted on, as I do many of the two-parters. But for George and Elaine, this year had some strong stuff.
Season 8- 7/10
The first year without Larry David was... okay. On the one hand, I didn't mind losing Jerry's stand-up introductions, as he had to retire them to focus on running the show full-time, and because he just isn't that great of a comedian. But the teasers never really did work all that well either, which makes for a tough balance. I also feel that George lost the plot here a little, as the beginning stories of his time being a part of Susan's foundation is forgotten fast, and the few Yankee plots he has aren't all that great, with even David realizing how so-so they are when he returns for the voice. The show's constant descent into wackiness becomes increasingly apparent here, with some of the sillier plots working, but a disappointing amount not. Although I do think that it was a good call to have Elaine run the company while Peterman was away, as it did result into some good stuff for her. Most of all, her dance moves.
Apparently, JLD can actually dance, though.
Season 9- 7/10
I think the show picked the right time to end here. It would have been pointless to keep David away from the writer's room for most of a season to only come back at the end, but if it ran for any longer, the cracks would really start to show. Jerry's a talented writer himself, but it does ultimately become clear that he wasn't meant to be a sole show runner. More stories are coming off as hackish (there's one point where Jerry and Kramer, in tuxes, are digging up a bird's burial at a pet cemetery. Seriously, that's some Farrelly brothers shit right there, and not even good Farrelly stuff), but I give the season credit for finding more usage for Puddy. He really is a fun character, and Patrick Warburton adds a great relaxed dynamic to keep the show surprisingly fresh at this point. It clashes with the gang's more exaggerated neurotic personalities, but it becomes apparent that he's just as demented as the others. It probably always was when he was first on the show, but his most memorable stuff comes from this season.
As for the finale, well, I think if anything, it has the opposite problem of HIMYM- a good idea that is executed well, but many of the jokes don't work. The first half is almost a dead space, with few of the gags landing, but I really do think the idea is fascinating, and I agree with David that a happy goodbye from the show wouldn't have worked. Maybe if it was less of a greatest hits compilation (we already had "The Chronicle" for that just before!) and delved more into the psyche of these four characters, it would have left a better reaction on people. Because often times, it did come off as tired. But despite its problems, I do think this was a unique and at times fun, closer.
Overall, I think the show is definitely great, even if it isn't a personal favorite. Each season, aside from the first, has episodes that I can come back to again and again, and while I think the first half was the best by a fairly wide margin, I did enjoy seeing the show's progression in order. Maybe I'll do it again some day, but I might skip the pilot.
My favorite episode is The Serenity Now. So many things come to a head in that episode, and just about every line makes me laugh.
Good job, I have to say I liked Seinfeld much more when I was a teenager. Now I only really like to watch certain episodes from about every season. It's certainly dated better than Friends, though.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on December 03, 2014, 10:28:14 PM
My favorite episode is The Serenity Now. So many things come to a head in that episode, and just about every line makes me laugh.
Definitely a favorite from the last season! But if you couldn't tell, I love much of the Costanza's material, and this was quite heavy on Frank. ;)
TV Land is airing Fresh Prince again, and also has HIMYM now.
Well, the less Friends and Full House, the better.
i am loving the hell out of more fresh prince.
Quote from: Avaitor on December 03, 2014, 09:48:05 PM
Now that I've seen Seinfeld all of the way through, I think it's time to do a full series rank for it.
Season 1- 5/10
This isn't really the show as we know it. Well, it is in a superficial form, but it's clear how Jerry and Larry don't have much of any idea what they're doing. The character beats don't feel right for the main four, and Jerry's parents aside (Morty doesn't even have his right actor, though!), none of the recurrings that we all love are present. It may not be too fair to rank this, since it's such a short run, but the series can do so much better.
And the pilot is just so weird. Not only is the lack of Elaine jarring, but it doesn't feel right. At all. George shouldn't be the one giving Jerry advice, just as Kramer (oh, I'm sorry- Kessler) isn't timed well here. Jerry's apartment looks uninvitingly grim, which puts all of the scenes there off. Meanwhile, the diner that substituted Monks doesn't look right- too much neon that dates this to the 80's, which keeps the pilot even more foreign. It's a fascinating time warp to before the show was ironed out, but doesn't work as anything more than a quick curio.
Season 2- 9/10
Like this! Easily one of the biggest jumps forward in quality between seasons. Not every episode is a winner, and there are still some things that feel off, but Jerry and Larry really were starting to find the show's voice here. Also getting Larry Charles onto the staff certainly helped. I also have to say that even without Kramer, "The Chinese Restaurant" might be the show's finest episode.
Season 3- 9/10
Truthfully, I think the first few episodes is mostly meh. "The Note" is especially dated with its questionable homoerotic politics. And there are some other less-than-stellar episodes later, like "The Boyfriend" which comes off as padded with an overlong, dated JFK parody. But there are about as many strong to downright classic episodes to fill up the second season, and it does really feel like the character patterns are almost entirely down. Newman is also a welcome addition here, being given some great stuff to break the group's dynamic.
Season 4- 10/10
This is when it became THE show, basically. The only flaw in the main storyline is the fact that Jerry would trust George enough to be his show's producer, but I don't think he cared enough about it in the first place. But thankfully, everything else about it works, and helps to fit into the show's core. And the episodes that don't contribute to the story are also great, to the point that I can't recall any duds. Granted, I've never been a big fan of "The Contest", but I do give it credit for introducing Estelle, who was certainly a welcome addition. Along with Frank, even if his original actor couldn't compare to Jerry Stiller. Quite possibly the best season.
Season 5- 10/10
Although this season is just about as good. While I initially didn't think there was as much to this year as the previous, David Sim's reviews did make me consider that there is an overall arc to the season- this is the fall, then rise, of George. As the Costanzas become more integrated into the show, it becomes increasingly apparent how George ended up the way he is, as he also consistently commit deprived acts, before a sudden victory in the excellent season finale, which introduced the world to Larry David's iconic Steinbrenner impression. And there really is some great stuff throughout. Besides the world of the Costanzas, Kramer has some of his best wacky plots here, as Jerry and Elaine also have some great material all year long. Clearly the show needed the back half to cement its icon status, but if it ended here, I would have been happy.
Season 6- 7/10
I have to admit, this is when the series started to fall for me. Andy Ackerman definitely has some talent and tight shot placements, but I felt that Tom Cherones was a much better director for the show, and had a clearer idea of what fit for it. I also miss Larry Charles, as even though there were some great writers to appear at this point and later, the show did miss a bit of his twisted grounded basis when he left. There are some great full episodes, and plenty of enjoyable plots, but there are one too many eps where one or more story just doesn't work. And I just don't think that Mr. Pitt was a great boss for Elaine to deal with, while it took some time for George to get worthwhile material for his time with the Yankees.
I like Bania though. At least in the small doses we got him. A little bit of Bania goes a long way. A long way, Jerry!
Season 7- 8/10
I do think this was a step up from the previous season, a fitting end for Larry David's run. George's engagement to Susan doesn't pay off in every episode, but it definitely builds up to some great moments, primarily a hilariously dark coda for her. At least George started to get some stronger material from the Yankees, as did Steinbrenner. And I always felt that J. Peterman was a better boss for Elaine, as he also proved himself to have an interesting bond with the rest of the gang that I wish was explored more. But if there is a problem, I guess it's that I don't remember too many of Jerry or Kramer's plots, aside from "The Bottle Deposit", which I feel conflicted on, as I do many of the two-parters. But for George and Elaine, this year had some strong stuff.
Season 8- 7/10
The first year without Larry David was... okay. On the one hand, I didn't mind losing Jerry's stand-up introductions, as he had to retire them to focus on running the show full-time, and because he just isn't that great of a comedian. But the teasers never really did work all that well either, which makes for a tough balance. I also feel that George lost the plot here a little, as the beginning stories of his time being a part of Susan's foundation is forgotten fast, and the few Yankee plots he has aren't all that great, with even David realizing how so-so they are when he returns for the voice. The show's constant descent into wackiness becomes increasingly apparent here, with some of the sillier plots working, but a disappointing amount not. Although I do think that it was a good call to have Elaine run the company while Peterman was away, as it did result into some good stuff for her. Most of all, her dance moves.
Apparently, JLD can actually dance, though.
Season 9- 7/10
I think the show picked the right time to end here. It would have been pointless to keep David away from the writer's room for most of a season to only come back at the end, but if it ran for any longer, the cracks would really start to show. Jerry's a talented writer himself, but it does ultimately become clear that he wasn't meant to be a sole show runner. More stories are coming off as hackish (there's one point where Jerry and Kramer, in tuxes, are digging up a bird's burial at a pet cemetery. Seriously, that's some Farrelly brothers shit right there, and not even good Farrelly stuff), but I give the season credit for finding more usage for Puddy. He really is a fun character, and Patrick Warburton adds a great relaxed dynamic to keep the show surprisingly fresh at this point. It clashes with the gang's more exaggerated neurotic personalities, but it becomes apparent that he's just as demented as the others. It probably always was when he was first on the show, but his most memorable stuff comes from this season.
As for the finale, well, I think if anything, it has the opposite problem of HIMYM- a good idea that is executed well, but many of the jokes don't work. The first half is almost a dead space, with few of the gags landing, but I really do think the idea is fascinating, and I agree with David that a happy goodbye from the show wouldn't have worked. Maybe if it was less of a greatest hits compilation (we already had "The Chronicle" for that just before!) and delved more into the psyche of these four characters, it would have left a better reaction on people. Because often times, it did come off as tired. But despite its problems, I do think this was a unique and at times fun, closer.
Overall, I think the show is definitely great, even if it isn't a personal favorite. Each season, aside from the first, has episodes that I can come back to again and again, and while I think the first half was the best by a fairly wide margin, I did enjoy seeing the show's progression in order. Maybe I'll do it again some day, but I might skip the pilot.
Season 1 (that is, the pilot and the first four episodes) isn't that great but I do like bits of "The Robbery" and "The Stock Tip". Season 2 was definitely stronger, though.
I like "The Boyfriend" myself, and consider it one of the best two-parters. George fabricating active job searching to keep his unemployment going is classic George.
Season 4 had the best story arc.
Seasons 8 and 9 really gel with my sense of humor. I know they're far removed from the more "realistic" earlier seasons but they still make me laugh pretty hard.
Besides "The Serenity Now", I absolutely love "The Bookstore".
I've been watching Everybody Loves Raymond on Nick At Nite. I actually think this show gets better with age.
The show gets a lot of unfair flack for two reasons, 1) the Debra hatedom which claims she's constantly bitchy (which is not true), and 2) that it kickstarted (or revitalized, depending on your point of view) the "ugly/fat/boorish/lazy guy/hot wife" series of sitcoms. So people like to assign a scapegoat.
But I agree, it's still a very funny show and has one of the most memorable sitcom casts in television.
It makes a lot more sense to me as I get older. A lot of the character relationships and jokes make me enjoy it on another level.
Truly, I do think it deserves its spot as one of the best sitcoms.
Raymond's overplayed to me thanks to my grandfather, but damn if it isn't funny. The Barones are so fascinating, and perfectly cast.
^ I think like anything, you can get sick of a show, no matter how good it is. It happened to me with Seinfeld for a time, since I had syndicated reruns on every day. Eventually I just had to stop, take a break for a year or two, and come back fresh.
My grandmother's show was The Golden Girls. It took me a long time before I could enjoy it for what it is, but now I really like it.
Yeah, I've done the same thing to That 70's Show. I should probably get back to it at some point, but I'll probably have to skip over all of Fez's scenes.
With Parks over, I think I'll try to rank the last generation of NBC comedies.
Scrubs
Community
Parks and Recreation
30 Rock
The Office
Most people try to say that it started with The Office, but fuck you, it started with Scrubs.
John Lithgow was so good on 3rd Rock. The show was so over the top ridiculous, yet the four main characters always make it work.
Quote from: Avaitor on March 02, 2015, 05:08:23 PM
With Parks over, I think I'll try to rank the last generation of NBC comedies.
Scrubs
Community
Parks and Recreation
30 Rock
The Office
Most people try to say that it started with The Office, but fuck you, it started with Scrubs.
To expand-
Scrubs definitely has its problems (transphobia. Is. Not. Funny.), but I still admire the show's ability to combine comedy and drama tastefully. Lesser series couldn't deal with death shortly before or after seeing one of the main characters have their hand stuck in a vending machine, and not ruin the atmosphere, but Scrubs gets it. JD does get annoying, but whatever, Dr. Cox and Jordan are enough to balance that out.
Community has definitely peaked, even to the point that I'd say season 3 wasn't perfect. Then again, I don't think they'll ever find the right thing to do with Chang, and his arc at the end of the season was just tedious. But those first 3 seasons have some fantastic playing with tropes, while the show still reaches greatness today, despite too much of the cast being gone. I do think the show should end with season 6, but I eagerly anticipate the movie.
Here's a switch- I'm moving 30 Rock up a space. The show isn't always racially sensitive, which hurts it in the long run, but the cast is insanely talented when Fey's entitlement doesn't get in the way. It also easily has the best last season of any of these shows, which had a great way to make up for a couple of seasons of mediocrity.
Parks and Rec... honestly, I've lost interest in, because the show is just too damn nice for me. I just can't deal with a lack of edge in my comedy anymore, which is also why I dropped Bob's Burgers. It doesn't help that the finale was just tedious wish fulfillment to my eyes. But I do still really like Ron, April, and Ben when he isn't attached to Leslie.
And for the life of me, I just can't get into The Office. None of the characters do anything for me, and the jokes are just too familiar to me now. I also find Jim and Pam to be the most boring couple ever, but good on ya to those who like the show.
The Office is definitely not for everyone. It has a tendency to be way too deadpan for its own good, Michael is abhorrently unlikable at times (though as we seen from Carell's two post-departure seasons, pretty much necessary to steer the ship), and at this point I'd argue that, really, Seasons 2 and 3 were the only truly "great" seasons, with the cracks already beginning to show by the 4th.
It's still a good show though, at least the early stuff anyway. I liked it a lot more 5 years ago than I do now, but it definitely hasn't aged as poorly to me as some things. I still think Jim and Pam have a cute dynamic early-on, and it's best strength still comes from some of the secondary cast that aren't the spotlight players, but can come in at any moments notice and lighten things up (like Creed and Stanley). It's far from perfect, and frankly to me it went off the rails a lot faster than people care to take notice (Season 4 was fine but was very clearly starting to lose steam, and by the time Season 5 rolled around the classic-to-clunker ratio was heavily skewed towards clunker), but I'd still rather watch this over 30 Rock or Scrubs.
Speaking of Scrubs.....now there's a show I could never get into. Admittedly it's been years though, and I've actually flirted with the idea of giving it another shot, just to see if maybe if it works for me a bit more now.
Fresh Prince is getting rebooted. (http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/fresh-prince-of-bel-air-reboot-will-smith-reportedly-producing-2015138)
Only interested if Carlton is the new Uncle Phil character.
A lot of people want Jayden to be Will, but I think that he would make more sense as Carlton.
But yeah, this and Fuller House shows the impact that Girl Meets World has left. For better or for worse.
It really depends if they're any good. I would naturally prefer original family sitcoms, but they've been so awful since Raymond ended that I'm willing to settle with ideas like this as long as it's as funny as the original is. So far GMW proved it can be done, so I'd hope for the same here.
But Fuller House was just a brilliant idea from an exec standpoint. Full House has not been off the air in near 30 years. Making a sequel show is easy money, so I can't blame them for that.
Rewatching Parks and Rec is an interesting experience. This is probably the first time I've seen any of Season 1 in about 5 years, and while I don't think it's as bad as people make it out to be, some of it (especially Leslie and Andy, and their early personality traits) is extremely jarring in comparison to how it all ultimately turned out. This is even more out in left field than the first season of The Office.
Also, I still think it's kinda weird how quickly Mark Brendanawicz was totally and forever erased from the series universe after Season 2, never again being even mentioned in a passing joke or reference. I know the actor didn't have any interest in coming back (and he was a boring character anyway), but for someone that did have a pretty central role in the series early groundwork, that's still a bit unusual to me.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on August 14, 2015, 03:03:47 PM
Only interested if Carlton is the new Uncle Phil character.
I'm so fuckign late, but yeah.
https://twitter.com/Zellyanks/status/1711499681656697080
Is this going to be another Comedians Getting Coffee/Superbowl skit or something more substantive?
Also, I guess the new Frasier has started, and it's not sounding very good. It's a weird idea to send him back to Boston and all but ignore his history there, and even weirder to do the show without Niles, most people's favorite character. I doubt I'll get to it.
Watching the Frasier premiere right now, and it feels like seeing a revival of a TV show where most of the cast died and were replaced with last-minute doppelgangers. There's a new addition clearly meant to evoke Niles, yet he's an abysmal simulacrum and reminds me more of Sheldon from Big Bang Theory.
At least it beats Money Plane. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SydUYF3Z0aw&pp=ygUSbW9uZXkgcGxhbmUga2Vsc2V5)
Oh yeah, found out the kid who played Frasier's son in the old show is still acting, so why was he recast?
So both Curb Your Enthusiasm and What We Do in the Shadows are ending next year. That puts a giant hole in the sitcoms I was keeping up with.
We're not letting up (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/our-flag-means-death-canceled-max-1235783469/)on cult sitcoms dying this year. (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/inside-no-9s-final-series-guest-stars/)