Sitcoms

[Spark Of Spirit]

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?

[Kiddington]

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.

[Avaitor]

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.

[Kiddington]

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.

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.

[Avaitor]

Good news-



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.

[Angus]

Hope it works out! 

[Kiddington]

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, 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.

[Avaitor]

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.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Most of the shows being canceled look more interesting than the ones renewed. Sigh, NBC.

[Avaitor]

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.

[Foggle]

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.

[Kiddington]

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.

[Spark Of Spirit]

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. 

[Kiddington]

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.

[Avaitor]

Yeah, I don't hate canned laughter either. I mean, HIMYM wouldn't really work without it.