American versus British sitcoms Page 2

On the team writing thing I agree, and like others I can detect it and it can spoil it for me. Going for the big hit one liners all the time is wearing, what the Brits like is a story with our favourite characters and their trademark traits or faults and failings and idiotic lines. Something personal.

As good as Frasier and Big Bang are they're not really celebrating losers but winners with flaws. Could they ever commission a Frank Spencer or Alan Partridge, real losers? Doesn't seem likely. A Porridge? Never! Fletcher's a winner but a convict, the Americans won't promote that. OFAH's non commissioning is proof they have rules on who they will celebrate. Happily we don't, within reason. And we do love a loser. Characters I think the Americans are missing out on.

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ 12th February 2014, 8:07 PM GMT

As good as Frasier and Big Bang are they're not really celebrating losers but winners with flaws. Could they ever commission a Frank Spencer or Alan Partridge, real losers?

View original

Al Bundy?

Quote: Gordon Bennett @ 12th February 2014, 8:19 PM GMT

Al Bundy?

View original

Kind of similar to Frank Spencer, but still better off.

Personally he's a loser, but has an attractive wife, nice home, stable (if boring) job, healthy kids, etc. He's an American everyman. The anti-hero, losing yet still winning.

Quote: Aaron @ 12th February 2014, 8:38 PM GMT

Kind of similar to Frank Spencer, but still better off.

Personally he's a loser, but has an attractive wife...

View original

I wouldn't say no to Frank's Betty...but I See what you mean.

Michael Scott's a loser for the best part of seven seasons. No one comes out of Arrested Development well. Ditto everyone on Party Down. George Costanza is probably my favourite sitcom loser, but granted he's not the titular character.

I think the difference is Britcom tends to be more about hitting the reset button at the end of every episode, with characters never having the opportunity to grow, develop and reach their goals whereas US shows can have up to 25 episodes a season and you have to keep pushing the storylines on and moving the characters to new places.

The difference is British shows skew towards UK audiences' life and USA shows skew toward the US life. For example, first time I heard someone went to Iceland I thought they meant the country. Everything else is basically stereotyping and BS.

Some of the BS so far...

Alan Partridge and Frank Spencer aren't really losers. Partridge is middle class and Frank has Betty (not to mention he clearly has super powers, most people would die going through what he goes through). Similarly to US shows... none of them really lose or face real tragedy.

Also there are plenty of shows about losers in the US... Gilligan's Island, My Name is Earl, Get a Life, Andy Richter Controls the Universe, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia to name a few.

American sitcoms aren't always consistent. I've been watching Cheers the past few weeks and there are episodes that solely focus on Cliff and Coach getting dates like it's a major life event and then you never hear about it again. Similarly the show resets the Sam and Diane romance... there's no real progress or character progression.

I think worst example of "trading jokes" is British with Not Going Out. I hate the way it's a series of one liners that no one laughs at... or even cracks a smile. It's like the actors might as well queue up and wait politely to tell their joke then run to the back of the line.

Finally... America did commision Porridge... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072553/

The Fonz?

40 year old bloke who spent all his time hanging out in his basement with kids

The man should be on some sort of list

If you search on IMDB for keywords "Based on British..." there are 53 comedies from Lotsa Luck to ... well you know. There are far fewer going the other way....

Quote: MTpromises @ 13th February 2014, 7:48 PM GMT

Alan Partridge and Frank Spencer aren't really losers.

View original

Genuinely?

Quote: Aaron @ 13th February 2014, 11:34 PM GMT

Genuinely?

View original

He lived in a Travel Tavern for a series!

Quote: lofthouse @ 13th February 2014, 9:09 PM GMT

The Fonz?

40 year old bloke who spent all his time hanging out in his basement with kids

The man should be on some sort of list

View original

That's more or less my life at the moment. What are you trying to say?

Quote: MTpromises @ 13th February 2014, 7:48 PM GMT

Finally... America did commision Porridge... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072553/

View original

Oh yeah!!! I must've have seen a clip on a sitcom doc or a photo or something years ago about On The Rocks because I remember the striking Mel Smith copy as the lead. I probably thought I'd dreamt it all the next day. But I complicated my point by including Porridge, an untypical British sitcom even and can't easily be defined, like any prison sitcom. Still, a big surprise to me they ever went with it, yes.

On Partridge though, really? Coogan created him to be the loser of all losers. I think we may have hit that Atlantic divide thing, our definitions of winners and losers/success and failure have been known to be very different.

Quote: TBone @ 14th February 2014, 10:36 AM GMT

He lived in a Travel Tavern for a series!

View original

and a caravan the next.

As far as American losers going, I'd say Kenny Powers from Eastbound And Down and Tim from The life and Times of Tim are both certainly losers.

I'm a third year student doing a dissertation on American and British Comedy.

I have a simple 4 question survey about The Inbetweeners and why the US remake was such a fail.

If anyone has a spare 5 minutes to fill this out then that would be great, thank you!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/V3RM8F7

Loser or not? Depends on the character. Some, like Frank Spencer, Ross Geller, Sheldon Cooper, and Frasier are annoying and/or flawed. But these people are essentially good at heart and are never cruel. Contrast this with Basil Fawlty, Alan Partridge,, Patsy and Eddie, who are all reprehensible, selfish, and deserve everything they get.