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Overrated sitcoms? Page 14
Quote: bomberman @ 13th November 2014, 9:48 PM GMTName a comedy that does not a laugh track or audience?
M.A.S.H. didn't in the UK when it was first aired on The Beeb, being taken off for the British market, and much to the relief of some American friends I had at the time.
Here's 2 overrated sitcoms -
New Girl - Zooey Deschannel and the rest of the cast don't really seem to get good jokes so they just do kooky things to fill up time and talk in funny voices to distract people from the fact there's no funny gags.
Plus (know this will get a lot of hate) but...
Gavin and Stacey - ok the first series is ok, but after that it gets full of itself. Every episode seems to be a road trip to Essex or Wales. Its central gag is Welsh people talk funny. Plus I think swearing grannies should always be limited to 1990s Adam Sandler movies.
This is crazy reading such stuff from you. The Office and Fawlty Towers, both are probably the best ones. I'd rather say, they are underrated.
Quote: Patrick Parkinson @ 23rd November 2014, 10:43 PM GMTPlus (know this will get a lot of hate) but...
Gavin and Stacey - ok the first series is ok, but after that it gets full of itself. Every episode seems to be a road trip to Essex or Wales. Its central gag is Welsh people talk funny. Plus I think swearing grannies should always be limited to 1990s Adam Sandler movies.
I don't know why even to this day Gavin and Stacey is so revered. You can see why it was so successful: it's inoffensive and harmless plus clichéd to hell.
My problem with it especially is you have one of the most hateable lead characters in Joanna Page's Stacey to ever grace British Comedy. I was rooting for Mathew Horne's Gavin to do a runner from the spoiled selfish cow. Poor Gavin had to do everything to please her. It's never brought up that often, I'm not sure if it's the actress's fault or what's written down on page. But Christ she was unbearable.
Rob Brydon and Ruth Jones were the best things in it. James Corden went on to do better things (The Wrong Mans is what the film Pineapple Express should have been).
Quote: Looper007 @ 17th December 2014, 10:21 AM GMTI don't know why even to this day Gavin and Stacey is so revered. You can see why it was so successful: it's inoffensive and harmless plus clichéd to hell.
My problem with it especially is you have one of the most hateable lead characters in Joanna Page's Stacey to ever grace British Comedy. I was rooting for Mathew Horne's Gavin to do a runner from the spoiled selfish cow. Poor Gavin had to do everything to please her. It's never brought up that often, I'm not sure if it's the actress's fault or what's written down on page. But Christ she was unbearable.
Joanna Page went to RADA (yes, it amazes me too!) She had a very high pitched annoying voice in G&S and was indeed a very whiney central character. I wonder if this was the reason why her previous fiances left her?
Quote: TheBlueNun @ 17th December 2014, 12:16 PM GMTJoanna Page went to RADA (yes, it amazes me too!) She had a very high pitched annoying voice in G&S and was indeed a very whiney central character. I wonder if this was the reason why her previous fiances left her?
It's very strange to have a show when you are supposed to be rooting for someone who's a whiny self centred spoiled princess. I thought Mathew Horne was likeable (he had the bit of the Martin Freeman from The Office likeability to him). I think it might be down to Corden and Jones's writing of the Stacey character but to be fair neither of the lead characters was a reason that many watched this. This show is remembered for its supporting cast. Still surprised that it turned out so huge. When great shows and better ones at that like Early Doors and Toast of London go unnoticed by the big audiences.
Crikey, can't believe how many mentions of The Office and Peep Show there are on here. Both excellent. I think people are mis-remembering The Office in particular. If what you remember are 'jokes to shock', you're thinking of a different show. Hey ho, all opinions I guess (you're wrong).
SOOOO glad to see no one's put Partridge on this list though, 'props' to everyone for that.
My overrated selection: Not Going Out (how many utterly predictable one-liners can we squeeze into half an hour), Derek (over-sentimental, indulgent and most importantly - not funny), My Family (see 'Not Going Out') and most controversially perhaps, and one I like more than the above but is still overrated... Open All Hours. It's constantly in the top 10 lists, but for me is nowhere near as funny as ALOT of other shows.
Quote: Wills @ 18th December 2014, 5:57 PM GMTCrikey, can't believe how many mentions of The Office and Peep Show there are on here. Both excellent. I think people are mis-remembering The Office in particular. If what you remember are 'jokes to shock', you're thinking of a different show. Hey ho, all opinions I guess (you're wrong).
SOOOO glad to see no one's put Partridge on this list though, 'props' to everyone for that.
My overrated selection: Not Going Out (how many utterly predictable one-liners can we squeeze into half an hour), Derek (over-sentimental, indulgent and most importantly - not funny), My Family (see 'Not Going Out') and most controversially perhaps, and one I like more than the above but is still overrated... Open All Hours. It's constantly in the top 10 lists, but for me is nowhere near as funny as ALOT of other shows.
I still highly rate both 'The Office' and 'Peep Show' (although the latter did tail off a bit in series 4-5). I didn't get on with the US version of the former though.
I kind of like Derek (qv other threads) but agree that it's horribly cloyingly sentimental at times. I think C4/Gervais is correct in ending it now. I've never seen 'My Family' and only a couple of episodes of 'Not Going Out', but wasn't that engaged when I've seen clips of either. I guess it depends on the market BBC1 are aiming at, both are seen as fairly 'safe' options?
Mrs Brown's Boys and Not Going Out. Both redundant comedies. They would've been funny 20-30 years ago but now feel old hat. It's sitcom de ja vous, you know every gag is coming before it happens.
Soo fookin true man.
Miranda- It seems that it's no longer on BBC One now. Did they move it to CBBC?
I think a good metric of what an "Overrated" sitcom is when you feel as if you, in comparison to your peers, have missed something. Like the joke has been played on you.
I am left with that feeling when I watch "Mrs Brown's Boys". I'm not laughing, or sniggering it is merely on the tellybox. I see the setup, I see the delivery but there is nothing . .nada . .
Another candidate would be, from back in the day "'Allo, 'Allo". People loved that show, but I found myself feigning interest to remain in the conversation.
Finally, how about "Last of the summer wine" to guarantee a chuckle free evening.
I never got into Spaced.
Quote: Wills @ 18th December 2014, 5:57 PM GMTCrikey, can't believe how many mentions of The Office and Peep Show there are on here. Both excellent. I think people are mis-remembering The Office in particular. If what you remember are 'jokes to shock', you're thinking of a different show. Hey ho, all opinions I guess (you're wrong).
SOOOO glad to see no one's put Partridge on this list though, 'props' to everyone for that.
My overrated selection: Not Going Out (how many utterly predictable one-liners can we squeeze into half an hour), Derek (over-sentimental, indulgent and most importantly - not funny), My Family (see 'Not Going Out') and most controversially perhaps, and one I like more than the above but is still overrated... Open All Hours. It's constantly in the top 10 lists, but for me is nowhere near as funny as ALOT of other shows.
Yeah I don't see how The office and Peep Show are overrated, being aired on minority channels with relatively few viewers. Peep Show never got much above 1 million. Miranda, Mrs Brown's Boys, Not Going Out and My Family all regularly got 8 -10 million deserve being nommed in this thread.