In this new Guardian article, a journalist rhapsodizes about the current trend for US and UK sitcoms which try not to be funny at all and instead focus on bleak issues, in particular Fleabag and Transparent.
It set me thinking: Why has the definition of comedy - to be funny, to incite laughter - been taken out of the term?
Why do people accept the laugh-free Fleabag, say, or even The Office, as comedy and place it next to shows where there are about twelve laughs an episode?
Interestingly a little surprisingly for me was that I laughed in places that are not funny at all watching first 3 series of "Orange is the new black" (later series become more and more darker and this "sitcom drama" now lists as "drama"). As if laughter is building up inside and has to come out at some points. "Orange..." is very well thought out, written and performed piece of art, that's why people tend to like it; complex and almost real situations without fony-ish gags but with some strangeness and novelty attract and amuse viewer in some shows more than common slapdashery sitcom. It's a pity that such shows are rare, and for me Fleabag and Transparent are not as especially good as they are in trend.
Seems to be a lot of this bleak so called comedy shows on TV nowadays.
I think it's because we are becoming more sophisticated.
60 years ago people thought Arthur Askey prancing about singing "Honey Bee" was f**king hilarious.
I think we demand something a little smarter these days.
Something a little more highbrow like Geordie Shore or Towie, you mean?
Quote: Lazzard @ 14th October 2016, 11:17 AMI think it's because we are becoming more sophisticated.
60 years ago people thought Arthur Askey prancing about singing "Honey Bee" was f**king hilarious.
I think we demand something a little smarter these days.
I don't think unfunny equates to smarter. Frasier, for example, is famously sophisticated and yet remains funny.
"Becker" is much, much better, imho. More fun and more sophistication. But real interest arises when you are involved in story somehow (that's why Mrs. Brown's Boys lost appeal real fast and f.i. "Cheers" Ss 1-5 didn't). Cheers 1-5 has love story underneath that is very endearing, I'd like to see shows like that more, but where are they?
It hasn't forgotten to be at all, it has chosen not be. The huge success and sheer difference of The Office was a major factor in the following seemingly endless trend of sly ironic awkward reality comdram taking over the sitcom slot but ironically enough that show was very funnywhereas the imitators have largely failed to be.
Good scriptwriting is needed whatever style of com you are doing and no one yet has come close to matching G&M's in The Office. The Office had great humour delivered in an ironic awkward way but most of this type of show now have barely any real humour behind the awkwardness. It is poor comedy scriptwriting and weak or lazy opportunistic commissioning.
And this bleakcom crap is just the latest variant of poorly written unfunny comdram in the old sitcom slot. They are utter crap and totally miss or ignore what real comedy writers have done with bleakness. See Porridge, Steptoe & Son, Rab C Nesbitt and others. Funny sitcoms, remember those?
I think of The Office as more of a spoof documentary than a sitcom. At the time, I'd hear many people saying it was a hilarious, but when I saw it with them, they never laughed.
That aside, though, it certainly does seem easier to make, say, Fleabag and not have to worry about making it funny. At no point during its six episodes did I feel the slightest bit amused.
Great thread. Very interesting and I agree with Many points made.
The Office was certainly special in my opinion. Great characters and a genuine feel to it. The mockumentary shows of today have tried to follow the same format but always fall short. It's as though they're trying too hard.
I think the great sitcoms of times gone by like Only Fools, Porridge etc had fantastic writing. But today, it would seem too contrived. I can't stand sitcoms where the writing is forced and the acting seems disingenuous. I just can't take to it.
Maybe it's time for the studio sitcom to be left behind?
Maybe it's time for new writing to stop trying to emulate The Office?
Maybe it's time to stop commissioning comedies that seem pretentious with jokes that rely on crudeness for the sake of shock humour. (I'm referring to Fleabag.)
It's so difficult isn't it? You could write something amazing but if the casting isn't great and it isn't delivered or directed as the writer wanted then it could be crap.
Perhaps the classic comedies we love have the perfect blend of writing, casting and direction.
The best thing I've seen in a long time was that pilot about the dinner party on Channel 4. I forget the name.
In my view the good example of fun that is not ouvert is the fun in "Hunt for the Wilderpeople " (movie). Watched it yesterday, really good and sneaky funny.
I love Transparent, but I find it really tough acknowledging it as a comedy or even a comedy drama. It feels much more like a straight drama with a few gags chucked in. I think Lazzard is right, though, we're becoming more sophisticated.
Mind you, for every You're the Worst, I'd be happy to sit down and watch a Miranda style sitcom.
Quote: rrr 969 @ 18th October 2016, 7:33 PMIn my view the good example of fun that is not ouvert is the fun in "Hunt for the Wilderpeople " (movie). Watched it yesterday, really good and sneaky funny.
I watched this film around two weeks ago and it is definitely worth a mention. It's one of those films where you aren't constantly laughing out loud but you do have a few great funny moments scattered throughout. I just loved the chemistry between the two main leads. It's that kind of comedy where you have a little smile on your face throughout and end up leaving with a little smile too. Its just a nice, genuine movie that's happy with its subtle laughs from the different human interactions. It's nicely paced with an endearing story and cast.
This is very much a subject that me and my husband discuss a great deal. The other night we were watching (the admittedly, excellent) Damned and I did laugh out loud once, but generally, although a great idea for a traditional sitcom, it's not quite as gag heavy as say, Getting On. Mr TBN believes that we're all going back to a kind of Victorian-type humour, so nothing's really that funny any more, which is a shame because I love to laugh.
I agree about Fleabag - I tried to watch it and managed to sit though two whole episodes, but felt really depressed afterwards.
Quote: Dave @ 11th October 2016, 1:33 PMWhy do people accept the laugh-free Fleabag, say, or even The Office, as comedy and place it next to shows where there are about twelve laughs an episode?
Is the implication here that The Office isn't funny? Because it is one of the funniest things that has ever been on TV.
It certainly had a negative effect on UK comedy, though, in that it ushered in scores of piss-poor tonally similar sitcoms which were unencumbered by jokes, probably because they'd completely missed the point about why The Office was funny in the first place.
The Office itself is absolutely packed with laughs.