Aaron
Sunday 29th June 2008 10:16pm [Edited]
Royal Berkshire
69,960 posts
Quote: Seefacts @ June 29 2008, 1:12 PM BST
But Friends is the ultimate in that - 'comedy chocolate pie'. But it still managed to be sharp and funny and not resort to cheap gags. It can be done! Given how loved Friends is over here, you'd have thought they'd have tried to make an 8.30 British-style version.
And although I generally don't agree with the comparisons, we have more or less had that in Coupling (as far as setting and style goes at least). In any case, I disagree with that view of Friends. It has plenty of cheap gags, and unlike Two Pints or My Family, I personally find it needs a particular state of mind to watch. It's not something I can just sit down to.
Quote: Seefacts @ June 29 2008, 1:12 PM BST
But look at previous shows in that style - like Fools and Horses. Surely the ultimate in mainstream, well loved sitcom? But at the same time it was warm, clever, witty, silly - and much, much better than MF.
My Family can be clever. It can also be silly, and witty. And as for "better", you're confusing your own opinion with fact.
Quote: Winterlight @ June 29 2008, 6:07 PM BST
And things that do the job are all well and good, but I certainly wouldn't swap my 'gillette m3 power' for a disposable Bic razor.
You want to get yourself a Wilkinson Sword Quattro Titanium, mate. Trust me.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ June 29 2008, 6:44 PM BST
So Ive just gone off both over time after initially finding both watchable, but they obviously appeal to a wide audience and so theyre doing the job thatt theyre there for; theyre hitting their targets.
A voice of reason. 
Quote: zooo @ June 29 2008, 6:57 PM BST
Yes, I've never found those two characters funny either. Better to stick to the parents and the three kids, I think.
It never makes me laugh out loud properly, but it's pleasant to watch sometimes.
I dunno, it doesn't offend me that it exists, you know?
Yeah, definitely. That's another take on the thing about it not taking effort to watch. It's not the kind of thing I'd sit and properly laugh out loud at, but it's entertaining, and as long as there's not much of that Welsh twat, an entirely watchable show - for my sense of humour.
Ultimately, sitcoms will suffer increasingly from criticism because the human experience doesn't change very much, and takes longer to do so. A lot of the ideas and plot devices in shows like My Family can be seen in the likes of Steptoe and Son, Bless This House, and any number of other family-based comedies. That's not because the writers are lazy and reusing ideas, but because there are a limited number of scenarios which are going to have familiarity to a large enough section of the audience.
Much better than My Family or Two Pints I think.