British Comedy Guide

Cleverest sitcom? Page 6

Quote: chipolata @ July 20 2009, 2:48 PM BST

Pity it wasn't, then we'd have had at least one decent show with Jeresulam in the title.

Jersusalem's lot?

I've never seen Love Soup, but I'm a big fan of the genius that is David Renwick. I nearly brought the first series in Fopp this weekend for £3, but decided against it.

Quote: Jack Massey @ July 20 2009, 2:56 PM BST

I've never seen Love Soup, but I'm a big fan of the genius that is David Renwick. I nearly brought the first series in Fopp this weekend for £3, but decided against it.

It's the bizzo.

:)

It's really worth £3. Very twisted at times.

Quote: Jack Massey @ July 20 2009, 2:56 PM BST

I've never seen Love Soup, but I'm a big fan of the genius that is David Renwick. I nearly brought the first series in Fopp this weekend for £3, but decided against it.

How you can turn any complete series down for £3, I do not know!

If by 'clever' you mean makes the person watching it feel smug and superior for getting the joke, then I would go with Spaced for its ten cultural references per minute.

Quote: chipolata @ July 20 2009, 2:30 PM BST

It's not such a bad title, is it? Mind you, I was watching the extras on Arrested Development and I was surprised to learn that Mitch Hurwitz really didn't like Arrested Development as a title. He thought it was a bit too clever, in that it referred to both the characters stunted emotional growth, and the stillborn building development they lived on.

Funny that. That's why I love the title, because it is a bit too clever, and playful to boot. It adds to the reasons why it's my favourite American sitcom.

In terms of subject matter, I suppose you can't get any drier than politics with Yes, (Prime) Minister, and nothing else comes to mind, at least not with a sitcom that dealt with it in the same manner, so I'd agree with Aaron.

I've always had this thought, that Devid Renwick must have gone Z - A rather then A - Z when writing OFITG.

It seems impossible to arrive where he does by just going forward?

But then, I'm not a writer and this could be commonplace for all I know.

Renwick has said that he starts off by devising a ludicrous predicament for his protagonist and then works out how to get him into it, so yes, you are right. Not sure if many other writers use this approach to the same degree.

Moffatt must do: certainly in Joking Apart and Coupling

Dan

The ending is a very good place to start.

Quote: chipolata @ July 20 2009, 2:30 PM BST

It's not such a bad title, is it? Mind you, I was watching the extras on Arrested Development and I was surprised to learn that Mitch Hurwitz really didn't like Arrested Development as a title. He thought it was a bit too clever, in that it referred to both the characters stunted emotional growth, and the stillborn building development they lived on.

Yeah, I heard that. It's odd for him to think that, because it's such a great title that nails the show exactly.

Quote: Matthew Stott @ July 21 2009, 10:22 AM BST

Yeah, I heard that. It's odd for him to think that, because it's such a great title that nails the show exactly.

There were legal implications too though, with the band of the same name.

Quote: Matthew Stott @ July 21 2009, 10:22 AM BST

Yeah, I heard that. It's odd for him to think that, because it's such a great title that nails the show exactly.

What's Mitch up top nowadays?

Quote: chipolata @ July 21 2009, 10:27 AM BST

What's Mitch up top nowadays?

He had a cartoon sitcom on this year, Sit Down, Shut Up, with a lot of the AD cast lending voices.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1232266/

It was apparently a touch duff.

Plus the AD film is 'apparently' coming.

Looks like since AD he also wrote for an aborted American version of The Thick Of It.

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