Hi, Contains Nuts: that's fair comment Mr. Nuts! :-)
I have read a couple of sitcoms in 'Critique' over the week-end and I didn't find them funny. They were well written but just not funny (to me). It didn't seem to a be a problem of technique. I couldn't analyse why they weren't funny or what would have made them funny other than that the exchanges between the characters just didn't seem funny (to me) and I didn't feel any empathy with the characters or interest in the plots. I didn't post any comments as I just couldn't find anything to say that I thought would be useful to the writers (or me), so I left it for others to comment.
I am not a fan of 'The Office' and I'm still trying to understand why as it is obviously well written, well performed and well liked by many/most people. But I don't find the particular type of 'embarassment' humour that the show seems to major on 'funny' and also, similarly, I don't feel any empathy or sympathy with the characters or the plots. It doesn't make me laugh. I liked 'Extras' though (which I wasn't expecting to) so it wasn't the actors themselves, which got me thinking, as I thought that was the problem.
It can be a very subjective thing, what we find funny and what we don't but I can and do admire the success of 'The Office' and Gervais/Merchant and the quality of the production overall but as entertainment, I just don't like it.
I don't know if that is of use to anybody but I was just trying to be objective, as an exercise.
Quote: Godot Taxis @ August 28, 2007, 6:13 PMIt is true that people's responses to comedy is subjective, but is what we consider funny really subjective?
There are two kinds of comedy writing that people don't laugh at.
1. Writing that isn't actually comedy, but the writer thinks it is.
2. Things that they don't find funny.
Many things written by amateur writers fall into category #1.
#2 usually consists of jokes that you refuse to laugh at, because they are obvious, or easy to make, or offend you in someway, which outweighs the humourous impact. Under duress you accept that they are jokes.
This is why people say I didn't find The Mighty Boosh funny for example. The Mighty Boosh IS funny, but you may not laugh because it annoys you too much.
An example of #2 for me is 'wise-ass' American comedy. Sometimes the jokes are very good indeed, but I can't laugh because I can't stand wise-ass comedy, probably because I think the writer is indulging himself too much.
That's a damn fine analysis of why people don't find some things funny and others do and (for me) goes a long way towards explaining why I didn't find a couple of sitcoms in 'Critique' funny (Category #1) and why I don't find 'The Office' funny (Category #2).
