A host asks questions and the panel makes witty remarks.
What is it about panel games which makes them work?
What is it about panel games that makes them work?
They work because the people on them are funny.
If normal people off the street were on, they wouldn't work.
Quote: zooo @ February 20 2010, 5:49 PM GMTThey work because the people on them are funny.
But you could put funny people in any number of other situations. What is it about asking them questions that works?
Quote: Nogget @ February 20 2010, 6:07 PM GMTWhat is it about asking them questions that works?
Q: Setup
A: Punchline
Quote: Kevin Murphy @ February 20 2010, 6:09 PM GMTQ: Setup
A: Punchline
You're right of course, but you don't need a panel game to have system of supplying setups and punchlines.
I think that the conceit of a panelgame is that it presents itself as a test of knowledge (or other skills), and so when the panel make fun of it, they appear to be cleverly subverting a serious matter. Also we are asked to believe that the panel are brilliantly improvising their answers, with no foreknowledge of the questions.
Problems can occur when they relax the rules too much, and we can no longer believe that there is any real testing or improvisation occurring. Then it becomes something else, a sketch show perhaps. It then loses the ability to mock the serious issue of the test, and we might no longer believe the panel are being spontaneous.
It's just a bit of lighthearted entertainment on the tellybox, a nice easy vehicle to get stand ups and other comedians on TV being funny without having them do "just stand up".
I wish that we had them, but they wouldn't be popular because Americans don't know anything about current events and they don't understand satire.
Quote: AndreaLynne @ February 25 2010, 12:55 AM GMTI wish that we had them, but they wouldn't be popular because Americans don't know anything about current events and they don't understand satire.
I think it doesn't work in America because stars here make so much money the thought of appearing on panel shows regularly for a small payout isn't appealing. A bunch of unknown or would be stars (who could use the paycheck) competing for no prize is unappealing to the audience.
That said there are currently and have been some American Panel shows, just without the game show side of it. Bill Maher and Wanda Sykes are both on doing panel formats at the moment. Comedy Central's had a couple, most notably in my mind Colin Quinn's show a couple of years back.
Quote: Nogget @ February 20 2010, 6:07 PM GMTBut you could put funny people in any number of other situations. What is it about asking them questions that works?
Aren't these shows pre-written? As in, the gags are written by a team of writers and doled out to the comedians who perform them as if they are spur of the moment jokes?
Happy to be corrected if I'm wrong.
Depends on the show, but yes, it's done with everything to varying extents.
Quote: Nogget @ February 20 2010, 5:40 PM GMTA host asks questions and the panel makes witty remarks.
What is it about panel games which makes them work?
The wit of an ever changing collection of half a dozen or so comedians, with no plot to distract.
Interesting, to think that a plot can be a distraction from comedy, rather than anything positive.
A plot is not necessarily a distraction but with a panel show there isn't the requirement to concentrate so you can listen and catch funny bits and enjoy it even if someone is wittering on about nothing while you're trying to watch it.
Quote: Afinkawan @ March 1 2010, 4:22 PM GMTyou can listen and catch funny bits and enjoy it even if someone is wittering on about nothing while you're trying to watch it.
That's one of the reasons she's now my ex-girlfriend.