Is "it makes me laugh the most" a legit reason?
The Definition of Well Written Page 3
Quote: JPM1 @ December 2 2010, 2:22 PM GMTI'd like some clarification on that Marc - what do you mean the artist doesn't own it? The artist remains the maker and all discourse is centered around his or her hard work, no?
No. Not really. And it needn't be hard work to make art. As long as laziness is not evident I guess. I believe I explained before. Art is about the universal expressed through the individual to the universal. The artist is the lens not the focus.
Quote: Nat Wicks @ December 2 2010, 4:46 PM GMTIs "it makes me laugh the most" a legit reason?
I'd say that's more of a reason for why you like it, not why you think it's well-written.
But certainly quantity/ quality of jokes is a huge part of why we enjoy sitcoms. So what sitcom makes you laugh the most and what makes you think it's so funny?
Some earlier series of peep show made me laugh out loud consistently and it was because of the juxtaposition of what was said to what was thought - and the incongruities between them.
Arrested Development makes me chuckle constantly because it has these quirky characters who are all just barely outside the realm of realistic and everything they say is a semi-non-sequitur.
So what's your pick, Nat?
Probably 30 rock for me. Because as a parcel it makes me care about the characters, makes me laugh a butt-load and I feel like a get a lot of emotional payoff. Ticks all of the boxes.
Quote: Marc P @ December 2 2010, 4:57 PM GMTNo. Not really. And it needn't be hard work to make art. As long as laziness is not evident I guess. I believe I explained before. Art is about the universal expressed through the individual to the universal. The artist is the lens not the focus.
Marc, you always make me laugh....
You say things like "I believe I explained before" as if to say "how could you fail to see that my word is the final ultimate truth on such matters!"
I think generalisations about art (such as art is about the universal expressed through the individual to the universal) tend to be little more than handy half-truths that are only temporarily satisfying - like hard candy - it disappears when you really bite into it looking for substance.
That said, I'm actually beginning to agree with you on this point. The art does go beyond, in a sense, the artist. We can talk about the work regardless of the artist's intentions.
However, specifically on the question of whether or not it's "well-written" it is awfully hard to separate the work from the writer/ "wrighters." Because the art is the lens, as you say, that sort of implies that art is really about the artist. Because we can all see the thing the artist is looking at, what becomes relevant is the way that particular artist sees it.
What's your pick for most well-written sitcom and why?
Quote: Nat Wicks @ December 2 2010, 5:17 PM GMTProbably 30 rock for me. Because as a parcel it makes me care about the characters, makes me laugh a butt-load and I feel like a get a lot of emotional payoff. Ticks all of the boxes.
Ha! I knew we'd agree on something!
See, we're more similar than you'd like to think, Nat 
30Rock does tick all the boxes.... to add to your list I would add - never falls into the traps of the familiar or cliche, always takes an unexpected reversal, always satisfies the individual episode's premise with a clever climactic scene, and has perfomers who never push too hard - they always understate.
Quote: JPM1 @ December 2 2010, 5:23 PM GMTmost well-written
That's an annoying phrase. Can you say best-written?
Quote: JPM1 @ December 2 2010, 5:23 PM GMTSee, we're more similar than you'd like to think, Nat
Hey, Nat, I bet you're glad your name's not Clarice.
Quote: JPM1 @ December 2 2010, 5:23 PM GMT30Rock does tick all the boxes.... to add to your list I would add - never falls into the traps of the familiar or cliche, always takes an unexpected reversal, always satisfies the individual episode's premise with a clever climactic scene, and has perfomers who never push too hard - they always understate.
I'm with you 100%. 30 Rock does all of those things. Which works because that's the style of show it is. It's a pretty true example of a modern sitcom.
Quote: Lazzard @ December 2 2010, 5:29 PM GMTHey, Nat, I bet you're glad your name's not Clarice.
Yes, Clarice, it is an excellent example. (if I was steve coogan I could do the impression but....)
Johnny - really? You're killing me! that's all you got out of that post? I'll phrase however you like if you promise to respond to the question: What sitcom do you think is the best-written and why?
Quote: JPM1 @ December 2 2010, 5:23 PM GMTMarc, you always make me laugh....
I think generalisations about art (such as art is about the universal expressed through the individual to the universal) tend to be little more than handy half-truths that are only temporarily satisfying - like hard candy - it disappears when you really bite into it looking for substance.
That's good.
It''s from CS Lewis. Taught English as a professor at Oxford amongst other things. I believe I recommended his Preface to Paradise Lost to you.
Quote: Marc P @ December 2 2010, 6:01 PM GMTIt''s from CS Lewis
Charles Williams is (by far) my favourite Inkling.
(Thought I'd share that; while I'm being chatty.)
Quote: JPM1 @ December 2 2010, 4:46 PM GMTmaybe I am a weirdo...
Sitcom you think is most "well-written" and why?
Seinfeld, because I likes it the bestest.
Quote: JPM1 @ December 2 2010, 5:12 PM GMTArrested Development
And for me, that's the best sitcom of the last ten years.
Quote: Marc P @ December 2 2010, 6:01 PM GMTThat's good.
It''s from CS Lewis. Taught English as a professor at Oxford amongst other things. I believe I recommended his Preface to Paradise Lost to you.
What's good?
Yes you did make that recommendation though I'm afraid I have a lengthy reading list as is. If you could copy and paste the bit you're talking about, I'd appreciate it.
Yes he did teach at oxford - and that's supposed to make me feel.... how, exactly?
So what's your pick for best written sitcom and why?
Quote: JohnnyD @ December 2 2010, 6:06 PM GMTCharles Williams is (by far) my favourite Inkling.
(Thought I'd share that; while I'm being chatty.)
Did he ever write a sitcom?
Quote: Matthew Stott @ December 2 2010, 6:44 PM GMTSeinfeld, because I likes it the bestest.
And for me, that's the best sitcom of the last ten years.
Matthew, you, too, are killing me here!
Why do you like Seinfeld the bestest? What makes it well-written?
(side note - I think Seinfeld is incredibly well-written - but I also think Jerry is a terrible actor....)
Quote: JohnnyD @ December 2 2010, 5:25 PM GMTThat's an annoying phrase. Can you say best-written?
No.
But he can say 'thusly'.
Quote: Lazzard @ December 2 2010, 6:57 PM GMTNo.
But he can say 'thusly'.
Isn't "thusly" a fun word? I admit I actually seek out opportunities to use it....
Lazzard - what do you think is the best-written sitcom and why?