I'd like to know if any single member of the acting or production crew involved with this would watch it back and honestly say: "I think we all pushed ourselves creatively on this, and did the absolute best that we could with this pilot."
I watched it and felt it was simply half-hearted throwaway fodder to plug up the gaps in between its real televisual priority: Commercials.
I did laugh at bits but I will give it a chance and watch it next week.
Quote: chipolata @ August 5 2011, 11:42 AM BSTDidn't they have a stab before with an Al Murray comedy? And something starring David Baddiel? Good luck to them, as if it works it might lead to more opportunities for innovative new talent like my goodself, but I'm not holding my breath. Drama's much easier to pull off and they've had some limited success with that.
Sky 1 has broadcast a handful of comedies over the years, with varying levels of success. The sitcom you're referring to, Time Gentlemen Please, never became a mainstream hit because of the channel it was on, but is still repeated more than a decade on, so hasn't done too badly for itself.
https://www.comedy.co.uk/guide/channel/sky1/
As for Trollied, I really rather enjoyed it. Perhaps my expectations were low; it wasn't laugh-a-minute, but I did laugh out loud more then once, and found myself already interested in some of the characters and their relationships by the end of the first episode.
I'll certainly be watching - and reasonably looking forward to - episode 3.
Didn't Sky also do an alien sitcom?
The Strangerers, by Rob Grant.
Quote: Aaron @ August 5 2011, 9:16 PM BSTThe Strangerers, by Rob Grant.
That was it.
I did not like it, but looking on Twitter it seems quite a lot of people did. Being an odd sort of person who does not think every comedy on TV should be made to suit me and my tastes, I am glad it has done well. Hopefully it will encourage Sky to continue investing in comedy. And I really enjoyed Ten Minute Tales and the first series of Little Crackers, so at least Sky are also making comedy that works for me.
The only time I laughed in the first two episodes of Trollied was at the "interimming" scene. Rather low-brow but funny nonetheless. But then I am an odd sort of person who does not think every comedy on TV should be Curb Your Enthusiasm or constantly trying to break new ground. I like having a mix of styles, I think we are all better for it. And being funny should be the first priority of comedy, not trying to innovate for the sake of it.
Part of my problem with the programme, other than not being funny, was it seemed to lack any sort of narrative to the episodes. Instead they were more like a series of interlinked sketches. It has been compared to The Office, in style, but in that everything centred around Brent (or Scott). Everyone else got wrapped up in that, even if they had their own subplots within the episode.
Trollied just did not cohere, there was no narrative on to which everything else hung. There were a few subplots but the rest of the time characters just interacted for the sake of it. You can get away with that if the dialogue is funny enough to carry the show. For me it really was not. Instead it might have worked better with fewer characters, it was as though there were several separate shows in one, and all under developed as they competed for screen time.
Anyway, what do I know. I return you to your nostalgia and rants about the concept of subscription television.
Finally, saw it.
Still waiting for the first laugh!
Quote: Michael in London @ August 5 2011, 10:51 PM BSTThe only time I laughed in the first two episodes of Trollied was at the "interimming" scene.
They laboured that one home though. Dreadful.
Am I right in thinking this apes the American model by being team written? Does anyone know how many British sitcoms have now tried this style of writing?
Quote: chipolata @ August 5 2011, 11:34 PM BSTAm I right in thinking this apes the American model by being team written?
No. It certainly wasn't sold as such, and the 2 episodes broadcast thus far don't suggest so. See our credits.
Quote: Aaron @ August 6 2011, 1:14 AM BSTNo. It certainly wasn't sold as such, and the 2 episodes broadcast thus far don't suggest so. See our credits.
Both episodes have four or more writers involved; so at the very least one person is writing a script, then several other people are trying to throw in extra gags.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ August 6 2011, 1:21 AM BSTBoth episodes have four or more writers involved; so at the very least one person is writing a script, then several other people are trying to throw in extra gags.
That's what I thought. Sky really have invested since it's a more expensive system.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ August 6 2011, 1:21 AM BSTBoth episodes have four or more writers involved; so at the very least one person is writing a script, then several other people are trying to throw in extra gags.
Additional material credits can be a bit misleading. If we're talking about the writing team format, then we should be looking at 'Writer' alone. Even To The Manor Born had additional material (although only from one man, admittedly), but no one would suggest that that was a team written show.
Just to clarify, I meant team written in the sense that one writer writes the original script then it goes back to the table for the other writers to try and punch up and add to. Similar to what Fred Baron did with My Family.
