Similar thing with the third series of The Mighty Boosh - suddenly it became less held-together-with-sellotape and it lost a lot of what made it enjoyable (that and the downturn in writing quality)
Watson & Oliver - Series 1 Page 10
This thread is locked. No further replies can be posted.
Quote: sootyj @ March 15 2012, 4:22 PM GMTNot least of all in episode one when camp old Barrowman who is a song and dance man blew them off the stage.
That's kind of why they booked him, isn't it? You could judge it as lazy-oh get The Barrowman, he'll be in the sketch where he'll take over, instead of using their own talents-but isn't that a talent, bowing to other people's talent? (I like the way you have to tell us he's a song and dance man as if we're high court judges)
Really enjoyed episode 5, chuckles pretty much all the way through.
Only realised this evening how much of a Morecambe-fest the show is. Ingrid's playing a female Eric-esque role in the studio segments, whilst both Rigby and Golding are amongst the ensemble.
Sorry Aaron, but I am now inclined to agree with Goosey, I do believe canned laughter is quite a heavy feature here. Just watched episode 5 as well and feel thoroughly drained and insulted, like someone extracting all the water in my body and spitting it at me, (hyperbole wrapped in exaggeration). The office segment (shall not call it a sketch), was the main culprit, it just wasn't funny. But the background laughter was just piping up every so often in a very suspicious way, in a very machine-like way. I don't believe it is the sound track of a real audience, whom it may or may not have been shown to. I don't know about the rest really but that one in particular rubbed me up the wrong dimension. Ah well I'm definitely avoiding it from now on.
Quote: Aaron @ March 20 2012, 3:23 AM GMTReally enjoyed episode 5, chuckles pretty much all the way through.
Only realised this evening how much of a Morecambe-fest the show is.
Really? After all these years, at last we have a comedy duo to follow in the glorious footsteps of Eric and Ernie? That's good news. I'll be looking forward to their high-ratings Christmas specials in coming years.
So will I!
The Boris Becker / Steffi Graff sketch was enjoyable and different, especially the creepy Boris impersonation... I really like their acting and am enjoying what I've seen a lot.
The 'nails' sketch was only ok but again the acting lifts it beyond what seemed a fairly slight gag.
It's okay, but the show needs more structure and, like most modern sketch shows, a better ideas.
They are an experienced stage double act, but we are only get hints of that. For those intro segments they could do worse than look not just at Morecambe and Wise, but also Mel and Griff.
As for the sketches, there is a difference between what makes a good stand alone sketch and what makes a good runner, and they are not always getting it right. The 'darling' sketch is a bit like as if Monty Python had done 'spam' every other episode.
Quote: zooo @ February 20 2012, 11:02 PM GMT
Maybe it'll build up to something. But even if not I just found it funny - people really do talk like that to each other. They spend 10 minutes speaking but saying absolutely nothing at all.
I also liked the 'darlin' sketch. I wonder how many times they had to reshoot.
We think Watson & Oliver are wonderful....so refreshingly funny! We want more!!
Quote: Tursiops @ March 21 2012, 11:49 AM GMTIt's okay, but the show needs more structure and, like most modern sketch shows, a better ideas.
I think the "better" is redundant. Some ideas would be great. I've just stumbled on the oddly scheduled BBC2 repeat, and there's some office-meeting sketch that appeared to be longer than Napoleon's retreat from Moscow, and then we 're back with the Playboy sketch that wasn't funny to start with and isn't any funnier on repetition.
The girls are obviously talented, so let's hope this is their Running Wild and that they learn from it and come back stronger.
I feel like such a bitch writing this, but this is really not good. How is that possible when it has great writers and great performers? It's like all the basic rules you learn quite quickly trying to write comedy have been completely ignored. I don't understand. I don't know whether to interpret this as a sign that we should be thoroughly encouraged to continue writing and submitting or if we should just give up entirely.
Don't get what you mean AJGO...what do you think is so bad?
It's... it's... not awful enough to be kitsch and it's not polished enough to be great. I haven't felt this confused about comedy since a boy I fancied didn't laugh at ANY of my favourite jokes 
You don't go for six lines describing the premise without even attempting a laugh in a short sketch, for starters.
And I usually scoff at people going on about canned laughter but the (genuine 
) laugh track was atrocious
Quote: AJGO @ March 26 2012, 10:53 PM BSTYou don't go for six lines describing the premise without even attempting a laugh in a short sketch, for starters.
Which one was that?
Must say I'm enjoying it, some of the sketches seem overdone eg the office fight one, but the prison one could grow into a sort of Ralph and Ted relationship if handled right....and they still remind me of a female Morecambe and Wise, who were never polished and some of the humour was a bit hit and miss with them too and could be seen as haphazard but that was the appeal. More about the on-screen relationship of the two, I see the same warmth between these two.