I don't watch much comedy

I was thinking about this recently and realised that although I love writing comedy I don't really watch it that much. There are a few shows that I very much like but most comedy just passes me by.

Father Ted, The IT Crowd, Alan Partridge, Flight of the Conchords, The Mighty Boosh, Monty Python, Peter Cook, Spike Milligan, early Simpsons are pretty much all I get excited about. Anything else I could take or leave.

When I'm writing I'm as likely to be infleunced by a song as I am by a sitcom or a sketch.

It got me to thinking about other writers and their interests. Is it strange to love comedy writing but only have a passion for a handful of comedic shows?

No. Few people have real 'passion' for many more than a handful of titles. If it weren't my job I doubt I'd watch even half of what is currently passed off as 'comedy' in this country.

Just look at Twitter and you'll see any number of prolific, successful writers who're only discovering some show 2 years after everyone else through a DVD box set, or who don't watch some other series.

And maybe 'studying' all the commercially succesfull shows and 'learn' from them would mean you lose some of your own 'handwriting'(or: originality).

(I'm not a writer so don't listen to me)

I tend to cherry pick what I watch nowadays. And I'm ashamed to say I don't give new comedies much of a chance now. Ten or so minutes and if it doesn't work for me I don't bother with it again.

I suppose it is true that there are only a few comedy shows that you really love. I tend not to give much new stuff a chance either. If it doesn't grab me from a trailer or the first few minutes I dismiss it. I tend to like the quirkier or more surreal comedies so maybe it's just because I have fairly specific tastes.

I don't write comedy any more, but pretty much every new comedy that hits our screens fills me with dread. It's almost a chore to watch them. Our TV production companies really are racking up an impressive track record of producing nothing but utter pish.

I think it is a balance. Aaron is right - comedy is so subjective that you will only be truly passionate about a few.

However, if you want to work in this industry I think it is worth knowing what is out there. Sometimes, if I am having a particularly geeky day, I will watch an episode of something in order to break it down. I work out the plot structure and some of the gags. I then decide if I think it works or not and why.

This can inspire me, force me to look at things in a new way and twist my own work in another direction. Sometimes. Sometimes it is a pretty useless exercise.

When I dislike a sitcom, I try to work out why other people like it. My current obsession on this front is 'Miranda'. I've watched most episodes and hate about 85% of it. But its viewing figures are phenomenal and most of my friends love it. Why?

I think it is because Miranda speaks on some level to single women in their late 20s / early 30s. It defies the traditional idea of "femininity" and makes it OK to be single and a bit childish. They can identify with it, and as a result, they love it.

So, in conclusion after that lengthy ramble, I think we can learn a lot from the sitcoms we hate!

Quote: Jennie @ July 11 2013, 3:36 PM BST

Sometimes, if I am having a particularly geeky day, I will watch an episode of something in order to break it down. I work out the plot structure and some of the gags. I then decide if I think it works or not and why.

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Unfortunately, I usually find it hard not to do that, while I'm watching.

Quote: Jennie @ July 11 2013, 3:36 PM BST

When I dislike a sitcom, I try to work out why other people like it. My current obsession on this front is 'Miranda'. I've watched most episodes and hate about 85% of it. But its viewing figures are phenomenal and most of my friends love it. Why?

I think it is because Miranda speaks on some level to single women in their late 20s / early 30s. It defies the traditional idea of "femininity" and makes it OK to be single and a bit childish. They can identify with it, and as a result, they love it.

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I think it's even simpler than that: escapism.

Quote: Jennie @ July 11 2013, 3:36 PM BST

When I dislike a sitcom, I try to work out why other people like it. My current obsession on this front is 'Miranda'. I've watched most episodes and hate about 85% of it. But its viewing figures are phenomenal and most of my friends love it. Why?

I think it is because Miranda speaks on some level to single women in their late 20s / early 30s. It defies the traditional idea of "femininity" and makes it OK to be single and a bit childish. They can identify with it, and as a result, they love it.

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I agree with you about Miranda. The only person in this house who doesn't like it is my other half. He hates it. He can't believe we actually laugh at it.

None of us (who do like it) are late 20s or early 30s, but it is kid-friendly and it doesn't push the perfect female image down our throats. We're allowed to join Miranda in her journey through life, as she speaks directly to us on camera...giving us all the encouragement we need to be ourselves, no matter what we look like or how we behave. It's kind of liberating...I think.

If you break it apart and try to work out why it's successful, you might miss the actual reason so many people like it. I really believe it's Miranda's strength of character. No matter what life throws at her...she makes light of her inadequacies and just gets on with it, taking us with her every step of the way. We're not just watching...we're there.

Being able to share a comedy with my children is also a selling point for me. The fact the other half doesn't like what we do, is neither here nor there. He's got his iPad if he wants to sit and 'haw haw haw' at the more sensible comedies the rest of us find so boooooring.

Quote: Jennie @ July 11 2013, 3:36 PM BST

I think it is because Miranda speaks on some level to single women in their late 20s / early 30s. It defies the traditional idea of "femininity" and makes it OK to be single and a bit childish. They can identify with it, and as a result, they love it.

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I think that is part of it. It's apparently very big with teenage girls too.
But in general it's just silly and fun, plenty of men like it too.

Quote: zooo @ July 12 2013, 7:48 PM BST

I think that is part of it. It's apparently very big with teenage girls too.
But in general it's just silly and fun, plenty of men like it too.

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Yup I love Miranda, she is really funny and it's a knockabout comedy. The episode with Miranda and her mother at the psychiatrists is one of the funniest shows I've seen in ages

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