Recent British TV Sitcoms
I like to laugh, and despite projecting a fairly caustic persona I do have a sense of humor, a warped one, but one none the less. I enjoy smart laughs, and social satire laughs, and even unintentional and slightly lame laughs. What I don't find all that funny is humiliation laughs.
I find that most American sit coms have depended on the later way too much, and with a very few exemptions are not worth watching.
On the other hand 2 British Sitcoms, The Office and Coupling have managed to create loony, silly and pointed laughs on a frequent basis, and even managed to get me to laugh at humiliation due to the way they handle it.
Coupling has often been called a UK rip off of Friends, 3 men and 3 women work their way though the minefield that is the current state of relationships. What makes the show work (and the US version bombed, I never saw it, but I think it was because there is no way that NBC would ever allow the really funny and real elements of the UK version on the air) is that it has a heart, and treats all of the charcaters (sp?, I know) as if they are still ok people despite their flaws. At first glance it might seem to be about the relationship between Steve and Susan and their support network of friends, but really at it's core it's about a group of friends coming to care for each other and watching them pair off. This is carried though the 3rd season (which I just got on DVD and have yet to watch all of) with a shift in focus from the Steve and Susan relationship to the Partrick and Sally relationship...
The Office on the other hand is about people that are not who and what they wish to be. It's about working in a office that could be any office and with the gathered masses of failed dreamers. Starting with the boss David Brent, who really wants to be loved, but is simply a sad little man headed no where. Garath the model of the modern wanna be tough guy who can't seem to get a hint or the ability to be sensitive.
On the other side of the coin you have Tim and Dawn who are the smart, and caring people that just seemed to fail at life and have resigned themselves to their lots. I know that sounds depressing but, I don't want to give any of it away, lets just say it's worth the effort to watch and watch repeatedly as you pick up new things each time.
Cheers
Added Notes:
1: I'm scared that my stereo is dying, I've had it for 10 years and it might be time to replace it
2: It's weird looking at the photos of Nikkid girls on this site and thinking 'I was a loser before these girls were born' (which isn't my line)..... feeling old mostly cause...
3: next weekend june 24 - 27th I will be in LA, by best friend is getting hitched and I have agreed to stand up with him, Going to be seeing people I haven't seen in years and telling stories about where I have been and what I have been up too. Not ready to admit a few things, mostly that I haven't achieved several things in my life that I wanted to by this point.
4: It's too fuckin' hot, I thought that MN was all Ice and Snow and darkness.
5: I need to see a dentist about a failing filling.. ok at least 2 of them, and I hate finding a new tooth doctor.
6: why don't I see you twin city people on the music boards
7: I'm digging the Aging Punk and Trash Rock groups
8: I have to have an 8 to get to 9
9: I really need to start writing my new manuscript... or at least another short story, something, anything that I can feel good about.
I like to laugh, and despite projecting a fairly caustic persona I do have a sense of humor, a warped one, but one none the less. I enjoy smart laughs, and social satire laughs, and even unintentional and slightly lame laughs. What I don't find all that funny is humiliation laughs.
I find that most American sit coms have depended on the later way too much, and with a very few exemptions are not worth watching.
On the other hand 2 British Sitcoms, The Office and Coupling have managed to create loony, silly and pointed laughs on a frequent basis, and even managed to get me to laugh at humiliation due to the way they handle it.
Coupling has often been called a UK rip off of Friends, 3 men and 3 women work their way though the minefield that is the current state of relationships. What makes the show work (and the US version bombed, I never saw it, but I think it was because there is no way that NBC would ever allow the really funny and real elements of the UK version on the air) is that it has a heart, and treats all of the charcaters (sp?, I know) as if they are still ok people despite their flaws. At first glance it might seem to be about the relationship between Steve and Susan and their support network of friends, but really at it's core it's about a group of friends coming to care for each other and watching them pair off. This is carried though the 3rd season (which I just got on DVD and have yet to watch all of) with a shift in focus from the Steve and Susan relationship to the Partrick and Sally relationship...
The Office on the other hand is about people that are not who and what they wish to be. It's about working in a office that could be any office and with the gathered masses of failed dreamers. Starting with the boss David Brent, who really wants to be loved, but is simply a sad little man headed no where. Garath the model of the modern wanna be tough guy who can't seem to get a hint or the ability to be sensitive.
On the other side of the coin you have Tim and Dawn who are the smart, and caring people that just seemed to fail at life and have resigned themselves to their lots. I know that sounds depressing but, I don't want to give any of it away, lets just say it's worth the effort to watch and watch repeatedly as you pick up new things each time.
Cheers
Added Notes:
1: I'm scared that my stereo is dying, I've had it for 10 years and it might be time to replace it
2: It's weird looking at the photos of Nikkid girls on this site and thinking 'I was a loser before these girls were born' (which isn't my line)..... feeling old mostly cause...
3: next weekend june 24 - 27th I will be in LA, by best friend is getting hitched and I have agreed to stand up with him, Going to be seeing people I haven't seen in years and telling stories about where I have been and what I have been up too. Not ready to admit a few things, mostly that I haven't achieved several things in my life that I wanted to by this point.
4: It's too fuckin' hot, I thought that MN was all Ice and Snow and darkness.
5: I need to see a dentist about a failing filling.. ok at least 2 of them, and I hate finding a new tooth doctor.
6: why don't I see you twin city people on the music boards
7: I'm digging the Aging Punk and Trash Rock groups
8: I have to have an 8 to get to 9
9: I really need to start writing my new manuscript... or at least another short story, something, anything that I can feel good about.
VIEW 6 of 6 COMMENTS
nordicgoddess:
Why yes sir, you did.
prs2000:
i was at target today and walked by DVDs of 'the office' and thought of you. what up IKEA boy? 