SITCOMS - dead or alive?

I find there are still, 20 years later, terrible COSBY show ripoffs like ACCORDING TO JIM and MY WIFE AND KIDS that used canned laughter and grate my ears and eyes until they bleed. The alleged “comedy” was stale 20 years ago.

Then there’s something like the UK’s SPACED and even the U.S. version of THE OFFICE that are fresh and different.

What will the future be? What will new sitcoms be like in 5 years?

new one on Channel4 in the UK…called the Inbetweeners – early days yet – seems to have potential.

I’m going to guess that sitcoms 5 years from now will be the same as sitcoms today, or 5 years ago. The vast majority will be unwatchable crap. It’s amazing to me that “According To jim”, “big bang theory”, and worthless, rehashed garbage like them still exist. How are those writers employed? They HAVE to know that what they’re writing is lowest-common-denominator dog crap, right? Just because they’re writing for the mentally retarded doesn’t necessarily mean that they themselves are mentally retarded. Those guys probably bash out 10 episodes a day, simply by altering old scripts from “Family Ties”, “Who’s The Boss”, and “Saved by The Bell”. There is literally not one fresh, intelligent idea on these sitcoms. Yet, people actually WATCH those shows! Millions of people! Brilliant, original programs like “Arrested development” get canceled because of poor viewership, but Jim Belushi gets a fat paycheck for playing sterotypical TV dopey dad every week. Flavor Flav? Give him a sitcom! That’s right….50 year old, national joke, crack-smokin’, Flavor freaking Flav. It’s almost depressing.

The miniscule amount of good stuff include the US “The Office” and “South Park”, the 2 best shows on TV, IMO. I’m also anxiously waiting for new episodes of “It’s always sunny…”, and hopefully, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”. Oh, and HBO is making a new sitcom from creators David Cross and Bob Odenkirk, “David’s Situation”. I will be re-ordering HBO when that show comes out.

I agree. New shit-coms are less funny than cancer, but some old ones will never get boring. I could watch “Three’s Company” and “Just Shoot Me” for hours. The office is the best show on tv right now. “The View” is a close second. Those broads are off their rockers. What’s worse though, new sitcoms, or reality tv? There’s a new reality show called: “Groomer Has It”. It’s about pet groomers….........C’MON MAN!!!!!

I wish they would make a sitcom with an original premise for once, like maybe someone who’s a writer for a magazine, or maybe a show about two men and a kid, who’s kind of half a man.. They could call it “Half a Man and Two Other Men”. That’s originality.

Shows I like always get the boot, like “Arrested Development.” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “The Office” are the only ones I watch now. Canned laughter grates my nerves.

macadoughshus said:

I agree. New shit-coms are less funny than cancer, but some old ones will never get boring. I could watch “Three’s Company” and “Just Shoot Me” for hours. The office is the best show on tv right now. “The View” is a close second. Those broads are off their rockers. What’s worse though, new sitcoms, or reality tv? There’s a new reality show called: “Groomer Has It”. It’s about pet groomers….........C’MON MAN!!!!!

“SHITCOMS”.... classic!

I still watch my DVD’s of NEWSRADIO, WKRP IN CINCINNATI (the real ones from the original broadcast with Pink Floyd, Foreigner and the Rolling Stones still in them), and there’s practically nothing on TV I want to see that thinks it’s funny. THE OFFICE has stayed pretty good, although I love the UK original too.

I guess good comedy writing is a dying breed.

I tend to watch my DVD’s of “Little Britain” , “League of Gentlemen” and “Fawlty Towers” , over and over again- the Brits rule!

I’ve got the WKRP DVD, too. Unfortunately, the music was replaced with some horribly generic tunes. It really takes away from it.

sonnyboo said:

macadoughshus said:

I agree. New shit-coms are less funny than cancer, but some old ones will never get boring. I could watch “Three’s Company” and “Just Shoot Me” for hours. The office is the best show on tv right now. “The View” is a close second. Those broads are off their rockers. What’s worse though, new sitcoms, or reality tv? There’s a new reality show called: “Groomer Has It”. It’s about pet groomers….........C’MON MAN!!!!!

“SHITCOMS”.... classic!

I still watch my DVD’s of NEWSRADIO, WKRP IN CINCINNATI (the real ones from the original broadcast with Pink Floyd, Foreigner and the Rolling Stones still in them), and there’s practically nothing on TV I want to see that thinks it’s funny. THE OFFICE has stayed pretty good, although I love the UK original too.

I guess good comedy writing is a dying breed.

NoelleD said:

I’ve got the WKRP DVD, too. Unfortunately, the music was replaced with some horribly generic tunes. It really takes away from it.

Yeah I have it too, but it affects the content a lot. Not hearing HOT BLOODED when Les Nesman puts on a hair piece, or the entire Pink Loyd DOGS segment in the Thanksgiving special, or although it seems so small, the song FLY ME TO THE MOON as the doorbell for Jennifer Marlow….without these seminole music bits, it detracts from the whole. They were a rock-n-roll station and without the real deal, it somehow degrades the reality to silliness.

I also dig my CHEERS DVD’s and the just got the entire 9 seasons of SEINFELD in a cardboard refrigerator with magnets from Best Buy. There’s a bonus DVD of the roundtable with the cast & Larry David chatting for 2 hours. I dig it.

There just isn’t much on TV I’d get that excited about, except the upcoming Bob Odenkirk and David Cross show for HBO… that has me interested.

Dead, we are too busy watching You Tube or FOD which actually is way funnier than the stuff Hollywood puts out…JMHO. Sad we are going back to the 80’s and 90’s to get laughs.

I gotta say, though, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, is pretty damn funny. And watching Ben Linus deliver any mundane line on Lost (season two: “You guys got any milk?” season four: “I taped over the game”) is enough to keep me laughing for hours. (seriously, Michael Emmerson deserves a shelf full of emmy’s)

I agree, but mainly I just watch Bravo.Kathy Griffin starts soon, and I am thrilled to pieces.

5point6productions said:

I gotta say, though, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, is pretty damn funny. And watching Ben Linus deliver any mundane line on Lost (season two: “You guys got any milk?” season four: “I taped over the game”) is enough to keep me laughing for hours. (seriously, Michael Emmerson deserves a shelf full of emmy’s)

I think Fox cancelled the Kelsey Grammar sitcom 1 day after he was on Jimmy Kimmel promoting it. ...that was one of the few watchable sitcoms. I think the networks are just keeping their powder dry and waiting to see if actors go on strike.

justjokes101 said:

I think Fox cancelled the Kelsey Grammar sitcom 1 day after he was on Jimmy Kimmel promoting it. ...that was one of the few watchable sitcoms. I think the networks are just keeping their powder dry and waiting to see if actors go on strike.

I don’t think the SAG strike this summer can sufficiently explain a lack of creativity and humor missing from modern Sit-Coms. The revolution of the sitcom in the 1980’s re0defined television with it’s varied styles, departure of the canned laughter and the sheer amount of comedy on television. We get stale re-treads of the same shows from then rather than cutting edge, innovative television – with the few notable exceptions mentioned above.

Perhaps with the waning attention spans, a form of YouTube cable network – an “MTV of Short Films” will emerge soon in broadcast. Canada already has it with MOVIEOLA THE SHORT FILM CHANNEL, a 24 hour a day short film cable network. They have yet to invade the States, but fingers crossed.

NoelleD said:

I tend to watch my DVD’s of “Little Britain” , “League of Gentlemen” and “Fawlty Towers” , over and over again- the Brits rule!

Faulty Towers is the best, that is one damn silly show!

well the only thing I have to say about this is there will always be new funny sitcoms, The office is so popular cause the format is newer and even though people watch those old rehashed sitcoms, they will never get as much attention as shows like the office because its striving to do something diffrent, and people are always striving for something different.

I like the office and 30 rock, Ice T is funny in SVU. I watch nothing else, TV SUX!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sooner or later advertisers are gonna realize that most people do think TV sucks. That and that their ancient methods aren’t moving product the way they think and the whole system might just crash.

Yes, and I think they only did 12 episodes? Yet I could watch them endlessly. In fact, I would rather watch old Ab-fab or Red Dwarf episodes or anything British tnan American sit-com. At least it has an intelligence factor missing in American TV.

ajcoyote said:

NoelleD said:

I tend to watch my DVD’s of “Little Britain” , “League of Gentlemen” and “Fawlty Towers” , over and over again- the Brits rule!

Faulty Towers is the best, that is one damn silly show!

well the only thing I have to say about this is there will always be new funny sitcoms, The office is so popular cause the format is newer and even though people watch those old rehashed sitcoms, they will never get as much attention as shows like the office because its striving to do something diffrent, and people are always striving for something different.

Those Brits know how to do it right. They write the entire “series” (meaning season as we call em here in the Colonies) before a single frame is shot. Then they shoot them all in a row, much like a feature, and they start editing – all before a single episode has aired. That way there is perfect continuity with cast and location for an entire season, no expensive salary negotiations if one of the stars breaks out, and the stories remain consistent. There’s also the UK way of having limited series. Sometimes taking a show until it “jumps the shark” is the wrong way to go. Maybe we should let the characters retire on top and watch 12 great episodes repeatedly as opposed to 125 mediocre ones and only 8 great ones.

Its funny I go through a Fawlty Towers phase every once in awhile where that is all I will watch, then I stop watching it for a couple months then go through the same phase again, and im still not sick of it. That show has some kind of magic related to it.

lily18 said:

Yes, and I think they only did 12 episodes? Yet I could watch them endlessly. In fact, I would rather watch old Ab-fab or Red Dwarf episodes or anything British tnan American sit-com. At least it has an intelligence factor missing in American TV.

ajcoyote said:

NoelleD said:

I tend to watch my DVD’s of “Little Britain” , “League of Gentlemen” and “Fawlty Towers” , over and over again- the Brits rule!

Faulty Towers is the best, that is one damn silly show!

well the only thing I have to say about this is there will always be new funny sitcoms, The office is so popular cause the format is newer and even though people watch those old rehashed sitcoms, they will never get as much attention as shows like the office because its striving to do something diffrent, and people are always striving for something different.

The UK’s SPACED is finally getting a North American DVD release with new commentary tracks from Kevin Smith, Quentin Tarantino, Diablo Cody and more.

And if that wasn’t good enough news, The McG produced pilot of the Americanized, non-Pegg/Wright/Strevenson version of SPACED was NOT picked up for series!

HOORAY!

some shows are definitely breathing new life into a genre that seemed to pride itself on being stale for so long. arrested development (RIP), the office and always sunny in philadelphia are probably the best examples of quality sitcoms pushing the limits to the max

If you’ve never seen it, the UK’s SPACED redefined the genre of sitcom for me. Show’s like SCRUBS and even FAMILY GUY owe a lot to the style of SPACED and they way they did things in 1999. Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg, the guys behind SHAUN OF THE DEAD and HOT FUZZ did this show with a highly underrated woman’s touch with Jessica Stevenson (now Hynes). When the DVD comes out – prepare yourself for the best brit-com ever made.

There’s no time to watch television. Gas prices are high.