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Where's The Funny?

I like to think that I have a good sense of humour. I guess everyone likes to think they do. Mine can be a bit off-the-wall sometimes, I do admit, but I've wondered lately and have to ask: do people find the comedy shows on TV now actually, well ... funny?

I've tried to watch a couple lately and have seen the ads on TV for Two And A Half Men, Gary Unmarried,  and their ilk. American comedy seems to be very unfunny these days and almost totally based on sexual innuendo. Why is that? As kids we used to laugh at things to do with bodily functions, but shouldn't we have grown out of that by now? It's just LAME to me watching Charlie Sheen trying to score with all the women he can and making sexual retorts about it to a young kid.

So, I thought I'd try cartoons. The Simpsons always used to be good for a laugh, but what about Family Guy, American Dad, and the rest of C4's animated lineup? I tried to watch some Family Guy, but again, it seemed very unfunny. And as for local comedians like Jono .. er, no...

Even the modern British shows like Gimme Gimme Gimme, and The Catherine Tate Show don't do it for me. And Black Books is positively unfunny. Where is the quality of the old Brit humour like It Ain't Half Hot Mum, The Two Ronnies, Open All Hours, Blackadder, etc.

I caught an old episode of Everyone Loves Raymond on the weekend. Where are all the shows like that, that are based on everyday life and family personalities etc. Is there ever going to be another M*A*S*H?

The best chuckle I have these days is over Walter in the show Fringe, which isn't even a comedy.

What do you consider funny?

Comments

  1. Gimme Gimme Gimme has all the fun of watching two cats vomit.

    Unfortunately, much TV is driven by the "grown children" market.

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  2. The last American show (for some time) that was funny was "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (IMHO), and of course there was FotC. Those modern sitcoms you mentioned (and a lot more) are as bland and boring as you say. I don't have a problem with jokes of a sexual nature as long as they are original and 'reasonably' tasteful (and any style that is cheap and repetitve becomes weak and quickly tiring and unfunny).

    Many people have encouraged me to sink my teeth in the American "The Office", but have yet to do so.

    Of course I did love the UK "The Office" as well as "Extras" and I still watch "Blackadder" and "Alan Patridge" on a regular basis.

    But I usually avoid any TV until it is recommended to me.

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  3. Im not sure how you can say you have a sense of humour if you dont like Black Books

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