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Oh do start a Scrubs thread, Deva. And Sleaze, I'd be really interested in a discussion of the relative merits of TV news and current affairs programmes, and perhaps someone with your viewing habits would be the best person to start one.
Every time I watch Will and Grace, I am reminded how technically accomplished the writers and actors (apart from David Schwimmer, obviously) on Friends were by the extreme awfulness of the characterization, the jokes and the continuity on W&G. - Deva
To be honest, it's the technical accomplishment of the actors in both shows that impresses me. To me, this is always most apparent when respectable movie actors make cameos. There's a joke in Arrested Development where Tobias is accused of being a 'TV actor' (Tobias: "Ouchhhh"), although TV acting must be much more demanding and closer to stage acting (eminently respectable) than anything else. TV comedy acting must be hardest of all - long takes, multiple cameras, and although Dupre hates a studio audiences, it's no mean feat to (a) make them laugh, and then (b) work around their laughter.
I'm with Deva in that much of the appeal of these TV sitcoms is that there's an easy lightness to them, but I admire them all the more for that. Producing TV that inclusive, with the breadth of appeal to cross age, gender, and national and cultural boundaries (these shows play around the world) is really hard. It's one thing to write a niche show, aiming for a cult following. Making something that will run for hundreds of episodes, that can withstand many repeat viewings by all sorts of people, that doesn't just plunder the zeitgeist, is quite another. Ask yourself what you'd find easier to write, an episode of Friends or an episode of Nathan Barley.
I like Jimmy Carr, but I'm aware that I'm possibly alone on this one. I first saw him doing 10 minutes at a Peter Cook tribute show, where he was an unknown among the cream of British comedians, and he brought the house down. Perhaps I'm just a bit of a sucker for two-line gags, but he's pretty quick-witted too. What don't people like about him?
Incidentally, Stoatie, I didn't fancy '18 Stone Of Idiot' either, despite liking Johnny Vegas (and, yeah, Chris Evans produced it). However, I didn't watch a whole episode, and a friend, whose opinion I respect, thought it was great and inventive and refreshing. Maybe ze'll defend it here (you know who you are). Anyone else see it, like it? |
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