Have you ever thought that political comedy can be used to desensitize the public to a certain topic allowing politicians and public servants to get aways with stuff we normally would not?

Wouldn't it be easier to accept the president or prime minister ordering a fatal interdiction if there was a comedian actively making fun of political assassinations against "bad" foreign leaders?

Likewise don't you feel less like protesting when comedians are making fun of people who are marching in the streets and get beat up by cops?

A lot of comedy today seems to becoming almost engineered in this way. It makes it less funny and in fact I can count how often I see people laugh during supposedly "funny" sitcoms. Most of the time, I see my friends and family dumbly watching unseen people laugh at situations that seem engineered toward creating a sort of social apathy.

Jon

[edit on 5.29.2009 by Voxel]

Originally posted by Trolloks
oh, and red dwarf,lol)

Did you think much of the new episodes (3 of them I think) that they did, it was on Dave, so Dave must of made them instead of the BBC.

I was a huge fan of the old ones - still watch them even though I have seen every one - I really did not like the new ones, driving around in a Smart car made to look like starbug?

Originally posted by Now_Then

Originally posted by Trolloks
oh, and red dwarf,lol)

Did you think much of the new episodes (3 of them I think) that they did, it was on Dave, so Dave must of made them instead of the BBC.

I was a huge fan of the old ones - still watch them even though I have seen every one - I really did not like the new ones, driving around in a Smart car made to look like starbug?

I thought they did a good job of it. Usely when a show does a comeback it can be pritty awful, but i recon this one was pritty good. Many people had problems with it not having a laugh track behind, but the jokes was still there (i loved the one about DVD's and going back to video because we found it impossible to put them back in the cases,lol)

Apparently the 3 episodes was just one big advert for more new series (hence all the refferences to season 9, even though it aint been made) so we can wait and hope they screen it, it has already been written, they just need someone to fund it, and i think that was what the special was for, to test the water

I'm so glad you mentioned South Park. I friggin absolutely love that show. And Family Guy too.

And you know, I think it's all a matter of opinion, really. I look around and I see funny everywhere. And I practically live off the Comedy Channel. I second what another poster said about watching the [adult swim] block on Comedy - personal favs are Robot Chicken and Harvey Birdman.

Otherwise Scrubs is hilarious, How I Met Your Mother I love, Kath and Kim is a huge hit here in Oz.. And I lmao at Dave Hughes, Carl Barron, Jamie Kennedy and a many number of other comedians. And have you ever heard of a popular little show called THE OFFICE? The British version, that is..

But I am just as much of a fan of older TV comedies, particularly British ones such as Monty Python, Fawlty Towers and TV to go, and Fast Forward from Australia. Two of my all time favourite theatrical parodies are Rinse the Blood Off My Toga and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.

See, I don't think that comedy has gone anywhere.. It may have changed with the times but what else could you expect?? I'm a sucker for comedy and I still like what I'm seeing
But then again, it's really only opinion.

OP, this thread is spooky! I was thinking about writing something about the lack of comedy and rising star comedians just before I fell asleep last night. Then, boom, here it is. Thanks for taking up the idea.

Hehe, I know a bloke from Royston.

I agree tv comedy does seem to have gone downhill. I've never been much of a fan of US comedies (Scrubs being the major exception), but two and a half men and the US office did nothing for me. The UK office was a bit rubbish too.

I think we're in something of a slump at the moment, and I hope things pick up again soon. I want something to rival Blackadder and Red Dwarf!

I have to say I felt Black books was a missed opportunity. Aside from Bill Baileys Jesus moment, and a few others, it wasn't as funny as something with that amount of talented people in should be.

Originally posted by Perturabo
Hehe, I know a bloke from Royston.

I agree tv comedy does seem to have gone downhill. I've never been much of a fan of US comedies (Scrubs being the major exception), but two and a half men and the US office did nothing for me. The UK office was a bit rubbish too.

I think we're in something of a slump at the moment, and I hope things pick up again soon. I want something to rival Blackadder and Red Dwarf!

I have to say I felt Black books was a missed opportunity. Aside from Bill Baileys Jesus moment, and a few others, it wasn't as funny as something with that amount of talented people in should be.

I actually thought the American office was going to be a bit naff, but i watched series three the other day, and it was suprisingly good.

Black books is a kind of come home from the pub comedy methinks, and gets better after watching it a few times (there's a lot of subtle humour aswell as the obvious gags).


Did anybody watch Lab rats? I thought it was appalling...