Recent sitcoms

I am a new member to this forum and I know I am going to enjoy it. I joined because I enjoy comedy and also because I read an excellent article by Jack Kelly (March 2018). I have often wondered if I was losing my sense of humour after watching the latest 'sitcom' offerings as they left me stone faced. I think it started with one comedy called Boomers which I found unfunny, then Detectorists again unfunny and more recently Mum and Hold The Sunset.

I do respect that many many people like these, we are all different and comedy is subjective, but I found them slow and quite irritating. Then I read the article mentioned above and found that he put into words what I have thought, a new genre could be required, and he suggested 'dramedy'. If these programmes were listed as such I would watch and probably not be concerned if i didn't laugh as they were not listed as comedies, it's when I read that viewers "fell off their seats laughing" or cried with laughter, I start to worry why I am not.

Apologies for going on. Thank you.

As you say, it's a new trend in sitcoms, as exemplified by Mum and Detectorists (which I loved) and Fleabag (ditto). I wouldn't include Hold the Sunset in that genre, it just wasn't very funny! All a matter of taste.

Quote: everhopeful @ 27th March 2018, 12:14 PM

I am a new member to this forum and i know i am going to enjoy it. I joined because i enjoy comedy and also because i read an excellent article by Jack Kelly (March 2018). I have often wondered if i was losing my sense of humour after watching the latest 'sitcom' offerings as they left me stone faced. I think it started with one comedy called 'Boomers' which i found unfunny, then 'Detectorists' again unfunny and more recently 'Mum' and 'Hold the Sunset'. I do respect that many many people like these, we are all different and comedy is subjective, but i found them slow and quite irritating. Then i read the article mentioned above and found that he put into words what i have thought, a new genre could be required, and he suggested 'Dramedy'. If these programs were listed as such i would watch and probably not be concerned if i didn't laugh as they were not listed as comedies, it's when i read that viewers 'fell off their seats laughing' or cried with laughter, i start to worry why i am not. Apologies for going on. Thank you.

Welcome. I quite agree re Boomers, Mum & Hold the Sunset (& Fleabag) being unfunny (don't think I ever watched Detectorists). With regard to Mum in particular, I was beginning to think that I was the only one.

Reading your reply comes as a relief to me. My wife mentioned that if, for example, 'Mum' was a long running series it would qualify as a soap opera. Thanks for the welcome.

It is a bit strange but hopefully I can benefit because I can't write out and out comedy.

However when it comes to Dramedy you can't better Auf Weidersehn or Minder.

Out and out comedy seems to be left to Lee Mack at the moment and also there is something I've heard of called "The Rebel" but because it's on Sky I've never seen it.Angelic

Ahem!

Here's Jack's article, for those who haven't seen it: https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/features/the_rise_of_dramedy/

I find Fleabag and Mum near unwatchable, for what it's worth.

I saw the first two episodes of Mum and thought What's the point? Nor really funny and a bit cliched.

Quote: Aaron @ 28th March 2018, 10:39 PM

Here's Jack's article, for those who haven't seen it: https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/features/the_rise_of_dramedy/

I find Fleabag and Mum near unwatchable, for what it's worth.

Thank you, Jack's article said very succinctly what I would have taken a week to say. Is he a TV critic? I've not heard of him before.

Quote: Chappers @ 28th March 2018, 11:19 PM

I saw the first two episodes of Mum and thought What's the point? Nor really funny and a bit cliched.

Likewise, not for me, but hopefully there's always something else to watch.

Quote: everhopeful @ 29th March 2018, 10:19 AM

Thank you, Jack's article said very succinctly what I would have taken a week to say. Is he a TV critic? I've not heard of him before.

Nope! He's made a great documentary though: https://www.comedy.co.uk/online/the_laughter_of_blackpool/

Thank you for that link something to read and watch for later.

Quote: everhopeful @ 27th March 2018, 12:14 PM

I am a new member to this forum and I know I am going to enjoy it. I joined because I enjoy comedy and also because I read an excellent article by Jack Kelly (March 2018). I have often wondered if I was losing my sense of humour after watching the latest 'sitcom' offerings as they left me stone faced. I think it started with one comedy called Boomers which I found unfunny, then Detectorists again unfunny and more recently Mum and Hold The Sunset.

I do respect that many many people like these, we are all different and comedy is subjective, but I found them slow and quite irritating. Then I read the article mentioned above and found that he put into words what I have thought, a new genre could be required, and he suggested 'dramedy'. If these programmes were listed as such I would watch and probably not be concerned if i didn't laugh as they were not listed as comedies, it's when I read that viewers "fell off their seats laughing" or cried with laughter, I start to worry why I am not.

Apologies for going on. Thank you.

I'm thrilled to hear that you enjoyed my article and I'm so happy that it made you want to join this wonderful site!

I totally agree with your points, it would be wonderful to not have the pressure of having to laugh at a "slow-burner" if it was made clearer that humour wasn't its sole intention from the off. It'd be the reverse effect of the studio audience laugh track, perhaps. :)

I really liked the article. I will say that I love Mum and Fleabag, I think the writing's fantastic and the characterisation spot on but hey, if we all loved the same things wouldn't it be a boring world! But then I wouldn't call them sitcoms either, they're just good telly regardless of genre.

I've not seen Fleabag yet, I will try and find it somewhere as I'm always interested in something new. I quite agree with you, we all enjoy different things, so enjoy what's on offer. All the best. Thanks for the reply.

Quote: JackKelly @ 29th March 2018, 6:57 PM

I'm thrilled to hear that you enjoyed my article and I'm so happy that it made you want to join this wonderful site!

I totally agree with your points, it would be wonderful to not have the pressure of having to laugh at a "slow-burner" if it was made clearer that humour wasn't its sole intention from the off. It'd be the reverse effect of the studio audience laugh track, perhaps. :)

Perhaps peoples' perception of humour has changed. I suppose I'm a bit of a dinosaur really, but as someone else has said we all like and enjoy different things, which is what we want from T.V. I won't knock these programmes as I could not write better. Once again, a great article. Do you think that TV companies might adopt your ideas for the genre of 'dramedy'? Thank you.

Quote: everhopeful @ 30th March 2018, 5:41 PM

Perhaps peoples' perception of humour has changed. I suppose I'm a bit of a dinosaur really, but as someone else has said we all like and enjoy different things, which is what we want from T.V. I won't knock these programmes as I could not write better. Once again, a great article. Do you think that TV companies might adopt your ideas for the genre of 'dramedy'? Thank you.

This is an interesting subject really. In the early days of VHS one of the things that flourished were films that were very undemanding from a viewer's perspective - things were it mattered less if you had to just pop to the kitchen or something, because you could still hear it so you'd more or less get the gist. Same for sets with not much going on, and people not being wild enough that you have to keep your eyes on it constantly. It was perfect for it, in direct contrast to watching a film at the cinema, where the screen's massive, sound is immersive, and you want to get hooked in.

There was a sort of move away from that when more impressive action scenes became more possible and people's TVs got bigger, et cetera. You could get more immersed in your own home.
Now however in many way's it's moved back to passivity, where you can watch anything on a screen no matter how tiny or how massive, you can watch it whenever and wherever you like, and there's a ton of choice re: what you can watch.

Where in decades gone by there was a sort of British realism in our film dramas (Fish Tank and Life Is Sweet come to mind, however there are tons of much older ones like Nighthawks et al), now there is far more elements of realism in British comedy, and with it, the drama elements as well. Recent programmes like Mum, Detectorists, and This Country have exemplified that pretty well. With sitcoms, if watched passively, it may make less of a difference between multi-camera ones with big laughs and single-camera ones with fewer. The laughs then come from the relatibility, which has to be caused, rather than by being loud, to invoke emotions, which is where the drama elements come in. It's how the quiet single-camera sitcoms of recent hook people and get you to side with them, while being more reserved.

The Office really solidified British realism in comedy, and took it much further than our nu wave drama films did.