Comedy is hard, dude. Make an effort.
I'm just getting to watching "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," the drama about a Saturday-Night-Live-type comedy. One of the many reasons it didn't last is that the comedy show within a show was not funny. That would be fine if the whole premise of the show weren't watching a comedy show return to its former brilliance and wit. The sketches on the show within a show were typical SNL fare.
One of the comedy ideas on "Studio 60" was "Dolphin Girl," a girl who makes dolphin noises when she gets nervous. Sound like something a high school girl would come up with? It is! I did theater in high school. Every year we did a sketch comedy show. One year my friend Tracy and I came up with a character for her ... Dolphin Girl ... who got nervous when I introduced her to a boy and she made dolphin noises.
Now, I'm not saying Aaron Sorkin stole an idea from us. Although, that would be really funny. But I am saying if you're going to denounce the shabby state of comedy in typical Sorkinesque semi-self-righteousness, then you should suck it up and hire some comedy writers so that your show within a show doesn't seem like it was written by two high school girls 15 years ago.
Sorkin's Dolphin Girl was named Leona. Although Leona was not in Dolphin Girl, she did go to high school with me. So for a second I thought someone I went to high school with was a writer on "Studio 60" and was giving us a shout out. Or secretly hated us and was mocking us on TV.
I haven't finished watching all the episodes. But if there is a sketch about TV psychics, one of whom channels people who are still alive, or a sketch about three cheerleaders who can't spell, one of whom is a grunge cheerleader who misspells things ironically* ... then I will know that I've been plagiarized for reals!
*The joke was we were doing the cheer "Go, Fight, Win" and the first cheerleader holds up a sign that says "Goe!" The second cheerleader holds up a sign that says "Fite!" and the third cheerleader is all alternative grunged out in combat boots and all (it was the early '90s, people) and holds up a sign that says "Nguyen!" (pronounced "Win" -- get it?) and then we jumped around and said "Goooooo, Estancia Badminton team!" (We had a badminton team, comprised almost entirely of students of Vietnamese heritage. Edgy!)
Man that show... It started out well (aside from the bad comedy sketches) and then got worse and worse and then kind of offensive to women and then really offensive to women and then just boring ... Lame!
I think you should be a Hollywood writer and fix them.
Posted by
Joy |
2/15/2008 7:56 AM
I don't watch TV at home and haven't since 1999, so much of my exposure of what I'm missing out on comes from reading blogs (like yours), although I subscribe to Netflix, as you know.
You could totally be lying to me about what's out there, and I wouldn't know it. And in some ways, the lie would probably be more interesting than the truth.
I agree with previous sentiments expressed here - you need to stop arseing around, come up with your own material, and show 'em what for! You have a keen sense of humor, and the intellect to drive it home.
(They're re-releasing Knight Rider, for christ's sake...)
You will never know until you try.
Posted by
TWM |
2/15/2008 10:59 AM
Studio 60 is not a comedy. Studio 60 is a drama, that happens to be funny at times, but it is the drama that drives the show, not comedy. You want a comedy about a comedy show? Watch 30 Rock. That's supposed to be a comedy!
I hope you aren't the same person that disliked Sports Night because it too was not funny. It's not supposed to be! The network didn't know what to do with it, so they put a laugh track on it for the first season, and it never once made sense! Because it's not a comedy.
And the reason the show didn't last is because it was too intelligent for the mainstream. But I know it's not too intelligent for you, so what gives? Why don't you really like this show?
Posted by
Anonymous |
2/18/2008 4:28 PM
Photos of tea! Photos of tea!
.... Please ..... my batting eyelashes are cute!
Posted by
krista |
2/19/2008 9:21 AM
I LOVE "Sports Night." It is one of my favorite shows of all time.
I realize "Studio 60" is a drama. However, if the drama is fueled by these people I am supposed to care about who are passionate about good comedy, then it is crucial to the drama that the show within a show be, well, good. For Pete's sake, there is only 3 minutes of the fake comedy show in each episode. Can't they make it funny?
"Sports Night" is a great example. I believed the characters were working on a good sports show because the fake show was good. So when they poured their hearts into it, I bought it.
I don't buy that people as smart and witty as the characters on "Studio 60" came up with the lame comedy bits they put on the show within a show.
Posted by
smart kitty |
2/19/2008 11:57 AM
Well-played smart kitty. Honestly I didn't really read your post that well, I just noticed that you didn't like Studio 60 so I thought I would attack you because it makes me feel better about myself. And now I feel like a jerk.
Posted by
Anonymous |
2/20/2008 4:55 PM
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