NEWM Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 Your expectations are unrealistic then. Maybe in a 6 episode 3 series BBC effort, but 24 episodes at a time for 10 years because networks keep wanting them to make shows? There's no way the quality can stand up to that each and every week, but you reward the great moments you've loved when the show is awesome by sticking with it to be rewarded in kind when it gets good again (or at least delivers good plot resolution) after dodgy spells. Â Where you're bang on though, is that a saccharine love story/character arc is often the forced plot at the expense of LOTS of laughs. It's annoying when the shows spend a lot of time on them and forget to be even remotely funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Pitcos Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 (edited) The two best ever sitcoms, Eastbound and Down and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, don't waste time with any of that nonsense. Although Eastbound is a lot like a movie spread across X number of TV hours, so it's a lot more arcish than most sitcoms, but it doesn't sacrifice any goodness for the romance thread. Always Sunny actively refuses to do Ross/Rachel type stories and subverts that cliche with the Charlie/Waitress dynamic (and made fun of the whole concept in that great award-bitterness episode the other week). Both of those are more niche than the Thursday night terrestrial primetime boys though. Â I'm a bit mixed on the idea of having those big "will they/won't they" romantic arcs plotted over a show the way that mainstream sitcoms do. In theory and often in execution, that aspect provides high stakes and easy conflict over minor misunderstandings that makes it perfect fodder for sitcom. Making a sitcom about more than the comedy also appeals greatly to viewers who have vaginas or aren't sociopaths. It can leave me cold, mind. The Office and Parks and Rec both managed it without annoying me, but looking back, Jim and Pam were bloody dull. I wonder if I'll find Leslie and Ben the same way when I rewatch episodes in the future... Probably not, because they are infinitely more interesting characters than the Halperts anyway. Tim and Dawn in the original Office did a good job of it, but they never took over the show. Â I rewatched a few episodes of Friends at the weekend at my mate's house. There's a Sky channel that seems to show hours and hours of Friends but skips loads episodes so there was one where Ross and Rachel reminisced about their relationship while she decided whether to go to his wedding to Emily, then one set after the wedding where Phoebe's jealous that everyone else went to London, then one later on. The bigger arcs made it confusing to follow when broadcast in this fashion, because you've got Monica hiding in the bath so Joey doesn't see her in one episode, then Joey knowing about her and Chandler in the next, without the one where he found out. Anyway, my point is, Friends is pretty fucking rubbish to look back on, and loads of the Ross/Rachel stuff isn't funny at all, and it dominated the show. Across an American TV season, this stuff can really drag if it's a long-running show and you're too bitter to be interested in the couple. And then if you pay it off early, you run the risk that everyone who was watching to see them get together is satisfied now. Watching them stay together isn't half as intriguing. Â In conclusion, do the romantic arcs if it stays funny at the same time. Don't fill your sitcom with shit drama. Edited October 22, 2013 by King Pitcos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sphinx Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 Homeland. It's just gotten shit(ter). Â Shame to see it go this way. I've no interest in anything so far of series 3 and nodded off towards the end of last episode. Series 1 was brilliant. From what I remember, series 2 was good as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Pitcos Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 Homeland. It's just gotten shit(ter). Â Shame to see it go this way. I've no interest in anything so far of series 3 The daughter's tit was visible during a sex scene in one of the episodes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Maverick Posted October 23, 2013 Paid Members Share Posted October 23, 2013 (edited) Anyone been watching new Parks and Rec? I have been enjoying this season so far but it's weird with Lowe/Jones leaving and Chris Pratt not really being around. Edited October 23, 2013 by Maverick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Bellenda Carlisle Posted October 23, 2013 Paid Members Share Posted October 23, 2013 I liked season 1 of Parks and Rec and I loved Season 2, I stopped watching it halfway through season 4 though as lots of the things I dislike about sitcoms that overstay their welcome had started to happen, it's a shame as I used to enjoy it. Â So Great British Bake Off ended last night. SPOILER - Highlight the black box to read Unexpected result I thought, I went in thinking Kimberly would win- due to consistency rather than anything else. Paul admitted Ruby was in the lead before the final challenge then those two both made seriously underwhelming looking cakes, you can't give the prize to someone who makes a wedding cake in the grand final that looks like it was decorated by a child so it had to go to Frances really which is weird as they spent the whole series saying her stuff was bland. Shows style over substance actually does pay off. Â Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awards Moderator HarmonicGenerator Posted October 23, 2013 Awards Moderator Share Posted October 23, 2013 Anyone been watching new Parks and Rec? I have been enjoying this season so far but it's weird with Lowe/Jones leaving and Chris Pratt not really being around. Â NBC put it 'on hiatus' the other day, which may mean the beginning of the end. I'm most of the way through season 4 at the moment, still enjoying it, but if main cast members are leaving I would call that (without knowing the context) a decent reason to start wrapping things up anyway. Most sitcoms that try to soldier on after major characters have left tend to I way downhill. Â Â Bake-Off: Â <-- click on 'spoiler' to show/hide the spoiler Didn't expect her to win at all. I'd found her annoying the entire way through and now I wonder whether that was her being positioned as an underdog. I though Kimberley had it sewn up until that last cake. Â [close spoiler] ");document.close(); Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Paul's Bin Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Just finished the third season of the Walking Dead. I'm mainly watching it because its free on Netflix US and my girlfriend likes it. Anyway I haven't been too impressed by it. Does anybody else find Rick and Carl two of the most unlikable characters they've came across? I've found both bloody awful and generally annoying. I just think the series certainly needed someone better/stronger than the bloke who plays Rick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Chilly McFreeze Posted October 23, 2013 Paid Members Share Posted October 23, 2013 I liked season 1 of Parks and Rec and I loved Season 2, I stopped watching it halfway through season 4 though as lots of the things I dislike about sitcoms that overstay their welcome had started to happen, it's a shame as I used to enjoy it. So Great British Bake Off ended last night. SPOILER - Highlight the black box to read Unexpected result I thought, I went in thinking Kimberly would win- due to consistency rather than anything else. Paul admitted Ruby was in the lead before the final challenge then those two both made seriously underwhelming looking cakes, you can't give the prize to someone who makes a wedding cake in the grand final that looks like it was decorated by a child so it had to go to Frances really which is weird as they spent the whole series saying her stuff was bland. Shows style over substance actually does pay off.  SPOILER - Highlight the black box to read I think the standard overall this series was pretty poor. The wedding cakes from Ruby and Kimberly were absolute shite. Frances was the only one regularly churning out professional looking stuff, and she excelled in the final, (and also took on board the criticism she had been getting about style over substance) so I think she deserved it.  Ruby was the most annoying contestant I have ever seen on that program. Grow some self confidence love! You're in the final! Stop moaning about how shit you are all the time when you are clearly not.  Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Bellenda Carlisle Posted October 23, 2013 Paid Members Share Posted October 23, 2013 Bake-Off: Â <-- click on 'spoiler' to show/hide the spoiler I thought it was a bit forced with Ruby as well, she acted so downtrodden and slagged her own stuff off before anyone else got the chance so they had no option really but to say something positive. I do think she had a natural talent though. Also her agonized expressions were annoying as hell. I still felt bad for her when her wedding cake was judged and she started bawling. I found Frances incredibly annoying at first but she grew on me a bit and I didn't mind seeing her win as the other two wedding cakes were unbelievably bad, Ruby's looked like a child had done it and Kimberly's was small, boring and covered in premade decorations like a Tesco value wedding cake. Â [close spoiler] ");document.close(); Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 Homeland. It's just gotten shit(ter). Â Shame to see it go this way. I've no interest in anything so far of series 3 The daughter's tit was visible during a sex scene in one of the episodes. Â Sold! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Scott Malbranque Posted October 23, 2013 Paid Members Share Posted October 23, 2013 Homeland is still shite. I didn't understand that 'twist' for the pox of me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Lion_of_the_Midlands Posted October 23, 2013 Paid Members Share Posted October 23, 2013 I thought the end of ep 3 of the new series of Homeland was brought together nicely. Brody who was terrorist but did not do the thing he was accused of is trapped in a room with no control over his situation, and he took the drugs because it was the only way to escape the awfulness of his situation, and you have Carrie who was right all along about Brody but still finds herself trapped in a room with no control over her situation, and she is taking the drugs also to try and escape her predicament but in a different way. Â It was always going to be difficult to stretch Homeland out much further but they are not making a bad job of it so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awards Moderator HarmonicGenerator Posted October 23, 2013 Awards Moderator Share Posted October 23, 2013 Unexpectedly off work today so having a bit of a telly catch up day... Enjoyed the first episode of the new Walking Dead until the last minute or so, and the first episode of The Tunnel was pretty good, wasn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
organizedkaos Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 NBC put it 'on hiatus' the other day, which may mean the beginning of the end. I'm most of the way through season 4 at the moment, still enjoying it, but if main cast members are leaving I would call that (without knowing the context) a decent reason to start wrapping things up anyway. Most sitcoms that try to soldier on after major characters have left tend to I way downhill. Â They put it on hiatus as they had to cancel one of the other sitcoms on that evening so are doubling up P&R in November (which I assume is sweeps and thus ratings are more important - some of the intricacies of American scheduling is lost on me) hence the hiatus at the moment. I do enjoy Parks but as others have said it's not as good as it once was (although changing things up helped last season), it probably should finish up sooner than later but I think it's now NBC's highest rated sitcom. Given they can't seem to find anything new (this is how Community has stayed alive despite struggling ratings) P&R may be around for a while longer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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