Charlie Sheen is out of his mind

[Chris B]

You're joking, right? Men Behaving Badly is two incredibly sad and pathetic men living in a dingy flat, wasting their lives in pointless drizzling shittery. It's like an advert for suicide.

 

Not once Caroline Quentin and Leslie Ash started getting more to do. Then it generally became more about battle of the sexes. I'm not saying I think it's a great show, but I do still like it. They're idiots and entirely unaware, while at the same time getting free reign to comment on whatever they wish.

 

While I'm not making this into a direct comparison (because I don't think it's on the same level), I do think some of the great comedy setups have an element of being trapped and depressed. Steptoe and Son and (at its best) Only Fools and Horses jump straight to mind, as does Porridge. All of these could be summed up similarly to how you summed up Men Behaving Badly.

[PowerButchi]

I never saw Men Behaving Badly that way to be honest. While I've always felt something like Bottom had an element of Waiting for Godot to it, Men Behaving Badly is just, well, shite. Just really of it's time.

[Happ Hazzard]

The American Office is shit. They've taken everything that was good about the original and replaced it with bland American humour, stretched out over a ridiculous amount of episodes. I don't begrudge Gervais and Merchant taking the money and running but it does somewhat tarnish their legacy somewhat to know that they are responsible for such an abomination.

 

Men Behaving Badly has dated quite a bit, but it's still funny nontheless. Something can be dated and funny, just as something can be up to date and shit.

[spurs 4 life]

You're joking, right? Men Behaving Badly is two incredibly sad and pathetic men living in a dingy flat, wasting their lives in pointless drizzling shittery. It's like an advert for suicide.

 

I've always thought Men behaving badly was 2 geeks trying to be laddish and coming off as unfunny pricks in the process.

 

I will be making an effort to check out Seinfeld after reading these past few pages, never really paid any attention to it before.

[Devon Malcolm]

The American Office is shit. They've taken everything that was good about the original and replaced it with bland American humour, stretched out over a ridiculous amount of episodes. I don't begrudge Gervais and Merchant taking the money and running but it does somewhat tarnish their legacy somewhat to know that they are responsible for such an abomination.

 

To make things worse, Happ, I've heard they're fucking lefties as well.

[Chris B]

The American Office is shit. They've taken everything that was good about the original and replaced it with bland American humour, stretched out over a ridiculous amount of episodes. I don't begrudge Gervais and Merchant taking the money and running but it does somewhat tarnish their legacy somewhat to know that they are responsible for such an abomination.

 

While I dislike a lot of what The American Office has become, once it found its feet, it was pretty damn good. They got the relationship between Jim and Pam and did something different with it that I liked. They also gave Michael a reason to be a manager, by making him very talented at one specific thing. Michael is legendarily good at sales, which is why he got promoted - however, he's a useless manager. David Brent was such an idiot, it really wasn't clear why he'd been promoted in the first place.

 

Now, I think it went badly off the boil, and I think the UK Office is better overall, but it's pretty far from shit.

 

But then, I prefer Extras, anyway.

[Chris B]

I never saw Men Behaving Badly that way to be honest. While I've always felt something like Bottom had an element of Waiting for Godot to it, Men Behaving Badly is just, well, shite. Just really of it's time.

 

At times, I find that Bottom has dated slightly worse for me. I remembered it as being less surreal and more miserable than it actually is. I still like Bottom, but not quite as much as I'd remembered liking it. I'd expected Men Behaving Badly to have dated far worse than it has, and was pleasantly surprised.

 

Tell you what has dated terribly, though, and I loved it as a kid - The Detectives. Good lord, I must have been an easily pleased kid.

[King Pitcos]

I'm sorry, I forgot I'm the only person on here who has to justify his opinion to you to legitimise his legal status as "UKFF authority on comedy".

You're the only one thus far who made a "those Americans only do shit comedy unless it's animated these days, don't they guys?" post. And then used Dharma & Greg (1997-2002) as support for that.

 

Quick point, I think The Office (US) is good. Quite like 30 Rock, did like HIMYM and haven't seen the others.

Bit of a knowledge gap then, considering you're the one dictating what the entire country's reputation for comedy is. Also, that's three current sitcoms you like or have liked, and you only listed two current ones in your shitlist.

 

And like I said, I'm open to persuasion - most other people provide examples and recommendations, but you're Pityinthecityofsin, aren't you?

No, I'm King Pitcos. I won a popularity contest, remember?

 

And yes, I'm sure you can provide several reasons why you think Ab Fab is terrible, but you haven't done it.

Because it hasn't got any jokes in it, and even less wit. It's just two oblivious people running around screaming and falling over, like Kenan & Kel but with menopausal poshos instead of black teenagers. The performances of Eddie and Patsy make panto look subtle, nuanced and clever. It's that terrible kind of broad catchphrase-and-caricature non-comedy, but it doesn't even have the bite that something like Bottom has. I'm fairly sure I did wank over it when I was younger, though.

[Chris B]

And yes, I'm sure you can provide several reasons why you think Ab Fab is terrible, but you haven't done it.

Because it hasn't got any jokes in it, and even less wit. It's just two oblivious people running around screaming and falling over, like Kenan & Kel but with menopausal poshos instead of black teenagers. The performances of Eddie and Patsy make panto look subtle, nuanced and clever. It's that terrible kind of broad catchphrase-and-caricature non-comedy, but it doesn't even have the bite that something like Bottom has. I'm fairly sure I did wank over it when I was younger, though.

 

I disagree with quite a bit of this, although I'm not a fan of Absolutely Fabulous. From the sound of it, you're putting it into the same kind of bucket that I'd put shows like 'Keeping Up Appearances', 'The Vicar of Dibley' and 'The Brittas Empire' into.

 

While Eddie and Patsy are grotesques, I do think the dialogue is pretty far removed from those kind of shows, as is the general way that the show builds out of the characters.

 

Basically, I mentally file Absolutely Fabulous under 'doesn't work for me, but is obviously a pretty good show', whereas I place the others I mentioned into 'Repetitive, annoying shite that relies on the kind of humour that says that the word 'blacmange' is intrinsically the funniest thing in the world'.

[The Icon]

Back On-Topic, Bischoff wants Sheen:

 

'There is a fan from "Nitro, Virginia". How would Bischoff like to see Charlie Sheen come to TNA Wrestling? Bischoff chuckles and says he'd love it! He says Charlie is getting a bad rap and he's out there pushing the envelope. Bischoff said he probably can't keep up with Sheen's extra cirricular activities even if he is younger. He said Sheen is a smart and talented guy and if you listen to some of the things he says, he can take some intelligent shots wrapped in Charlie Sheen bizarroness. He says Sheen is funny and intelligent. If there was a way to get Sheen to come to TNA, he'd be the first to make it happen!

 

It was announced that Charlie Sheen was officially fired by Warner Bros and CBS. He's unemployed and a free agent, the hosts note, so he needs to get people working on it. Bischoff said they might just do that. He said his partner Jason Hervey is a pretty good friend of Charlie so they may make it happen!'

 

Source: Bischoff on Monday Night Mayhem.

 

Make it happen, Charlie will make Sting look like a punk.

[Carbomb]

I'm sorry, I forgot I'm the only person on here who has to justify his opinion to you to legitimise his legal status as "UKFF authority on comedy".

You're the only one thus far who made a "those Americans only do shit comedy unless it's animated these days, don't they guys?" post. And then used Dharma & Greg (1997-2002) as support for that.

 

Exaggeration. I posted several examples and then said that those were just off the top of my head, and that there were a number of others that I could name later if pressed. I've said that twice.

 

And again - I've said I'm open to persuasion, so I'm happy to be proven wrong, rather than just brow-beaten.

 

Quick point, I think The Office (US) is good. Quite like 30 Rock, did like HIMYM and haven't seen the others.

Bit of a knowledge gap then, considering you're the one dictating what the entire country's reputation for comedy is. Also, that's three current sitcoms you like or have liked, and you only listed two current ones in your shitlist.

 

"Dictating", hmmmmm.

 

Anyway, again - the shitlist was incomplete and off the top of my head, and in addition to that list I'd already mentioned Friends, 8 Simple Rules and Married With Children (in that only the fitness made them anywhere watchable). Furthermore, could be argued you're trying to argue the exact opposite, and I'm sure you haven't seen every single American comedy to argue that just-as-absolute point.

 

And like I said, I'm open to persuasion - most other people provide examples and recommendations, but you're Pityinthecityofsin, aren't you?

No, I'm King Pitcos. I won a popularity contest, remember?

 

 

And yes, I'm sure you can provide several reasons why you think Ab Fab is terrible, but you haven't done it.

Because it hasn't got any jokes in it, and even less wit. It's just two oblivious people running around screaming and falling over, like Kenan & Kel but with menopausal poshos instead of black teenagers. The performances of Eddie and Patsy make panto look subtle, nuanced and clever. It's that terrible kind of broad catchphrase-and-caricature non-comedy, but it doesn't even have the bite that something like Bottom has. I'm fairly sure I did wank over it when I was younger, though.

 

Thank you.

 

Can't say as I agree with that assessment overall; a lot of shows don't have single-shot gags, and I think you're over-simplifying as to what constitutes a joke. The main humour of the series is that it's taking the piss out of those shallow, hideously unaware Sloaney types who were part of the "scene" in the 60s and indulge in every fad going, including commodified spirituality and "ethnic" fashions. There's plenty of bite to it, and it also takes the piss out of the older, sanitised generations and the hyper-sanitised, younger, studenty types of the 90s.

 

Still, if you didn't find it funny, there's not much to say to it. But one other thing: it's not like I'm holding up Ab Fab as the absolute pinnacle of comedy, far from it - it's the lower end of what I consider to be decent comedy. It'd be good to discuss the others I posted - so far, there's been very little criticism of the others in my "good" list, and I'm sure there are those who disagree with them.

[The Icon]

Well, no-one is bi-winning that argument.

[Daaaaaad!]

I like How I Met Your Mother.

[Devon Malcolm]

Back On-Topic, Bischoff wants Sheen:

 

Yeah, no-one cares about that now.

 

I think people do underrate season 1 of Seinfeld. There's no doubt it gets into its stride from season 3 and that season 2 has its moments, but it's great in establishing the characters and hits the ground running.

[SpursRiot2012]

Yeah, no-one cares about that now.

 

Is it?