The Mitchell and Webb (which if people don't know, started as a radio show) look sort of lost its way with season 2. It however got back on track in season 3.
On a mild tangent, is sketch comedy less popular in America than in the UK? There's Saturday Night Live, and I don't know if Mad TV is still a thing, but it seems like sketch comedy is a lot more popular in the commonwealth nations. I was thinking of this the other day while watching Picnicface (if you're in Canada, it's on the comedy network website, and is surprisingly good) and thinking about Kids in the Hall.
Depends on what you mean by sketches. Straight sketch comedy like "The Whitest Kids You Know" is kind of a niche thing. Often shows will have sketches, but only a segment rather than the whole show.
Then there is (ugh) ... "Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!" which is mostly terrible. Probably the reason it is on adult swim in the early hours of the morning. Although I don't even know if I would call that sketch comedy. I don't know what anyone would call that.
and I wonder about my neighbors even though I don't have them
but they're listening to every word I say
I had no idea there were more than two seasons of That Mitchell and Webb Look, having watched it on netflix. Damn. Guess I'll be ordering DVDs or something.
The Mitchell and Webb (which if people don't know, started as a radio show) look sort of lost its way with season 2. It however got back on track in season 3.
I thought season 2 was great. :P
Well Season 2 had pretty much the same sketches (Numberwang) as Season 1; it almost seemed rushed because they (the BBC?) didn't realise it was going to do well as well as it did.
Season 3, if I'm remembering correctly, had alot more new stuff in it.
PSN Fleety2009
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Mojo_JojoWe are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourseRegistered Userregular
Uncomfortable amounts of repetition are one of the hallmarks of the British sketch show. Some are worse than others and gradually devolve into characters shouting catch phrases at a camera. It's a tricky medium.
Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
But you didn't leave it to the reader. You effectively said that because British TV has less tits than European TV, it's not as good. Your measure of quality is proportional to the number of boobs you see on the screen... which is a ridiculous measure.
It's my fault for not being clear enough then. That wasn't at all what I wanted to suggest. Obviously, these nude gameshows and whatever that you see on continental European tv and South America (and probably loads of other places) are low-brow (yet profitable) entertainment.
But yeah, you don't want to watch Mastermind and The Culture Show all day either. Sometimes you want to watch a documentary about big tits. Nothing wrong with that.
So you're exactly the person Chegger's Naked Jungle was aimed at.
Uncomfortable amounts of repetition are one of the hallmarks of the British sketch show. Some are worse than others and gradually devolve into characters shouting catch phrases at a camera. It's a tricky medium.
I always think this is much more a Paul Whitehouse/Harry Enfield thing than a general british comedy thing.Or at least, I struggle to think of other sketch-based series that exhibited that tendency to the same degree as their programmes.
Uncomfortable amounts of repetition are one of the hallmarks of the British sketch show. Some are worse than others and gradually devolve into characters shouting catch phrases at a camera. It's a tricky medium.
And then you have Little Britain that started out that way
The Fourth Estate wrote:
Not possible for British actors (as we don't have the crazy segregation of film/TV/theatre actors the yanks do). And I strangely have not seen a lot of American theatre lately.
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Blatantly untrue. I've seen plenty of theatre in London. More than a heterosexual man should see. I've seen big West End productions and I've seen productions in smaller (but still legitimate) theaters. Not once have I seen an actor on stage who I recognized from television or films. And whenever there is a tv or film actor doing a play, it's advertised in big bold letters. "MR BEAN IN OLIVER TWIST" for example.
So there are many, many actors who only do theatre in the UK. Name your favourite three.
There are many. But alot of them still get work on TV. The guy I saw play Richard III in my local Theatre cropped up as a small part in an episode of 'Apparitions' - and Jonathan Slinger, who is one of my favourite Theatre actors, showed up in an episode of Vexed.
I find it genuinely hard to believe that as a regular theatre goer you have never seen anyone from TV. I also don't understand why you would go if you consider it a lesser medium - it isn't cheap, and is the most expensive option out of film and television.
I'll admit that people are immortalized in TV and Film more so than a Theatre production - because people can rewatch at leisure and they have handy credits at fore and aft of an episode. Perhaps that is why theatre is considered the actors medium - If you aren't willing to shell out for a program and file them all for reference then you will forget alot of the actors in the plays you saw, even if they are great - but you will be left with a resounding memory of something like 'that production had an excellent Beatrice' - the character tends to win out in Theatre in that respect, but that does not mean that your career is on a downward path.
Uncomfortable amounts of repetition are one of the hallmarks of the British sketch show. Some are worse than others and gradually devolve into characters shouting catch phrases at a camera. It's a tricky medium.
And then you have Little Britain that started out that way
I feel Little Britain started out pretty well as a surreal look at Britain and its culture, before deciding that was all too much work so let's just bang out some catchphrases and see how far into 'gross-out' territory we can run before the BBC shuts us down.
last episode of black mirror was great. more believable future than number 2, the technology was close but not identical to stuff we have now, and it just looked like a natural fit with the times we have now. utter nonsense but it resembles photo-sharing and the like so much you can't help but click into it naturally. i really liked the exploration of the concept, the sheer power of being able to pore over every detail and how it can take you over.
having said that, i would have preferred the ending to be more ambiguous. if events were more hazy, if details less absolute, she might leave him over trust issues or vice versa, then you get the whole "even with all that power" etc. as it is i felt kinda sympathetic to an abusive bully.
I was kind of surprised about the order really, it almost make sense starting with the National Athem, then looking at the effects on one person and then finally ending up with what happened to the rest of the world.
I'm now desperately waiting for a Charlie Brooker scifi series or film though.
Even aside from the ideas, Black Mirror is very well made.
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TexiKenDammit!That fish really got me!Registered Userregular
I finished up the second season of James May's Man Lab, and wish it had more than 4 episodes (there's a special soon I believe). They sped up a few things compared to last season, and got rid of a few awkward things like the whole wooing women stuff with the interm, and it was much better for it. Swiss Army Bike and building your own pool table were the highlights. More please, BBC.
Mike Danger"Diane..."a place both wonderful and strangeRegistered Userregular
I don't think there's a dedicated Misfits thread so: (season finale spoilers):
Holy shit, I hated that religious girl when she was first on the show and I hate her now. I guess this means no more Simon & Alisha on the show? (I know that they've said Alisha's actress isn't coming back.)
Mojo_JojoWe are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourseRegistered Userregular
The third Black Mirror was the weakest of the bunch for me, but it was still really good. Managed to get across just what would happen to ordinary people if they could review their lives like that. Obsession about every little thing.
Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
For me the Black Mirror episodes went 2,3,1 in order of best to worst. I felt episode 3 was perhaps the most realistic and the most foreseeable - some people already seem to document their entire social life on facebook. However I found the world in episode 2 was much more evocative and had some really interesting messages.
Other TV on the past couple of nights I've enjoyed have been Lost Christmas (though the piano score got a tad annoying) and Little bleak shop.
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JuliusCaptain of Serenityon my shipRegistered Userregular
I don't think there's a dedicated Misfits thread so: (season finale spoilers):
Holy shit, I hated that religious girl when she was first on the show and I hate her now. I guess this means no more Simon & Alisha on the show? (I know that they've said Alisha's actress isn't coming back.)
We do have a thread somewhere I believe.
And I have absolutely no idea where they're going with this. This thing is already ridiculous. Awesome ridiculous.
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I thought season 2 was great. :P
Depends on what you mean by sketches. Straight sketch comedy like "The Whitest Kids You Know" is kind of a niche thing. Often shows will have sketches, but only a segment rather than the whole show.
Then there is (ugh) ... "Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!" which is mostly terrible. Probably the reason it is on adult swim in the early hours of the morning. Although I don't even know if I would call that sketch comedy. I don't know what anyone would call that.
but they're listening to every word I say
Check Netflix again - all 4 seasons are up there.
Well Season 2 had pretty much the same sketches (Numberwang) as Season 1; it almost seemed rushed because they (the BBC?) didn't realise it was going to do well as well as it did.
Season 3, if I'm remembering correctly, had alot more new stuff in it.
So you're exactly the person Chegger's Naked Jungle was aimed at.
I always think this is much more a Paul Whitehouse/Harry Enfield thing than a general british comedy thing.Or at least, I struggle to think of other sketch-based series that exhibited that tendency to the same degree as their programmes.
And then you have Little Britain that started out that way
There are many. But alot of them still get work on TV. The guy I saw play Richard III in my local Theatre cropped up as a small part in an episode of 'Apparitions' - and Jonathan Slinger, who is one of my favourite Theatre actors, showed up in an episode of Vexed.
I find it genuinely hard to believe that as a regular theatre goer you have never seen anyone from TV. I also don't understand why you would go if you consider it a lesser medium - it isn't cheap, and is the most expensive option out of film and television.
I'll admit that people are immortalized in TV and Film more so than a Theatre production - because people can rewatch at leisure and they have handy credits at fore and aft of an episode. Perhaps that is why theatre is considered the actors medium - If you aren't willing to shell out for a program and file them all for reference then you will forget alot of the actors in the plays you saw, even if they are great - but you will be left with a resounding memory of something like 'that production had an excellent Beatrice' - the character tends to win out in Theatre in that respect, but that does not mean that your career is on a downward path.
I feel Little Britain started out pretty well as a surreal look at Britain and its culture, before deciding that was all too much work so let's just bang out some catchphrases and see how far into 'gross-out' territory we can run before the BBC shuts us down.
having said that, i would have preferred the ending to be more ambiguous. if events were more hazy, if details less absolute, she might leave him over trust issues or vice versa, then you get the whole "even with all that power" etc. as it is i felt kinda sympathetic to an abusive bully.
I'm now desperately waiting for a Charlie Brooker scifi series or film though.
Even aside from the ideas, Black Mirror is very well made.
Other TV on the past couple of nights I've enjoyed have been Lost Christmas (though the piano score got a tad annoying) and Little bleak shop.
We do have a thread somewhere I believe.