Modern Comedy

According to Jon Challis (Boycie from Only Fools) modern TV comedy just isn't funny.
There are some real turkey's knocking about, but is he right, or are we eulogising a golden age that simply didn't exist?
Personally, I'm still suffering flashbacks after an encounter with Citizen Khan, so I might not be the best judge.


https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/only-fools-horses-legend-john-23872003

I think comedy is very much a personal thing, what is funny to one person simply is not to another and even offensive to yet another.

Cleary the environment and culture that you are brought up in and live in also influences your thinking and actions - and what you find funny too.

You only have to look at what happens on here to see the effect of how comedy to one person is perceived as abuse to another.  This forum has been destroyed by a few people deciding that their 'fun' was more important then everybody else's  - fake accounts, trolling, abuse, personal vendettas, etc, etc, etc.

There's 'good' and 'bad' in every era, depending on what you find funny and what you don't and modern comedy is no different than any other time except the older you are the more likely you are rooted in the past and the less you generally like change from it, including humour.

Each to their own and all that, time moves on.

I don't understand my daughters taste in things like fashion, music, way of thinking, etc, etc, etc any more than my parents didn't understand mine back when I was young, each generation wants to have their own ways and not those of their parents - and rightly so to.

I don't watch programmes like Citizen Khan any more than I watched Love Thy Neighbour back in the day - neither were funny to me.  I watched Fleabag and enjoyed it too but it didn't make me laugh though.

Mrs Brown's Boys was excruciatingly bad at Christmas yet seemingly highly rated by many (the BBC at least) yet the funniest thing I've watched in the last year 'Staged' seemed to pass by most people.

I guess like beauty, that comedy is in the eye of the beholder?

I don't think comedy is given the room to develop nowadays. there are so many restrictions on peoples behavior, attitudes, and even thoughts. 
I believe that we laugh at what basically boils down to other people's misfortune, whether its physical, a misunderstanding, embarrassment, confidence, or justice being served. Life is so restricted now that most of these are frowned upon.
I quite liked Isaac Asimov's short science fiction story, some years ago,where his Brainiac computer, the smartest in the world, was asked 'what is humor'?
It eventually came back that it was an experiment conducted by aliens upon humans. When asked what happens now we know, it simply said 'The experiment is over'.
I sometimes think we are managing to get to this point all on our own.

gloswhite wrote:I don't think comedy is given the room to develop nowadays. there are so many restrictions on peoples behavior, attitudes, and even thoughts. 
I believe that we laugh at what basically boils down to other people's misfortune, whether its physical, a misunderstanding, embarrassment, confidence, or justice being served. Life is so restricted now that most of these are frowned upon.

I actually feel embarrassed by some of the old comedy shows and jokes I used to laugh at when I was a kid, given the innate racism/sexism/ismism and I tend to prefer comedy that is based on good ideas and different perspectives - seeing the day to day in a different light rather than taking the piss out of stereotypes like much of the 60s and 70s fodder. You can only regurgitate variations of the same "joke" so many times before it gets boring i.e. how thick/posh/horny/possessive/sexy/gullible/gay/racially stereotyped a character may be. We've done that to death.

I don't think life is restricted just because it's not PC - or the world has moved on - to fall back on reinforcing old prejudices - surely we can be more creative than that? And some comedians and TV shows are.

There are some consistently funny progammes on TV: WILTY, HIGNFY, QI, and plenty of great stand-ups that are not offensive.....Jason Manford, Jack Dee, Rod Gilbert, Sarah Pascoe......some of the comedians from Mock The Week.....

Both of you make good points. My point is what do we laugh at on a personal level, especially involuntarily. Agreed there are hackneyed terms, old shows and techniques, etc, but how and what do you react to? Personally, I feel that little changes in the world, and the things I laughed at will be resurrected in one form or another by each generation. Changing show formats is all well and good, but taking 10 minutes to drag out a single observation isn't always amusing in my eyes. Cutting out the foul language is also good, as many comedians use it, incorrectly, as a shock tactic, or to show they are at one with some of the audience.

gloswhite wrote:Both of you make good points. My point is what do we laugh at on a personal level, especially involuntarily. Agreed there are hackneyed terms, old shows and techniques, etc, but how and what do you react to? Personally, I feel that little changes in the world, and the things I laughed at will be resurrected in one form or another by each generation. Changing show formats is all well and good, but taking 10 minutes to drag out a single observation isn't always amusing in my eyes. Cutting out the foul language is also good, as many comedians use it, incorrectly, as a shock tactic, or to show they are at one with some of the audience.

I can definitely laugh at e.g. personal misfortune or stupidity providing that I know the person isn't harmed by it and can take the joke. So if the missus stubs her toe - fair game - but if she loses a limb it ain't no laughing matter.
Obviously I know the missus and have a good idea of her tolerance levels (having tested them throughout our marriage )
This leads to the issue I have with e.g. race, gender or sexuality jokes because there's simply no way of knowing how deeply folk are affected by it - and on TV for example, many people are affected albeit differently so I don't like them as I suspect someone somewhere will be damaged by it. And some of the stuff that was coming out 50 years ago was downright offensive to nearly everyone. Same applies to any mass media.

Agreed, however, many a problem has been averted/resolved with a wisecrack or joke, and always will be. I also don't like some comments that are supposedly humorous, but sometimes it needs such remarks to be made, (all in the name of humour), to draw the anger and upset, (on both sides) out into the open. I don't think its fair to judge attitudes and behaviors of years ago, by today's 'standards', which I think are forced on many of the public by, in particular, the professional complainers, or those permanently 'upset'. 
Times and standards change, and whereas we are all supposed to accept the modern changes are for the better, it doesn't mean we should criticise the past too harshly.  I remember, as a lad, I wasn't allowed to eat in the street, except for a bag of chips eaten on the way home on Friday, and definitely nothing on a Sunday! Modern society has completely reversed that habit, and in my opinion its not for the better. We all learn as we grow, and take mistakes as part of the process, and the same allowances should be made for society.

Comedy has been ruined by snowflakes and political correctness.

Boycie is wrong.

'Modern Family' is an absolute classic without having to resort to swearing or sex.

Same for 'The Big Bang Theory' really.

At the other end of the scale, crude stuff like 'The Inbetweeners' and 'Man Down' are laugh out loud funny.

You're right about Modern Family, Nat.  Marginally prefer anothe classic....Frasier.....both witty and brilliantly acted.

okocha wrote:You're right about Modern Family, Nat.  Marginally prefer anothe classic....Frasier.....both witty and brilliantly acted.

Loved Frasier. Went off a bit when Niles finally got together with Daphne.

okocha wrote:You're right about Modern Family, Nat.  Marginally prefer anothe classic....Frasier.....both witty and brilliantly acted.

Totally agree, absolute classic comedy. The one with Patrick Stewart thinking Frasier is gay is about the finest 20 minutes of comedy you'll ever watch.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

Totally agree, absolute classic comedy. The one with Patrick Stewart thinking Frasier is gay is about the finest 20 minutes of comedy you'll ever watch.

It was the gayest show on tv.

boltonbonce wrote:

Natasha Whittam wrote:

Totally agree, absolute classic comedy. The one with Patrick Stewart thinking Frasier is gay is about the finest 20 minutes of comedy you'll ever watch.

It was the gayest show on tv.

I'm another big Frasier fan and totally agree that it lost its way a bit after Niles got with Daphne - but even then it was still good.

I'm not sure Frasier II or whatever it will be called is a good thing or not as usually sequels are never quite as good as the original but I guess we will soon find out.

Sluffy wrote:

I'm another big Frasier fan and totally agree that it lost its way a bit after Niles got with Daphne - but even then it was still good.

I'm not sure Frasier II or whatever it will be called is a good thing or not as usually sequels are never quite as good as the original but I guess we will soon find out.

I think you're right. Probably a mistake to try to recreate the magic. It usually falls flat.
The key with Frasier was the script, and a superb ensemble cast. Much like Cheers.

boltonbonce wrote:
I think you're right. Probably a mistake to try to recreate the magic. It usually falls flat.
The key with Frasier was the script, and a superb ensemble cast. Much like Cheers.

Totally agree. You can never recreate perfection, a large part of which was the Niles/Daphne relationship, plus the role of Roz.

The actor who played Martin Crane has passed away and could never be adequately replaced in my opinion. He was perfect for the part.

The introduction of the English family didn't quite match up....best to know when to call it a day.....as now....

Haven’t watched a sitcom or a soap since I was a kid tbh as I find them boring and irritating. The odd exception is holby city which ive had to sit through occasionally as the missus likes it although she usually has the good grace to do it when I’m out. When I do watch it with her I have to ask what’s going on so she prefers to binge alone thankfully.
I have tried to watch the likes of cheers, friends and similar American crap  but they just make me want to give the characters a slap. 
Think the last British show in the genre that I watched more than one episode of was rab c nesbitt.

I've tried, over many years, but I can stand no more.

I have to say it.

Ricky Gervais isn't funny. Sorry.

He never was.