I grew up watching the sitcom M.A.S.H. and now only after twenty years and several wars later do I, an average non-medical civilian, get exposed to the true reality of war.

I feel somewhat betrayed by the media and in a larger sense by a culture that treats the adult population like fragile infants who need to hear a fairy tale at bedtime.

The corporate interest dominated media has blood, endless blood and misery, on their hands as does the government for allowing the wholesale prostitution of the media outlets.

The average citizen deserves some blame too for their ignorance is willful. They (and I) knew we were sheltered and pampered yet we're too comfortable to bother educating ourselves.

>> ^dannym3141:

I never found seinfeld funny, like at all. Yet i absolutely love larry david (especially curb). After i watched curb and loved it, i put myself through seinfeld again, must have watched 5 or 6 episodes, didn't even spark a smile.


There's something wrong with your soul then.

>> ^Deano:

And this is why Seinfeld was consistently brilliant. Apart from that final episode.


Seinfeld as a series was basically, "Here's a group of remorseless, selfish city goers who suffer the consequences of their idiotic lifestyle choices." The tough lessons in Seinfeld were always hilarious and never cause for self reflection.

Self reflection on television is just depressing. Like that episode of Quantum Leap where Sam plays John Lennon's 'Imagine'. If I wanted to end my night depressed I'd youtube all the worst parts of Requiem For a Dream.

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Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

Actually, my favourite character was Richmond the Goth - I thought Noel Fielding played this well. "The Dinner Party" episode was hilarious. "I only drink Absinthe".

Roy and Moss are characters I care about- but I agree that they could invest more in the actual character development- and story some story arc please! If Roy broke up with his GF in the first episode- why is it never mentioned again? I also agree that Katherine's character is a real weak link.

>> ^Deano:

Hey, let's not be like that - I don't mind anyone getting a kick out of a sitcom and I'm not going to rant on them if they don't like say, Seinfeld. But let me get a little more specific as to why I feel the I.T Crowd hasn't really worked.
I agree those eps had their moments but you're probably looking at the very, very best bits there. The Outing relied on broad, farcical humour which you can't use to sustain a series and had nothing to do with the situation of the show (which is supposed to be where the humour comes from).
But mostly I don't see where the gags are most of the time. Having a bloke pretend like he's from The Matrix and not giving him any jokes means you're putting A LOT on the actor. And most of the time this show does not get the balance of jokes and performances right.
In The Final Countdown Roy doesn't want to be mistaken for a window cleaner by an aquaintance. But because the antagonist is so sketchily drawn along there isn't anything at stake nor is there a payoff. And like most of the principals the guy playing Roy doesn't have the comedic acting chops to pull this off. A similar situation in Seinfeld would have worked because Jason Alexander (this would be a George situation) can turn average material into gold. And I'm beginning to wonder what Katherine Parkinson is supposed to be doing - her character doesn't develop and her storylines are as flimsy as can be.
It's interesting that Linehan co-wrote Father Ted which was much better than the I.T Crowd and is solely responsible for this.
I'll say this again - the best thing about the show is Matt Berry. He's clearly having fun and has a character that could go places. The show should be about him or some similar nutcase and the guys in the basement should be peripheral characters. I'm glad that Noel Fielding and Chris Morris appear to be gone as they were bloody awful.

>> ^kymbos:
Haven't seen the new series, but there are a few episodes of the earlier series' that are as close to perfect comedy as it gets. The one where they go to see Gay - the Gay Musical is brilliant, and the one where the boss starts going out with the woman who used to be a man. And the one where the old boss dies and they have his funeral.
If you don't find it funny (in general), I honestly pity you.

>> ^deputydog:

For the record, I think Graham Linehan is a veritable comedic genius. Big Train is one of the greatest sketch shows ever created, and Father Ted one of the best sitcoms. Most of my friends adore IT Crowd too, and we have very similar taste when it comes to comedy. Also, I think Richard Ayoade is hilarious, particularly in Garth Marenghi's Darkplace. Really, all signs point to me loving the programme; but I don't.
I will, however, attempt to watch it again.


He co-wrote Father Ted and had better actors to work with. I'm not a fan of Richard Ayoade - he seems to try bloody hard in this but can't help feeling someone else could play Moss with far less effort and get a lot more out of the role.

The other thing about the acting quality - the supporting actors they get just seem really average. Again, because I love mentioning it, Seinfeld always had a knack of casting amazing support who gave stormingly funny performances and many of them became hugely memorable. I've never seen a sitcom match this. Here it's like the three main characters are supposed to carry it all off on their own - it's too big a burden IMO.

Hey, let's not be like that - I don't mind anyone getting a kick out of a sitcom and I'm not going to rant on them if they don't like say, Seinfeld. But let me get a little more specific as to why I feel the I.T Crowd hasn't really worked.

I agree those eps had their moments but you're probably looking at the very, very best bits there. The Outing relied on broad, farcical humour which you can't use to sustain a series and had nothing to do with the situation of the show (which is supposed to be where the humour comes from).

But mostly I don't see where the gags are most of the time. Having a bloke pretend like he's from The Matrix and not giving him any jokes means you're putting A LOT on the actor. And most of the time this show does not get the balance of jokes and performances right.

In The Final Countdown Roy doesn't want to be mistaken for a window cleaner by an aquaintance. But because the antagonist is so sketchily drawn along there isn't anything at stake nor is there a payoff. And like most of the principals the guy playing Roy doesn't have the comedic acting chops to pull this off. A similar situation in Seinfeld would have worked because Jason Alexander (this would be a George situation) can turn average material into gold. And I'm beginning to wonder what Katherine Parkinson is supposed to be doing - her character doesn't develop and her storylines are as flimsy as can be.

It's interesting that Linehan co-wrote Father Ted which was much better than the I.T Crowd and is solely responsible for this.

I'll say this again - the best thing about the show is Matt Berry. He's clearly having fun and has a character that could go places. The show should be about him or some similar nutcase and the guys in the basement should be peripheral characters. I'm glad that Noel Fielding and Chris Morris appear to be gone as they were bloody awful.


>> ^kymbos:

Haven't seen the new series, but there are a few episodes of the earlier series' that are as close to perfect comedy as it gets. The one where they go to see Gay - the Gay Musical is brilliant, and the one where the boss starts going out with the woman who used to be a man. And the one where the old boss dies and they have his funeral.
If you don't find it funny (in general), I honestly pity you.

Hey, let's not be like that - I don't mind anyone getting a kick out of a sitcom and I'm not going to rant on them if they don't like say, Seinfeld. But let me get a little more specific as to why I feel the I.T Crowd hasn't really worked.

I agree those eps had their moments but you're probably looking at the very, very best bits there. The Outing relied on broad, farcical humour which you can't use to sustain a series and had nothing to do with the situation of the show (which is supposed to be where the humour comes from).

But mostly I don't see where the gags are most of the time. Having a bloke pretend like he's from The Matrix and not giving him any jokes means you're putting A LOT on the actor. And most of the time this show does not get the balance of jokes and performances right.

In The Final Countdown Roy doesn't want to be mistaken for a window cleaner by an aquaintance. But because the antagonist is so sketchily drawn along there isn't anything at stake nor is there a payoff. And like most of the principals the guy playing Roy doesn't have the comedic acting chops to pull this off. A similar situation in Seinfeld would have worked because Jason Alexander (this would be a George situation) can turn average material into gold. And I'm beginning to wonder what Katherine Parkinson is supposed to be doing - her character doesn't develop and her storylines are as flimsy as can be.

It's interesting that Linehan co-wrote Father Ted which was much better than the I.T Crowd and is solely responsible for this.

I'll say this again - the best thing about the show is Matt Berry. He's clearly having fun and has a character that could go places. The show should be about him or some similar nutcase and the guys in the basement should be peripheral characters. I'm glad that Noel Fielding and Chris Morris appear to be gone as they were bloody awful.

In reply to this comment by kymbos:
Haven't seen the new series, but there are a few episodes of the earlier series' that are as close to perfect comedy as it gets. The one where they go to see Gay - the Gay Musical is brilliant, and the one where the boss starts going out with the woman who used to be a man. And the one where the old boss dies and they have his funeral.

If you don't find it funny (in general), I honestly pity you.

For the record, I think Graham Linehan is a veritable comedic genius. Big Train is one of the greatest sketch shows ever created, and Father Ted one of the best sitcoms. Most of my friends adore IT Crowd too, and we have very similar taste when it comes to comedy. Also, I think Richard Ayoade is hilarious, particularly in Garth Marenghi's Darkplace. Really, all signs point to me loving the programme; but I don't.

I will, however, attempt to watch it again.

Is this real?

In all seriousness, this is why I love politics. It can be funnier than the best stand-up or sitcom.

Watch Arrested Development. It's fantastic.
>> ^dannym3141:

>> ^thinker247:
What I meant by my statement was that Roger Ebert was especially harsh when critiquing dumb comedies, such as this film. I've read many of your statements about comedy sifts, and you rarely find anything funny. It's not a condemnation; merely an opinion.>> ^dannym3141:
If we're not allowed to review things unless we're professional reviewers, you better say the same to the other people who commented before me.


That's perfectly fair enough, i take it back.
You're right, i don't find many sifts funny. I'm not into boil-in-the-bag humour.. you know, x is a family man but he's got daughter y who's unruly, daughter x who's rock n roll, etc. etc. comedy ensues.
I like comedy that tries harder, where i can't predict every single damned punchline. Stuff like the office, extras. The big lebowski. mitchell and webb and peep show. Curb your enthusiasm. That kinda stuff.
I think the people who make sitcoms like friends, big bang theory are guilty of lazyness. They don't try hard enough for me and i can second guess them.

Interesting. Some lines from Shit my dad says are just priceless. Will be interested to see if it can translate to sitcom even a bit.

>> ^thinker247:

What I meant by my statement was that Roger Ebert was especially harsh when critiquing dumb comedies, such as this film. I've read many of your statements about comedy sifts, and you rarely find anything funny. It's not a condemnation; merely an opinion.>> ^dannym3141:
If we're not allowed to review things unless we're professional reviewers, you better say the same to the other people who commented before me.



That's perfectly fair enough, i take it back.

You're right, i don't find many sifts funny. I'm not into boil-in-the-bag humour.. you know, x is a family man but he's got daughter y who's unruly, daughter x who's rock n roll, etc. etc. comedy ensues.

I like comedy that tries harder, where i can't predict every single damned punchline. Stuff like the office, extras. The big lebowski. mitchell and webb and peep show. Curb your enthusiasm. That kinda stuff.

I think the people who make sitcoms like friends, big bang theory are guilty of lazyness. They don't try hard enough for me and i can second guess them.

Not bad, though I wouldn't exactly advise Lindelof and Cuse to create a sitcom anytime soon (they should probably stick to drama).

In reply to this comment by marinara:
hey buddy. I recommend 4 u. an anime titled "last exile"
and the sitcom "30 rock" been watching both on netfix. pretty awesome

i have seen a few episodes of 30rock.it is funny as hell.
i tried looking up the last exile.looks great but i hate subtitles.
not for a movie..thats fine..but when a show has 29 episodes it gets tedious for me.
<------old eyes.
thats why i watch hellsing ultimate but with eng dubs.
qwiz busts my balls for that but at least i dont get eye strain LOL.
does that show have a comprehensive movie that you might recommend?
it looks fantastic.