> character says something obnoxious and pauses
> canned laugh track lasts just long enough to not overlap dialog magically
> repeat
Honestly, I love friends, but I would never recommend it to younger audiences.
Humour is a very personal choice, and like colors, not everything being fun for the same people. On top of that, A TON of today’s humour descends from friends, so the jokes feel dated and simple, but they were the literal origin of many tropes, at the time it was perfection, like a chewing gum.
And most importantly, nowadays people (specially chronically online people) can’t just sit back and relax, they are always being judgemental little pricks to feel superior to everyone else, while not even trying to contextualise the time when what they are seeing was made.
Not to mention how sad it is that all the media, no matter the genre, have to pass their stupid moral compass (whether the progressive one or the conservative one). The whole sit back, relax and have a laugh is lost to them.
Is a very sad reality of hyper judgement they lived in, probably fueled by the cancer that is social media. I’m sad for them, they keep chasing the internet points thinking it will make them happy somehow, they don’t just watch something, they keep filling the checklist to then “have something to say”.
I’m so happy the internet was not a thing when I was growing up, what a brain worm I dodged, just in time to enjoy it as an adult as well. I’m really sorry for the young people today.
Very interesting take I never thought about that at all. What about just what you consider “good” or “bad”? You think it’s better to watch whatever is in front of you/ available and have no criticism for it ? I’m most critical of media I enjoy most but not in a judgement social media way you are picturing
as always there is nuanced to everything, if I see a comedy or horror I’m not going to hold it to the same standards as a drama that is trying to convey a message, there will be a limit if it goes against my values in a crazy way, and I’ll stop watching it, but my main mentality is not there, I don’t watch it from a “defensive” position, so my alarms don’t go off as easily as other people’s, and I assume more good intent by default, which allows me to enjoy more of them, even if they “make fun” of my way of thinking or morals.
Being able to laugh about yourself or your beliefs without thinking you are “helping the other side win” in some kind of imaginary online culture war is quite healthy actually.
I was talking about objectivity and whether media is good in a sense of writing, execution and delivery. I will always give something the benefit of the doubt like you said, give something a try because you obviously never seen it. But why watch something that is clearly low effort and poorly thought out or planned? All that seems like an attention/ cash grab especially ones that try to appeal to a specific moral audience while disregarding any other viewers. My example is any show aimed at a straight white male that is very obviously disregarding any possible other viewer I consider poor writing and not well thought out.
People today really do lack basic critical thinking to the point where it’s not just concerning, but could outright explain the decline of our society. I think it should be common sense to consume media while being mindful of its era and audience as well as being able separate the art from the artists. I think it’s ridiculous that there are people who are attacking actors for playing an outdated joke on a show 30 years ago. Like how fragile and miserable do you have to be to get that riled up while trying to watch entertainment to relax.
Me watching Seinfeld
Same, but funnily enough I love Curb Your Enthusiasm. Jerry Seinfeld just doesn’t land with me while Larry David does.
I don’t like any of the US talk show comedy things, they’re all just really weird. I don’t understand this tendency to go off on a random tangent that has nothing to do with the main talking point, and then to just slam back to the main talking point once they’ve made their unfunny joke.
John Oliver does it all the time.
Me with Seinfeld.
the liquid hearty meal will not be given to you
It’s not for everybody and it’s certainly not nuanced or pointed humor at all, but it’s funny and it holds up.
Some episodes have aged excellently. That one where Phoebe dates a cop, who is definitely giving off white supremacist vibes, and Chandler is going around at every opportunity reminding everyone in absolute terror: “he has a gun!”
pointed humor
Nipples did augment the jokes.
Me with American Dad et al. They’re just soul-crushingly mean-spirited.
I mean if you understand that they’re satire, then they can be funny.
That being said American dad past season 9 and Family Guy past season 7 have severely declined in quality to the point where they’re not funny to me anymore.
I don’t really see it as satire. Satire should have some kind of cleverness to it; nuance.
You can Add in Always and Community too under love it.
Ongo Gablogian knows you don’t need a laugh track to make the viewer laugh.
Ongo plays it subtle… Very subtle.
If you go in with the predisposition that it won’t be funny, then of course it won’t be. Go watch something else.
In the late 90’s UK it was a huge show, everyone really liked it, it was one of the first binge serials I can remember. I’ve not watched it for 25 years, maybe worth revisiting, although reading through the comments, seems it hasn’t aged well. It’s always sunny in Philadelphia is probably a better re-watch these days, it’s like extreme (anti) Friends on crack.
IASIP is more like Seinfeld on meth.
Rewatched over the COVID period. Was still entertaining. The pacing is odd though when you binch watch, their relationships / life events last a few episodes (so it seems like only a few days have passed), whereas when it was a weekly event it seemed like they lasted months.
It’s one of those shows that you have to watch when it first came out.
I actually disagree. I’ve gone back to watch it and find it very cozy. It’s like I’m flipping through cable in the 90s and, oh, a show I’ve not seen!
That’s because we’re old. It’s okay grandma, I’m grandma too.
Most of the shows is just laughing sound in the back for comedy
It’s the sheer laziness and cynical nature of US comedies which sucks - develop a formula and keep shitting out episodes until there are enough for syndication. That’s it. The actual show itself is just 20 minutes of meaningless, throwaway nothing with some jokes. Occasionally a show will try something different but 90+% of them are just this until cancellation or syndication.
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That’s me watching any sitcom
Friends is a funny show. But I’ll say that after season 5, it got progressively less and less funny.
Idk why you’re being downvoted, you’re right. The shows first few seasons were great because the humor felt original and the chemistry between the characters felt organic.
I felt like all of the characters declined. Chandler’s sarcasm became more and more forced. Ross getting divorced again and again got repetitive, I also didn’t like how they handled him having a kid. Joey’s character was lobotomized and he went from being a funny womanizer to being a child in an adult’s body. The girls stayed more consistent, but I felt like Phoebe’s shtick kind of wore off and became annoying. I also hate the ending.
I think the first half of friends is one of the best sitcom products that American TV has produced, but the second half is just mediocre.
Absolutely. I think everyone became one dimensional. And you’re right, they all had great chemistry in the first seasons.
I also don’t know what people are talking about when they call the humor “dated”. I don’t think it’s dated. It’s just that different people find different things funny. I mean, who can forget “PI-VOT” and then “I’d like to return this couch. I’m not completely satisfied with it” - says Ross as he returns a mutual couch, that’s been severed in two
