Comedy Archeology - I Still Don’t Get it

One of the aims of this blog these days is, wherever possible, to bring a little positivity. That’s why most of the time, it’s full of me waxing lyrical about stuff what I do love*. I guess what I’m getting at here is that this isn’t a blog about stuff that I don’t think is very good. This is a post which highlights what I consider to be gaps in my comedy obsessiveness; the things that, no matter how hard I try, I just don’t get, even though they’re generally considered to be classics or worthy of the serious comedy fan’s attention.

Seinfeld
This is a show that is often cited as favourite by many comedians and comedy writers whose work I admire. Graham Linehan** and Arthur Matthews have both cited Seinfeld as one of the main influences on their crafting of Father Ted. It’s been described as a show about nothing where a group of friends just sort of amble through their lives. I just don’t get it, however. I’ve really tried - I watched up to about halfway through the second season and it just didn’t grab me. For whatever reason on this one, I just can't see what all the fuss is about. See also Curb Your Enthusiasm on this one - tried it and just couldn't get into it. Maybe I'm just not on the same wavelength as Larry David.

Gavin And Stacey
It has a number of cast members that I think are great - Alison Steadman, Rob Brydon, Julia Davis, Adrian Scarborough - so, on paper, it feels like something I should be able to get into. However, I just can't seem to get into it. It doesn’t particularly make me laugh and I’m just not personally charmed enough by the main characters to get invested in it. Whatever it is that vast swathes of the public both over here and in the States find endearing about James Corden is, I’m sad to say, lost on me. Suffice to say that I wasn;t one of the 17 million tuning in on Christmas Day last year…

The Office (UK)
As with a lot of things, I heard about this new comedy show coming on that was a mockumentary about life in an office and thought I’d give it a go. At the time, it struck as being like a full length version of a set of sketches in one episode of The Day Today but I like a mockumentary so I was in. I watched three episodes and decided that I’d had enough. For one, much like my personal reaction to James Corden, Ricky Gervais just doesn’t tickle my funny bone (I think that Stephen Merchant is a funny man, though). For another, I have a complex relationship with so-called “cringe comedy” or things that rely on embarrassment. For me, if it just makes me feel embarrassed then it’s not comedy. I’m still trying to work out what the full equation is on this one - what makes some cringey comedy funny to me and what doesn’t for others. Interestingly, I love the US Office (once you get past the copycat first season) - largely because, for me, Steve Carrell has the likeability that Ricky Gervais doesn’t which gives him some leeway during the cringier moments.

That’s probably enough comedy excavating for one week. I’ll switch things up with something else next week.


* That becomes trickier with some of the film reviews but I generally won't bother talking about stuff that I absolutely hate or, if it is something that I wasn’t 100% bowled over by, I’ll still try and find the stuff in there that was enjoyable.


 ** I’m conscious that Graham Linehan has become a somewhat divisive figure now due to the views he promotes via his Twitter account. My admiration for his work on Father Ted is separate from that side of his life.