my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Community   » The Afterlife   » The problem with sitcoms today (Page 1)

This topic comprises 3 pages: 1  2  3

Author Topic: The problem with sitcoms today Sean McKinnon Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1712 From: Peabody Massachusetts Registered: Sep 2000 posted 03-31-2008 10:12 AM                        /rant on I was watching a few episodes of "The Jeffersons" and "The Andy Griffith Show" on TVLand last night. I realized that even though they were half hour sitcoms that they had really good stories that actually dealt with a real life issue, and that the humor had something to do with the story not just thrown in as an after thought. It seems like sitcoms today have no real story. Maybe they will have a story where the husband does something dumb, then tries for 22 minutes to hide it from the wife. For good measure they will throw in a couple fart jokes or something. Lame. The Jeffersons dealt with a father feeling that his son is ashamed of him because he did not graduate high school or go to college and his attempt to try to earn his high school diploma to impress his son, we find out that his son is already proud of him for being able to do what hes done with out a degree. The second episode dealt with forced retirement. Andy Griffith dealt with how some people are happier being at each others throats and arguing all the time, that some people express thier feelings for others differently and that you can't change people. I just think you don't see anything of substance in sitcoms anymore. I call it the "Seinfeld" effect. Speaking of "Seinfeld" How can they say it is a show about "nothing" when every episode is clearly about something? Sorry for the rant I am just dissapointed with whats happening to entertainment. /rant off  |  IP: Logged Chad M Calpito Master Film Handler Posts: 435 From: San Diego, CA Registered: Apr 2006 posted 03-31-2008 10:40 AM                        Well, Sean, I do agree with you. To me, Sitcom's today plainly Suck. I also liked Sanford & Son. The Andy Griffith Show was great to watch. Sheez, TV Entertainment is not as good as it used to be. Which is why I rarely, if ever, watch TV, except for DVDs.  |  IP: Logged Bruce McGee Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1776 From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular. Registered: Aug 1999 posted 03-31-2008 11:26 AM                     My biggest complaint is all the commercials on TV LAND. Its insane! The older shows are hacked to death. Have you tried watching The Beverly Hillbillies on TV land? Three minute show segments? They sure dont flow like they did when new. I want a channel, considering we are PAYING for the service, that runs shows UNCUT and UNEDITED, like we did it in the independent TV business back in the old days of the 1970's!!! These new shows generally stink. I watch the New Adventures of Old Christine on CBS occasionally. It was much funnier last season. This season, it seems to be awfully "fill-in-the-blank."  |  IP: Logged Chad M Calpito Master Film Handler Posts: 435 From: San Diego, CA Registered: Apr 2006 posted 03-31-2008 11:49 AM                        I do agree that the commercials are waaaaaaaayyyyyy to insane on TV Land. It's so damned ridiculous & annoying. That's another reason why I rarely watch TV is because of those commercials.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 03-31-2008 05:46 PM                        I do not understand why anyone would ever pay for TV. Even if I lived out in the sticks with pygmies and couldn't get a signal, I still wouldn't pay for satellite or cable. But hey, you're payin' so why do they have a reason to change? You are promoting what they are doing with your wallet.  |  IP: Logged Mike Heenan Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1896 From: Scottsdale, AZ, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 03-31-2008 06:56 PM                     To quote George Costanza on sitcoms: "Every time you turn on the tv, it's 4 morons sitting on the couch, whining about the dates"  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 03-31-2008 07:15 PM                        Without cable I'd have no reliable TV reception at all, analog or digital. That's not gonna happen.  |  IP: Logged Brad Allen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 688 From: Evansville, IN, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 03-31-2008 08:18 PM                     I don't recall who the made the following quote, famous older actor, but it fits. "Used to, you watched television to see someone more intelligent than you. Now you watch to see someone dumber than you."  |  IP: Logged Jesse Skeen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1517 From: Sacramento, CA Registered: Aug 2000 posted 03-31-2008 08:44 PM                     I've never liked laugh-tracks either. Even when there's a real live audience, it still sounds forced and you can tell someone's TELLING them when to laugh. Animated shows that had laugh-tracks used to confuse the hell out of me- were the cartoons really REAL, up on a stage in front of people?? I remember in early 1984 they had a TV show based on the movie "The Four Seasons". I thought it was pretty good, big reason being it had no laugh track. The show got put on hiatus a few weeks and when it came back- it had a laugh track. I turned it off right away.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 03-31-2008 08:56 PM                        quote: David Stambaugh Without cable I'd have no reliable TV reception at all, analog or digital. That's not gonna happen. So you're saying that you NEED TV, and by god you'll pay to get it?  |  IP: Logged Adam Martin I'm not even gonna point out the irony. Posts: 3686 From: Dallas, TX Registered: Nov 2000 posted 03-31-2008 09:57 PM                     Note to self: Next time I'm bored, convert Jesse's forum photo to shockwave with a laugh track. For the rare few current shows that I do follow, I usually download to watch; otherwise, I get my TV from Netflix.  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 04-01-2008 10:48 AM                        quote: Joe Redifer So you're saying that you NEED TV, and by god you'll pay to get it? Heh heh. I was going to say, well, no I don't NEED TV any more than I NEED a new car, nice house, cell phone, broadband, dual monitors on my PC, memory foam bed, George Foreman grill, Sennheiser headphones, or a Seiko watch (ok, scratch the Seiko; Seikos aren't what they used to be). Oh WTF. Yes, I NEED TV and by god I'll PAY to get it. There, I've said it. There are enough good shows on TV that I'm willing to pay for cable. Actually there are far more good shows on than I can keep up with. And I don't have any premium channels, so I've never seen The Sopranos, or Weeds, or that western I can't remember the name of. Good sitcoms are a rare breed. The Office is good. I can't think of another one right now. Do animated shows count? If they do, then King of the Hill is a good sitcom.  |  IP: Logged Bruce McGee Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1776 From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular. Registered: Aug 1999 posted 04-01-2008 11:20 AM                     If Turner Classic Movies was to leave my satellite system, I'd drop the whole she-bang in a heartbeat. Commercial TV is at an alltime new low.  |  IP: Logged Robert W. Jones Film Handler Posts: 74 From: San Antonio, TX Registered: Mar 2007 posted 04-01-2008 12:25 PM                     I think all sitcoms today need to dump the laugh tracks. Then you could really tell how hard they suck. "Mom, I'm late this month!" "Don't worry honey, the Turkey is in the oven. We eat at five." "Mom?..."  |  IP: Logged James Westbrook Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1133 From: Lubbock, Texas, Usa Registered: Mar 2006 posted 04-01-2008 02:42 PM                     The lack of quality in sitcoms now makes me realize how one of my younger co-workers caught my joke and started laughing. I just knew this would go over his head... Cody drives into the parking lot in his 1950 Ford Pick-up truck. I start humming the Sanford and Son theme. Brian cracks up laughing. Brian had resorted to watching classic sitcoms as the current ones are not funny...thus he had seen Sanford and Son and it's opening credits with Lamont Sanford driving up in old pick-up truck...  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 3 pages: 1  2  3

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.