Unfunny comedy devices

[Jockice]

As mentioned in the Private Eye thread. I think that fake diary entries by famous people are the unfunniest thing on earth, no matter who writes it or who it's parodying.


So..prove me wrong.

[Bad Ambassador]

As mentioned in the Private Eye thread. I think that fake diary entries by famous people are the unfunniest thing on earth, no matter who writes it or who it's parodying.


So..prove me wrong.

The Hitlergrams in Spike Milligan's war memoirs are often quite funny, although they're so absurd they could be about anyone.

[Jockice]

The Hitlergrams in Spike Milligan's war memoirs are often quite funny, although they're so absurd they could be about anyone.

Spike could be very surreal though. I liked Spike. And if he was alive today I don't think he'd ever do The Secret Diary Of...(name of celeb). It might have been vaguely amusing the first time it was done in the early 80s but it ain't anymore.

[The Lion King]

Old people using hip young people lingo or swearing. See: Derek. Is that a device?

One thing that will always be funny to me though is the dead pet switchout. Someone entrusted with the responsibility of caring for a friends beloved pet only for it to die in their care and them try and replace it with an identical one. See: The Emmerdale school gerbil

[magval]

My wife really hates any instance of "but they don't know that WE know that THEY know", that kind of dialogue. Is that a device?

[bgmnts]

As mentioned in the Private Eye thread. I think that fake diary entries by famous people are the unfunniest thing on earth, no matter who writes it or who it's parodying.


So..prove me wrong.

Bob Mortimer's Peter Beardsley?

[Jockice]

Bob Mortimer's Peter Beardsley?

Must admit I haven't heard about that one. The very thought horrifies me though.

[Cuellar]

Must admit I haven't heard about that one. The very thought horrifies me though.

Got you banged to rights I'm afraid. It's the best thing.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Mostly American, but clip show episodes are pointless. If they just made one fewer episode it'd be better because you'd not have the disappointment of it being a clip show.

[neveragain]

You say mostly American but are there any British examples?

[magval]

Yeah, Newswipe had at least one clip show which was a compilation from the mere FIVE WEEKS of episodes that preceded it. I think he later just decided to do just what was suggested above - one less episode.

[jimboslice]

I tend to take against men dressed as women being OUTRAGEOUS CHARACTERS because it's normally just lazy.

Although I recently saw Colin Hoult do 20 minutes as Anna Mann and he was alright.

[up_the_hampipe]

Mostly American, but clip show episodes are pointless. If they just made one fewer episode it'd be better because you'd not have the disappointment of it being a clip show.

I feel like those were all worth it for Community's fake clip show episode.

[Depressed Beyond Tables]

Parody cover versions of songs can usually go smoke a fat one, but that's possibly not without an exception.

[Tony Yeboah]

People rapping who you would not normally expect to rap. And Jon Snow dancing on Big Fat Quiz.

[Brundle-Fly]

[Maurice Yeatman]

^ 3 out of 10 for effort.

[bgmnts]

Must admit I haven't heard about that one. The very thought horrifies me though.

Best thing in the show, arguably, and that's in a show bulging with immensely funny material by Bob.


Althouhh one could argue its more correspondence than an audio diary but it feela like a diary to me.

[Captain Z]

Yeah, Newswipe had at least one clip show which was a compilation from the mere FIVE WEEKS of episodes that preceded it. I think he later just decided to do just what was suggested above - one less episode.

Top Gear used to do it too (and possibly still does, is it even on any more?), and given that it would be ridiculous to replay a clip that was only first broadcast 7 days ago it's really only going to be 4 shows that the highlights are selected from.

[Sebastian Cobb]

I think 30 Rock had a couple of live episodes that were a bit painful as well.

Scrubs did a 'jd's pretending he's in a traditional studio sitcom' with a laugh track and gags that whilst obviously self aware was still not good.

[amnesiac]

Old people using hip young people lingo or swearing.

Jonathon Ross

[Utter Shit]

Old people using hip young people lingo or swearing. See: Derek. Is that a device?

Mark Steel is STILL knocking this shit about nowadays. The same lingo unchanged for literally fifteen years if not longer, just emphasising how out of touch we is. I wouldn't mind but he's such a good comic, and such a likeable bloke, that it drives me mad he has this one outlier of terrible bollocks in his act.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Mark Steel is STILL knocking this shit about nowadays. The same lingo unchanged for literally fifteen years if not longer, just emphasising how out of touch we is. I wouldn't mind but he's such a good comic, and such a likeable bloke, that it drives me mad he has this one outlier of terrible bollocks in his act.

He should knock the voices on the head full stop. Seeing him in Scotland can get quite dreary.

[amnesiac]

Yes, good point but I'll forgive Mark Steel pretty much anything apart from rape.

[Gulftastic]

I think 30 Rock had a couple of live episodes that were a bit painful as well.
.

Nah, the live eps gave us this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlLtAeesr7M

[Jockice]

Yes, good point but I'll forgive Mark Steel pretty much anything apart from rape.

No need. He's left the SWP.

[yesitsme]

When Outnumbered first came on it was ok, a good solid 7/10 watch with occasional 9/10 peaks.  It was the British version of A.L.F.

Then it became...

Mum/Dad/Eldest/Middle/Youngest 'Would you like to go the X today?'
Mum/Dad/Eldest/Middle/Youngest 'We can't don't you remember?  Not after the incident with the Y?'

Oh, unseen backstory where would we be without ye?

[yesitsme]

Oh fuck, I'll tell you what can FUCK RIGHT OFF, the passing stranger who can have no concept of the current conversation delivering a devastating zinger.

Rachel from Friends and Chandler from Friends are talking about something.
Chandler says something...
Bloke on a Segway zooms past them and..... ZING!

Zingers in general.

Stop zinging!

Pour on petrol, throw in a match, bolt the doors.

[lebowskibukowski]

I have always hated the trope (I'm sure that there is probably a name for it) whereby one character simply remembers a lot of words, possibly some of them rhyming, to sum up what the other characters have been talking about (eg Allo Allo's "gateau in the chateau", the sort of "So if Pete will greet him with the meat, he will have to meet Stan in the van" shite). Usually followed by hollering and a massive round of applause just because somebody has LEARNED THEIR FUCKING LINES.

[Cuellar]

Puns that make no surface sense.

Richard Osman basically. Some tweet about a 'philosophical remake of The Only Way is Essex, to be titled The Ennui Way is Ethics'

WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT MEAN. FUCKING SHUT UP.