'Cringe comedy' bollocks

[bobloblaw]

Ash Atalla: "Traditional comedy didn't show people being sad, it didn't show those difficult, slow-motion car-crash moments. That all changed with The Office."

That's right Ash, no sad, difficult moments in Perrin, Butterflies, One Foot In The Grave et bloody cetera

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/nov/12/people-just-do-nothing-nathan-for-you-this-country-why-the-cringe-com-reigns

[bobloblaw]

and has *anyone* ever described Atlanta as a 'cringe comedy' full of 'squirming awkwardness'?

[FredNurke]

[tag]Buster Gonad pushes wheelbarrow into thread[/tag]

[Clownbaby]

Just generally never say something was the first to do something cause you'll probably be wrong eh like Rebel Wilson

[Jockice]

Ash Atalla: "Traditional comedy didn't show people being sad, it didn't show those difficult, slow-motion car-crash moments. That all changed with The Office."

That's right Ash, no sad, difficult moments in Perrin, Butterflies, One Foot In The Grave et bloody cetera

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/nov/12/people-just-do-nothing-nathan-for-you-this-country-why-the-cringe-com-reigns

And after that, with Derek, Ricky Gervais invented comedy that could make you laugh AND cry. A true innovator.

[Sexton Brackets Drugbust]

And after that, with Derek, Ricky Gervais invented comedy that could make you laugh AND cry. A true innovator.

Didn't he coin the term 'cry-medy'? Quite an achievement if you ignore pathos.

[bobloblaw]

didn't he insist it was a 'comedy-drama' despite it clearly being commissioned as a half-hour comedy?

[Cuellar]

God I love Derek. Absolutely astounding piece of work.

Going to do one of my periodic revisits of the threads.

[holyzombiejesus]

God I love Derek.

There are very few Christmas specials that I've ever been as excited about as I was with the Derek one yet there are very few Christmas specials that I can remember less about than that pile of bilge.

[Replies From View]

Just generally never say something was the first to do something cause you'll probably be wrong eh like Rebel Wilson

Rebel Wilson was the first character to say "I can't BELIEEEEEEEEVE this!!"

One of the all-time great rebels.

[studpuppet]

Ash Atalla: "Traditional comedy didn't show people being sad, it didn't show those difficult, slow-motion car-crash moments. That all changed with The Office."

Has he never seen an episode of Fawlty Towers?

[New Jack]

Rebel Wilson was the first character to say "I can't BELIEEEEEEEEVE this!!"

One of the all-time great rebels.

She was born just Melanie.

I like to think the name Melanie also has a rich tradition of rebellion. Just screams 'Insurgency' doesn't it?

[An Actual Propeller]

For an article that is seemingly supposed to plug new series of People Just Do Nothing and Nathan For You on UK telly, there's barely any mention of those two shows.

Also, if we're talking about mockumentaries that have cringey elements (as opposed to Fawlty Towers etc), Operation Good Guys and People Like Us beat The Office by a couple of years.

[hummingofevil]

Also, if we're talking about mockumentaries that have cringey elements (as opposed to Fawlty Towers etc), Operation Good Guys and People Like Us beat The Office by a couple of years.

...and the Belgian very-black, fly-on-the-wall comedy Man Bites Dog was years earlier in 1992 and I suppose the daddy of them all is Spinal Tap.

Silly article.

edit: Hancock was just a scripted exaggerated version of himself too. Full of cringe moments.

[Brundle-Fly]

Reality TV was an influence, too. "We hadn't seen people behave as themselves on camera before," says Atalla.

I'm sure he's been quoted out of context but reality shows have been around for donkeys.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CqguwJ2B4g

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Comedy execs and TV commissioners are, by and large, utterly ignorant when it comes to the history of television comedy. Not all of them, obviously, but for the most part they're just anxious, blathering soundbite generators.

I've interviewed loads of 'em, Ash Atalla included, and the only one who ever sounded genuinely enthused about comedy was Shane Allen.

[bobloblaw]

Jon Plowman too, though he delivers his knowledge with more lugubriousness than Allen's fanboy exuberance.

And Phil Clarke, though he was a producer for yonks before he became a commissioner.

In fact, producers in general are more clued up, which makes Ash's comments all the more dispiriting, however much was taken out of context.

[Jockice]

Reality TV was an influence, too. "We hadn't seen people behave as themselves on camera before," says Atalla.

I'm sure he's been quoted out of context but reality shows have been around for donkeys.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CqguwJ2B4g

The Seven Up series is of course the daddy of em all. Back next year. 63 Up!

[Brundle-Fly]

The Seven Up series is of course the daddy of em all. Back next year. 63 Up!

I nearly added Seven Up but felt it was more like a collection of interviews rather than seeing much day to day interaction with civillians.

[Cuellar]

Obligatory: one of my teachers was one of the kids on Seven Up, Bruce Balden. Maths teacher. Rubicund.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

63 Up!

That reminds me, how *is* your mum?

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Jon Plowman too, though he delivers his knowledge with more lugubriousness than Allen's fanboy exuberance.

And Phil Clarke, though he was a producer for yonks before he became a commissioner.

Oh yes, absolutely. Ash, though. I felt thoroughly dispirited by his bland, ill-informed comments when I interviewed him. He just came across as a corporate shill, unlike lugubrious Plowman and exuberant Allen.

And then there was the bloke from Channel 4 who claimed that their current comedy output was "arguably" more impressive than Brass Eye... 

[Brundle-Fly]

Comedy execs and TV commissioners are, by and large, utterly ignorant when it comes to the history of television comedy. Not all of them, obviously, but for the most part they're just anxious, blathering soundbite generators.

I've interviewed loads of 'em, Ash Atalla included, and the only one who ever sounded genuinely enthused about comedy was Shane Allen.

Did you ever meet old SOTCAA béte noir, Jane Root?

[bobloblaw]

I interviewed her once. She left me to pay for both our lunches.

[Jockice]

That reminds me, how *is* your mum?

Still dead. But thanks for asking.

[Jockice]

Obligatory: one of my teachers was one of the kids on Seven Up, Bruce Balden. Maths teacher. Rubicund.

That beats my mate who claims he was once taken for a ride by Tony the taxi driver.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Did you ever meet old SOTCAA béte noir, Jane Root?

I didn't, no.

[bobloblaw]

Did you ever meet old SOTCAA béte noir, Jane Root?

I interviewed her once. She left me to pay for both our lunches.

[Brundle-Fly]

I've heard some real horror stories about commissioning editors. Like the one about the TV exec who comissioned a comedy pilot that she'd sat on for a year. The producers finally got the meeting only to arrive early spotting her through the window of her glass walled office scrabbling around on her knees looking for the pilot tape. They then observed her watching it on fast foward snapping at her assistant "Any sign of them? Still haven't watched this fucking thing yet."

[olliebean]

Did you ever meet old SOTCAA béte noir, Jane Root?

I hear bobloblaw interviewed her once. She left him to pay for both their lunches.