Shitcoms - The Worst Sitcoms In History

[shiftwork2]

Early 80s Southern TV curiosity Take a Letter, Mr Jones may have had noble aims in subverting workplace gender assumptions but unfortunately it was fucking rubbish.

[Drygate]

Add Space Force on Netflix to the list.

Steve Carrell and Greg Daniels.

[St_Eddie]

As part of it I researched the plethora of reality shows that sprung up round that time, and it was like TV execs just threw half-baked ideas written on the back of fag packets in a tombola and decided to make whatever came out. One of these was Bedsitcom on Channel 4, an absolutely horrendous show which bafflingly had Bain, Armstrong and the Gibbons brothers on its roster of writers.

Wannabe participants auditioned for a show they thought would be a reality programme about house-sharing in London. The successful applicants though did not realise that three of the housemates were actors who were directed by the writers holed out in a downstairs garage, so it was part-reality TV show, part sitcom. The actors would then put the real housemates through uncompromising situations, with the occasional assistance from other actors as visitors. However, these situations were just completely crass, over the top and simply not funny. This was around the time cringe comedy was prevalent (although it was a year after Bedsitcom you had programmes like the Wootton vehicle "My New Best Friend" and the like), but this was neither comedy, nor cringe, just a case of "what the f*** is this tasteless bollocks?"

I seem to recall that one of the housemates had sussed what was going on early into the series, so they had to admit it was all a ruse and then draft a load of new housemates in. I think that was when I stopped watching, although I have no idea why I stuck with it after the first show. It was a total and utter mess of a programme.

You should have kept watching through to the final episode, as I did.  At the end, the writers had the actors tell the housemates that they were actors and all of the "high-larious" escapades had been scripted and one of the female housemates burst into tears and felt betrayed.  She was proper crying and saying she felt used because all of the friendships she felt she'd made were just fake.  She storms out of the flat.  It cuts to the writers room, with them watching on a monitor and saying "what have we done? This isn't what we thought would happen. Oh god, what have we done?".  It remains one of the all time greats in real-life cringe TV moments.

[Video Game Fan 2000]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0292789/

[dissolute ocelot]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0292789/

That seems the definition of vanished without a trace. Rather brief Wikipedia page too.

[Video Game Fan 2000]

That seems the definition of vanished without a trace. Rather brief Wikipedia page too.

I remember rage laughing at it with a friend on MSN (or ICQ!) when it was broadcast. It was a clear attempt at a Father Ted clone, an absolute smoking crater of begorrah-tier mhic-sploitation.

There is no video evidence of it because, if you're asking yourself: could it have possibly been worse than the Mick and Paddy horseshit from There's A Lot Of It About? The answer is yes, it was much worse. Didn't seem real, felt like a bit of "Attitudes Night" or a ten second Harry Enfield bit about 70s TV stretched out for thirty minutes.

[jobotic]

I actually watched the awful McDonald & Dodds last night and tried for ages to remember what dire sitcom Sharon Rooney was in.

It was Mountain Goats. Bet no one remembers that even though it was only fours years ago.

Still funnier than Sam Wollaston's review of it though.

[petril]

I remember rage laughing at it with a friend on MSN (or ICQ!) when it was broadcast. It was a clear attempt at a Father Ted clone, an absolute smoking crater of begorrah-tier mhic-sploitation.

There is no video evidence of it because, if you're asking yourself: could it have possibly been worse than the Mick and Paddy horseshit from There's A Lot Of It About? The answer is yes, it was much worse. Didn't seem real, felt like a bit of "Attitudes Night" or a ten second Harry Enfield bit about 70s TV stretched out for thirty minutes.

only gag I remember is jumping over the border going from comedy Republican to Ian Paisley and back

all presented and delivered in "aimed at your mum" broad style

[Kankurette]

Reading Stuart's recaps of Jim Davidson's pantomimes - Stuart, thank you for watching these so we don't have to - it makes me realise why right-wing humour is so incredibly unfunny. All it is is 'lol blacks lol women lol gays lol fat people lol sex'. I mean, knob gags can be funny but not when they're that overdone. I swear Davidson thinks more about cock than most gay men.

There's so much amazing British comedy out there and yet there are people who think Davidson is the epitome of British humour. It's depressing.

[Ignatius_S]

...It was Mountain Goats. Bet no one remembers that even though it was only fours years ago.

Still funnier than Sam Wollaston's review of it though.

Had a few nice moments and good cast. Have seen worse.

[Botty Cello]

Big Top was terrible. It had a reasonable cast plus Amanda Holden.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

yet there are people who think Davidson is the epitome of British humour

DEAD SOON though

[idunnosomename]

funny how Big Top was just solo written by some kids TV guy. how. why. he won a competition? is that it? and got to give John Thomson and Tony Robinson lines?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newtalent/comedy/success_peak.shtml

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1633145/

that said i wont hear anything against Mongrels that he wrote for. deserved a third series. wasn't perfect but there were plenty of hilarious bits that at least means it should be held with Stressed Eric as an ok Simpsons/Family Guy heir.

PAUL ROSS?

[chveik]

has anyone mentionned Avenue 5? just pure garbage

[Rich Uncle Skeleton]

The first series or Nighty Night was ok but christ I'm glad I wasn't paying a licence fee when series 2 was made. Not sure i could bear being complicit in that shitfight.

[thenoise]

The first series or Nighty Night was ok but christ I'm glad I wasn't paying a licence fee when series 2 was made. Not sure i could bear being complicit in that shitfight.

Bailed out halfway through series 2. I was living with my parents at the time and thinking of excuses when they walked in and demanded an explanation of why I was watching such rubbish became increasingly stressful for me.
Actually thought the first series was excellent, too.

[purlieu]

Yeah, I think seeing some of Davis's stuff since has dulled the impact of the first series a tad, but it was often funny and frequently unique in its portrayal of utter psychopathy. Not my favourite show but one I'll happily defend.
She's gone on record saying she hadn't planned a second series and felt pushed to make it more 'controversial' than the first, which explains a lot, but God it was dire. Lost all of the psychological aspect of what made the first series stand out and just went for gross-out stuff. I remember a housemate walking into the room during the scene where she was inserting a plate of sperm-covered pie and mash into her vagina and I felt really embarrassed trying to explain why I was watching it.

[lipsink]

Yeah, Nighty Night Series 2 was epically bad. I remember recommending the first series to friends and then having to sit with them and watch the sperm scene.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Has there been a thread on Sally4ever? I've been on a Lockdown Julia Davis bingewatch, and bingewatching the work of any artist really isnae advisable , as it really highlights the formulaic way these things are written ( for example, there are an astonishing amount of gags about Lee the Northener never taking baths, and being adverse to washing in general,  throughout the run of " Not Going Out") ; Julia Davis is incapable of playing any other character different from the one than the one that she plays , and is equally as incapable of writing characters as anything other than unrealistic  grotesques [ although I accept that the lack of realism is a deliberate artistic decision on her part ]. As she gets older, this tendency worsens, and the characterisation  and gross- out offensive scenes become more heightened. I laughed with incredulity rather than genuine amusement at the denoument of episode 4 of Sally4eva' s closing scene.
Oh, and Vicki Pepperdine can only play one sort of comedy character, too.

[kryton2.0]

I remember something called Lab Rats. I think Armando Iannucci may have been a producer on the show?
It was just terrible.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lab_Rats_(British_TV_series)

[Mr Banlon]

Has this upcoming fuckreeness been mentioned yet :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_of_Al
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQEwuapZ5RA

[Fr.Bigley]

Fuck me, I feel like I've had a stroke after watching that. What a fucking horrible way to spoil my Sunday...has anything by that Hack Lorre being worthy of anything other than derision?

[chveik]

Has there been a thread on Sally4ever?

i think so. it really is terrible. imo Human Remains is the only thing Julia Davis made that is really worth a watch

[idunnosomename]

Has this upcoming fuckreeness been mentioned yet :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_of_Al
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQEwuapZ5RA

Chuck Lorre's entire resumé should go in this thread really

[Famous Mortimer]

I think "Mom" is interesting, at least.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Has this upcoming fuckreeness been mentioned yet :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_of_Al
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQEwuapZ5RA

Nice use of " Costco" as a punchline, though.

Oh, wrong thread, soz.

Second vote for " Mom", too. An interesting premise, and a couple of good comic turns from Kim Gordon, formerly of Sonic Youth Alison Jenney, and yer woman from the " Scary Movie" films.

[Fambo Number Mive]

United States of Al looks dismal.

[Ant Farm Keyboard]

I think "Mom" is interesting, at least.

Mom is mostly handled by Eddie Gorodetsky, aka Eddie G. Eddie G is an extremely colourful character who got his start with Second City and is a total music freak (he would put together compilations of rare tunes for friends which got Bob Dylan's attention, hence the release on Dylan's label of Christmas Party with Eddie G, or his producing of Dylan's radio show). He's the guy who's responsible for the Desert Bus video game and other exercices in futility.

[Poirots BigGarlickyCorpse]

has anything by that Hack Lorre being worthy of anything other than derision?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLzp-O8nVmw

[Mobius]

I remember something called Lab Rats. I think Armando Iannucci may have been a producer on the show?
It was just terrible.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lab_Rats_(British_TV_series)

Yeah this was really shit and disappeared without a trace. I was in the audience for the filming of it and it seemed okay, but that's probably just the relative excitement of being in a room with faces you recognise from other good comedies.