sidcow Posted October 22, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted October 22, 2021 4 hours ago, Stevo985 said: I read something once about sitcoms always showing characters in a far more well off position than is actually plausible. Pretty much all of them have their characters living in nicer houses and a better lifestyle than is realistic. Frank Grimes in the Simpsons takes the piss out of it I think In the main poor isn't funny, unless it's actually the joke like Only Fools or Steptoe and son type of thing. It's probably easier to laugh at people living shiny lives. So many American TV and Films show those absolutely massive wooden clad suburban houses with big gardens. I guess it's projecting the dream into the screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted October 22, 2021 Moderator Share Posted October 22, 2021 5 minutes ago, sidcow said: In the main poor isn't funny, unless it's actually the joke like Only Fools or Steptoe and son type of thing. Shameless (both sides of the pond), Porridge (and spin off Going Straight), Roseanne, Married with Children... There's a lot more "Poor" Sitcoms than people imagine 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted October 22, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted October 22, 2021 21 minutes ago, bickster said: Shameless (both sides of the pond), Porridge (and spin off Going Straight), Roseanne, Married with Children... There's a lot more "Poor" Sitcoms than people imagine Soaps are the interesting comparison. Typical UK soaps feature mainly working class characters (Coronation Street, East Enders, etc.), whereas US ones were traditionally upper-middle class (Dallas, Dynasty). Something to do with aspirational values - the execs reason that poor people don't want to be reminded of their poverty, they want escapist fantasy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted October 22, 2021 Moderator Share Posted October 22, 2021 38 minutes ago, sidcow said: In the main poor isn't funny, unless it's actually the joke like Only Fools or Steptoe and son type of thing. It's probably easier to laugh at people living shiny lives. So many American TV and Films show those absolutely massive wooden clad suburban houses with big gardens. I guess it's projecting the dream into the screen. There's a cultural reason why the American sitcoms show the protagonists as succeeding where the British sitcoms often don't. Stephen Fry can explain it better than me. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seat68 Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 Malcolm in the middle (one of the greatest US sitcoms, I will fight you over this). Poor family, always poor, fails at everything. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted October 22, 2021 Moderator Share Posted October 22, 2021 5 minutes ago, Seat68 said: Malcolm in the middle (one of the greatest US sitcoms, I will fight you over this). Poor family, always poor, fails at everything. As with most things it's not an absolute. Just a cultural norm. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 12 minutes ago, Seat68 said: Malcolm in the middle (one of the greatest US sitcoms, I will fight you over this). Poor family, always poor, fails at everything. I'm sure there is a correlation between them being poor and having 5 kids Hal's family are wealthy , if only he'd chosen Susan over Lois life would have been much different 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 On 20/10/2021 at 13:40, bickster said: Why would you put on an Out of Office for a day? you're still therefore on the list Why wouldn't you? If I'm off for half a day, I put an out of office message on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 1 hour ago, sidcow said: Monica/Courtney Cox is the girl Bruce Springsteen pulls from the "audience" in the Dancing in the Dark video Everyone always thought that was a random, I know I did. Classic 80's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 16 hours ago, Davkaus said: They earned an obscene amount from it, but if it didn't go to the main cast, it was going to the bigwigs, so I don't begrudge them a cent Same as the people who voice the Simpsons. Earn a fortune for silly voices. Fair play! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post tonyh29 Posted October 22, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted October 22, 2021 3 hours ago, chrisp65 said: If we’re really discussing the plausibility of comedy shows, it’s very difficult to see how Laurel & Hardy were just friends when we regularly see them in the same bed. Sodomy not decriminalised in the U.S. until 1955. Disgusting. reminds me of one of my Euro trips with my mate .... we arrived at this hotel in Athens where i had booked a twin room , but the hotel very helpfully upgraded us to the Honeymoon suite was kinda embarrassing every time we saw the cleaner or went down to breakfast on the plus side the sex was good 2 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 7 hours ago, bickster said: Bonus though, the meeting is yards from Probe Records and this opportunity will not be missed, though my appearance midweek in a shirt and tie WILL be mocked... 7 hours ago, villa4europe said: the beatles, or probably their record label have released another version of let it be, this time with 57 odd tracks on it, theres a £230 CD version of it on amazon, they've done for the 50th anniversary for 2 or 3 of their albums now 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted October 22, 2021 Moderator Share Posted October 22, 2021 7 minutes ago, Xela said: Why wouldn't you? If I'm off for half a day, I put an out of office message on. Because I'll pick it up tomorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted October 22, 2021 Moderator Share Posted October 22, 2021 Just now, Xela said: Probe was closed, I'll be having words! And no.... just NO! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 6 hours ago, Stevo985 said: I read something once about sitcoms always showing characters in a far more well off position than is actually plausible. Pretty much all of them have their characters living in nicer houses and a better lifestyle than is realistic. Frank Grimes in the Simpsons takes the piss out of it I think Its the same in the UK I think. I haven't seen Eastenders in about 15 years but people always had jobs like market trader/barmaid/cafe worker/taxi driver/mechanic, yet they all lived in three storey houses in London which are probably worth £1m. No-one ever appeared to work in 'the city'. People just hung around the square all day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted October 22, 2021 Moderator Share Posted October 22, 2021 8 minutes ago, foreveryoung said: Everyone always thought that was a random, I know I did. Classic 80's TBH I thought she was a random when it happened in 84/85, and then co-incidentally had a career in acting. Seems she started acting in 1984 so maybe not. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted October 22, 2021 Moderator Share Posted October 22, 2021 4 minutes ago, bickster said: 13 minutes ago, Xela said: Why wouldn't you? If I'm off for half a day, I put an out of office message on. Because I'll pick it up tomorrow I think this is simply a case of 2 different roles having a discussion. I have to 'out of office' for any more than half a day because the requests coming in probably won't be able to wait until tomorrow (they would be live processing related) so they need to go to another engineer asap. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted October 22, 2021 Moderator Share Posted October 22, 2021 Just now, BOF said: I think this is simply a case of 2 different roles having a discussion. I have to 'out of office' for any more than half a day because the requests coming in probably won't be able to wait until tomorrow (they would be live processing related) so they need to go to another engineer asap. Quite possibly, having said that I had an out of office on for over a year last year that said, there'd a pandemic on, deal with it, I may not answer straight away (In a Corporate babble kind of way). I left it on for much longer than I needed to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 I don't bother putting out of office, cause if I do the idiots ****** phone me!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 10 minutes ago, bickster said: Because I'll pick it up tomorrow Some things can't wait a day though. Especially when money is involved! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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