The interesting thing about comedy, in general, is that it's all subjective. What I find hilarious may not even register with someone else as humorous. This same principle is applied to comedy tv shows as well. In response to Jake's blog post, I found some of the points that he raised as interesting. He explained how the show Seinfeld has no overlying plot, and that's what makes it so exceptional. In a way, I agree with him. There is always a time and a place where we just want to laugh, and not worry about keeping up with a detailed plot or keep track of attributes we need to remember in order to understand the show. Seinfeld is definitely that kind of show where you can turn it on and just enjoy the singular episode for what it is. The humor in Seinfeld is a sort of observational comedy, where the premise of the humor is based on going through the motions of everyday life. But referring back to my original point, someone may not be interested in that type of show or humor. If you like detail, plotlines that are intriguing, or any sort of chronological flow, Seinfeld would most likely not be the show for you. Again, it all depends on your personal preference and what your sense of humor encompasses. In terms of Jake's post, I especially liked how he said: "Seinfeld is about nothing, and that's why it's everything." It's an interesting concept how a tv show can have no sort of detailed grounds, yet still, intrigues the audience and leaves them wanting more content. Overall, I would say his post takes an interesting viewpoint. I can understand where he's coming from, but I will always hold The Office near and dear to my heart.
I personally love The Office and have watched the series multiple times. I also find it interesting that each of the characters plays a specific and important role in the show, providing different types of humor in certain situations that are best fitting for that type of humor. Just how the character of Micheal Scott ties into the Superiority theory of humor. We tend to laugh at Micheal the most because of his childish personality, cringy jokes, and outlandish behavior in and outside of the workplace. Sometimes we may laugh at Micheal because of his silly mistakes or almost violating jokes. But I think many theories can tie into many different characters of the show. I like how Lucy used the character of Micheal Scott to explain the Superiority theory in a way that is easy to understand, especially in a well-fitting setting. It seems that The Office most likely won't come back on air due to its type of humor, and how it may not work in today's society. Overall, the characters...
Awesome post! I really like how you explained why different types of comedy are appealing to different people. The way you described Seinfeld with the characters' response to everyday life makes me wonder if there were any points of character development (throughout the season, not all at once) to keep the audience engaged. Personally, I would be bored if the characters acted in an expected manner over the course of all the seasons.
ReplyDeleteI believe I touched on this idea as well in my blog post, but I loved how you analyzed the show as an "observational comedy" where you observe the characters life and how each episode is what it is. I have never watched an episode, but is it one of those shows where you do not have to watch them in order to understand the premise of the show itself? If so, I feel that it is an interesting way of looking at comedy and that the show's main focus is on receiving laughter.
ReplyDeleteYes, there's no need to watch in succession. There are some side characters that appear from time to time but they're very easy to understand. The weird neighbor. the on-and-off fling, the boss, etc.. In a way you could call it "observational comedy," but isn't all comedy observed really?
DeleteDo you think the Office is a show about nothing in the same way?
ReplyDeleteLike I touched upon in my post, I don't think so. The Office has many different story lines, from multi-episode story lines, like when Michael is dating the girl who's married, to season story-lines, Jim getting transferred, to even multi-season long story lines, like Jim and Pam's relationship. If you watched an episode from season 1 and then watched season 4 and wondered "why is Jim at a different office and you didn't have any context, you wouldn't know. Seinfeld doesn't need that, there are no complicated story lines. There is really, if you think about it, no real content in the show.
DeleteI took a similar stance to the idea you presented in your post, but I love the way you tackled it from a different angle. I believe your post was more effective in conveying our view! Well done! I agree that perspective plays a powerful role on whether or not you see Steinfeld, The Office, Friends, or another comedy as the funniest franchise of all time. And, most importantly, in order to really know which is the best, we would need some statistical analysis telling us which show is the most popular.
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