Re: Pre RLWC TV : Mon Nov 04, 2013 2:02 pm  

JerryChicken wrote:

I watched the first episode over the weekend, won't be watching anymore.

I don't go in for the proxy-guilt stuff, if a particular sector of society wants to make a comedy program about their own racial stereotypes then so be it, there is enough badly written and badly acted English stereotyping in sit-coms and so Citizen Khan has a go at the Pakistani family stereotype, fair enough.

Problem is that its not funny, which is probably the first requirement of a sit com, thats where it fails for me, its just not funny.

Had the whole family round on Friday. How we laughed. Pure comic genius.

Re: Pre RLWC TV : Mon Nov 04, 2013 2:42 pm  

Him wrote:

2 minutes, plus the numerous trails on BBC, is more than adequate to tell how pathetic it (and Mrs Browns Boys) is. As codead says its a throwback to the 70's and even worse, isn't funny.
An immigrant talking in a funny voice doing stupid things? No thanks. Same goes for someone playing a woman, Les Dawson did it better.

On a similar theme, why are there no top quality sitcoms anymore? Has the writing talent dried up?

There's still a few decent ones, just none on the BBC. The American ones like Modern Family, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Arrested Development are better.

Re: Pre RLWC TV : Mon Nov 04, 2013 2:58 pm  

Dally wrote:

Had the whole family round on Friday. How we laughed. Pure comic genius.

Yeah, yeah, no-one believes you.

[DaveO]

Re: Pre RLWC TV : Mon Nov 04, 2013 3:06 pm  

Barnabus wrote:

There's still a few decent ones, just none on the BBC. The American ones like Modern Family, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Arrested Development are better.

I found all those American series utterly tedious. They follow a similar style a kind of pseudo reality / pretend documentary structure that leaves me cold. I detest reality TV and even shows that parody it just remind me of why I hate it and I don't need reminding.

Re: Pre RLWC TV : Mon Nov 04, 2013 3:39 pm  

DaveO wrote:

I found all those American series utterly tedious. They follow a similar style a kind of pseudo reality / pretend documentary structure that leaves me cold. I detest reality TV and even shows that parody it just remind me of why I hate it and I don't need reminding.

Modern Family maybe fits that description, what with the pieces straight to camera and what not. No idea how you came to that conclusion with the other two though.

[DaveO]

Re: Pre RLWC TV : Mon Nov 04, 2013 4:27 pm  

Barnabus wrote:

Modern Family maybe fits that description, what with the pieces straight to camera and what not. No idea how you came to that conclusion with the other two though.

Well Curb Your Enthusiasm is the guy playing a version of himself and the improvisation and the subject matter seemed to result rather boring pseudo reality TV take on things. Maybe that is the point and like Seinfeld which he worked on/wrote the style did nothing for me. As to Arrested Development I thought the whole point of the way that was shot was to make it look like reality TV.

Re: Pre RLWC TV : Wed Nov 06, 2013 6:51 am  

Watched the poignant The Disappeared on BBC4 last night.
The search for the bodies of people the IRA deemed as traitors within their own communities and who were taken away to be executed.
Ruthless stuff.
No winners in war.

Re: Pre RLWC TV : Thu Nov 07, 2013 6:58 am  

Watched Werner Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams last night.

32,000 year old paintings.

Wow.

Re: Pre RLWC TV : Fri Nov 08, 2013 8:39 pm  

Don't forget - Citizen Khan at 9.30 tonight. It's the last in the series. Only 6 episodes. Like all great comedy, short series so as not to dilute the creative brilliance and quality, like Fawlty Towers, The Mertons, etc.

Re: Pre RLWC TV : Tue Nov 12, 2013 11:22 am  

A new seRies of Storyville has kicked off on BBC 4.
Last nights episode 'Hotel Folly - Folie a Deux' made for excellent watching.
The female involved was barking!