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snick_backupGenerally, I dislike sitcoms. I dislike the characters, I find the scenarios silly and OTT, I can rarely watch an ep all the way through without collapsing of embarrassment squick, and the off-color humor isn't so much "adult" as juvenile. Oh, and I HATE the laugh track. Hate. Even sitcoms recommended by people whose taste I trust, I can't deal with. (Examples: the roommates love The Big Bang Theory; you all adore Community, HIMYM, and Parks and Rec. All struck out with me. Although, FWIW, I hated what I saw of those last two slightly less than I usually hate these things.)
But now, lo! I have now watched the entire run of The IT Crowd, a British sitcom about two geeks working in IT and the computer-illiterate woman put in charge of them, and I liked it! I... can't really say why this worked for me when so many others haven't. The British factor may be part of it? Everything's more respectable in an English accent. Also, despite some sniping, these people actually seem to like each other - although more in the way of family who're stuck together than friends who are together by choice. It also helps that I adored Moss from the get-go and warmed up to Roy and Jen before too long. Likability is very important!
(I liked the show so much, in fact, that I'm thinking about asking for it for Yuletide, assuming I do Yuletide this year. I thought I was skipping because I've already done lots of exchanges this year, but I actually have things to request - The IT Crowd, Coffee Prince, and Disney's cartoon Robin Hood.)
Well, you say, that's just one sitcom. Yes, but I also just watched and enjoyed Matthew Perry's new show Go On. (This even though I avoid Perry on principle on account of disliking his face.) He's a radio DJ unwillingly in group therapy after his wife's death, which did not sound like a winning start to me, but there were several legitimately funny bits, and our protagonist seems to be not entirely a jerk.
Original entry posted at Dreamwidth. Feel free to reply here or there. (
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But now, lo! I have now watched the entire run of The IT Crowd, a British sitcom about two geeks working in IT and the computer-illiterate woman put in charge of them, and I liked it! I... can't really say why this worked for me when so many others haven't. The British factor may be part of it? Everything's more respectable in an English accent. Also, despite some sniping, these people actually seem to like each other - although more in the way of family who're stuck together than friends who are together by choice. It also helps that I adored Moss from the get-go and warmed up to Roy and Jen before too long. Likability is very important!
(I liked the show so much, in fact, that I'm thinking about asking for it for Yuletide, assuming I do Yuletide this year. I thought I was skipping because I've already done lots of exchanges this year, but I actually have things to request - The IT Crowd, Coffee Prince, and Disney's cartoon Robin Hood.)
Well, you say, that's just one sitcom. Yes, but I also just watched and enjoyed Matthew Perry's new show Go On. (This even though I avoid Perry on principle on account of disliking his face.) He's a radio DJ unwillingly in group therapy after his wife's death, which did not sound like a winning start to me, but there were several legitimately funny bits, and our protagonist seems to be not entirely a jerk.
Original entry posted at Dreamwidth. Feel free to reply here or there. (
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Date: 2012-09-15 01:35 am (UTC)As in you just find him physically really unattractive?
I've heard good things about the IT Crowd before. In case the British factor really helps, have you ever tried Miranda? It is utterly delightful.
I've been hankering for a sitcom tonight and was thinking of trying The Mindy Project, but maybe I'll look up Go On instead. I'd been considering trying it specifically for Perry, but the premise was not appealing; sounds like I should give it a chance, though.
Disney's cartoon Robin Hood
Ooh, what are you looking for there? That's such a wonderful movie. Definitely my favorite RH adaptation.
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Date: 2012-09-15 01:47 am (UTC)Yes. Also there's the association with Friends, which I really didn't get on with.
I've tried Miranda; alas, it is one of those that kills me with embarrassment squick.
Ooh, what are you looking for there?
If I request it, I'll pretty much give the author carte blanche. I love everyone in it! I could be down with some silly ensemble goodness, or some Robin/Marian, or some Little John/Lady Cluck (and never mind the interspecies problem), or Prince John + ANYONE ELSE, or some big outrageous deconstructive thingy. I'd be down for anything. :)
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Date: 2012-09-15 04:45 am (UTC)Miranda was way too OTT and crazy for me. Basically, everything I dislike about sitcoms.
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Date: 2012-09-15 01:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-15 04:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-15 02:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-15 04:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-15 04:48 am (UTC)I like Designing Women, The Golden Girls, I Love Lucy, Dharma and Greg, and The Nanny. (Have you ever watched Dharma and Greg?) And... I think that's it. Though I do like a number of British sitcoms. They're just, IDK, quirky in a different way.
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Date: 2012-09-15 03:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-15 03:57 pm (UTC)And nope, Designing Women is a sitcom. But it's an 80s/early 90s sitcom, so it's not quite as OTT as ones today, IMO. Plus, Julia Sugarbaker is awesome.
Dharma and Greg is a sitcom about a couple who gets married the first day they meet, and then has to navigate actually getting to know each other and sharing their lives.
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Date: 2012-09-15 04:31 pm (UTC)Huh. That sounds like EXACTLY my sort of thing. I... might have to look it up. Am I liable to like either of the characters, do you think? Hating everyone is usually my downfall.
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Date: 2012-09-15 05:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-15 05:27 am (UTC)My sitcom rec is "Better Off Ted"' which blessedly has no laugh track, great pacing, and snappy dialogue. From your description of what you like about IT, you might enjoy it, too..
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Date: 2012-09-15 03:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-15 03:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-15 06:08 am (UTC)Er. That MIGHT be something I say all too often, in Roy's accent, if I'm in the vicinity of a computer issue.
I <3 Moss. Jen is also pretty good too. I like Roy least, but I think I'm supposed to :). The horrible CEOs are so horrible they become appealing again by virtue of sheer awfulness in that way Britcom does so well.
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Date: 2012-09-15 03:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-15 07:55 am (UTC)You should also try The Mighty Boosh (not a sitcom as such, just SURREAL!), Blackadder (classic), Black Books (♥) and Father Ted (which is locked with Black Books as Best Sitcom Ever). The latter two are made by the same team that did the IT Crowd... And the IT Crowd is good, but not as perfect as the other two. Almost, but not quite.
Oh and you might also like Absolutely Fabulous.
Never ever go near Alan Partridge though. The cring-factor makes Miranda look like the height of sophistication. (I admire Alan Partridge, it's brilliant. But I can't watch.)
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Date: 2012-09-15 03:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-15 03:27 pm (UTC)ETA - I meant to say that I would have to try the IT Crowd. An old roommate and I watched the pilot once, and it didn't really grab me, but pilots aren't the best way to judge a show.
Also, apart from sitcoms, I was wondering if you've seen Justified? I've only seen one episode, and it reminded me of the Coen brothers quite a bit. I want to try and track down some DVDs so I can watch.
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Date: 2012-09-15 03:41 pm (UTC)For the IT Crowd, The Haunting of Bill Krause is a good starter ep. It's early on in the series, it gives you a pretty good idea of all the characters, and it is quite funny.
I have not seen Justified! Honestly, if a show isn't SFF (and isn't the sort of thing the roommate likes, for example Gilmore Girls), then I probably haven't seen it. I have a conflicted relationship with the Coen brothers, though, by which I mean I adore O Brother, thought No Country For Old Men was very good, and have bounced hard off of everything else of theirs I've seen.
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Date: 2012-09-15 03:51 pm (UTC)I think all sitcoms really require you to love the characters, because they're based on dialogue/jokes. You're not going to get sucked in because of plot or nifty camera thingies or (in most cases) a neat premise.
Oh, another sitcom I liked was Party Down, which is about failed/aspiring actors working for a catering company while they wait for their big break. It was made by the same guy who did Veronica Mars, so there are many guest roles giving to VM actors.
Justifed takes place in rural Kentucky, so you have Coen-esque dialogue, plus a blend of humor and violence.
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Date: 2012-09-15 04:36 pm (UTC)This is clearly my problem; as I told someone else, hating everyone is usually my downfall.
I knew there was a Coen brothers movie I liked and forgot: True Grit. I loved that. It's like every ten years they look at each other and say, "Hey, we should make a movie to appeal to general audiences," and then they knock it out of the park.
I will keep Justified in mind, if I should suddenly need a drama of that sort in my life. :)
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Date: 2012-09-15 05:46 pm (UTC)To explain the story set-up, it's basically about a Good Old Boy from Kentucky who leaves his backwards town to go become a U.S. Marshall only to mess up his career and get sent back to serve in his hometown. So all the people he grew up with, including his family? They're criminals because that's what it's like in Harlan County. So Raylan, the Marshall, has gotta navigate all these complex loyalties.
It's just really awesome. The acting, the directing, the writing, spot-on. Also, plenty of humor in the drama. Despite how outlandish the scenario, all the characters feel real.
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Date: 2012-09-15 07:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-17 04:02 pm (UTC)That is all I have to say. :D
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Date: 2012-09-17 07:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-18 04:13 pm (UTC)