Do good comedies have to be about losers?

muser

Well-known member
I rewatched peepshow recently and noticed how depressing it was, I think they realised it was getting a bit much and toned it down in the last few seasons.

But I think humour is pretty culturally specific too, basically everyone's miserable in England for a significant portion of the year so we need cathartic miserable humour.

All the one liner stuff and slapstick falls out of this framework. That's why in hot countries full of attractive happy people the humour is all about silliness with boingy cartoon noises.
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
Occurs to me that an artist like Michelangelo is completely lacking in (intentional) humour, and logically enough, given the belief in "man" as being essentially dignified (if damned) and potentially heroic that informed his works.
 

luka

Well-known member
No American has been funny since the Marx brothers. So about a century of unfunny Americans. They're too cruel and stupid to be funny.
 
The problem is comedy, that power dynamic, the role of the comedian and the expectation of the audience... makes me feel awful, horrible setup
 

luka

Well-known member
The problem is comedy, that power dynamic, the role of the comedian and the expectation of the audience... makes me feel awful, horrible setup

Has there ever been a funny American on dissensus? None I can think of. Lots of clever and interesting ones but never a funny one. Why?
 

luka

Well-known member
My hypothesis is that they don't have souls. Controversial I know, but I think this is the crux of the matter.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
But I think humour is pretty culturally specific too, basically everyone's miserable in England for a significant portion of the year so we need cathartic miserable humour.
Why? The first thought for me would be that miserable people might like some happy comedy to cheer them up.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
I rewatched peepshow recently and noticed how depressing it was, I think they realised it was getting a bit much and toned it down in the last few seasons.
You reckon? I think the last series was the darkest, those last few episodes and that ending; no fanfare, no finale, just Sophie drunk in the kids' ballpool, Hans leaving for Macedonia and the main characters too depressed to acknowledge his goodbye as they slouch on the couch contemplating their unemployed and friendless future.
 

muser

Well-known member
Why? The first thought for me would be that miserable people might like some happy comedy to cheer them up.

I think because it's too dissonant, it's like listening to happy music it's more sickening, you want to wallow in other people's misery in a light hearted safe environment to distract yourself from your own (or more rather make light of your own).

You reckon? I think the last series was the darkest, those last few episodes and that ending; no fanfare, no finale, just Sophie drunk in the kids' ballpool, Hans leaving for Macedonia and the main characters too depressed to acknowledge his goodbye as they slouch on the couch contemplating their unemployed and friendless future.

Maybe not the very end but generally Mark started getting more breaks and jez started becoming more of a pathological loser with some self-awareness. Like It wasn't solely about him getting shafted by his best and only friend in every episode.
 
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