Just Plain Awful 'Comedy'

[Trevp666]

"oh that's him/her a gonner then"

More commonly known as "Officer Redshirt Syndrome".....

 

[Mythopoeika]

More commonly known as "Officer Redshirt Syndrome".....

 

[Stormkhan]

Well, it's one of many tropes.
The witness who is reluctant to speak to anyone but a certain (usually protagonist) detective.
The copper who's only days away from retirement.
The idiot who tries to blackmail a murderer*.
The person who says "Look, I can't tell you over the 'phone. I must speak to you in person."
The (usually) multiple suspects who refuse to tell the truth and lie, not because they are the murderer but for "more serious" reasons such as petty theft, having an affair etc.
All dramatic tropes which shouldn't happen in real life but these aren't documentaries - they're drama.

* I mean, seriously! If you consider this course of action, ask yourself this question:
"I know and have evidence of this person actually killing someone. They are presumably willing to go to any length to avoid being caught, including killing. So I'll demand money for my silence then. What could possibly go wrong?"

 

[Trevp666]

 

[Xanatic*]

Never discuss your crimes on the phone!
It actually makes sense to meet someone in some remote, picturesque location instead. You know there will be nobody eavesdropping.

 

[Stormkhan]

As a corollary to this, minimise the number of people involved. The more 'links', the more that can 'break'.

 

[Xanatic*]

The redshirt thing is a wrong comparison. The redshirts were people you knew nothing about, who were killed to show the danger and stakes for the protagonists.
The characters who are close to retirement, show photos of the children etc, are doing it so you will care for them and be emotionally invested when they die.

 

[Peripart]

action, ask yourself this question:
"I know and have evidence of this person actually killing someone. They are presumably willing to go to any length to avoid being caught, including killing. So I'll demand money for my silence then. What could possibly go wrong?"

Reminds me of this scene:

 

[Sabresonic]

This is a whole new world of Fortean/cop show interest for me. I would watch any and all of those special episodes.

Some UK TV cop shows had the odd marvellously weird episodes. The xmas Bergerac specials sometimes featured a supernatural theme.

Even The Bill had an actual Santa's elf arrested for being drunk and disorderly!
(Played by the stalwart Brian Murphy, still going strong at 88, lawd bless'im.)

I never knew that about Bergerac.

 

[Sabresonic]

I think it's an artifact of its time - rather overdramatic cases backed with very pretty scenery.

The guy who played Wycliffe was pretty wooden actor I found.

 

[catseye]

The guy who played Wycliffe was pretty wooden actor I found.

Oy, that's Jack Shepherd there!

I think he's meant to be 'distant'. Funny that, because I have no problem with it in Wycliffe, but can't stand Foyle's War for that very reason...

 

[Peripart]

Oy, that's Jack Shepherd there!

I think he's meant to be 'distant'. Funny that, because I have no problem with it in Wycliffe, but can't stand Foyle's War for that very reason...

The opposite for me. I find that Michael Kitchen in Foyle's War manages to convey quite a lot whilst staying outwardly very contained. Foyle comes across as serious and determined, though not entirely without humour. Personal choice, of course, and yours is as valid as mine - probably more so!

Just to keep things on-topic, I should point out that Foyle's War isn't very funny.

I should also mention that auto-correct is more intent than ever at f-ing up anything I type. I think that the above is now as I intended, but you were nearly treated to my thoughts on Doyle's War.

 

[Naughty_Felid]

The opposite for me. I find that Michael Kitchen in Foyle's War manages to convey quite a lot whilst staying outwardly very contained. Foyle comes across as serious and determined, though not entirely without humour. Personal choice, of course, and yours is as valid as mine - probably more so!

Just to keep things on-topic, I should point out that Foyle's War isn't very funny.

I should also mention that auto-correct is more intent than ever at f-ing up anything I type. I think that the above is now as I intended, but you were nearly treated to my thoughts on Doyle's War.

What about Bodie?

 

[catseye]

What about Bodie?

Might be Mrs Doyle from Father Ted reminding us that we are straying from our topic?

 

[Stormkhan]

The guy who played Wycliffe was pretty wooden actor I found.

Perhaps. But (reading through the source books) he was playing a character who tries to maintain a distance and an objective view of a case. Now Kitchen, in Foyle, played a character who tried to maintain a calm, thoughtful outlook. Even on the rare occasions he lost his temper, it was very controlled and bloody obvious, but more an impact for all that.
Oh, and humour?
In Foyle, first episode, he's assigned his female driver Sam and tells her to stay in the car. Chase with criminal takes place and it looks like Foyle's losing him ... until he get's decked by "running into" a dustbin lid! Sam just smiles, dropping the lid.

For content balance, I'm all for crude humour and obvious pratfalls (vide Bottom, The Young Ones, Fr. Ted etc.) but Mrs Brown's Boys are beyond me. Strikes me as they're trying to be funny by being rude, rather than while they do so. Even Men Behaving Badly did this better.
Oh, and Ricky Gervais? Might be a clever bloke, in written form, but he always appears to me to be insufferably smug! Even in Upstart Crow, he's gently parodied as being thus!

 

[Naughty_Felid]

Perhaps. But (reading through the source books) he was playing a character who tries to maintain a distance and an objective view of a case. Now Kitchen, in Foyle, played a character who tried to maintain a calm, thoughtful outlook. Even on the rare occasions he lost his temper, it was very controlled and bloody obvious, but more an impact for all that.
Oh, and humour?
In Foyle, first episode, he's assigned his female driver Sam and tells her to stay in the car. Chase with criminal takes place and it looks like Foyle's losing him ... until he get's decked by "running into" a dustbin lid! Sam just smiles, dropping the lid.

For content balance, I'm all for crude humour and obvious pratfalls (vide Bottom, The Young Ones, Fr. Ted etc.) but Mrs Brown's Boys are beyond me. Strikes me as they're trying to be funny by being rude, rather than while they do so. Even Men Behaving Badly did this better.
Oh, and Ricky Gervais? Might be a clever bloke, in written form, but he always appears to me to be insufferably smug! Even in Upstart Crow, he's gently parodied as being thus!

Men Behaving Badly which obviously hasn't aged well had some brilliant writing and obviously great actors.

 

[Stormkhan]

Funnily enough, I've just located the series on TV streaming and watching the first season, with Harry Enfield. It's not aged badly because it still relies on personality traits and behaviour that can still be found.

 

[Mythopoeika]

Men Behaving Badly which obviously hasn't aged well had some brilliant writing and obviously great actors.

At the time, I thought it was one of the best comedies ever made by ITV.

 

[Sabresonic]

Perhaps. But (reading through the source books) he was playing a character who tries to maintain a distance and an objective view of a case. Now Kitchen, in Foyle, played a character who tried to maintain a calm, thoughtful outlook. Even on the rare occasions he lost his temper, it was very controlled and bloody obvious, but more an impact for all that.
Oh, and humour?
In Foyle, first episode, he's assigned his female driver Sam and tells her to stay in the car. Chase with criminal takes place and it looks like Foyle's losing him ... until he get's decked by "running into" a dustbin lid! Sam just smiles, dropping the lid.

For content balance, I'm all for crude humour and obvious pratfalls (vide Bottom, The Young Ones, Fr. Ted etc.) but Mrs Brown's Boys are beyond me. Strikes me as they're trying to be funny by being rude, rather than while they do so. Even Men Behaving Badly did this better.
Oh, and Ricky Gervais? Might be a clever bloke, in written form, but he always appears to me to be insufferably smug! Even in Upstart Crow, he's gently parodied as being thus!

Well we all have different thoughts on things and I just didn't find Wycliffe funny at all.

 

[catseye]

Well we all have different thoughts on things and I just didn't find Wycliffe funny at all.

I think Wycliffe was meant to be dark and brooding - like the Cornish landscape which, in the episodes I've been rewatching, all seems to be 'out of season' dramatic seas and cliffs and moorland. See the title sequence where he's at one of the tin mines and it's all very 'dramatic architecture and scenery'. Not a 'comfort watch' at all, rather like Vera. Whereas Midsomer Murders is pure comfort; pretty scenery and even the murders are so over the top dramatic that they are almost cartoonish. Hardly an 'edge of the seat' moment in MM. But quite a few laughs.

 

[Sabresonic]

I think Wycliffe was meant to be dark and brooding - like the Cornish landscape which, in the episodes I've been rewatching, all seems to be 'out of season' dramatic seas and cliffs and moorland. See the title sequence where he's at one of the tin mines and it's all very 'dramatic architecture and scenery'. Not a 'comfort watch' at all, rather like Vera. Whereas Midsomer Murders is pure comfort; pretty scenery and even the murders are so over the top dramatic that they are almost cartoonish. Hardly an 'edge of the seat' moment in MM. But quite a few laughs.

For comfort watch for landscape's etc I loved Coast plus it was interesting as we'll alongside Rik Stein.

 

[Mythopoeika]

At the time, I thought it was one of the best comedies ever made by ITV.

Actually, the BBC took over the series and made a half-decent job of it. Unusual, that.

 

[GNC]

The best Simon Nye sitcom wasn't Men Behaving Badly, it was How Do You Want Me? That's his masterpiece - that haunting ending!

 

[BlackPeter]

The best Simon Nye sitcom wasn't Men Behaving Badly, it was How Do You Want Me? That's his masterpiece - that haunting ending!

Yes! I'd forgotten about that one (must be available somewhere must have a look)thought it very enjoyable at the time

 

[GNC]

Yes! I'd forgotten about that one (must be available somewhere must have a look)thought it very enjoyable at the time

It's on DVD if that's any help. Sadly, there would be no more series because Charlotte Coleman died (apparently they were planning more, but...).

 

[Sabresonic]

The best Simon Nye sitcom wasn't Men Behaving Badly, it was How Do You Want Me? That's his masterpiece - that haunting ending!

Never heard of it but will give it a go.
I did like the 90s sitcoms like Men Behaving Badly, Game On, Crapston Villas and The Viz.

 

[Analogue Boy]

If I wanted recommendations on Plain Average Comedy, I’d look for a thread on it.

 

[Souleater]

I'm just watching Love Actually for the first time. How is it you brits can make such funny tv-shows yet your comedy movies are so unfunny?

The thing about Hugh Grant is he can only play Hugh Grant in all his films

 

[Souleater]

Back OT i cant see what is so funny about Mrs Browns Boys, my old mom loves it but i personally find it appallingly unfunny. Now Brasseye, The Day Today, Black Books now thats comedy

 

[Sgt Girth]

I’d go a little bit further and say that Mrs Browns Boys is utter, unremitting, god awful shite....but that’s just my opinion...others may vary!