Drawn to Comedy
Writing this blog I've been thinking back on my years in front of the boob tube, and a few patterns have emerged. Beyond my lifelong interest in sci fi, I've also noticed that the last live-action sitcom I ever made a point of catching every week was Night Court. This was a standout show; the writing was sharp and the characters clearly defined, and while many of the characters were more than a tad eccentric they were all still professionals, taking well-deserved pride in their work. Even a character who was obviously designed as the local immoral cad, Dan Fielding, came across as a real person we could know and even like... or at least respect.
I've caught bits and pieces of other sitcoms since, though I've only actually seen a whole episode when I had no control over the remote (or access to mind-numbing chemicals). You know that one where the parents (especially the father) are dumber than a bag of hammers, and the wise-ass kids save the day through a mixture of sarcastic remarks, disdain for anyone and everyone old enough to vote and a few seriously bizarre plot contrivances? Yeah, that's the one...
The animated sitcoms seem to hold up far better under scrutiny (and before you suggest that I'm just an animation junkie, if it were simply a fascination with cartoon characters I'd be glued to C-SPAN). Sure Homer Simpson and Peter Griffin between them couldn't get their I.Q.'s into double digits, but in the land of animation this can be taken so far over the top as to be interesting again.
This is why I always record Cartoon Channel's Adult Swim on Sunday nights- I can catch the gold while fast-forwarding through Squidbillies and 12 oz. Mouse (didn't there used to be a requirement of at least rudimentary drawing skills to be an animator?). The reruns of Futurama and Family Guy are worth it alone, but there's also Robot Chicken, who's producers understand that once the joke is done, end the skit. Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law is a fine example of 'repurposing' old cartoons for comedic value, though I still miss Sealab 2021.
My favorite is still Venture Brothers, a spot-on take-off on the old Johnny Quest series (with a healthy taste of superhero cartoons thrown in). The humor ranges from the sublime (a serious discussion on the proper decals to put on a shrink-ray gun) to the obvious (the Superfriends' "Legion of Doom" becomes the "Guild of Calamitous Intent"). The kid in me loves the fanboy-accurate caricatures (like the recent parody of the Scooby-Doo gang), while the adult in me loves the satire, the seamless pop-culture references, and Dr. Girlfriend. Go Team Venture!!
I've caught bits and pieces of other sitcoms since, though I've only actually seen a whole episode when I had no control over the remote (or access to mind-numbing chemicals). You know that one where the parents (especially the father) are dumber than a bag of hammers, and the wise-ass kids save the day through a mixture of sarcastic remarks, disdain for anyone and everyone old enough to vote and a few seriously bizarre plot contrivances? Yeah, that's the one...
The animated sitcoms seem to hold up far better under scrutiny (and before you suggest that I'm just an animation junkie, if it were simply a fascination with cartoon characters I'd be glued to C-SPAN). Sure Homer Simpson and Peter Griffin between them couldn't get their I.Q.'s into double digits, but in the land of animation this can be taken so far over the top as to be interesting again.
This is why I always record Cartoon Channel's Adult Swim on Sunday nights- I can catch the gold while fast-forwarding through Squidbillies and 12 oz. Mouse (didn't there used to be a requirement of at least rudimentary drawing skills to be an animator?). The reruns of Futurama and Family Guy are worth it alone, but there's also Robot Chicken, who's producers understand that once the joke is done, end the skit. Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law is a fine example of 'repurposing' old cartoons for comedic value, though I still miss Sealab 2021.
My favorite is still Venture Brothers, a spot-on take-off on the old Johnny Quest series (with a healthy taste of superhero cartoons thrown in). The humor ranges from the sublime (a serious discussion on the proper decals to put on a shrink-ray gun) to the obvious (the Superfriends' "Legion of Doom" becomes the "Guild of Calamitous Intent"). The kid in me loves the fanboy-accurate caricatures (like the recent parody of the Scooby-Doo gang), while the adult in me loves the satire, the seamless pop-culture references, and Dr. Girlfriend. Go Team Venture!!
