Shows That Try Too Hard To Be Funny

I can name four off the top of my head

1. Men At Work (I was really hoping it'd be good for Danny Masterson, so everyone can stop picturing him as Hyde from That 70s Show)

2. Baby Daddy (Just...no.)

3. The Exes (the lead woman in the show is just obnoxious as hell)

4. Anger Management (Charlie Sheen's just lost it)

And before you tell me I didn't give them a chance, I totally did. But what do you all think?

 

Always sunny in Philadelphia

Southpark

 

Every sitcom and cartoon currently running. And most of them that ran during this decade.
Including the former greats; like Futurama, South Park and the Simpsons.

And SNL ever since Tina Fey broke it.


The only shows of recent I can think of that were truly funny, without forcing it, were non-comedies with comedic elements (such as Breaking Bad) and Bored to Death.

 

Any show with a laugh track.

 

comedy shows should try as hard as possible to be funny. the problem is that most of them suck at it. they need to actually be funny, rather than following a formula that the network tells them is funny even though it's not at all.

SNL was broken before tina fey. she just took the remains and shattered them even further.

i do think community is pretty funny most of the time. can't think of another current example.

 

Don't know if they try too hard because I only watched one--and it's my ALL time worst.=The Office. I hate that embarrassing shit.

 

I agree about SNL too. It hasn't been funny for a long time. I've been spoiled since I started watching the episodes from the 70s and 80s though. Those were hilarious.

And I know a lot of people who like It's Always Sunny but I always thought it sucked. There's a point where "what the fuck is going on" doesn't get the same shock value anymore and you're just expecting stupid shit to happen every episode.

The only newish comedy I actually like is The Big Bang Theory. The shows I listed also have terrible actors. I don't want to be completely aware that I'm watching a comedy show.

 

sunny is brilliant. curb your enthusiasm is another good one. and i have to agree with dope that any show with a laugh track is fucked.

 

I practically never watch TV so I don't know most of the shows you're mentioning, but I actually liked Men at Work...I only watched the first few episodes but I thought they were funny.

I actually really like Tina Fey, although SNL has been sucky for quite a while. I like the new main female they have. I think Jimmy Fallon was horrible though.

Other shows I think are good are How I Met Your Mother and Scrubs.

I think Weeds tries too hard.

 

^scrubs has been off the air for at least a few years. i did like the first half or so of it, even though it is quite possibly the ultimate example of shark jumping when it tried to reinvent itself at the end there.

 

I don't get the hype around the big bang theory at all. I've given it multiple chances but I've never really found it funny.

Two broke girls definitely tries too hard. And two and a half men should have called it quits a long time ago.

The only sitcom I really like right now is how I met your mother

 

It's the worst show I've ever seen.
The whole premise is "smart people are so stupid and neurotic" and it's only a rehash of the same joke over and over - and no matter how they package it; it's not a good joke. Not only are their stereotypes of nerds are so ridiculous, and their use of nerd and scientific knowledge so faulty; but those supposedly "smart" characters are so ludicrously dumb and failures at life that the whole show makes no sense.

It's like a retarded child of Fraiser, with a whinier version of Woody Allen thrown in for good measure.

Meanwhile, over at Comedy Central: the writers of Futurama are coming up with actual math theorems just to explain their plots.

 

Futurama is still on?

 

OK good I'm glad it's not just me. Someone told me I just didn't get it because it was nerdy science humor..but I like science and I'm a nerd so I always figured the show just sucks. The characters really don't seem real to me; you're right about them being stereotypes

 

3 broke girls has absolutely no writers. And they talk way too fast.
Sheldon on BB is the most irritating SOB I've ever seen. Who in the hell would stay around someone like that for more 4 minutes. He needs slapped pretty bad.
Modern Family bugs the shit out of me--so I don't watch it.
21/2 had good writing back when Sheen was on,even if it was the same story line all the time. Berta and the Mom got the best lines. Kutcher a billionaire? ppfffttt.
What I miss,having rabbit ears,is John Stewart,but I do catch him on the comp once in a while.
Not much good on theses days.

Anybody remember Mary Hartman-Mary Hartman?

 

As I was reading the first page, I pretty much had inner dialogue of this post verbatim.

 

haha no. it's network formula humor with a science-based joke thrown in on rare occasion.

 

I won't bother mentioning them as you colonial types wouldn't have heard of them-but believe moi;we have our share of formulaic trash too. I think the last comedy series I watched was Red Dwarf...and today,the re-runs seem very dated.

 

I think allot of people miss the point of the character. He is supposed to have aspergers. They take his whole "I don't understand or care for social rules" thing much farther then a real aspergers person. In general they are not that rude, they actually do want to be part of the group and not make it all about them like a child.But that is the whole problem they face. People are pissed off by them because they "do not get it". I guess it's hard to understand unless you know someone like that. But at least it's a departure from the normal.

The comedy's I can not stand are the typical dumb man, infallible women. But that is the standard. In the story it's always a guy who is portrayed as lucky to have the women because he is less attractive, and always the one causing the trouble, and the women NEVER makes a mistake it's always him. It used to be the other way around. Lucy was always saved by Ricky but I am not saying it should be that way either.

The perfect example is Everyone Loves Raymond, the wife on that show is a ****, and you have this loser with no backbone who puts up with it. I saw one episode where the story goes. Stupid Ray looses his wedding ring, he dosn't want to make her upset so he dosn't tell her while he tries to find it. Which in my mind is a nice thing to do, you would not want to upset someone you care about.

She finds out and in order to "punish" him, yes she used that word she goes to the grocery store and begins to flirt with other men while making sure he knows she will not take her wedding ring. No one pays attention to her, so she goes crying back to Ray who of course takes all the blaim for her not being a successful slut.

For real? Do they really expect the audience to feel sorry for her? She is a horrible person. But you will see this on most every sitcom today.

 

And the thing about the Ray character is that he really IS a dope. I mean a lot of people can relate to his intentions with the story you mentioned - but even then he lost his wedding ring while goofing off.

I do agree though, your premise stands - the basic formula for sitcoms is stupid husband with beautiful, snarky, intelligent wife. The same formula is often used in commercials as well.