Having had a wild and varied thematic and genre ride in Televigion last week, this week it’s all comedy. Some of it certainly not to my taste, some of it a pleasant surprise but all of it brand new to me. Let’s dive in.
- Stevens & McCarthy (iPlayer) – This is a new Scottish sketch show with only the most basic of things to say; pensioners are slow, multiple lists of well worn millennial stereotypes (even citing the pinnacle of tired cliches – “avocado brunches”) and playing to gender stereotypes with no nuance. But it is a newly commissioned sketch comedy, a training ground for writers that is sorely lacking in the UK. Sketch is good training for variety of voice and getting ideas made and I’m glad it exists for that reason, but it has literally nothing new to say. And every sketch ended with no laughter, no attempt at a punchline. Who is this for? Comedy is recognition and reassurance a lot of the time, and anyone could watch this by accident and probably be fine with it. But comedy also needs to subvert some expectations or else it is just blandly showing you things you already believe, or worse, reinforcing harmful stereotypes. I dislike being negative for Televigion, particularly with comedy, but I see no value in this. Please change my mind if you enjoyed it.
- Detroiters S2 Ep1: April in the D (Pluto TV1) – An article came up in my news feed about this show I was unaware of. It definitely feels like it is going to break into the next I Think You Should Leave sketch at any time2. Both this sitcom and the later sketch show have a unique style of almost not being real at every moment. It is full of hilarious undersold writing with insane leaps of logic, or more specifically in Detroiters, talking directly to our expectations of what would actually happen in a sitcom. It tries to highlight the unreality of real people in a sitcom environment, but more as a small sideline. It’s mostly just very funny. It’s like Tim and Eric3 got constrained slightly closer to reality, with the buzz of insanity a little further underneath. It’s not a sitcom asking you to invest in the characters though, so it will never be in my list of true favourites. But I’m very glad it exists. In complete contrast to number 1, it is a strong and unique voice that will not be for everyone, and is all the better for it.
- Charlie Cooper’s Myth Country Ep 1 (iPlayer) – I love folklore and mythology, but have never been very fussed on This Country (despite having tried twice after all of the accolades). But I think I do love Charlie Cooper given this programme. He lies somewhere between playing a character who loves being on an adventure and truly believes in the myths, and a comedian aware of making a show funny, but at its core it is a heartwarming show about the endearing weirdness of people. The balance of character vs comedian didn’t feel quite right in episode 1 (some of the participants might feel a little laughed at and it felt too staged in parts) but I enjoyed something that could be called comic documentary.
- Nobody Wants This (Netflix) – I was very ready to dismiss this when it seemed to be all about Kristen Bell being a podcast host in LA, but then suddenly there was a lot of chemistry and smouldering from a man who means nothing to me but is important to others of my age group (if I’m reading social media correctly). Adam Brody is charismatic and beautiful and very understatedly funny. So as long as this show is mainly about him, and Kristen Bell isn’t too Kristen Bell, I’ll be happy to keep watching. To be more serious for a second, the whole show is actually very charming. What else it has to say, I shall find out as I continue.
Comedy is subjective, so I’m hoping for a little debate and/or back and forward from all of you lovely readers on the above shows. Comment below, or get in touch however you can. And point me to other comedy, that you’ve enjoyed or haven’t. I want it all!
I am also just about to place a little of my work-in-progress comedy writing out into the world (of Substack), so please take a look if you haven’t already – Two Things by James Stewart on Substack
Footnotes
- What the hell is Pluto TV? It seems to be an ad-based and free streaming platform… I guess there’s definitely a million streaming services that you only find out about when a show or creator you like appears on it… ↩︎
- I Think You Should Leave is the complete antithesis of Stevens and McCarthy, a sketch show so utterly full of style, comedic voice and unique takes, I have actually rewatched it. Very rare for a sketch show. ↩︎
- Tim and Eric, Awesome Show, Great Job! is a spectacularly unique sketch show that sometimes left me, with my very high tolerance for the weird and alternative, quite cold. But I was never bored, and it was clear they had a passion for their vision of comedy. ↩︎
Televigion 