i don't think sophistication is really the problem (although i'm sure that's something that people tell themselves to rationalize why nobody likes their favorite show and at the same time patting themselves on the back for being intelligent).
the problem lies in the fact that it relies on a faster, nonlinear application of humor. traditionally sitcoms (even critically acclaimed ones like Seinfeld or The Simpsons) have used setup -> joke -> rebuttal comedy pattern that relies on direct interaction between two or three characters. where this show is more nonlinear in their setup. sometimes a joke won't pay off until the end of an episode, or even the end of the season. sometimes a joke isn't a joke if you aren't completely immersed in the world of the bluth family. it's an unorthodox approach, but unorthodoxy isn't neccesarily synonomous with sophistication.
also the humor has a faster pace than most sitcoms, without the afformentioned pattern, it makes it easier to fire off a string of one liners before you've had a chance to assimilate the first one. this too might contribute to a lot of people not 'getting' this joke. and again, it's not a matter of lacking sophistication or intelligence, it's just that the public's been conditioned to expect a certain comedic timing from their television shows and when arrested doesn't deliver on that they're turned off.
but yeah, i wouldn't want to land on the wrong side of an argument about whether or not anal rape jokes are sophisitcated. but what do i know, my ability to decipher the difference between high art and low art has been rapidly deteriorating.
so i bought season 1 dvd set after getting too addicted to the episodes after renting the disks...and i understand the low ratings in light of Noz's point of view...the format of this show is almost not suited for cable television, you HAVE to see the episodes sequentially, and then REWATCH them sequentially to absorb all the inside jokes and foreshadowing properly. its like if you witness something and you dont find it funny, its because u have yet to see an episode after it that explains it and you have to rewatch it to understand it. aliens had to come up with this show.
for example a joke i just picked up on yesterday:
in one episode, popops wants some files labelled "Mad ass" destroyed. ok cool. we observe michael bluth looking at some pictures of saddam hussain (dont ask) saying stuff like "isn't that our chimney in the background...". ok, that wasnt to funny, but whatever, its interesting.
in later episodes you find out that poppops had builing contracts with saddam, aha, that's why michael bluth thought he saw his house in sadam pics. that tiny detail! insane. oh and what is saddam backwards? MAD ASS (sort of). incredible! and that's the tinyiest detail, like a piggy bank this is one penny!
season 2 on dvd comes out tuesday! dont want to be dramatic, but im feeling this could develop into the best comedy of all time. its so advanced and the writing is so in depth. you add the best of seinfeld, curb your enthusiasm, simpsons at its peak and family guy, and thats what i feel this show is.
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the problem lies in the fact that it relies on a faster, nonlinear application of humor. traditionally sitcoms (even critically acclaimed ones like Seinfeld or The Simpsons) have used setup -> joke -> rebuttal comedy pattern that relies on direct interaction between two or three characters. where this show is more nonlinear in their setup. sometimes a joke won't pay off until the end of an episode, or even the end of the season. sometimes a joke isn't a joke if you aren't completely immersed in the world of the bluth family. it's an unorthodox approach, but unorthodoxy isn't neccesarily synonomous with sophistication.
also the humor has a faster pace than most sitcoms, without the afformentioned pattern, it makes it easier to fire off a string of one liners before you've had a chance to assimilate the first one. this too might contribute to a lot of people not 'getting' this joke. and again, it's not a matter of lacking sophistication or intelligence, it's just that the public's been conditioned to expect a certain comedic timing from their television shows and when arrested doesn't deliver on that they're turned off.
but yeah, i wouldn't want to land on the wrong side of an argument about whether or not anal rape jokes are sophisitcated. but what do i know, my ability to decipher the difference between high art and low art has been rapidly deteriorating.
for example a joke i just picked up on yesterday:
in one episode, popops wants some files labelled "Mad ass" destroyed. ok cool. we observe michael bluth looking at some pictures of saddam hussain (dont ask) saying stuff like "isn't that our chimney in the background...". ok, that wasnt to funny, but whatever, its interesting.
in later episodes you find out that poppops had builing contracts with saddam, aha, that's why michael bluth thought he saw his house in sadam pics. that tiny detail! insane. oh and what is saddam backwards? MAD ASS (sort of). incredible! and that's the tinyiest detail, like a piggy bank this is one penny!
season 2 on dvd comes out tuesday! dont want to be dramatic, but im feeling this could develop into the best comedy of all time. its so advanced and the writing is so in depth. you add the best of seinfeld, curb your enthusiasm, simpsons at its peak and family guy, and thats what i feel this show is.