tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post7314301053281660000..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: CBS comedy promosBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-82429557785878044092009-08-03T09:00:30.045-07:002009-08-03T09:00:30.045-07:00Strange how you bash the sexing up of current come...Strange how you bash the sexing up of current comedies, yet bash the repressiveness of the FCC and Standards and Practices network censors. You don't think the decline of standards leads to the current quality?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-33669507196398056902007-09-27T14:33:00.000-07:002007-09-27T14:33:00.000-07:00Lighten up. "Two and a Half Men" and "How I Met Yo...<I>Lighten up. "Two and a Half Men" and "How I Met Your Mother" are terrible shows, but it's not simply because they're not to the network decency standards of 1972, it's because they're poorly written, formulaic, common-denominator sitcoms.</I><BR/><BR/>When you call "How I Met Your Mother" a poorly written, formulaic, common-denominator sitcom, you invalidate the rest of your statement.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-65570647710228437322007-09-27T13:26:00.000-07:002007-09-27T13:26:00.000-07:00The 1972 Saturday night lineup on CBS was classic....The 1972 Saturday night lineup on CBS was classic. But the flood of "It ain't like it used to be!" comments here discount the significant amount of great shows on TV. It's not a great era for comedy, but the hour-long drama has never seen a better time. And cable has not simply allowed for more sex jokes, it has really raised the bar to a degree that most viewers expect writing and production on par with feature films when they're watching TV.<BR/><BR/>And for God's sake, what's wrong with sex jokes? Lighten up. "Two and a Half Men" and "How I Met Your Mother" are terrible shows, but it's not simply because they're not to the network decency standards of 1972, it's because they're poorly written, formulaic, common-denominator sitcoms.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7663494307384162302007-09-27T11:20:00.000-07:002007-09-27T11:20:00.000-07:00I don't know if anyone comes back to the comments ...I don't know if anyone comes back to the comments section after the day of posting, but here's goes with a question:<BR/><BR/>Are the producers and writers of Back to You tailoring the show to Fox's "standards"? Would the show have less predictable sex jokes if it were on a different network? The cynic in me says no, but I'm not in the TV biz.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-73082150569593186612007-09-27T11:05:00.000-07:002007-09-27T11:05:00.000-07:00Missed the Back to You pilot, but after seeing epi...Missed the Back to You pilot, but after seeing episode 2, I don't feel so bad about it. The risque stuff was too predictable to be funny (anyone else say the punch lines in unison with the actors?). One can't help but admire the skills of Grammer, Heaton and Willard, but they can only do so much. I quite enjoyed Ty Burrell's physical shtick though.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-19829422478507952912007-09-27T09:17:00.000-07:002007-09-27T09:17:00.000-07:00//Second episode and the show's already on its way...//Second episode and the show's already on its way downhill.//<BR/><BR/>I actually thought the second episode was a vast improvement over the pilot. The pilot was fairly enjoyable, but the strong lead performers were backed up by nobody but two-dimensional supporting characters spewing sexual one-liners.<BR/><BR/>At the very least, with the second episode, I laughed harder than I have at anything on TV in a while when Willard poured the coffee into Grammer's cup. Perfectly executed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-62878120919438464522007-09-27T05:29:00.000-07:002007-09-27T05:29:00.000-07:00Great, Ken but compared to the reality of sitcoms ...Great, Ken but compared to the reality of sitcoms today, yours were still pretty tame.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-13052057855681959132007-09-26T22:44:00.000-07:002007-09-26T22:44:00.000-07:00Kudos, my man.You finally made it up on Defamer.Ca...Kudos, my man.<BR/><BR/>You finally made it up on Defamer.<BR/><BR/>Can't wait for the teleconference.<BR/><BR/>-Disappointed M's Fan In SeattleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7685814004963399812007-09-26T21:42:00.000-07:002007-09-26T21:42:00.000-07:00Very accurate, Ken! I'm a 50-something gal who's ...Very accurate, Ken! I'm a 50-something gal who's an original fan of all those shows. Today, I'm having trouble fathoming that two comedies I enjoy are ANIMATED! (The Simpsons & Family Guy) What a world!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6949949073450389652007-09-26T21:08:00.000-07:002007-09-26T21:08:00.000-07:00Ditto on tonight's "Back to You." The orange busin...Ditto on tonight's "Back to You." The orange business wasn't funny enough to justify the blueish humor (and some of my best friends are...); and the goldfish gag was, at best, tired.<BR/><BR/>Second episode and the show's already on its way downhill.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-91255944108994370562007-09-26T20:44:00.000-07:002007-09-26T20:44:00.000-07:00Just watched the second installment of "Back to Yo...Just watched the second installment of "Back to You", and while it was funny at times, there was a heaping helping of the borderline raunchy humor referenced in Ken's piece.<BR/><BR/>And this from people whose names previously were associated with "classy" comedies.<BR/><BR/>One other note about Back to You-does this show have enough Executive Producers? I think I saw eight people credited tonight.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6528031593584450282007-09-26T19:31:00.000-07:002007-09-26T19:31:00.000-07:00I'll have what Ken's been drinking...I'll have what Ken's been drinking...Dwaconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07544514023626682777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-14053987347829032742007-09-26T16:42:00.000-07:002007-09-26T16:42:00.000-07:00"Nice" disappeared when cable bloomed. Vicious co..."Nice" disappeared when cable bloomed. Vicious competition pushed the limits. We're left with no barriers, and taste was redefined<BR/><BR/>All of this makes writing and selling character comedy tougher, I bet.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-61702423764449157682007-09-26T12:53:00.000-07:002007-09-26T12:53:00.000-07:00Sorry Ken, those jokes are funny!Sorry Ken, those jokes are funny!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-10781182248455207442007-09-26T11:59:00.000-07:002007-09-26T11:59:00.000-07:00Sue Ann Niven's dialogue would be straight out of ...Sue Ann Niven's dialogue would be straight out of "Sex and the City."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-62164059502547258842007-09-26T10:10:00.000-07:002007-09-26T10:10:00.000-07:00That was excellent. And I agree that the "I live v...That was excellent. And I agree that the "I live vicariously through you. And right now I'm horny" bit was actually pretty darn funny and could be a good episode.<BR/><BR/>But this is really another fine reminder why the only channels that get much attention in my house are ESPN, Discovery HD Theatre, and Travel Channel.<BR/><BR/>If not for Jeopardy and The Office I'd probably never watch the networks. Well, except for sports.Doug Walshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09492162192250783305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-23448628455809510192007-09-26T09:43:00.000-07:002007-09-26T09:43:00.000-07:00The TBN joke sounds like something Jay Tarses woul...The TBN joke sounds like something Jay Tarses would have actually done on the show if the network would have let him.Jaime J. Weinmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15128500411119962998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-16085029811845820142007-09-26T08:26:00.000-07:002007-09-26T08:26:00.000-07:00Jim people still watch TV they just hate it. As if...Jim people still watch TV they just hate it. As if people think that smoking is sexy nowadays or that being obese is.<BR/><BR/>With more and more free time on their hands, people most certainly spend their time with the media more than they did 35 years ago, they just don't sit in front of the TV anymore. They timeshift, placeshift, use the internet, read, hear on iPod, watch on iPod, blog, comment... and times change of course.<BR/><BR/>Of course it's all more geared towards sexuality these days in the US media but that's just because it wasn't before. Penis jokes are just funny for a certain amount of time.<BR/><BR/>Patton Oswald said that he and most of the other comedians he knows grew up with Bugs Bunny and Duffy Duck and thought "Hey those guys are cool" just to later find out "Hey, they were real pr*cks, Bugs is annoying and Duffy totally lame". Back then everything was filled with violence and these days you can not see an uncut episode of "Naruto" during the day but rather on saturday nights during Cartoon Networks "adult" line of programming.<BR/><BR/>In the last couple of days I saw the "Comedians of Comedy" documentary and the Comedy Central episodes as well as the documentary "F*CK". In the former (TV series), Patton Oswalt explained to the audience that Comedy Central expressed their concern about the amount of sex jokes. Patton was not allowed to say *beep* on stage, but he was allowed to call the meat thingie above his nuts a dick because that thing just annoys the hell out of him :-)<BR/><BR/>And "F*CK" is, first of all, about the curseword but also about the FCC, the seven words you can not say on TV (-> George Carlin) and how the FCC raised the per-incident fine for cursewords on the air from 30k to 300k once Bush Jr. went into office and how the overall fines rose from 45k a year in 1999 to a couple of millions two years later.<BR/><BR/>My point is this: I wonder what TV and stand-up comedy will be in twenty to thirty years when the comedians and writers of that time grew up with todays TV and stand-up comedy.<BR/><BR/>What do you guys thing? More or less penis and vagina jokes?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01936042470523695383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-74471961030076487662007-09-26T08:17:00.000-07:002007-09-26T08:17:00.000-07:00I'd like to know why, in the 70's Saturday night w...I'd like to know why, in the 70's Saturday night was just about the night with the best programme line up of the week, and now, Fridays and Saturday's are like death sentences for tv shows.MrCarlsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18081465847843874816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3353121155984357302007-09-26T07:13:00.000-07:002007-09-26T07:13:00.000-07:00Superb bit and brilliant concept, Ken!Tag with: M...Superb bit and brilliant concept, Ken!<BR/><BR/>Tag with: More great comedy from the network that brings you the news stylings of Katie Couric...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-23915535261011177822007-09-26T06:53:00.000-07:002007-09-26T06:53:00.000-07:00And they wonder why the audience isn't watching an...And they wonder why the audience isn't watching anymore. <BR/><BR/>There's an AOL survey out there that says 62% of Americans think television is worse than ever before and only 7% had an interest in seeing even one new show.<BR/><BR/>How come the networks don't study those demographics?jimhenshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07815834271470133872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-83832085359051727182007-09-26T05:52:00.000-07:002007-09-26T05:52:00.000-07:00CBS 1972 Saturday Night Lineup:(all times EST)8:00...CBS 1972 Saturday Night Lineup:<BR/><BR/>(all times EST)<BR/><BR/>8:00 - All In The Family<BR/>8:30 - M*A*S*H<BR/>9:00 - The Mary Tyler Moore Show<BR/>9:30 - The Bob Newhart Show<BR/>10:00 - The Carol Burnet Show<BR/><BR/>Greatest TV Comedy lineup ever!Richard Marcejhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05103986097053252333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45962982013565022512007-09-26T04:09:00.000-07:002007-09-26T04:09:00.000-07:00Very funny.What worries me is I found "You know I ...Very funny.<BR/><BR/>What worries me is I found "You know I live vicariously through you, and at the moment I’m very horny." unironically funny. Seemed like a good premise to me. It reminded me of a great Dame Edna line: "This woman had no friends, just friends of friends."<BR/><BR/>What did Emily's vagina look like? Tom Poston took that secret to his grave.Tallulah Moreheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416330735326405496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-76498633380580398812007-09-26T02:56:00.000-07:002007-09-26T02:56:00.000-07:00It's true, but I have to admit that How I Met Your...It's true, but I have to admit that How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men both make me laugh. <BR/><BR/>What I've always found curious is that shows that "skew old" are to be shunned. When did Madison Avenue come to the conclusion that anyone ever the age of 50 (or whatever the undesirable demo is this week) never buys a damned thing but Viagra, Boniva, and life call bracelets?<BR/><BR/>Using today's programming logic, MASH, All in the Family, Newhart, The Bob Newhart Show and dozens of other classics would be cancelled in a year.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08923161793979910495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-46355821261779824512007-09-26T00:34:00.000-07:002007-09-26T00:34:00.000-07:00Last night I turned off the TV, looked at my wife ...Last night I turned off the TV, looked at my wife and said, "That show was pretty good, I just wish there were more jokes about sex."<BR/><BR/>Great post. So true. And so sad.Cedricstudiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06281239965682009232noreply@blogger.com