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The Turn to the Serious

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  Photo: CSA Images via Getty Images A recent trend that I have found interesting – and not in the least bit frustrating – is the blending of comedy and drama. It is not so much that I find dramatic comedies or comedic dramas to be bad, it is more that, from what I have noticed, too strong a trend in the serious direction can do a disservice to the comedy genre. Right now, it seems that shows/movies that are more dramatic, albeit with funny moments, are lauded as great comedies, overshadowing actual comedies that might not grab the culture as much in that moment. There seem to be fewer actors in the world of comedy who base their career solely off of their comedy, more often blending comedic work with dramatic work as they navigate their career in the entertainment industry. Looking to the past, the blending of comedy and drama is definitely not specific to the present. Comedic actors/comedians have often delved into more dramatic work, with Bill Murray ( The Razor’s Edge and Lost in
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Comedy (Adjacent) Spotlight: The Curse

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Photo :  Richard Foreman Jr./A24/Paramount+ with SHOWTIME When thinking about The Curse , I oscillate between categorizing it as a comedy vs. categorizing it as a drama. Neither category truly seems to fit. Its idiosyncratic, strange and funny nature makes for a less than comfortable fit in the drama category, yet its deeper and darker themes leave it hanging only part-way over the comedy category. With its not-quite-right fit in either, it is something that I would define as a “comedy adjacent” show – that being a show with a lot of comedic elements (oftentimes with the involvement of comedic actors, writers, directors), but that doesn’t fit as easily into the comedy genre. The line that this show walks – not too heavy to be a drama, yet not too overtly funny to be an out-and-out comedy – is maybe the key to why I find it so engaging. Its tone is a dryly surreal one, balancing the authentic with the heightened to once again not fit quite comfortably in either camp. Some characters are
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Cross-Pollination in the Comedy World

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Photo: Fernando Trabanco Fotografía via Getty Images In today's divided world, and when looking at a vision of a more unified comedy world, one should acknowledge that the comedy world has never truly been unified. Even prior to the ultra-divisiveness of today, the comedy world has always had its divisions, based on philosophical/practical approaches or even just geographic/ethnic differences. A key division line has been that of the more artistic vs. the more practical approach. Unlike other types of self-expression, there is a very A+B=C aspect to comedy (that being the end result being a laugh/positive response). The practical approach plays to this as a functional approach: “How do I make this audience laugh?”. The more artistic approach examines the self-expression a little more intently, seeking originality within that framework (and sometimes eschewing the framework entirely to varying degrees of success): “How do I stay true to my uniqueness while still making an audience l
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Comedy Spotlight: Limmy's Show

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  Photograph: BBC Limmy’s Show is unique in that it comes from a context that I am less aware of. Other movies or shows can be contextualized from certain familiar comedy scenes (i.e. the world of Saturday Night Live , Upright Citizens Brigade, the Judd Apatow comedy universe). Limmy’s Show is a sketch show that comes out of the Scottish comedy world, and the creator’s alternative comedy world within that world, making it very unique to me. However, that makes the fact that I connect with it all the more satisfying. Part of the uniqueness of this show comes from its European-ness – and more specifically, its Scottishness. Just as Monty Python connects me with a British sensibility and Flight of the Conchords connects me with a New Zealand sensibility, this show connects with a Scottish sensibility. The show is filmed in Scottish locations, has a lot of its sketches occurring in what look like authentic pubs, and a lot of the characters played on the show seem to be Scottish archetype
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Favorite Comedy of 2023

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2023 had a lot of great comedy, in a lot of different varieties! Here are some of my favorites: Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (TV Series) - I have not yet finished the season, but already it is some of the most inventive TV I have seen in a long time! It somehow manages to maintain a relaxed nature while not being overly meandering. It even pokes fun at the 2010 Scott Pilgrim movie, one of my comedy favorites from that year – which just goes to show the unexpected and delightful twists and turns that the show makes. Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm (Movie) - This movie was wild in a great way – I wasn’t sure how the creators would manage to extend the TV show idea into movie length, but I thought they did a really good job at sustaining the momentum in very original ways (including pulling back a level to the two alien characters, calling attention to the fact that it is a movie in a way that reminded me of Monty Python and the Holy Grail ). A movie that manages to be truly weird, but at the same
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The Challenge of Long-Running Comedy TV

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  Photograph: Allstar/Cinetext/20th Century Fox © FX Networks/Everett Collection To maintain and continue your comedic momentum as a long-running show, you kind of have to get over the import of your own show, the status that the show has built over the years of its run. Too often, a show that finds success and builds a following will find itself too cautious to step on the legacy it has built thus far - whether that is Rick & Morty struggling to balance the built-up lore of the show with its comedy; The Office (US) reducing the true bite that it had in the first half of its run for a sweeter, less awkward, and more respectful tone; or Saturday Night Live ’s institution-like status at this point sometime getting in the way of truly funny material, this can definitely be a challenge. A bit of vulnerability is required and in the case of long-running comedy shows, vulnerability means maintaining and continuing a state of play and humility with an already very-established enterprise.
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Comedy Spotlight: The Trip

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Photograph: Phil Fisk/BBC/Revolution Improvisation in comedy can be a double-edged sword. It opens the door to inspired moments, but there is often a fine line between inspiration and indulgence. There are a number of good examples of improvisation used well in comedic TV and film - Curb Your Enthusiasm's dialogue is famously improvised, but the solid story structure of each episode allows for a purpose to the scene that plays well off of the looseness of the improvisation. This Is Spinal Tap's improvised dialogue makes the faux-documentary feel more realistic (it is probably a large part of the reason many thought it was a real documentary when it first came out), realism that plays well off of the comedic/musical setpieces of the movie. Nathan For You requires improvisation, because it is for all intents and purposes a comedic reality show. The scenarios that Nathan Fielder presents are well-thought out and comedic in and of themselves, but the real-time reactions by real peo
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