BS: Irony on American TV? Quite a bit.

Subject: RE: BS: Irony on American TV? Quite a bit.
From: Jeri
Date: 25 May 02 - 07:04 PM

IMO, Absolutely Fabulous was very funny. We did an American version of the show. (I can't even remember what it was called.) It was still funny, but the two main characters were made a lot less...erm - "dysfunctional." Took a lot of bite out of the humor.

I liked the American "Sanford & Son" better than the British version, but it may only have been because 1) it included humor about things more familiar to me, and 2) Redd Fox.

I LOVE Red Dwarf! Is it still on? I haven't seen it on TV here in the US in quite a while.

Subject: RE: BS: Irony on American TV? Quite a bit.
From: CarolC
Date: 25 May 02 - 08:45 PM

I can watch Red Dwarf two or three times a week on the three different PBS stations I get here. I get WETA out of DC, Maryland Public Television, and West Virginia Public Television. (btw, I'm with you on Ab/Fab.)

Subject: RE: BS: Irony on American TV? Quite a bit.
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 26 May 02 - 09:50 AM

High Noon IS set in the Yorkshire Dales, they just call it Emmerdale now....

Or is that Heartbeat...?

Waiting for God is fantastic and I want to be Diana Trent. Simpsons and King of the Hill have overlapped, when the Hills appeared as audience members when Bart was the football team anchor man (forgotten the episode name, was on UK terrestrial TV last week), again two brilliant shows. Seinfeld left me screaming for less and Cheers is about as funny as piles. At least Roseanne (in the early days) had some caustic and amusing moments... but I think my all time favourite has to be the line from Friends - Rachel screaming down the hall after Ross - 'it isn't that common, it doesn't happen to every guy and it IS a big deal!!'

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Irony on American TV? Quite a bit.
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 26 May 02 - 02:22 PM

Just had a LONGGGGG chat with a UK buddy who admits he watches way too much TV, and he's convinced that there are some dire signs that the "special" British sense of humour is soon to go the way of the dodo. He figures that when something really edgy, and funny (read: potentially offensive, folks) gets a ton of hate mail, the Brit officials have always just chucked the complaints in the waste-paper basket. He asks whether Canadian or American networks or sponsors are a bit more easily spooked. My feeling is yes. The wondefully written Sopranos, has certainly been forced to come to heel a few times by the Italian anti-defamation league, and I have no doubt that a lot of 'single issue' groups, have kept a pretty tight rein on a lot of other shows. They're pretty scared about 'sponsor boycotts'.

Heather and I were huge fans of "Ab-Fab", but sadly most of our friends found it 'vulgar, in bad taste, and in some cases...sickening. Have their been sponsor boycotts in the UK?

There were a few panicked peeps when Rick Mercer's "Talking To Americans" was reducing people to stitches (if you're not familiar with this bit of mischief...check it out on the net....especially the episode where the Governor of Arkansas officially congratulates us on the opening of our "National Igloo"!!)

And then of course there's Michael Moore (as has been mentioned)...he may have been on cable, but he was ON.

It kind of boils down to 'mild humour' and 'bitter humour'. I can sure enjoy Andy and Barney, but I gotta have a dose of "Yes Minister" or "Ab Fab" to keep focused.

Cheers

Rick

Subject: RE: BS: Irony on American TV? Quite a bit.
From: GUEST,Bullfrog Jones (on the road)
Date: 26 May 02 - 03:53 PM

Rick -- Ab Fab, Yes Minister, Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, Tony Hancock, One Foot In The Grave, Blackadder, Red Dwarf, Till Death Us Do Part, in fact just about every British comedy mentioned above, had one thing in common. They were made by the BBC, hence no advertisers, no sponsors and no one to please except....er...oh yes, the audience!

BJ

Subject: RE: BS: Irony on American TV? Quite a bit.
From: Celtic Soul
Date: 26 May 02 - 05:17 PM

McGrath, I think you may be mistaken as to how much has been borrowed by British TV and Cinema from their American cousins (see above post by Jeri, and I remember reading about more, but don't remember which ones they were).

Also, many Americans *love* imported TV much better than the Americanized re-writes. PBS has blessed us with years of Monty Python, Black Adder, AbFab, Are you being served?, Fawlty Towers, Red Dwarf and more. Additionally, HBO imported the 80's Robin Hood series that helped the whole Clannad popularity to occur (and anything that helps folk music as that influx did is alright by me).

I am curious to know how much American TV gets imported, though? There have been decent shows along the way that are every bit as good as what we have been blessed to have imported from the Isles.

The one thing I will *never* understand is the fascination with Dr. Who. I know this is tantamount to sacrilige, but I think it the worst drek ever brought across the Atlantic for American consumption.

(donning my asbestos knickers now...)

Subject: RE: BS: Irony on American TV? Quite a bit.
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 26 May 02 - 06:16 PM

I tried putting my iron on the TV but it just melted the plastic case and made a mess. I had to but a new one.

Since then I have watched a few more recent shows - Father Ted, Black Books and Game On to name but three which were not made by the beeb and were still very funny and possibly a touch ironic. Well, to me anyway. Irony does not have to be political satire or old UK comedy shows. It does need to be ironic. Whatever that means...

But what do I know?

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: Irony on American TV? Quite a bit.
From: Pied Piper
Date: 27 May 02 - 01:04 PM

"Drek" that's the second time I've come across this colonialism, the context makes the meaning clear. I guess you had to be there; at the age of 5 in nineteen hundred and frozen to death, watching from behind the couch the flickering 405 lines black and white 12 inch screen, as the Cyberman choked the life out of some innocent victim. Used to scare the bejesus out of me. Dr Who is very very British and a part of my mental landscape. Strangely enough Star Trek had a similar effect on me at a later age. Of cause he never visited America so you're probably just jealous. All the best PP.

Subject: RE: BS: Irony on American TV? Quite a bit.
From: Celtic Soul
Date: 27 May 02 - 01:40 PM

Pied Piper...while you watched your black and white from behind the coach, I watched mine from in front with pillows in my face for the scary stuff. I loved shows that you might think were drek (one mans drek is anothers treasure, I am sure).

I watched classic Trek when it was a new show. But I also watched "Time Tunnel" and "Land of the Giants" and thought them great (though, to see them now, I might get a little red in the face having admitted that). I also loved "The Twilight Zone and "The Outer Limits".

I am sure that there are cultural reasons why I do not connect with Dr. Who. My lack of understanding as to the draw for this show, and my opinion on it's being drek in no way means I think I am "right". :D

Subject: RE: BS: Irony on American TV? Quite a bit.
From: CarolC
Date: 27 May 02 - 02:00 PM

Dr. Who addict here. I admit it! Don't ask me why, because I have no idea. Sometimes I don't even like it. But I watch it anyway, or at least have it on in the background. I think maybe watching Dr. Who is the closest I'll ever come to having any sort of ritual in my life, strange as this one is. I don't think Dr. Who stands out as being particularly ironic though.

Pied Piper, Sylvester McCoy came here to the US a few years ago.

Subject: RE: BS: Irony on American TV? Quite a bit.
From: CarolC
Date: 27 May 02 - 02:08 PM

P.S. Both "bupkis" and "drek" have Yiddish origins, and are not, strictly speaking, colonialisms.

Subject: RE: BS: Irony on American TV? Quite a bit.
From: Pied Piper
Date: 28 May 02 - 08:58 AM

So Dr Who went to America after all. I must of stopped watching by then (going out to the Pub I suspect). Aaagh Time Tunnel I'd forgotten about that one thanks for reminding me Celtic Soul. We had the "The Twilight Zone and "The Outer Limits" here in the UK too, great programs. Do you remember that cold war thriller "the Invaders"; "David Vincent architect, a man to long withuot sleep overacts into his wind shield to avoid the use of expencive special effects. Alien biengs (Russians) travel across the vastness of space in sofisticated spacecraft and make replica human biengs to inhabit. the only fly in the ointment is their compleet in ability to copy that most sophisticated part of the body; the little finger. All the best PP.

Subject: RE: BS: Irony on American TV? Quite a bit.
From: CarolC
Date: 28 May 02 - 09:08 AM

Dr. Who has been airing in the US since at least the mid to late 1970s. It's still being aired on some public broadcasting stations even now. They start with the first Doctor and run right through all of them until they get to the end, and then they start over again. I've probably seen most of them at least two or threee times.

I make no excuses. Even if I had a life, I'd still probably watch the Dr from time to time.

Subject: RE: BS: Irony on American TV? Quite a bit.
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 28 May 02 - 11:16 AM

Hi Carol. "Bupkis...Drek"....both Yiddish eh? Holy cow, I've finally got an ethnic culture!

Actually I probably use a number of yiddish expressions...for the same reasons that I appropriate people's accents when I'm relaying something they've said...kind of a "monkey hear, monkey repeat" thing.

Back when I was playing the Northern Ontario bars, I would use expressions like "Eh" and "Geez", when talking to the locals. That's where the concept of "Reg, Reg, and Reg" came from (although they seem to be part of Catspaw's immediate family now)....probably a self-defence technique, so that they wouldn't know I was really a left-wing City-boy, agitator type (who co-incidentally loved and sang country music)

Cheers

Rick

Subject: RE: BS: Irony on American TV? Quite a bit.
From: CarolC
Date: 28 May 02 - 12:14 PM

Actually I probably use a number of yiddish expressions...

I bet you do. Here are some more words of Yiddish origin that are commonly used by English speakers (at least in North America anyway): schmaltz, chutzpah (khutspe), schmuck, kvetsh, shlep, shtick (shtik), klutz, schlock, and tushie.

Subject: RE: BS: Irony on American TV? Quite a bit.
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 28 May 02 - 12:21 PM

How ironic...I feel like a putz!

Rick

Subject: RE: BS: Irony on American TV? Quite a bit.
From: CarolC
Date: 28 May 02 - 12:23 PM

Ha! You got me!

Subject: RE: BS: Irony on American TV? Quite a bit.
From: An Pluiméir Ceolmhar
Date: 28 May 02 - 12:28 PM

quote:

"Filks"?

I really DO poof-read

Is "filk" a new American slang word for a homosexual ;-)?

Subject: RE: BS: Irony on American TV? Quite a bit.
From: SharonA
Date: 28 May 02 - 03:11 PM

An Pluiméir Ceolmhar: Nope. The definition of "filk" was given earlier in this thread. Click on the following link to go right to the post I refer to: Nigel Parsons's post of 24-May-02 - 11:43 AM in this thread

Subject: RE: BS: Irony on American TV? Quite a bit.
From: GUEST,oisin1125
Date: 28 May 02 - 09:56 PM

Ahem...Alanis Morisette is Canadian, Mr. Stephens.

Subject: RE: BS: Irony on American TV? Quite a bit.
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Jun 02 - 12:01 AM

We have verbal irony
And situational irony (lots of this)
And of course dramatic irony
(this the "audience" or "insiders" know but the characters to not)

Lets' call this last one Max and the Buds

Subject: RE: BS: Irony on American TV? Quite a bit.
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 04 Jun 02 - 09:16 AM

When you say something ironic to an American, and he acts as if he doesn't get it, how do you KNOW he doesn't get it? Maybe he's just being ironic.

We Americans have a sense of humor that's just too subtle for some Brits, I guess.