Comedy Central is the refuge for people in the teen to early 20's age group. It has neither the drama of a soap nor perhaps the silliness of the kids' channels- it is a channel which treads a middle ground and yet stands at the most bland and predictable channel on the face of the earth. Their limited number of shows accounts for this rant as well as the nature of these shows, which in light of the great TV which has emerged in recent years (Breaking Bad, Love/Hate, etc.) is just not good enough.
Saturday 5th October
I've got an assignment to work on but heaven knows, I'm not working on that all day. A bit of GTA perhaps or maybe some TV... But wait, Friends is on until 9pm! That's good though because Friends isn't bad- it's not great but it's not bad- I mean I guess could do with several hours of episodes I've already watched on end. And then some Lee Evans' stand-up... woo....
Sunday...
So I guess I'll just leave the TV for Saturday actually- or watch Argo on Sky. Let's see what Comedy Central have to offer today- oh more Friends- all day up until 9 (then some Lee Evans again) before a double dose of FRIENDS- salvaged by South Park though after. The point is nevertheless, just because you acquired Friends (and this was sometime ago), does not mean you have to run it into oblivion!
Now, for the other shows...
Comedy Central doesn't just always show Friends though, it has several other shows that dominate the air for multiple hours at a time and a few others, that make a sneak apperance amidst this (Rules of Engagement, Mr Bean, etc.).
I think the worst of it is Two And A Half Men which is running ten years now. Charlie was one of the "men" but is now replaced by hapless, annoying ex-Punk'd host Ashton Kutcher and Jake is in adulthood. Remember when the actor who plays Jake even criticised it? Remember when Miley Cyrus was on it? How low can this show go? How can it get anymore wacky? Well, Season 11 has started in the States and Charlie's illegitimate, lesbian daughter has been chucked into the mix! Outrageous to say the least Comedy Central, you're constantly pushing the envelope.
Seriously though, the laughing track on this show and the incessantly awful humour as Alan tries desperately to rekindle some romance while making a quick buck or two, makes this worse than even The Big Bang Theory and Mike and Molly, both of which were also created by Chuck Lorre (a force for terror in this world). Should have ended with Season 2. Below, you'll find a segment of the show without a laugh-track. Judge for yourself whether it's actually that funny in reality.
There are a couple of other shows that are worth gandering at however before I condemn this channel:
Anger Management- Charlie plays Charlie in another lacklustre TV show which demonstrates the man's inability to act. He can't even go past his first name.
The Office- Not bad, to be fair. It has probably gone on a bit too long and it doesn't play as often as Two and a Half Men or Friends but all in all considered, this is actually the beacon of sophistication.
That's all for now anyways as I don't wish to aimlessly peruse the dozen shows Comedy Central has, but let me know what you think of this channel.
Is this rant perhaps just a bit too cynical or do Comedy Central really need to get their act together?, shelve out these old shows and bring in more new, possibly less laugh-tracked shows into the mix? (Big Bad World's okay, I guess...)
