New-ish to Modern traditional sitcoms that don't suck. - Page 2

I have to second the love for Better off Ted. A shame it only got two seasons in.

Since the focus of this thread is more traditional sitcoms, post-Friends, do hour long comedy/dramas count?  Pushing Daisies and Dead Like Me specifically comes to mind.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Prankster 

 Which means that, for instance, half the jokes on Arrested Development and Community would never have happened if they were laugh-tracked. It's a supremely limiting form of comedy, and the main reason it's still around is because it's clear audiences subconsciously think of shows as funnier if there's a laugh track. 

 

There was a great video floating around not long ago where the laugh track had been digitally removed from a long scene in a 3-cam sitcom (possibly TBBT), that showed just how long those pauses between material can be, and yeah, it cuts into story and humor big time. These days it's just impossible to tell how much is genuine auidience laughter, and how mush is 'sweetened'. Then again, I've been around since the original days of All in the Family's live studio audience taping, and those audiences definitely enhanced the experience.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cameron Hughes 

Last time I said I liked The Big Bang Theory, I got piled on and practically accused of killing Community, even though I watched Community first and DVRed BBT. I still think Jim Parsons is a genius, but the edition of the girls really put new life into it.

I will also add, in my defense, I've never seen an episode of BBBT when it aired, or even on Demand or Hulu or whatever. I've only recently started watching it in syndication.

OK, no more self-defensive apologies, I swear.
 

Oh, and Better Off Ted was awesome indeed. We had a decent little Chewer group devoted to it.

I still love the hell out of "Sports Night," and it's equally interesting as a laff-trak study. ABC didn't know what to do yet with a single-cam sitcom and insisted on a laff-trak being flagrantly tacked on. Sorkin et al. naturally hated that, and gradually lowered its frequency and even volume, until by the end of the first season it's practically nonexistent. And I think it's gone entirely for the second season (though it's been several years since I revisited). The pacing and editing in the early eps are definitely done around the laffs piped in, and it feels so awkward.

I'm also proud to say that I'm one of apparently 10 people in the U.S. who watched the shit out of and evangelized for Tim Reid's "Frank's Place" for the all of 30 seconds it aired (felt like). Another single-cam sitcom but with no laff-trak slapped on it; wall-to-wall sharp, funny, unpredictable (the homeless man ep killed me), and talked up to the audience.

I remember watching the News Radio pilot purely out of Dave Foley interest (Kids in the Hall were HUGE to me at the time), and by the end realizing I'd actually seen an American sitcom that reminded me in pace and quality of nothing less than Fawlty Towers (the gold standard, all-time champ, no arguments to be brooked, though this thread seems to be sticking to U.S. fare) (ETA: not to mention newish to modern, duh-doy).

Aw man, KUDOS for the reminder of Frank's Place. I even remember thinking at the time, "This is terrific! And it'll never last!" I wonder how it's aged?? I need to look that one up online.

Checking out Better Off Ted based on the recommendations here.  

Portia de Rossi is really good in this.  A really fun show.  Love the show's different 'opening titles' in every episode.

I don't get why the show is called Better Off Ted though.  Hahahaha

You'll love Ted, Nooj.  The racial sensitivity episodes is one of the funniest half hours of TV in the last decade.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schwartz 

You'll love Ted, Nooj.  The racial sensitivity episodes is one of the funniest half hours of TV in the last decade.

Seconded. When I hear people talk about this show, they always reference this particular episode.
 

Oh, I already saw that one.  I just finished the last episode of season 1. 

You're both right about the racial sensitivity episode (the episode where the sensor ignores black people, right?).

Heehee...yep, that's the one.

I think the reveal of the special "For Blacks" manual drinking fountain was the exact moment the show went from very good to legitimately great.

maybe a BoT thread would be in order?

anyway....the BoT episode, "Lust in Translation" where the electronic translator has Phil's voice is hilarious.