> When asked if the sitcom genre is evolving or dying, Kurdrow said, “I wish they were evolving. ‘30 Rock’ and ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘Friends’ were really funny and really well written. But I’m not drawn to new sitcoms that are multi-camera in front of an audience because I’m not buying it. I don’t know if that’s just because I’ve seen too many single-camera sitcoms—I think we need to get back to being able to tell jokes. I feel like we’ve been too afraid to make jokes that might make people uncomfortable.”
> She added, “But the really good ones, they’re not tame jokes. They’re jokes that are kind of, ‘I can’t believe you just said that.’ Comedy is about surprise. You need things you didn’t see coming.”
Comrade-Conquistador on
There’s a way to do that without punching down. Friends pretty consistently punched down and that’s why I never bought it, Lisa.
The_Dark_Vampire on
Friends was as tame as you could get.
Why is she trying to pretend Friends of all shows was edgy and offensive
Left_Apparently on
People forget about Always Sunny.
MediaLongjumping9910 on
The Office has had multiple scenes removed from TV because it was too offensive.
No-Judge-621 on
bring back shows like eastbound and down
SMC_4_Life on
And it’s harder to find an audience when sitcoms are 8 episodes every 2-3 years
SkeazyG on
For anyone looking for a laugh out loud comedy show that doesn’t care who it offends….you should watch Ted. Funniest show I’ve watched in ages
Mental-Currency-4494 on
Oh yeah, networks used to run hardcore edgy shows like… Friends?
Seriously? I think Seinfeld said the same thing about his show.
CrasVox on
So new sitcoms are too much like Friends?
bascule on
[Jerry Seinfeld said the same thing](https://www.today.com/popculture/news/jerry-seinfeld-comedy-pc-culture-rcna150140). Like Friends, I would also consider Seinfeld (and pretty much any sitcom on network TV) incredibly normie compared to sitcoms that followed it, like say… Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. Or IASIP. Or if you count cartoons, South Park. Or Fleabag. Or Kevin Can Fuck Himself, which deconstructs the whole sitcom genre.
Cable and the Internet are what unlocked the potential for truly subversive sitcoms, so what are these people who made normie network TV sitcoms smoking?
Upset-Builder on
She clearly hasn’t seen Righteous Gemstones
SpecificWorldly4826 on
I love when celebrities tell us they just don’t watch TV anymore.
jugalator on
She might have a point but it’s still funny to hear that from someone known for Friends, mother of all feel good sitcoms.
shiny-plant on
Shes right and if you disagree your not funny.
Drogo10 on
Nothing reveals how clueless/stupid an actor or comedian is than when they say something like this. There is plenty of edgy stuff out there and coming from someone who was in one of the most boring, safe sitcoms in the history of television is really something else.
Mistrblank on
Do we even have new sitcoms?
Appropriate_West_30 on
For every Abbott Elementary, there are dozens of Poppa’s House, Mid-Century Modern, and DMV. Those shows aren’t bad, they just weren’t breakout concepts that networks felt they had to keep pushing.
Because the ratio of good sitcom to bad is quite extreme compared to police procedural and medical drama, networks are not looking for groundbreaking comedies – the office, Seinfeld, 30 rock – they fill their fall lineups with safe shows built around established names – Joel McCale, Keenan Thompson, Tracy Morgan. While the major networks play it safe and mostly just repackage the same crap over and over again, streamers are pushing the envelope – Ted Lasso, Shrinking, Hacks.
throwawayjoeyboots on
I feel like I’m taking crazy pills here.
I’m old enough to remember the show in its heyday. Friends was never “edgy”. Literally part of its appeal is that it’s safe easy going comedy that appeals to anyone and can be shown in reruns any time of day.
Just because it was “must see tv” didn’t mean it was cutting edge. It was just a really popular show.
smoopy62 on
it seems like there is more an emphasis on cultural quotas rather than funny.
ComicsEtAl on
“Hot takes comin’ through!”
Not_Sure__Camacho on
Kind of a copout. People weren’t uncomfortable back then, they were just less sensitive back then. The generation that watched Friends were shocked by All In The Family. And The Honeymooners, the guy threatened to punch his wife to the moon, were Friends audiences fine with that?
Seamus32 on
She was on friends.
Barbarella_39 on
Schitts creek? Ted Lasso? All modern funny sitcoms…
Phazoni on
Mid Century Modern made these sort of jokes but was cancelled.
lkdubdub on
„In my day…
„You can’t say anything anymore…“
Etc etc
Next
InsomniaDudeToo on
Always Sunny, heck throw South Park in there considering who they just spent an entire season lampooning…
kafka_lite on
She was on Friends, the least offensive sit com of all time.
Mesmercat on
She is right. It could also be a lack of media literacy. And understanding that’s joke making fun of bigoted expectations is not making fun of the victimized… Idk I couldn’t think of a different word
Captainsnarkyshart on
Lisa Kudrow is incredibly overrated and not funny. Go rewatch friends. It’s garbage for people who breathed in too much leaded gasoline.
suck-it-elon on
Did…Friends? What is with that 90’s NBC lineup and „cancer culture“ nonsense? Friends and Seinfeld were as straight as they come and now they lecture us on comedy? lol
silverman37831 on
I’d say more Studios are afraid due to offending advertisers or losing viewers. I doubt it’s most writers who are afraid. They genuinely like to push boundaries
04Aiden2020 on
Ok make a new edgy sitcom Lisa Kudrow
washington_705 on
DMV was making some edgy jokes and references and I was really liking it. Sad to hear it’s being cancelled.
ScruffPost on
This is such a bs take….there are plenty of funny shows that push the envelope…her saying they’re afraid is some maga-ish talking point.
AAHedstrom on
every time an old comedian makes a statement like that, I mentally move them to the „old and out of touch, not worth paying attention to“ category. like if that’s your opinion about new comedy, you must be terminally un-funny
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> When asked if the sitcom genre is evolving or dying, Kurdrow said, “I wish they were evolving. ‘30 Rock’ and ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘Friends’ were really funny and really well written. But I’m not drawn to new sitcoms that are multi-camera in front of an audience because I’m not buying it. I don’t know if that’s just because I’ve seen too many single-camera sitcoms—I think we need to get back to being able to tell jokes. I feel like we’ve been too afraid to make jokes that might make people uncomfortable.”
> She added, “But the really good ones, they’re not tame jokes. They’re jokes that are kind of, ‘I can’t believe you just said that.’ Comedy is about surprise. You need things you didn’t see coming.”
There’s a way to do that without punching down. Friends pretty consistently punched down and that’s why I never bought it, Lisa.
Friends was as tame as you could get.
Why is she trying to pretend Friends of all shows was edgy and offensive
People forget about Always Sunny.
The Office has had multiple scenes removed from TV because it was too offensive.
bring back shows like eastbound and down
And it’s harder to find an audience when sitcoms are 8 episodes every 2-3 years
For anyone looking for a laugh out loud comedy show that doesn’t care who it offends….you should watch Ted. Funniest show I’ve watched in ages
Oh yeah, networks used to run hardcore edgy shows like… Friends?
Seriously? I think Seinfeld said the same thing about his show.
So new sitcoms are too much like Friends?
[Jerry Seinfeld said the same thing](https://www.today.com/popculture/news/jerry-seinfeld-comedy-pc-culture-rcna150140). Like Friends, I would also consider Seinfeld (and pretty much any sitcom on network TV) incredibly normie compared to sitcoms that followed it, like say… Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. Or IASIP. Or if you count cartoons, South Park. Or Fleabag. Or Kevin Can Fuck Himself, which deconstructs the whole sitcom genre.
Cable and the Internet are what unlocked the potential for truly subversive sitcoms, so what are these people who made normie network TV sitcoms smoking?
She clearly hasn’t seen Righteous Gemstones
I love when celebrities tell us they just don’t watch TV anymore.
She might have a point but it’s still funny to hear that from someone known for Friends, mother of all feel good sitcoms.
Shes right and if you disagree your not funny.
Nothing reveals how clueless/stupid an actor or comedian is than when they say something like this. There is plenty of edgy stuff out there and coming from someone who was in one of the most boring, safe sitcoms in the history of television is really something else.
Do we even have new sitcoms?
For every Abbott Elementary, there are dozens of Poppa’s House, Mid-Century Modern, and DMV. Those shows aren’t bad, they just weren’t breakout concepts that networks felt they had to keep pushing.
Because the ratio of good sitcom to bad is quite extreme compared to police procedural and medical drama, networks are not looking for groundbreaking comedies – the office, Seinfeld, 30 rock – they fill their fall lineups with safe shows built around established names – Joel McCale, Keenan Thompson, Tracy Morgan. While the major networks play it safe and mostly just repackage the same crap over and over again, streamers are pushing the envelope – Ted Lasso, Shrinking, Hacks.
I feel like I’m taking crazy pills here.
I’m old enough to remember the show in its heyday. Friends was never “edgy”. Literally part of its appeal is that it’s safe easy going comedy that appeals to anyone and can be shown in reruns any time of day.
Just because it was “must see tv” didn’t mean it was cutting edge. It was just a really popular show.
it seems like there is more an emphasis on cultural quotas rather than funny.
“Hot takes comin’ through!”
Kind of a copout. People weren’t uncomfortable back then, they were just less sensitive back then. The generation that watched Friends were shocked by All In The Family. And The Honeymooners, the guy threatened to punch his wife to the moon, were Friends audiences fine with that?
She was on friends.
Schitts creek? Ted Lasso? All modern funny sitcoms…
Mid Century Modern made these sort of jokes but was cancelled.
„In my day…
„You can’t say anything anymore…“
Etc etc
Next
Always Sunny, heck throw South Park in there considering who they just spent an entire season lampooning…
She was on Friends, the least offensive sit com of all time.
She is right. It could also be a lack of media literacy. And understanding that’s joke making fun of bigoted expectations is not making fun of the victimized… Idk I couldn’t think of a different word
Lisa Kudrow is incredibly overrated and not funny. Go rewatch friends. It’s garbage for people who breathed in too much leaded gasoline.
Did…Friends? What is with that 90’s NBC lineup and „cancer culture“ nonsense? Friends and Seinfeld were as straight as they come and now they lecture us on comedy? lol
I’d say more Studios are afraid due to offending advertisers or losing viewers. I doubt it’s most writers who are afraid. They genuinely like to push boundaries
Ok make a new edgy sitcom Lisa Kudrow
DMV was making some edgy jokes and references and I was really liking it. Sad to hear it’s being cancelled.
This is such a bs take….there are plenty of funny shows that push the envelope…her saying they’re afraid is some maga-ish talking point.
every time an old comedian makes a statement like that, I mentally move them to the „old and out of touch, not worth paying attention to“ category. like if that’s your opinion about new comedy, you must be terminally un-funny