Tuesday, March 21

PopCultured - No Longer Bottom Of Barrel

Well, Canada, you have a new contender for worst comedy show on television.  For a couple of years now (is it really more than one year?), PopCultured has reigned supreme as worst comedy show.  But at least you could see their writers/producers/performers trying.  Failing miserably, but trying.
Now, though, there is a show so bad, so far below the poor quality of PopCultured that it makes it look like The Daily Show in comparison.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I give you Girls Will Be Girls.
When I first saw commercials and previews for this program, I immediately thought to myself "uh oh, that's gonna suck".  Rather than just sit idly by and stew in my assumptions, I decided to watch some of it when it first aired.  It was atrocious.  Far worse than I could have imagined.
For those who don't know its premise:  basically, it's four "cool" women who do "outrageous" things in candid camera style streeter videos.  Unfortunately, the things they do (and I admit I've only seen a handful of their pranks) are so intolerably unfunny that it makes me seethe with anger.  There's the girl who stands on the street and pretends to be schizophrenic, arguing with the voices in her head.  There's the girl who walks down the street with her skirt caught in the back of her panties.  There's the girl who stands next to a guy on the street and imitates his movements.
I suppose the premise of the Girls pitch to The Comedy Network was that "hey, girls can be funny and outrageous, too!  Our show will be like Just For Laughs Gags, but with chicks!"  It's not funny, nor outrageous, though.  Not in the least.  It is only juvenile.  And while "juvenile humour" can be funny, it just can't be juvenile by itself.  It still needs to have an inkling of humour within it.  Girls Will Be Girls has not one iota of humour. 
With PopCultured and Girls Will Be Girls as "Comedy Network" original programs, it's quickly becoming apparent that the people who run that network don't have much of a sense of humour.  Which is odd for a network called "Comedy".  Hopefully, they'll kick those shows to the curb post haste.  Either that or start renting the laff-trak machine that Just For Laughs Gags uses.  Because, seriously, the only way I know that GWBG is supposed to be funny is because it's on a channel with Comedy in its title.
I've seen Just For Laugh Gags a number of times, and every time I do, I always get angry at how unfunny it was.  But now, with GWBG as the new base in base comedy-less comedy, I may have to start giving the Gags people some props.  At least I can see that they put some thought and effort  into creating the gags.  It's just that they fail so hugely in their execution.  I always am bugged by the Gags fakey-fake lafftrak, and by the mostly puzzled, confused looks from the public, the people who are supposed to be getting punk'd.  The laughtrack works so hard at trying to convince us that what we are seeing is funny, but it's almost always belied by the "whatever" reactions of the people being tricked. 
GWBG doesn't stoop to a laughtrack, and, sadly, it seems to be a mistake.  I think the incalculable lack of humour in their video segments might benefit from fake laugther.  At least it'd clue us tv watchers in that what we are seeing is supposed to be humour. Perhaps they do use a laff-track but the canned laughter just gets sucked into the suckiness of the segments that we don't hear it.  Kind of like the old saying:  If a joke bombs in the forest, does anybody know they're supposed to laugh?
So, Elvira, rest a bit easier this year.  Your show isn't the worst one on The Comedy Network anymore.


Technorati Tags: , , , ,



5 comments:

Nils said...

I dunno. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give PopCultured a 0. I'd give GWBG a 0. And I'd give JFLG a 0. So maybe Elvira isn't The Worst. Just tied for The Worst. Or tied for Third Worst. You pick.
Did you ever think you'd be nostalgic for the subtle wit of "Bizarre" or the gentle, sophisticated touch of Air Farce?
God, for a country that produces so many funny people, why the hell does so much stuff that is empirically WITHOUT HUMOUR end up on what is embarrassingly called The Comedy Network?

dylan said...

It's clear what you have to do Rob. Dig up all the worst comedy sketches you've ever written, the ones that you wouldn't even pitch to the other guys in Sketch 22, and pitch them to the Comedy Network.

Jack Yan said...

I pray Canada, even though a Canadian firm owns two of our networks, never exports that to us.

ftghfg said...

Nah, I'd still say Popcultured was the worst. Because there was more to hate.

ftghfg said...

Nah, I'd still say Popcultured was the worst. Because there was more to hate.