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Parks & Rec; The Best American Comedy of the past 10 years? If not, what is?

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    #122
    pickarooney
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 35,093 Mod ✭✭✭✭pickarooney


    I don't think a show will ever become funny if you're sitting there waiting for that magic moment when it starts to make you laugh.


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    #123
    Diabhal Beag
    Closed Accounts Posts: 15,238 ✭✭✭✭Diabhal Beag


    I think you should watch it and draw your own conclusion. For nearly everybody it seems to really turn the corner from the start of season two.


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    #124
    MakeEmLaugh
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,356 ✭✭✭MakeEmLaugh


    phasers wrote: »
    I dunno, I liked it pretty much from the word go. What do you think of the characters? All of the laughs really stem from having loving the characters

    I think the characters are fine, but nothing special. I think all to often I can see the jokes coming a mile off. There are no surprises. And comedy needs surprise to work.

    Take the Beauty Pageant episode. Leslie wants one of the more cerebral contestants to win, but Tom steamrollers her into choosing "the hot one", Trish, ostensibly the prettiest of the contestants.

    Then, towards the end of the episode, Leslie is giving a speech in which she says

    "Trish, I may not have voted for you, but now is a time for us to come together. I hope you honor this crown with dignity and a devotion to..."

    which is suddenly cut off by a whip pan (one of most irritating tropes of comedy mockumentaries like Parks and Recreation, Modern Family and The Office: An American Workplace) to Trish and two other contestants downing shots.

    That, to me, is no more sophisticated than the humour you'd find on an above average television advert. It's just weak, obvious comedy.

    To return to the characters, they feel as though they've been written for the 'meme' age, where quotes can be taken and pasted onto images, and then shared on social media.

    Look at Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman's character). At one point in another of the episodes I watched he is asked if he's ready to be helped out of the office after suffering a hernia. His response is "I was born ready. I'm Ron f-cking Swanson".

    I've seen that quote on several different memes, shared on social media. I don't think it's an especially funny line. It's up there with the "I'm kind of big deal" or "I want to be on you" from Anchorman (another comedy cultural touchstone I find massively overpraised). It's made so that people will go out and quote it. There is no wit to it.


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    #125
    LizT
    Registered Users Posts: 29,089 ✭✭✭✭LizT


    I find a lot of the humour is very sophisticated and there is great wit to it. But if you don't warm to the characters, you probably won't enjoy it.

    I didn't warm to Chris or April til I rewatched all the seasons though. It is one of those shows that rewards you for sticking with it.


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    #126
    perfectisthe
    Registered Users Posts: 289 ✭✭perfectisthe


    It's got to be 30 Rock for me.

    I think Parks and Rec is just ok. It's Always Sunny is great, but no other show makes me laugh out loud like 30 Rock. I re-watched it from start to finish recently and it was probably funnier the second time around.

    Honourable mention must go to Community. The run that show had from around the mid point of season 2 through to the end of season 3 is one of the best and most consistent any show has ever had.

    EDIT: Arrested Development was also amazing for the first two seasons.


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    #127
    FunLover18
    Registered Users Posts: 6,793 ✭✭✭FunLover18


    I started watching Parks & Rec recently; I don't find it hilarious but I do love the characters. I think Chris Pratt however is brilliant in it. This is one of my favourite moments from the series


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    #128
    Liam O
    Registered Users Posts: 19,072 ✭✭✭✭Liam O


    I have watched Parks and Rec recently and I think if this thread was based around my favourite character in a sitcom Andy might take it over Dennis, Charlie and Mac from Always Sunny and GOB in AD. Now Dennis and Andy couldn't be more different so I'd probably have them as my joint favourite characters.

    Re-reading this thread and I actually found the Office got better after Carrell left, I was never a big fan of him and I think it allowed others to step up. He was never a patch on Gervais as the boss for me which I know shouldn't have an effect on me and you could say the same about Jim and Tim too tbh, all my favourite US office characters are the one that have no counterparts really in the UK one. Dwight and Gareth are so different that I can enjoy them both for instance and all the other side characters have their own funny quirks but all I could think with Krasinski and Carrell was that they were a worse rip off of Freeman and Gervais.


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    #129
    Liam O
    Registered Users Posts: 19,072 ✭✭✭✭Liam O


    FunLover18 wrote: »
    I started watching Parks & Rec recently; I don't find it hilarious but I do love the characters. I think Chris Pratt however is brilliant in it. This is one of my favourite moments from the series

    Literally(:p) spent about an hour just watching Chris Pratt videos on Youtube yesterday. Chris is also a great character, his personality is just hilarious.

    The first joke in this blooper video gets me everytime.



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    #130
    Paddy2012
    Registered Users Posts: 381 ✭✭Paddy2012


    I've seen and liked the first 3 seasons of its always sunny, enjoyed Entourage too and still need to see The Office and Parks and Rec but I've voted for Community. While maybe not as consistently funny as some of the others, the show always produce a genius episode every now and then that puts its above the rest for me.


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    #131
    rob316
    Registered Users Posts: 17,956 ✭✭✭✭rob316


    I watch the first season of Parks and Rec and it was dreadful stuff altogether. I have however taken it back up again and I'm nearly through season 3 and its hilarious. If it continues like this it will pass out arrested development for me which I didn't think was possible.


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    #132
    maximoose
    Registered Users Posts: 9,196 ✭✭✭maximoose


    I have huge affection for the Office, but there's no denying the quality went to crap after Michael Scott left. Have been rewatching on Netflix lately and while it's better than I remembered when it first aired, it's dreadful compared to the early seasons.


    For me it has to be IASIP. Has been so consistent all the way through 10 seasons, this season might even have been one of the best.


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