The Sofa (General Chat Thread)

Just as likely he's simply at an age where he got a generous offer, maybe said F It, figuring his daughter & grandkids would do well with the money. I'd be surprised if it genuinely took him this long to fashion a workable idea. Given "legacy sequels" are very in vogue ATM, he was probably tempted to jump onto that goodwill train.

Oh I don't think is cynical as such. I remember when asked why he was in some frivolous kids movie in his 80s, Michael Caine remarked he wanted to work on something he could watch with his grandkids. Maybe Cleese had some half-idea knocking about his desk of drafts; the temptation of some money for his family pushing him to sand off the edges - alongside a chance to work with his daughter in a field he knew.

Heck. Maybe he just got bored being in the news for saying the wrong thing, and wanted to get back into producing some comedy & people's good graces. Either way, I think it's a bizarre bit of news, on par with Mel Brooks' own sudden decision to make a sequel to The History of the World.

I think his opinions are shítty, but then he is an 83 year-old Cambridge Footlights grad; wish he had the self-awareness to not share his opinions on a culture many times removed from his own time - but equally, shame on outlets to have chased it in the first place.

Anyway: €5 bucks says at least one set of guests will be a young millennial couple, where the "jokes" consist of those from a Bingo Card of tedious cliches (avocados! Gender non-conformity! Pussy hats! etc. etc.). I recall the return of Spitting Image indulging in similar and yikes, it was cringe-inducing.

I suppose there has always been TV & Film where the writers get caught out, their generational distance or ignorance about some tech/cultural/societal change revealed in the most toe-curling manner. Many screenwriting establishments would be dominated by those mid 30s or older? Stands to reason they're bewildered by anything from drugs, to gender fluidity, to video games across the decades.

All things "computers" were always ripe from the 90s onwards: my favourite of these kind of "Hello, fellow kids" moments remains this moment of unintentional comedy. I doubt Fawlty Towers 2's attempts at being current will be this funny...

Netflix removing its own content: Arrested Development to leave the service on March 14th, which will include its own 4th and 5th seasons. I presume as it was a Fox property it'll simply move to Disney = no idea if that includes those last 2 (inferior) seasons...

I hadn't realised this existed: why would you try to retroactive adapt a TV version of a blockbuster directed by and started Hollywood's biggest names?

Seems to be getting poor enough reviews, which, yeah. Of course it'll be a bit flat. Not like the concept isn't worth exploring at the altitude of TV - but the name just invites comparsion