TV ages in a weird way as humour is influenced by culture and when the humour is topical, it almost never ages well. Parks and Rec is one of those shows that I enjoyed at the time and now find unbearable. Maybe it’s because of the direction US politics has gone in since then or the earnestness of Leslie Knope (which feels very “all sides” in 2023).
Re: thoughts?tomeletteFebruary 14 2023, 11:55:57 UTC
Leslie ignoring a very confused John McCain is probably an indication that she may not be "all sides." BUT Parks and Recreation was shot when Obama was the president. And most (especially white) liberals didn't notice there shouldn't be "all sides" especially when it comes to certain policies until Trump showed up.
I think most comedies don’t “age well” including the office. That being said I still enjoy rewatching those shows from time to time.
I think Seinfeld and Curb have aged well comparatively because much of the humor comes from really basic concepts or social interactions rather than anything topical. There are still topical moments esp curb but overall most of the humor doesn’t rely on it.
One running joke that is particularly relevant in American politics today: that the genuine common ground & friendship between supposed "polar opposites" like liberal Dem Liz and right-wing Jack was possible because they weren't really opposites at all. Their differences were mainly aesthetic (as opposed to deeply felt differences in morality/ethics, despite Liz's weak posturing before she inevitably compromised her values).
The show was very self-aware on this point, viewers less so - especially those who seemed to think that Liz Lemon was supposed to be a "good guy" and some kind of feminist avatar.
There’s an episode where Tracy caters to Republicans that still feels relevant. Much of Jack’s character also is like supposed to be a conservative caricature but actually is pretty accurate now? There’s also an episode where he literally says “Make America great again” in some context and it’s eerie lol.
Re: thoughts?possiblewerfFebruary 14 2023, 13:53:50 UTC
Parks and Rec feels very Obama era but just because that was *the* style of comedy at the time.
IMO one of the worst cultural trends of the trump era is reframing media consumption and comedy with activism, which is the reason why Leslie's "both sides" thing is framed as a problem now. I feel like a lot of the Very Important Comedy of the last several years is gonna age even worse than the Bush and Obama era stuff.
Re: thoughts?rubie_dubidouxFebruary 14 2023, 16:07:47 UTC
yeah I think if Parks & Rec had debuted in the last 5 years and they'd tried to write it to fit the current cultural moment it would have probably ended up really, really bad
Re: thoughts?possiblewerfFebruary 14 2023, 16:45:01 UTC
Yeah it'd be terrible. I feel like most timeless comedy comes from ppl trying to write what they personally think is funny vs trying to tie something to the cultural moment like you said.
I'd personally rather take the good with the bad (thinking of South Park here, a lot of their comedy is timeless and you just have to ignore the lame stuff) than watch mid warmed-over schlock. But I know not everyone feels that way
TV ages in a weird way as humour is influenced by culture and when the humour is topical, it almost never ages well. Parks and Rec is one of those shows that I enjoyed at the time and now find unbearable. Maybe it’s because of the direction US politics has gone in since then or the earnestness of Leslie Knope (which feels very “all sides” in 2023).
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I think Seinfeld and Curb have aged well comparatively because much of the humor comes from really basic concepts or social interactions rather than anything topical. There are still topical moments esp curb but overall most of the humor doesn’t rely on it.
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One running joke that is particularly relevant in American politics today: that the genuine common ground & friendship between supposed "polar opposites" like liberal Dem Liz and right-wing Jack was possible because they weren't really opposites at all. Their differences were mainly aesthetic (as opposed to deeply felt differences in morality/ethics, despite Liz's weak posturing before she inevitably compromised her values).
The show was very self-aware on this point, viewers less so - especially those who seemed to think that Liz Lemon was supposed to be a "good guy" and some kind of feminist avatar.
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reagan was literally the trump blueprint.
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IMO one of the worst cultural trends of the trump era is reframing media consumption and comedy with activism, which is the reason why Leslie's "both sides" thing is framed as a problem now. I feel like a lot of the Very Important Comedy of the last several years is gonna age even worse than the Bush and Obama era stuff.
Reply
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I'd personally rather take the good with the bad (thinking of South Park here, a lot of their comedy is timeless and you just have to ignore the lame stuff) than watch mid warmed-over schlock. But I know not everyone feels that way
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