Common Comedic Success

Incredibly interesting post, Lindsey! The way you analyzed the different theories was so well thought-out and put into words! I especially enjoyed reading your thoughts on the benign-violation theory. You claimed all crude humor in the small youtube series will undoubtedly be benign because the characters used in the storyline are not only fictitious but are dolls. This claim was clever and something I've never thought of before. The jokes in "The Most Popular Girls in School" not offending anyone because the character design is not deliberately attacking a person and their actions. Genius! I can't believe this wasn't obvious. Furthermore, I believe this theory can be extended to other TV sitcoms and comedies.

Most all comedies and TV sitcoms have unique plots and character developments to establish an original storyline. Perhaps, this stylistic technique employed by many TV creators is a major reason why many sitcoms have comedic success. Providing the audience with original characters not only creates an interesting story but also allows the audience to feel a sense of separation from the characters being portrayed and not feel ridiculed by their relatable unexaggerated actions. Just like in Lindsey's example, possible violating jokes are seen by the audience as benign.

Comments

  1. UnknownNovember 12, 2018 at 6:09 AM

    I love your interpretation of this! I completely agree with how you put it: we, as an audience, feel separated from the characters we view on TV, and so we don't feel guilt for laughing at or about them. It may not be benign for the character, but it's benign for us, so we can enjoy it without a second thought.

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  2. Shane HerronNovember 12, 2018 at 6:23 AM

    I think you are both right that separation and a sense of seeing things as "fake" is part of the fun of it. Otherwise, we get in the uncanny valley of humor in which it's not clear if something is safe to laugh at. It's probably one reason that so many reality shows are so intentionally over the top. It creates the distance you describe.

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