Why does the Royal Canadian Air Farce suck so much?

[Screaming Lord Byron]

In a country with an international reputation for irony, sarcasm and snide quips, why is this abomination allowed to prosper? WHY, GOD, WHY?

[benburch]

1. What now?

?

[HEyHEY]

3. It's a comedy show on CBC that went for a walk years ago

[HEyHEY]

2. Excellent topic....

Because it's old people humour, the obvious and cheesy punchlines are the same as they were back in the 50s, so people like my dad really dig it. It's also unoffensive. So I don't get why it prospers in Canada.

[Maple]

4. I find it

very offensive, so I never watch it.

[HEyHEY]

5. It offends you with its bland humour?

Or something else? I never watch it, I can't get through twominutes before I get remote itch

[Maple]

6. Well bear in mind

that I haven't watched it in years, but when I did I found it cruel without redeeming humour, keen on tearing down people, promoting old and stupid beliefs, and full of the kind of jokes that killed vaudeville. Not subtle, not witty, just blatant.

And I will never understand the popularity of the chicken cannon.

The only thing I ever liked was the ability of the actors to look like whoever they were portraying at the time.

However, 22 minutes is even worse...I couldn't handle even 5 minutes of that.

[HEyHEY]

7. "full of the kind of jokes that killed vaudeville"

I'll have to remember that - it is the perfect description

[Maple]

8. Heh...feel free

Vaudeville was gawd-awful.

[iverglas]

9. but exactly

"Because it's old people humour".

My mum, and my dad until he died last year, loved it. That's what they did on New Year's Eve -- wait for the chicken cannon. It prospers because there are old people!

Always keep in mind that there are a lot of people in this world who watch the B list and worse -- CSI, JAG and its successor, Friends, reality shows, all that crap. And the advertisers aren't interested in educating that demographic by being anything other than "inoffensive", if not (in the case of US TV) outright pandering to the mindset the audience has had created for it (including, of course, by entertainment TV).

I remember my psychologist saying how it takes an IQ of 105 to graduate from high school (well, to do the academics that are needed to graduate from high school properly, I guess). And half the population (by definition) has an IQ under 100. I imagine it takes an IQ of at least 105 to follow some of the Law & Order stories (I'm a fan; the law and legal analysis are almost always 100% excellent, even if the social policy subtext has been going downhill), and a little more than that to figure out what the hell's going on in some of the Brit mysteries that TVO and CBC, and PBS and A&E, and Showcase and Bravo, and BBC Canada of course, show.

Us smart folks should just be grateful they make TV for us at all! Not to mention us progressive folks. The thing is that people who understand the social issues addressed in a Law & Order episode, for instance (pre-2001, anyhow), aren't likely going to be entertained by a simplistic right-wing resolution of them.

I guess we're the ones with the money to spend on all the shit they advertise. But we can't expect all the other consumers & taxpayers to be left out in the cold.

Hey, SLB, don't UK TV networks produce some lowbrow crap too? I know Australia does. ;)

Anybody remember Night Heat? A Cdn cop show, early 70s-ish, CTV I think. Ran for years after midnight on some US stations. It was completely in the pattern of a US cop show, and not overtly high-brow at all -- except that most episodes dealt with a pressing social issue of the day: block busting in Toronto, that sort of thing. And did it from a progressive standpoint. I always thought it was excellently subversive.

[HEyHEY]

10. excellently subversive. Like airwolf?

Just kiddin'

[Screaming Lord Byron]

11. British TV is 90% bollocks, 10% genius.

[iverglas]

12. and unfortunately

BBC Canada is giving us a lot of the bollocks, it seems to me, at least when it comes to comedies.

Good grief. Who would want to watch Coupling even once, let alone all over again this year?

I never actually watched Black Adder. It's starting up in October. Should I?

[Screaming Lord Byron]

13. It was OK. People make a big deal over it, but it's no Fawlty Towers.

[Hand]

14. Insh'Allah...

That's the only possible explanation. Cripes--who got the idea that a bunch of fat middle-aged dorks could do satire????? I mean, WHO?????? WHO, FOR GODSAKE--WHOOOOOO?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!

:crazy: :silly: :wtf: :nuke:

[camero]

15. When they make fun of Klein it's pretty funny n/t

[ironflange]

16. It seems I always surf past that show. . .

. . .when Luba Goy is imitating someone at least 40 years her junior. Yecccchhhhhh!!!!

Well, it's still better that "The Trouble With Tracy," but not by much.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

17. Yeah. The whole Luba Goy thing is really quite disturbing.

[ironflange]

18. They were almost bearable on the radio

Prolly because we didn't have to look at them. Man, are they ever old!

[Wat_Tyler]

19. Actually, there's something in that.

They really don't come across on a visual medium, as the comedy is basically voice impersonations.

[ironflange]

20. It was the same deal with Double Exposure

They really stunk up the tube when they made the jump from radio. That's where it became clear that Bob was the whole show, Linda only being able to do that sort of Barbara McDougall voice. Bob could do anything, his Chretien was perfect. He was also the one who did the Queen's voice.

[Hand]

21. That was truly embarrassing...

I used to watch it because the intervals when they did voice-overs of news film were actually pretty funny, but when Rob and Linda appeared... well, you had to feel sorry for them. The little opening banter period was undoubtedly the worst part. They'd say something "funny" and NOBODY in the audience would even giggle. Sad. They were quite good on radio...

[Cascadian]

22. I am more into "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" myself.

I love the way they just slam Bush. Moron Bush.....More on weapons, more on terrorism.....

John

[Wat_Tyler]

23. They were better with Rick Mercer, of course.

Rick Mercer is one of the world's great satirists.