tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post114492969798939840..comments2024-03-25T19:18:14.047-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: You can't do that on televisionAlan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1144964131998936442006-04-13T17:35:00.000-04:002006-04-13T17:35:00.000-04:00I love The Office, and it's a much better comedy t...I love The Office, and it's a much better comedy than The Loop, but not every show has to be as mundane as that. The trick is to find a tone that works, and stick with it, whether it's the comedy of realism or complete absurdity like on Arrested Development or even Earl. <BR/><BR/>The problem is with those many, many sitcoms that try not to be either one; they're vaguely realistic, but that's sacrificed whenever the writers need a cheap visual gag or punchline. <BR/><BR/>Do I believe in the professional world of this show? Not really; every week Sam seems to be put in charge of a new project that, in the real world, would keep him busy for months or years. But within the logic of the show, I believe that Sam needed a friend to give him a hand job, or that he could get arrested for public masturbation on an airplane (even though he was innocent), or that he speaks fluent Mandarin. And that's really all I need.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1144955420575248272006-04-13T15:10:00.000-04:002006-04-13T15:10:00.000-04:00I can't believe you just accused the Loop of being...I can't believe you just accused the Loop of being smart. I watched part of the 1st episode when it was shown in place of the "War at Home," and i was actually missing the "War at Home", and which has to be one of the top 30 or so worst tv shows ever. The Loop's first episode was so dumb, that i just can't watch any more of it.<BR/><BR/>First, they ate pickeled eggs at a bar..does any bar in the world actually have those, or was that supposed to be a "Simpsons" homage? whatever it was it was supposed to be, it was dumb, and they've eaten the eggs on the simpsons before, so it was a dumb recycled joke.<BR/><BR/>2nd, everyone in the airline office was telling the guy, "didn't you get the email in your outlook express?" I hate to tell the writers, but companies use outlook, not outlook express. Outlook express is the free version, and corporations have to pay. anyways, that was either the worst product placement ever, or really bad writing. <BR/><BR/>3rd, the kid takes off his shirt in the board meeting to illustrate his idea for a new airline. "Office Space," and to a lesser extent "The Office" have shown that realistic office interaction can be funny, so why fall back on something so unrealistic and stupid? they should have finished with a slow clap, to make sure we got that it was supposed to be victorious moment for the guy. <BR/><BR/>the pilot was so dumb they shouldn't expect people to hang with it until they put out a decent episode, so cancelled is what that show deserves. <BR/><BR/>anyways, i think the censors allow such things is they know only like 4 people are watching, so they just let some things slide.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1144949811080146872006-04-13T13:36:00.000-04:002006-04-13T13:36:00.000-04:00Sorry 'bout that, David. I don't know how it is in...Sorry 'bout that, David. I don't know how it is in south and central Jersey, but up north we tended to be very geographically ignorant. If you knew your town, the immediate surrounding towns, the location of two malls and/or movie theaters, and the best route into Manhattan, you were probably ahead of the curve. The town I live in now is maybe 20 minutes from where I grew up, and I had never heard of it until we started house-hunting.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1144949421676414962006-04-13T13:30:00.000-04:002006-04-13T13:30:00.000-04:00I agree with you on Hugh Laurie and "The Gun Selle...I agree with you on Hugh Laurie and "The Gun Seller," it's a book I've pushed on many people over the years.<BR/><BR/>But I've got to tell you, it's Plainsboro, not -ough. It's a real place--I lived there for 13 years, and even went to HS along with exec producer Bryan Singer. I couldn't say for sure, but I suspect he contributed the name for the hospital.<BR/><BR/>Of course, it's always amusing to see the establishing flyover shots of the hospital and knowing exactly what buildings they really are, or seeing other location shots that bear no relation to anything in Princeton or Plainsboro...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1144946904024521202006-04-13T12:48:00.000-04:002006-04-13T12:48:00.000-04:00I can't believe how fast I've gotten to love The L...I can't believe how fast I've gotten to love The Loop! It's fricken hilarious and hopefully comes back next year, but probably unlikely (and will fall into another death with Andy Richter Controls the Universe or The Tick).Vancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12342092747348921676noreply@blogger.com