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Jun. 13th, 2002 01:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
unbibiumThere seems to be a trend on Comedy Central towards putting up adult-themed shows with child-themed formats.
The earliest example was South Park. Even though the animation style was completely unique, its oversimplified, geometric, big-headed style evoked Charlie Brown. Other elements of the show drew from the sappy sentimentality and moralism writers would always sneak into children's programming. The two things that happened in nearly episode were Kenny dying and Stan or Kyle saying "You know, I've learned something today." Chef is another element of the children's show format, the character who sings inspiring songs in the middle of the episode, sometimes for no reason at all. All of these elements are turned on their head by South Park, adding up to effective satire in and of itself. But the adult-themed content of the show adds cognitive dissonance to the mix, as the show got away with the kind of content that one would least expect to see in such a childlike show. This gave the show the novelty that made it such a big hit. Thankfully, it is usually well-written and well-directed as well, otherwise the show would have tanked as soon as the novelty wore off.
The next show to use the same juxtaposition was TV Funhouse, done in the format of those early-morning cartoon shows where some corny host and his puppet friends try to share make-believe adventures with the kids at home. But in this show, the puppets usually ditched the host at the beginning of the show to go to a whorehouse or something. Once they went to Atlantic City, and met up with none other than Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. The host didn't mind, having a limited emotional range and always staying peppy and forced-enthusiastic for the sake of the kids. And he also taught us things, like that because Chinese New Year is in February, Chinese Lincoln's Birthday isn't until March. And every cartoon was a satire of something you grew up watching. Robert Smigel took the "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo" concept one step further, with "Fetal Scooby Doo". He explored what a real man might do with superpowers, in "Wonderman." He shows us the celebrity-themed Hanna-Barbera cartoon we forgot, "The Black Sabbath Show". And "The Safety Gang" was JUST WRONG. And the first few times I watched the show, I was nearly put into an altered state of consciousness. I hadn't watched a show with such a cheesy format since I was a kid, and the force of nostalgia int he show was so great that I kind of imagined I was six years old, getting up early in the morning in order to sit in front of the TV for three hours and watch toy commercials. But, once that wore off, I sort of started to forget to watch the show. The cartoons were great, but perhaps not worth sitting through all the lame live-action bits.
And now, we have Crank Yankers, which exploits the same juxtaposition. Basically, a bunch of comedians rented a suite in Las Vegas and made crank calls for about three weeks straight. Then they have puppets act it out. And, well, that's it. And there's some puppet nudity, too. How much can you really do with crank calls? I thought we got sick of crank calls after Jerky Boys 3. Maybe so many "zany" morning DJ's are doing them so often that the public is brainwashed into thinking they're actually entertaining again.
Whatever. So, now that we know the pattern, what's Comedy Central going to do next?
The earliest example was South Park. Even though the animation style was completely unique, its oversimplified, geometric, big-headed style evoked Charlie Brown. Other elements of the show drew from the sappy sentimentality and moralism writers would always sneak into children's programming. The two things that happened in nearly episode were Kenny dying and Stan or Kyle saying "You know, I've learned something today." Chef is another element of the children's show format, the character who sings inspiring songs in the middle of the episode, sometimes for no reason at all. All of these elements are turned on their head by South Park, adding up to effective satire in and of itself. But the adult-themed content of the show adds cognitive dissonance to the mix, as the show got away with the kind of content that one would least expect to see in such a childlike show. This gave the show the novelty that made it such a big hit. Thankfully, it is usually well-written and well-directed as well, otherwise the show would have tanked as soon as the novelty wore off.
The next show to use the same juxtaposition was TV Funhouse, done in the format of those early-morning cartoon shows where some corny host and his puppet friends try to share make-believe adventures with the kids at home. But in this show, the puppets usually ditched the host at the beginning of the show to go to a whorehouse or something. Once they went to Atlantic City, and met up with none other than Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. The host didn't mind, having a limited emotional range and always staying peppy and forced-enthusiastic for the sake of the kids. And he also taught us things, like that because Chinese New Year is in February, Chinese Lincoln's Birthday isn't until March. And every cartoon was a satire of something you grew up watching. Robert Smigel took the "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo" concept one step further, with "Fetal Scooby Doo". He explored what a real man might do with superpowers, in "Wonderman." He shows us the celebrity-themed Hanna-Barbera cartoon we forgot, "The Black Sabbath Show". And "The Safety Gang" was JUST WRONG. And the first few times I watched the show, I was nearly put into an altered state of consciousness. I hadn't watched a show with such a cheesy format since I was a kid, and the force of nostalgia int he show was so great that I kind of imagined I was six years old, getting up early in the morning in order to sit in front of the TV for three hours and watch toy commercials. But, once that wore off, I sort of started to forget to watch the show. The cartoons were great, but perhaps not worth sitting through all the lame live-action bits.
And now, we have Crank Yankers, which exploits the same juxtaposition. Basically, a bunch of comedians rented a suite in Las Vegas and made crank calls for about three weeks straight. Then they have puppets act it out. And, well, that's it. And there's some puppet nudity, too. How much can you really do with crank calls? I thought we got sick of crank calls after Jerky Boys 3. Maybe so many "zany" morning DJ's are doing them so often that the public is brainwashed into thinking they're actually entertaining again.
Whatever. So, now that we know the pattern, what's Comedy Central going to do next?
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Date: 2002-06-13 02:19 pm (UTC)Simpsons also parodied this during the first couple of seasons in "Bart's War" when he has the little speech in the libary at the end of the episode explain how there are "No Good Wars" except for World War II, the Revolutionary War, and the Star Wars Trilogy. Plus the spoofs of "Schoolhouse Rock" and Itchy and Scratchy's "Kids... Say No to Drugs!"
Whatever. So, now that we know the pattern, what's Comedy Central going to do next?
Perhaps a "science" show a la "Mr. Wizard", "Bill Nye: The Science Guy" or "Beakman's World" that teaches you how to make homemade bombs and tips on getting laid.
-- Schwa ---
Or a naughty version of "Saved by the Bell"... no wait, they already did "Melrose Place".
Hey!
Date: 2002-06-13 02:44 pm (UTC)Re: Hey!
Date: 2002-06-13 02:56 pm (UTC)Yeah!
Date: 2002-06-14 09:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2002-06-13 05:01 pm (UTC)Animated does -not- automatically mean for kids!
Date: 2002-06-13 07:07 pm (UTC)And then I pull my gun.
Re: Animated does -not- automatically mean for kids!
Date: 2002-06-14 09:17 am (UTC)Most animated shows outside Comedy Central use a different approach. The Simpsons, Duckman, Dr. Katz, Family Guy, The Critic... all of these are animated, but they're not designed to deliberately evoke children's programming.
I would have said the same about Crank Yankers, but when it came back from the commercial in an Elmo voice saying "This program was brought to you by the letters F, U, and K", you could tell that's what they were trying to do.
How inventive.
Date: 2002-06-14 09:35 pm (UTC)Re: Animated does -not- automatically mean for kids!
Date: 2002-06-16 12:16 pm (UTC)*slaps around the ignorant TV executives and parent groups who have helped turn North American animation into the farce it has become, and kills voodoo figures of the HYSTERIA creators for good measure*