This blog is designed to showcase British sitcoms, and the cultural implications that are embedded within them. For the most part, I will be looking at social features such as social structure, gender roles, and morals/ethics. I plan on focusing on the series Fawlty Towers, Keeping up Appearances, and The Office. I will also be looking at the evolution of the British sitcom genre and if American culture has influenced British sitcoms and if British culture has influenced American sitcoms.
I enjoyed your project very much because it was unique in its approach: comparing two different culture's take on sit-coms is like comparing apples and oranges, and you handled it in a way that opened my eyes to all of the social implications of television. I think a lot of the reason that Americans would not enjoy the British version of The Office as you stated in your presentation has to do with our social institutions: perhaps we are not as sophisticated as a whole, or perhaps we want to be entertained when we watch comedy, and do not want to think. After you watched the clips, I noticed just how different the humor is - - it is much riskier, and often the men are submissive to their wives. It was refreshing and intriguing to see this type of comparison.
As Stephanie stated before, it is a little difficult to compare sitcoms from countries as diverse as America and the United Kingdom, though your comparison between the two made sense and was also enjoyable. I might have to disagree with you when you state that Americans want more action from their television shows, as I'm actually a bit more intrigued to watch the British version of the Office now, though I guess it is more because I'm a big fan of Ricky Gervais.
I enjoyed your project very much because it was unique in its approach: comparing two different culture's take on sit-coms is like comparing apples and oranges, and you handled it in a way that opened my eyes to all of the social implications of television. I think a lot of the reason that Americans would not enjoy the British version of The Office as you stated in your presentation has to do with our social institutions: perhaps we are not as sophisticated as a whole, or perhaps we want to be entertained when we watch comedy, and do not want to think. After you watched the clips, I noticed just how different the humor is - - it is much riskier, and often the men are submissive to their wives. It was refreshing and intriguing to see this type of comparison.
ReplyDeleteSteven,
ReplyDeleteAs Stephanie stated before, it is a little difficult to compare sitcoms from countries as diverse as America and the United Kingdom, though your comparison between the two made sense and was also enjoyable. I might have to disagree with you when you state that Americans want more action from their television shows, as I'm actually a bit more intrigued to watch the British version of the Office now, though I guess it is more because I'm a big fan of Ricky Gervais.