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    ‘Friends’ Star Lisa Kudrow Says New Sitcoms are ‘Too Afraid’ to Make Jokes That Make People ‘Uncomfortable’: ‘I’m Not Buying It’
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    ‘Friends’ Star Lisa Kudrow Says New Sitcoms are ‘Too Afraid’ to Make Jokes That Make People ‘Uncomfortable’: ‘I’m Not Buying It’


    ‘Friends’ Star Lisa Kudrow Says New Sitcoms are ‘Too Afraid’ to Make Jokes That Make People ‘Uncomfortable’: ‘I’m Not Buying It’

    Posted by mcfw31

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    29 Comments

    1. mcfw31 on

      > When asked if the sitcom genre is evolving or dying, Kurdrow said, “I wish they were evolving. ‘30 Rock’ and ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘Friends’ were really funny and really well written. But I’m not drawn to new sitcoms that are multi-camera in front of an audience because I’m not buying it. I don’t know if that’s just because I’ve seen too many single-camera sitcoms—I think we need to get back to being able to tell jokes. I feel like we’ve been too afraid to make jokes that might make people uncomfortable.”

      > She added, “But the really good ones, they’re not tame jokes. They’re jokes that are kind of, ‘I can’t believe you just said that.’ Comedy is about surprise. You need things you didn’t see coming.”

    2. Comrade-Conquistador on

      There’s a way to do that without punching down. Friends pretty consistently punched down and that’s why I never bought it, Lisa.

    3. The_Dark_Vampire on

      Friends was as tame as you could get.

      Why is she trying to pretend Friends of all shows was edgy and offensive

    5. Piglet-Witty on

      I’ve only heard comedians that are not very good without insulting someone say that.

    6. Fluid-Cranberry1755 on

      If friends was that bar, thank goodness sitcoms aren’t like that anymore. Friends was horribly unfunny 

    7. MediaLongjumping9910 on

      The Office has had multiple scenes removed from TV because it was too offensive.

    9. SMC_4_Life on

      And it’s harder to find an audience when sitcoms are 8 episodes every 2-3 years

    10. SkeazyG on

      For anyone looking for a laugh out loud comedy show that doesn’t care who it offends….you should watch Ted. Funniest show I’ve watched in ages

    11. Mental-Currency-4494 on

      Oh yeah, networks used to run hardcore edgy shows like… Friends?

      Seriously? I think Seinfeld said the same thing about his show.

    13. bascule on

      [Jerry Seinfeld said the same thing](https://www.today.com/popculture/news/jerry-seinfeld-comedy-pc-culture-rcna150140). Like Friends, I would also consider Seinfeld (and pretty much any sitcom on network TV) incredibly normie compared to sitcoms that followed it, like say… Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. Or IASIP. Or if you count cartoons, South Park. Or Fleabag. Or Kevin Can Fuck Himself, which deconstructs the whole sitcom genre.

      Cable and the Internet are what unlocked the potential for truly subversive sitcoms, so what are these people who made normie network TV sitcoms smoking?

    16. jugalator on

      She might have a point but it’s still funny to hear that from someone known for Friends, mother of all feel good sitcoms.

    18. Drogo10 on

      Nothing reveals how clueless/stupid an actor or comedian is than when they say something like this. There is plenty of edgy stuff out there and coming from someone who was in one of the most boring, safe sitcoms in the history of television is really something else.

    20. Appropriate_West_30 on

      For every Abbott Elementary, there are dozens of Poppa’s House, Mid-Century Modern, and DMV. Those shows aren’t bad, they just weren’t breakout concepts that networks felt they had to keep pushing.
      Because the ratio of good sitcom to bad is quite extreme compared to police procedural and medical drama, networks are not looking for groundbreaking comedies – the office, Seinfeld, 30 rock – they fill their fall lineups with safe shows built around established names – Joel McCale, Keenan Thompson, Tracy Morgan. While the major networks play it safe and mostly just repackage the same crap over and over again, streamers are pushing the envelope – Ted Lasso, Shrinking, Hacks.

    21. throwawayjoeyboots on

      I feel like I’m taking crazy pills here.

      I’m old enough to remember the show in its heyday. Friends was never “edgy”. Literally part of its appeal is that it’s safe easy going comedy that appeals to anyone and can be shown in reruns any time of day.

      Just because it was “must see tv” didn’t mean it was cutting edge. It was just a really popular show.

    24. Not_Sure__Camacho on

      Kind of a copout.  People weren’t uncomfortable back then, they were just less sensitive back then.  The generation that watched Friends were shocked by All In The Family.  And The Honeymooners, the guy threatened to punch his wife to the moon, were Friends audiences fine with that?  

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