Simple Laughs...

TV's Languishing Laugh-O-Meter

Interesting article in the New York Times about "alternative" comedy shows on TV right now (alternatives to the sitcom form, that is). Mostly notable for its take on Stella which is "It's not funny, but God bless its little heart for trying." This is actually what I was most worried about with Stella - I definitely enjoyed it, but I feel like I've been watching these guys for years and basically understand how their pseudo-jokes and tweakings of pop culture and film language work.

But it feels very much either an acquired taste or a taste that most people don't have. I was slightly breathless from enjoying the pilot, but I don't know if lots of people besides comedy nerds would have the same reaction. It feels very "New York," very "We've seen everything done to death in comedy, so now we're going to do the same things but in a meta-aware way that requires you to be as bored of comedy as we are."

How are the ratings for it? Is it popular? Hated? I can't seem to get a proper gauge on how people feel about this show.