Things I Hate About TV: Hacky sitcom jokes

> Dabney Coleman is Nielsen poison in a sitcom.

You are obviously too young to have seen "Buffalo Bill."

And don't forget the Dabney Coleman jinx factor. Just because he was on the fairly good drama, The Guardian, should not distract us from the time-tested truth that Dabney Coleman is Nielsen poison in a sitcom.

I hate "what happens" line as well...my favortie is a shirt my friend got...

"What happens in Kansas City..."
Has a picture of the Las Vegas welcome sign with Kansas City wrote on it
"...doesn't really matter."

These are "situation comedies", not Shakespeare and not a documentary. They are supposed to be stupidly funny and entertaining, not thought provoking and hard to decipher. These shows are the kind of show that you sit back with a drink and a snack and relax too. And remember that most of the population is below average and want to hear simple jokes. (and see gorgeous, tall, funny blondes like Jenna telling them)
:-)

duh, courting alex is still on the air because jenna elfman is smokin'. that alone has to get that show a few hundred thousand viewers.

Misspelling the punchline to your tired joke: stupid.

Four years of Harvard undergrad: $120,000
Two years of scriptwriting classes: $18,000
Seeing your hacky script filled with tired jokes produced by a major network: pricess.

Sarah Alexander deserves better than to be stuck in a show as bad as this one. She's had some stinkers on this side of the pond too but always manages to shine no matter how bad the material.

People watch Leno?

And yes, I agree.

Man, the thing with the penal colony joke is that it's funny on "Teachers" not because 'penal' sounds like 'penis' but because the /character/ would be *exactly the type of person* to laugh when someone says 'penal.'

Hell, I laugh every time someone says penal. And I enjoy "Itchy and Scratchy" but I still love "Scrubs" and A.D. and "smart TV" as much as the next guy and probably a lot, lot more, but there's room for including dumb jokes if they help characterize the person that they're told to / about.

A lot of the shit J.D. fantasizes about on "Scrubs" isn't funny of itself, it's funny given that we know J.D. and expect something different of him, as he's a doctor (and, apparently, a pretty good one).

Now, as to "Courting Alex," well, that dog won't hunt. The show's just no good. But I'll stand up for "Teachers" and that penal joke because gag inducing though parts of it were, that joke, at least, served a purpose, particularly given that little speech he delivers to the luminous Sarah Alexander at the end of the episode.