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.”

So she thinks good comedy is just saying something unexpected. That's it. Shock value and nothing more.

Weird, I think of good comedy as poignant observations relayed in an amusing manner, or clever twists that highlight something unexpected. Just stating an unexpected thing doesn't cut it, the delivery is important for making a joke land. It takes extra work, but that's what good writers are for.

No wonder I never liked Friends.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 1 week ago (3 children)

I hate Friends, and it wasn't until relatively recently that I've realized that Lisa Kudrow is actually funny despite how bad that show was.

I think you're misinterpreting the quote.

Comedy is about subverting expectations. I think that's what she was trying to say.

[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago (2 children)

She does say “uncomfortable”. Subverting expectations doesn’t have to be uncomfortable.

[–] parson0@startrek.website 1 points 1 week ago

I'm no Friends fan either but I suggest Lisa's show The Comeback to get an understanding of what she thinks about sitcoms and how she interprets uncomfortable. It's brilliant TV.

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