Peep Show Laugh Track

 

If you ever wanted to know what Peep Show with a laugh track would be like, this Channel 4 Charity Comedy Gala clip is a good example. While it is always fun to see Jeremy and Mark doing mundane things together (which they do in the show, sometimes eating at restaurants like the Indian one where Jeremy requested 4 naan) or going to a pub, this clip captures our duo at their best. The clip here is quintessentially Peep Show but I think we're all glad that the show did not  use a laugh track...

Revisiting Peep Show

 

We found this recent 20th anniversary special on Peep Show quite hilarious and interesting. They even brought into the actresses who played Dobby and Nancy! It was fascinating to hear about the writing process and how the writers and central cast perceived the show, its development over time, and what worked well about the show. Like they admit, the show had to end because Jez and Mark were no longer young men. It probably also helped that each season only consisted of 6 episodes. That meant that by the end of the 9th season, one could not get tired of the show. Alas, any American adaptation of Peep Show would probably ruin everything that worked so well...

Peep Show

The stars and some of the writers of Peep Show discuss the show, the writing process, stories, and more. Peep Show is my favorite British comedy series, perhaps because of the socially awkward and post-university settings of the two flatmates, the travails of urban life and masculinity in turbulent times. Much like Community and Fresh Meat, two comedies that helped define my university life, Peep Show was the perfect comedic accompaniment to life for those in their 20s or early 30s. I will sorely miss this program. 

Other Space

"Be a buddy, not a bully."

For fans of Community, The Office and Red Dwarf, Other Space is like a dream come true. Paul Feig's show possesses the sci-fi comic genius of shows like Red Dwarf with the meta-ness of Community for a strong, albeit short, first season. The show is so wacky and full of potential, from James Franco's little brother parodying a certain famous actor to a coffee machine leading a robot coup, there is something for everyone. Unfortunately, an 8-episode run is not the most conducive for character development, so relationships are a little rushed instead of the usual sitcom approach of longer story arcs. There are creative ways in which the show's writers manage to get around this issue, however, with the aid of science fiction tropes. Definitely worth watching for any fans of Feig or science fiction comedy, so check it out on Yahoo Screen.

A Show About A Show Making a Show About Nothing

My favorite story arc over the long life of Seinfeld remains the season-long tale of Jerry and George pitching a sitcom based on their own lives to NBC. Watch this clip for one of my favorite moments, where Jerry explains to the actress playing Elaine Benes why she cannot date his butler. The show is a show about nothing, and is based on their own lives as fictional characters, which is meta or self-referential in that George and Jerry are based on real-life creators of Seinfeld, Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, who wrote the show for NBC themselves! This kind of meta-humor from the 1990s is quite entertaining and provides hilarious commentary on how the show's writers perceived their own project whilst working for NBC. One must wonder how this likely impacted sitcoms in future years embrace of metafiction and, in some cases, breaking the fourth wall. Watch season 4 of the show to see this brilliant season-long story arc play out. By the way, this is definitely my favorite season of the show, alongside season 5.