peacock pride

NBC is currently the lowest rated network on TV. Personally, how people don’t wait with baited breath for their Thursday night comedy line-up is an anomaly to me. But, I get it. Why do people like television so much? Answer: it’s brainless. That is exactly why CBS is the #1 network. All of their shows take full advantage of the invention of the laugh track. Audiences don’t have to know when to laugh because there’s a very obvious pause after the joke, much like when Dora the Explorer (PS, did the creator of the show thing the title rhymed, because it doesn’t) is asking NO ONE where her stupid backpack is- *blink, blink*, it’s behind you, bitch! So after a short pause there is hysterical laughter and everyone at home is satisfied. These Fox News watching, Glenn Beck loving people don’t get NBC comedy and they’re the same Rush Limbaugh regurgitaters that criticize SNL.

Take a show like 30 Rock- sorry I know, TF adoration again but get over it. On last week’s episode Alec Baldwin’s character Jack Donaghy, made an allusion to the Orson Welles classic “Citizen Kane.” He was speaking fondly of his boss and mentor Don Geiss and his childhood sled, Sleddy, making reference to the beloved sled Rosebud that belonged to Charles Foster Kane. How many people do you think would get that? It seems people don’t take the time to watch and appreciate classic films that literally molded the future of cinematography. But because they don’t get the joke, they don’t like the show because a character bringing up something as random as a sled and renaming Sleddy isn’t very funny on its own. It’s only funny when you get the reference.

This is just one of dozens of examples I could pull as to why brilliant writing is unfortunately failing; people are too stupid to understand it. And the more stupid, brainless television that tells them when to laugh that they watch, the dumber they’re going to get. Side note: I’m not a genius and some of the jokes do go over my head but I think that has to do with my age than my astuteness.

There is no laugh track and no not so subtle pause for laughter. Mix that with politically and socially liberal underlying meanings in most weekly story lines and in today’s climate, that’s an unfortunate recipe for disaster. But that’s fine with me; I’ll just stick with the elitists and enjoy my Thursday night television while all the uneducated minions watch their CBS.