Sense of Humour, is tricky isn't it!

Sense of Humour, is tricky isn't it!
What I find humorous - dry humour, irony, clever ideas, means little to someone else... so be it! 

Some films and TV shows I cried tears of laughter, are tied to a context, and don't age well! This is my sadness over the 'Pink Panther' films, where maybe the first one is still funny!

Monty Python, many British comedies, some skit programs... Robin Williams, Ben Elton, Sarah Silverman, Sarah Pascoe, Sarah Millikan, Jerry Seinfeld and more... Above them all, Billy Connolly! Only Bob Newhart comes close...

I find Greg Davis really funny, its the self effacing humour, where he (or his mum) are the object of his comedy! Great actors and familiar faces agreeing to appear in his show 'The Cleaner' is only 'icing on the cake.' There's that one poignant human moment in every episode, which is just great story writing! 

I am entertained by endless repeats of 'Would I Lie to You' because the premise is brilliant, other people will say 'what??? I watched 'Schitt's Creek' for 5 minutes only... I expect if it had been british made it'd be different! Gavin & Stacy is great writing, I can tell, but I just never warmed to the characters... Ruth Jones 'Stella' exactly the opposite, despite the high farce needed to sustain 6 seasons!

I enjoy 'Have You Been Paying Attention' but I think it's a combination of being 'into' the news and current events. I know most of the answers before a comedian, who often also does, makes up a plausibly funny alternative! I find Mick Molloy hilarious and HYBPA is funnier when he's on... 'The Front Bar' combines my other love, sport, with humour and well meaning take downs of some stars!

'Working Dog' have my eternal admiration for their stream of very funny projects, nailing things about Australian culture and identity. I think of the subtitles to 'Australian Crawl's' James Reyne singing 'Reckless' and the immortal line "something about public transport." The mistaken name of the feature act at the end of D Gen episodes, giving us Vic Premier Joan Kerner, instead of Joan Jett.

Imagine being able to sum up our Land Rights discussion through a deadpan comedy about forced acquisition of a house near the airport or nailing our national insecurity around major achievements like the Olympics, through the crucial if not well known role of 'The Dish' near Parkes!

All this said "Optics" debuted this week on ABC TV to much fanfare and many people will love it! I set up the evening to catch the new Hard Quiz, then the new comedy. I looked forward to it, because it is a brilliant premise... the idea of comedy in the 'spin' which so dominates politics, media and personality today! Gruen is sharper and funnier, to me, others will give it a couple of episodes and rank it classic!

I found its pace and the delivery of the two lead characters annoyingly clunky and boring and co creator with them, Charles Firth's depiction of a clever idea, wooden and clumsy!

I'd love to say it got better as the episode went on, laying down the tracks for the idea, but I honestly didn't get past the first 10 minutes... It lacks the timing of 'Utopia.' Or is it, they could have written it and found better comedic actors? Maybe I'll try again at a different time of day, maybe not... enjoyit if you do!