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Thought I'd share this with the US readers here, because it's a rare example of the great Charlie Brooker focussing on US TV. It'll be interesting to hear what Americans make of it.
Political humour is rarely a boxful of chuckles. It largely consists of clever-clever point-scoring, weary cynicism, and lolly stick gags about the size of Prescott's arse. There's surprisingly little anger, considering the piss poor state of the world - and when rage or passion does appear, it's often elbowed all the jokes out of the way. Mostly though, political satire seems to be stuck in a strange, woozy rut: half-heartedly sniping at the powers that be with an underpowered peashooter, breaking off every 10 minutes for a *** break and a shrug.
Three cheers then, for 24 co-creator Joel Surnow, who's recently given birth to The Half Hour News Hour (Fox News, Sky Channel 510), a topical comedy show which manages to be angry, opinionated, and genuinely political all at once. In fact, there are only two things wrong with it. 1) It's dementedly right-wing. 2) Radiation sickness is funnier.
A lot of people think right-wingers aren't capable of being amusing at all. Not true. Mussolini looked hilarious swinging from that lamppost. And besides, hardcore lefties aren't a barrel of laughs either. They're a crushing, life-depleting bore. People who stand firmly to one side of the political spectrum tend by their very nature to be stiff, crotchety sorts with a persecution complex and an axe to grind. These are not prime credentials for clown school.
For my money, the best satire floats somewhere in the centre - not in a non-committal sense, but a tactical one: positioned between the two sides, you're capable of lashing out in either direction. The first one to say something ridiculous gets a slap. It's the rational option. Genuine satire ultimately consists of the outraged application of cold rationality to whoever deserves it the most.
The Half Hour News Hour isn't rational. It's intended as a riposte to Comedy Central's The Daily Show (Mon-Fri, 8.30pm, More4), the show that made stars of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.
The Daily Show isn't perfect. Understandably, for a programme airing four times per week, it's often hit and miss. When it misses, it's cringeworthy; but when it hits, it's laugh out loud funny. It attacks both Republicans and Democrats, but leans more heavily on Republicans because, hey, they're the ones in power. This makes sense comedically: there are more jokes to be had in lampooning the governing party since their actions carry more weight. And besides, it's hard to generate giggles by attacking the underdog. If Hilary Clinton were in charge, she'd be pilloried nightly. But she isn't. Bush is.
Rational viewers understand this. Eye-swivelling nutrags don't. They believe the Daily Show is a far left propaganda tool. Hence the advent of the Half Hour News Hour, which Fox claims offers "balance" by adopting an enraged conservative stance. The end result, if the first episode is anything to go by, is a bizarre, unnatural beast: a topical comedy show that ignores the present government completely and concentrates its fury on environmentalists, civil rights campaigners, Barack Obama and Cindy Sheehan. The set piece was a shockingly dismal skit starring right-wing talk radio hog Rush Limbaugh and joyless crypto fascist commentator Ann Coulter, who wandered on screen looking so haunted and drawn I briefly mistook her for a ghost and kicked my television from its stand in a blind panic. Spewing all that negative hate speech must've hollowed out her spirit, poor thing; her eyes are now a portal to a world of infinite nihilistic oblivion - gaze into them too long and you can feel the air growing cold around you.
To be fair, there were one or two decent gags, but they felt like aberrations thrown up by the law of averages. There is one thing to be said in the show's favour: at least it HAS an agenda, which is unusual in modern comedy. But an agenda is all it has. It's government-approved satire - as oxymoronic, pointless and wretched as church-sanctioned porn. But probably easier to masturbate to, assuming you get off on abject desperation.
Three cheers then, for 24 co-creator Joel Surnow, who's recently given birth to The Half Hour News Hour (Fox News, Sky Channel 510), a topical comedy show which manages to be angry, opinionated, and genuinely political all at once. In fact, there are only two things wrong with it. 1) It's dementedly right-wing. 2) Radiation sickness is funnier.
A lot of people think right-wingers aren't capable of being amusing at all. Not true. Mussolini looked hilarious swinging from that lamppost. And besides, hardcore lefties aren't a barrel of laughs either. They're a crushing, life-depleting bore. People who stand firmly to one side of the political spectrum tend by their very nature to be stiff, crotchety sorts with a persecution complex and an axe to grind. These are not prime credentials for clown school.
For my money, the best satire floats somewhere in the centre - not in a non-committal sense, but a tactical one: positioned between the two sides, you're capable of lashing out in either direction. The first one to say something ridiculous gets a slap. It's the rational option. Genuine satire ultimately consists of the outraged application of cold rationality to whoever deserves it the most.
The Half Hour News Hour isn't rational. It's intended as a riposte to Comedy Central's The Daily Show (Mon-Fri, 8.30pm, More4), the show that made stars of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.
The Daily Show isn't perfect. Understandably, for a programme airing four times per week, it's often hit and miss. When it misses, it's cringeworthy; but when it hits, it's laugh out loud funny. It attacks both Republicans and Democrats, but leans more heavily on Republicans because, hey, they're the ones in power. This makes sense comedically: there are more jokes to be had in lampooning the governing party since their actions carry more weight. And besides, it's hard to generate giggles by attacking the underdog. If Hilary Clinton were in charge, she'd be pilloried nightly. But she isn't. Bush is.
Rational viewers understand this. Eye-swivelling nutrags don't. They believe the Daily Show is a far left propaganda tool. Hence the advent of the Half Hour News Hour, which Fox claims offers "balance" by adopting an enraged conservative stance. The end result, if the first episode is anything to go by, is a bizarre, unnatural beast: a topical comedy show that ignores the present government completely and concentrates its fury on environmentalists, civil rights campaigners, Barack Obama and Cindy Sheehan. The set piece was a shockingly dismal skit starring right-wing talk radio hog Rush Limbaugh and joyless crypto fascist commentator Ann Coulter, who wandered on screen looking so haunted and drawn I briefly mistook her for a ghost and kicked my television from its stand in a blind panic. Spewing all that negative hate speech must've hollowed out her spirit, poor thing; her eyes are now a portal to a world of infinite nihilistic oblivion - gaze into them too long and you can feel the air growing cold around you.
To be fair, there were one or two decent gags, but they felt like aberrations thrown up by the law of averages. There is one thing to be said in the show's favour: at least it HAS an agenda, which is unusual in modern comedy. But an agenda is all it has. It's government-approved satire - as oxymoronic, pointless and wretched as church-sanctioned porn. But probably easier to masturbate to, assuming you get off on abject desperation.
Ah, yes. Let's compare a new comedy with one episode under its belt to highlights from a decade of the Daily Show. And let's feign surprise that some liberal hack didn't like Limbaugh and Coulter.
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