“Amusement always means putting things out of mind,
forgetting suffering, even when it is on display. At its root is powerlessness”
(Horkeimer and Adorno).
I really enjoyed the class discussion that circulated around
this quote, especially in regards to the growing trend of satire in
contemporary entertainment. One thing
that Hania brought up in class was the concept of successful satire vs
unsuccessful satire and how the public interprets the messages. Branching off
of her comments, I brought up the public response to Louie CKs TV shows, Lucky Louie and Louie. Both shows embody Louie CK’s satirical comedy style in very
different ways that can be attributed to the success of the shows. In an
article entitled Why "Louie" is
a Better Show for Louis C.K. than "Lucky Louie," Yahoo
contributor Phil Dotree compares the success of each show through analyzing
their individual comedic approach. In Lucky
Louie, “Louie had a family, and they dealt with normal issues, albeit in a
dark, funny way (and occasionally with male nudity). But Lucky Louie never really rose above its simplicity, and while it
was sometimes brilliant, it often meandered into the unfunny muck that
comics-turned-actors have to try desperately to avoid,” says Dotree. I believe
the lack of success for Lucky Louie can
very much be attributed to the way the show presented situations and
straightforward crass, candid nature of the humor; it is laid on fairly thick.
Years after the shows cancelation, Louie CK began his work with Louie, which has since become a wild
success on FX. In regards to Louis’
success, Dotree mentioned, “…the
best modern sitcoms focus on the flaws of their characters. Louie is set up to follow in that
tradition, as everyone that Louie meets is an absolutely terrible human being…
C.K. usually plays the straight man, but he occasionally steps out of bounds.”
I believe that the difference in success of Lucky Louie and Louie despite sharing some of the same comedic themes and material
is a perfect example of satire done well versus poorly executed satire.
Episode 1 of Lucky
Louie:
Clip from Louie:
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