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Running Gags Research Paper

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The Running Gags of Arrested Development There are two types of comedic television shows: Shows that are funny, and shows that aren’t. This is a strange and somewhat contradictory statement, but it is true. There are a great deal of comedic shows on television right now, and they all claim and work to be the funniest, but only a few truly succeed at it. One show in particular is Arrested Development. A key component to this show, one that has led to it’s huge cult following and overall success, is it’s extensive use of running gags. Running gags are literary devices that are in the form of comical references or jokes that repeatedly appear throughout a work of literature or in this case a television show. They are used in many types …show more content…

These characters are developed and are rendered funny through running gags. The running gags help to develop the joke about how each character is so flawed but yet they think their behavior is normal. Michael’s main goal is to care for his father’s business as well his own family, yet we are constantly reminded as to why these people do not deserve to be taken care of, yet they cannot take care of themselves. That is why the ‘family first’ gag is so humorous. It makes the absurd antics of this entire family seem normal and manageable, because they are a normal family who cares for one another, which they clearly don’t. Lucille, being the mother, should love and care for her children, and always put them first. The repeated insults towards Lindsey as well as the constant reminder of her distaste for Gob show how she is not even remotely close to how a mother should act. It is an excellent parallel to normal sitcom mothers who care for the family, but Lucille has no compassion whatsoever, and her constant display of that make her that much more funny. She doesn’t care, she sees no error in her ways, and she will never change. The running gags make this show so humorous because they constantly reinforce and remind us of the flaws in each character, and how they become funnier the more we are exposed to

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The Michigan State basketball team has had their Midnight Madness and two exhibition games. The Midnight Madness show really gave the fans a look at the whole roster and our star players. Michigan State 's star sophomore player, Miles Bridges, has been named National Player of the year and also Big Ten pre-season player of the year. With pre-season in mind right now, many of the fans were shocked by the outcome of Michigan State 's first exhibition game against Ferris State, as the final score was 80-72. In this game, Izzo was testing out many different lineups for the regular season to see how they would work.

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Television programs often retain an aspect of reality in order to relate to the audience and commentate on social issues. Although both The Goldbergs and The Twilight Zone address controversial issues such as gender roles, insanity, and ethnic stereotypes, genre differentiates their approach and their audiences’ receptiveness to change. Whereas The Goldbergs, an ethnic sitcom, addresses the external world using comedic relief, The Twilight Zone, a science fiction program, delves into the human mind using imagination. Despite their common efforts to direct social change, the programs are inverse images of one another, and The Twilight Zone’s genre structure allows it to resonate more with the audience. From 1949 to 1956, The Goldbergs dominated television as the first televised sitcom.

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“The Influence on the Unconscious” As young adults, we have laid around our homes for countless hours watching different types of television programing. Many of us, have a good idea on whether a program tries to offend viewers with their content. For over a decade, the popular television show “Family Guy” created by Seth MacFarlane, has shown controversial content that many people throughout the world have either loved or hated. In the writing piece titled, “Family Guy and Freud: Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious” by Antonia Peacocke that is discussed below encourages us to distinguish between offensive and insightful content that airs on Family Guy.

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Furthermore, the episodes are hilarious, and have tons of dumb as well as actually funny humor. The first episode created is a classic with the toothpicks being thrown on the ground and Tina not knowing how many there are. Another great part in when the older ladies going into the restaurant, even though the sign says the food is made with human flesh. This is leaves you with a pretty good laugh at the end of the episode. Another bizarre episode is the second one in season five, Tina and the Real Ghost.

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A sitcom is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, with often humorous dialogue (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Some of today's top sitcoms are Big Bang Theory, Family Guy, and South Park; however, back in the 60s the top television sitcoms wereThe Andy Griffith Show, The Lucy Show, and The Dick Van Dyke Show. Unlike modern day sitcoms, 60s sitcoms, mainly The Andy Griffith Show, used down-to-Earth comedy and moral lessons to attract viewers. The Andy Griffith Show takes place in small town Mayberry, North Carolina, where Andy Taylor (police chief) and deputy Barney Fife stop any and all crimes in a nonchalant manner.

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One of the all-time, greatest shows to ever grace my television screen is, none other than, The Office. Michael Scott, played by Steve Carrell, is every embodiment of how one should NOT talk and act in American society. His language and communicative style completely opposes that which is acceptable. Consequently, I thought what better for me to use in this assignment then a scene from The Office that makes me burst out into laughter time and time again – Season 3, episode 1: “Gay Witch Hunt” (17:00 – 19:45).

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The F Word (Season 6 Episode 3) is the title of a fifty three minute tv show created by Paul Abbott. The series depicts the dysfunctional family of Frank Gallagher, a single father of six children in which he spends his days on the use of drugs or having misadventures in the city while his kids learn to take care of themselves and to survive. In all the episodes, each character use many satire and comedy devices to get their point across in a way. There are themes of poverty, society, and parenthood in which is shown through the devices of verbal irony, dramatic irony and understatement. The F Word episode addresses the comedy or satire aspects of the piece and the targets of each example also how it ties the piece’s message as a whole.

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Well the owner and starter of Jimmy Johns is well Jimmy John Liautaud himself. He Graduated from Elgin Academy High School June in 1982. His family was a military family and his father and brothers served. His father wanted Jimmy to enlist, but he had other plans.

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Modern Family is a hilarious sitcom that depicts the diversity of today’s American family and is one of the highest rated comedy shows on TV. The show, which is produced by ABC was a success from the first season with over seven million viewers and grew to more than fourteen million views by season three. The shows underlying message, that there is more than just one kind of family and that we are all crazy is done with a kind humor that is a refreshing change from the modern reality TV we now see on most nights. The comedy combined with diversity and great acting makes this show attracting to a broad range of viewers and proves that everyone loves a good laugh. One reason Modern Family has been a continued success over the years is their dedication to what the show was made to be, a comedy.

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