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Hey, thanks for the responses from those of you who are either in sitcom hell or who have escaped the dry, desolate landscape of laugh-free "comedies" for cooler (and funnier) climes.

Tashi, I take your point about the sitcom format being very last century, but don't you think that if we, as South Africans, can't master that tried, tested and historically successful formula, that we can really take on new and innovative (read: "cheaper to produce") formats. It's like these damn Shakespeare plays always being done in a modern idiom with machine guns and military fatigues by overwrought students. Damn, for once I'd like to see an Elizabethan play the way the Elizabethans saw it. Call me crazy. And THEN I'd like to see the re-interpretations.

What I'm saying is, wouldn't it be great to see the successful international formula for sitcoms (multiple talented writers with funny bones, multiple re-writes, multiple rehearsal days, excellent casting, live audience, etc. etc.) but with South African characters in South African situations (oh, and without Leon Schuster-esque caricatures) (anyway, props to Leon, as he's the only one who's made money with comedy in this country). Our sitcoms have never been done that way, and I say, let's see it at least TRIED before we chuck the baby with the barfwater and get all 'sturm und drang' and arty with like, shoo-wow new comedy concepts. In other words, let's master the basics first! Would love your comment on that.

Having said that, I love your choice of comedy shows (also endorsed by Cloud9), although I must admit I found the first season of "Sorted" trying a little too hard and a bit wooden. So I haven't been watching the new season. However, I will start watching immediately, on your endorsement, and try to catch up.

Hey Babygal, don't worry that you "don't get the joke" because the way our sitcoms are written at the moment, it's a case of "hey folks, here comes a joke; okay, laugh NOW (cue laugh track); okay, can you see by the look on the embarrassed actors' faces that we just did a gag!" It's horrible, it's wooden, and it's "comedy in capital letters" as Humphrey Barclay put it when he viewed an episode of Madam and Eve. (Mr Barclay, a visiting Brit who was involved in many groundbreaking UK comedies including Monty Python, presented a comedy writer's workshop at the SABC a couple of years back, and being British, his comments on our local comedy fare were characteristically restrained - but he spoke a lot of sense.) (I wonder if anyone from the SABC actually bothered to attend... maybe they were too busy planning to commission "City Ses'la" or "Mzee wa Two Six" - and we all know eTV couldn't have been there if the unspeakable "Unicity" was anything to go by!)

Thanks for the compliment Peapod... I love the way you write "Bwahahaha" - pity we can't have a few more of those reactions to our comedies! And yours was the third vote of confidence for "Sorted" so guess who's set his PVR on stun! I swear I'm going to strap myself to the couch and watch the damn thing! (After all three people can't be wrong..... oh, wait a bit... how many commissioning editors are there at the SABC?) Seriously though, I'm going to give it another chance and will report back. If I don't make it back alive, Peapod promise me you'll tell my wife "bwahahaha". And Brown Shuga, thanks for being so sweet.

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