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Television Media IT

IT Crowd On-line 246

Posted by CmdrTaco from the well-that-was-unimpressive dept.
prostoalex writes "IT Crowd, a comedy television show by UK's Channel 4, introduced on Slashdot earlier, has released the first episode, available on the official show site in Windows Media format." Pretty standard fare- there are nice touches like EFF stickers and an RTFM shirt scattered about. Some funny stuff, but the laugh track makes it really unwatchable for me.
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IT Crowd On-line More

IT Crowd On-line

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  • meh ... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 29, 2006 @10:10AM (#14593115)
    Slashdot is my sitcom

  • Laughter Track (Score:5, Funny)

    by dougjm ( 838643 ) on Sunday January 29, 2006 @10:11AM (#14593121)
    Thats no laughter track, thats just how us Brits laugh!

    • Re:Laughter Track (Score:4, Informative)

      by david.joy ( 618354 ) on Sunday January 29, 2006 @11:17AM (#14593359) Homepage
      As I understand it very few British sitcoms use a "canned laughter" track, preferring either to film most of the scenes in front of a live audience or at the very least to play the finished episode on monitors in front of a real audience. The BBC in particular is particularly keen to use live audiences wherever possible (see the BBC Tickets page [bbc.co.uk] for information on how to join an audience), and whilst this particular comedy was made for Channel 4 rather than the BBC the same view is held across the entire British television industry.

      You can usually tell, anyway -- canned laughter tends to be rather clinical (it starts and stops very abruptly) whereas live laughter will grow or subside as the individual audience members get the joke at different times. That said, a lot of people accuse even live audiences of being distracting or sounding artificial, and that's because the audiences are encouraged by the programme-makers to make as much noise as possible, even if a joke isn't very funny. That doesn't mean they are canned, though.

      Unfortunately, it's usually difficult to find out which programmes are and which aren't as those programme-makers that do rely on canned laughter are very reluctant to make the knowledge public. And in all programmes the editors will have tweaked the laughter track a bit afterwards to smooth over glitches, cuts and re-takes.
      • That said, a lot of people accuse even live audiences of being distracting or sounding artificial, and that's because the audiences are encouraged by the programme-makers to make as much noise as possible, even if a joke isn't very funny. That doesn't mean they are canned, though.
        Sorry, but that's exactly what it means (that the laughter is canned, even if it's a different kind of can.

      • Re:Laughter Track (Score:3, Informative)

        by slim ( 1652 )
        That said, a lot of people accuse even live audiences of being distracting or sounding artificial, and that's because the audiences are encouraged by the programme-makers to make as much noise as possible, even if a joke isn't very funny.

        It is, to an an extent, a directorial decision. I went to a sitcom shooting in Hollywood ("The Geena Davies Show" -- high prestige, huh?) where the warm-up guy, under direction from the production team, coached us in how to laugh. He'd say "Now remember, you're here to add
    • one of the questions is, "The show's filmed in front of a live studio audience. Did you find it difficult not to crack up in front of them?"

      There's another question the actress's past performance in a stage show called "Deep Throat". (Channel 4, prepare for Slashdotting!)

      Future episodes that I look forward to:

      #11 "The CD/DVD Tray Is Not A Coffee Holder"
      #13 "The CEO Nails Roy In The Head With His Chair"
      #14 "Roy Utterly Bungles His Google Telephone Interview"
      #17 "Meet Your New Colleagues In Bangalore"
      #21 "Mos
  • I have been trying to download the episode with both safari and Firefox , however I seem to be having no luck.
    Looks like you have to be using windows , so perhaps mac users are out of luck . though I could be wrong and just having problems on my end.

    • Re:Mac attack (Score:5, Funny)

      by BasilBrush ( 643681 ) on Sunday January 29, 2006 @10:42AM (#14593210)
      Have you tried turning it off and then on again?
    • I just watched it on my iBook so there doesn't seem to be a total Windows dependence - it is Windows Media, though, so you'll need the appropriate software to play it.

      There was the semi-official Flip4Mac [microsoft.com] being waffled on about a few weeks ago, I used the prehistoric Mac port of Windows Media Player instead. I don't think I've ever seen it work for a full 25 minutes or so before.

      Anyway, trying to avoid sounding like a true nerd and switching off the white noise: the comedy itself. It was pretty funny, and wa
      • I feel like a bit of a twit , the moment I posted that I realised that I had it set up to send WMV to VLC instead of quicktime.
        Was rather hilarious , I think that was Chris Morris as the Boss , the guy who made Brass eye.
        Rather enjoyable .. would be better if they killed the laugh track , but I assume it is just teething problems .

    • Re:Mac attack (Score:3, Informative)

      by advocate_one ( 662832 )

      I have been trying to download the episode with both safari and Firefox , however I seem to be having no luck. Looks like you have to be using windows , so perhaps mac users are out of luck . though I could be wrong and just having problems on my end.

      aha... you've failed the test. Please surrender your Geek pass to security on the way out... :) a true geek would have tried an alternate approach such as cutting & pasting and replacing mms:// with http:/// [http]

      • I realised that just after posting ;) , it should be on my list of idiot checks . You know those times where you are trying to solve a rather complex problem and wonder why your debuging is to no avail , then realise you are debugging the wrong program.
        Or rip out the motherboard and ram , start doing diagnostics on them , then realise you had the power supply switched to 0
    • mplayer mms://edge.channel4.com/theitcrowd/episode1_c4web. wmv

      (presuming your mplayer was compiled for support for mms streams)

  • dont wanna stream? (Score:5, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 29, 2006 @10:15AM (#14593132)
    wget http://edge.channel4.com/theitcrowd/episode1_c4web .wmv [channel4.com]

  • broken link (Score:2, Informative)

    by zxsqkty ( 869685 )
    The link should be mms://edge.channel4.com/theitcrowd/episode1_c4web. wmv [edgechanne...e1c4webwmv], but it gets reformatted on posting making it un-clickable. Copy & paste...

  • Online before broadcast (Score:5, Interesting)

    by NickFitz ( 5849 ) <slashdot AT nickfitz DOT co DOT uk> on Sunday January 29, 2006 @10:19AM (#14593142) Homepage

    The really interesting thing about this is that the show won't be broadcast on Channel 4 until next Friday. I believe this is the first time a UK broadcaster has made a programmes available online before broadcast.

    • Re:Online before broadcast (Score:4, Informative)

      by slashknott ( 927394 ) on Sunday January 29, 2006 @10:23AM (#14593152)

      No, It's been done before more than once by the BBC.


      Mighty Boosh for one, Tittybangbang another. I'm sure there are more.

      • Man Stroke Women, being another..
      • Yes, but has it been done before with something that was made for terrestrial TV?

        (In my area, I can't even get Channel 5, let alone anything on FreeView... Not that I'm bitter, you understand.)

        Anyway. Having seen it, I agree with the comments about the intrusive laughter track. But I it's no worse than we've been used to for decades; it's just that many of the more recent comedies have been brave enough to do without one, so its presence is more obvious now.

        I also agree with comments about the old-

    • Unless you count that leaked episode of Doctor Who last year.
    • Auntie's done this a couple of times with BBC3 shows. The Mighty Boosh and Tittybangbang spring to mind.
    • I believe this is the first time a UK broadcaster has made a programmes available online before broadcast.

      You forget the purposely "leaked" premiere of Dr. Who.

  • Thank god it's just audio visual (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Quirk ( 36086 ) on Sunday January 29, 2006 @10:28AM (#14593170) Homepage Journal
    A realistic 'IT Crowd' would just shows fat, oily, pimply, hairy geeks. Fortunately Smell-O-Vision [retrofuture.com] didn't become a hit, or the 'IT Crowd' would have been, literally, an olfactory bomb.

  • Its too much! (Score:2, Interesting)

    by gasmonso ( 929871 )

    This show would be better if it were like The Office. Have the IT guys in there aswell as nerdy users, but this intense focus on it is too much. They are gonna burn out within the first few shows.

    http://religiousfreaks.com/ [religiousfreaks.com]

    • Re:Its too much! (Score:3, Funny)

      by Spad ( 470073 )
      Yes, because the world of IT staff is such a limited premise compared to the world of a book store owner, for example.

    • Re:Its too much! (Score:5, Interesting)

      by MosesJones ( 55544 ) on Sunday January 29, 2006 @10:52AM (#14593253) Homepage
      Its by the same writer as father Ted and the producers of the office. Father Ted had 4 main characters and lasted for several series.

      Intense focus in a sit-com isn't bad, lets face it this is normal, low number of core characters and sets with occasional colour add ons.

      Fraser - 3 sets (appartement, Studio, coffee shop) - 5 main characters

      Cheers - 1 set (bar) depending on series between 4 and 6 characters

      Friends - 2 sets (appartement & coffee shop) - 6 characters

      Office - 1 set (Office) 4 main characters

      Father Ted - 1 set (the house) 4 main characters

      So Sitcom history seems to say that you almost NEED an intense small group of sets and characters.

      • Re:Its too much! (Score:3, Interesting)

        by wfberg ( 24378 )

        So Sitcom history seems to say that you almost NEED an intense small group of sets and characters.

        If it doesn't have a small group of sets and characters... Then it's not a situational comedy, is it? It's either a sketch show, or standup comedy, or satire, or a late-night show, or a physical comedy show. Sitcoms have a few, recognizable, main characters, perhaps some recurring characters, and a small number of sets, because that's what makes it a sitcom. There are plenty of sitcoms that were totally unfunny

      • Re:Its too much! (Score:3, Interesting)

        by carou ( 88501 )
        And he co-wrote the first series of Black Books, as well, which had a core cast of three.

        One thing that may be unfamiliar to American readers, is that the usual model of British TV sit-coms is that a series lasts for just six or eight episodes, very tightly scripted (normally by just one or two writers) and concentrated: the best of them will fit as many laughs into three hours of TV, as a typical American sitcom will get in a 26 episode run.

        Short series mean there's less danger of ideas getting stale; on t

    • Re:Its too much! (Score:3, Interesting)

      by jez9999 ( 618189 )
      Yeah, I agree. It only really made me chuckle a few times throughout the episode, and there was far too much shouting throughout that made everything looks rather forced and wooden.

      Richard Ayoade (the black guy, Moss) is an apalling actor. I know he's meant to look awkward and have a nerdy voice, but he comes across as some kind of robot. He was in a very weird show on Channel 4 a while back called Garth Marenghi's Dark Place, and he was presumably in that because all the acting was *meant* to be terribl
    • The Office did have an IT guy in one episode, he was *very* well observed

      Tim: Look, how long is this going to take ?
      IT Guy: As long as it takes ........ (hits a key) ..... there done !

  • don't be a troll (Score:3, Insightful)

    by rdx38 ( 945382 ) on Sunday January 29, 2006 @10:51AM (#14593252)
    its a sitcom. it isnt thaat bad its cute and gives you that nice sitcom escapism feeling. its funny too

  • next ep (Score:2, Informative)

    by joe 155 ( 937621 )
    its worth mentioning that on "newsnight review" they said that although the first ep was ok the second was better... might be worth seeing the next one... although I do hate laughter tracks.
  • It tries to play on the sterotype of the it business as well as trying to be trendy. It sucks, red dwarf is much better.

  • Well done (Score:3, Insightful)

    by gomaze ( 105798 ) on Sunday January 29, 2006 @11:41AM (#14593462) Homepage
    I think this show was and is going to be very well done. It will have to exaggerate concepts and situations for the average user. I do think that "Nerds" or "Geeks" will find that the hummer is to played out for most issues but we are a select group of people and not the main audience target.

    I work in IT doing support for an Internet provider and I am willing to bet that they are going highlight most issues that I deal with on a daily basis. Granted, they are never that extreme but who cares. This may even show the average user that they need to relax before calling in. I think that capturing what the IT world does on film will be very hard but it looks like this show is on its way to doing just that.

  • pretty decent (Score:3, Interesting)

    by gubachwa ( 716303 ) on Sunday January 29, 2006 @11:48AM (#14593491)
    I was actually pleasantly surprised. It was pretty decent for a sitcom. I don't normally watch much TV, especially not sitcoms. (I consider 'Friends' one of the best reasons not to watch tv.)

    Are all the episodes going to be online, or just the premiere?

  • Tough crowd, tough crowd... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by ursabear ( 818651 ) on Sunday January 29, 2006 @12:00PM (#14593543) Homepage Journal
    It wasn't that bad. If one looks at it as humor, and not with an ultra-critical eye, it is pretty funny (if a little overacted).

  • What's wrong with a laughter track? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by JackDW ( 904211 ) on Sunday January 29, 2006 @12:36PM (#14593673) Homepage
    Why is a laughter track a bad thing? Bearing in mind that the laughter you hear on this show is the sound of the studio audience, watching the show as it was recorded, and not "canned".

    Today, it is fashionable to make comedy shows without an audience. However, this is not because there is anything wrong with a laughter track. Here, for example, is a list of successful English shows with laughter tracks.

    • Monty Python's Flying Circus
    • Fawlty Towers
    • Red Dwarf
    • I'm Alan Partridge
    • It's probably a standard, USian reaction to laughter tracks. Here, if anything is intended to be a joke, it gets canned laughter added after it. This ruins any subtle humor, since the canned laughter draws attention to every intended joke, and emphasizes the failure of jokes that aren't funny, which leads people to be hostile to laugh tracks in general.
      • Which to me is slightly ironic, because when younger I watched the Mash TV series - it was shown n the UK on BBC2 over a number of years. It was funny but also thought provoking, moving and bleak.

        Yet when it was later reshown (by Sky I think), I was amazed to find that Mash came with a laughter track. (and it was canned laughter, not studio laughter). It utterly changed the whole tone of the show, and I basically couldn't watch it.

        I'd be curious to know if this laughter track was used as a matter of c

  • It's funny-ish, but I don't see it running past more than a few episodes before it gets pulled, it's been geeked up too the point where there's no credible office humor. I can't see any decent relationships being possible between any of the characters, which are too few in number to carry anything for any length of time.

    It's not horrid, but there's no way I can see the stereotypes, and ancient jokes being enough to support it. 3/10.
  • Moss: "She's a little bit weird, to say the least."
    *sprays water on his ear*
    Roy: "What's that?"
    Moss: "Oh, just water. Sometimes I get a hot ear and this helps cool it down."

    I am affected by the same condition! I keep a spray bottle filled with water on my desk when my ears get too hot.

    • I am affected by the same condition! I keep a spray bottle filled with water on my desk when my ears get too hot.

      Well, since we are talking about being really nerdy already, and since this is slashdot, I might as well go into the nerdy stuff. Your ears getting hot makes a strange kind of sense, because as I understand it the main function of the outer part of your ear (the earlobes, etc.) has nothing to do with hearing. Instead, it's there to radiate heat. It's basically a heatsink for your head (an

      • "Now, if someone could just tell me why my ears get tingly on the inside when I get really hungry, that'd be helpful."

        That'll be the brain parasites [corante.com] eating your brain because your blood sugar level's too low to sustain them.
      • Now, if someone could just tell me why my ears get tingly on the inside when I get really hungry, that'd be helpful.

        A rise in blood pressure due to hyperinsulinism, perhaps?

  • So jealous... (Score:3, Funny)

    by shish ( 588640 ) on Sunday January 29, 2006 @02:14PM (#14594027) Homepage
    Their IT manager knows more about computers than mine ;_;
  • I liked the subtle references in the show, mostly in the form of bumper stickers and signs on the wall. Did anyone notice the Flying Spaghetti Monster? What else was in there?

  • An interview with the writer (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Bob[Bob] ( 60151 ) on Sunday January 29, 2006 @04:31PM (#14594688) Journal
    Here's an interview with the writer/director, Graham Linehan, published yesterday:
    http://telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2 006/01/28/btvline28.xml [telegraph.co.uk]

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