TV Rifftrax. What's your opinion?

[doctorz]

There have been two TV series shows that have have been rifftraxed. Lost and Grey's Anatomy.

What do you think? Is this a good or bad idea?

I must confess that both efforts rank at the bottom of my rifftrax collection. I probably won't watch them again. Personally I have never watched either show un-riffed on TV and don't see any reason why I would. Both are utterly vacuous and feature tired premises and actors and actresses who would do better selling hair products or doing infomercials. Yes, that is the point of rifftrax, I realize that, but these shows inhabit the realm of not bad enough to be good and therefore have zero entertainment value for me. I hate them so much that even the considerable talents of Mike and his guest riffers can't make me watch them again.

[Torgo]

Haven't listened to Grey's, but Lost is the best RiffTrax I've heard yet.

[BathTub]

Mixed, I enjoyed LOST, but wasn't so keen on Grey's Anatomy.

[gammer]

I'm the opposite. I didn't like LOST all that well, but thought Grey's was pretty damn funny.

But to get back to the main question, I'd prefer if they stuck to movies.

[Mod City]

It's hard for me to say, as I haven't seen either, but I think there's probably potential.

I generally think television has improved greatly in quality in the last 10 years, but I know there are more dogs out there for them to target (I don't know, I don't think either GA or Lost are bad shows). I'm a huge Heroes fan, but I know Mike could destroy a couple episodes of that no problem and make it a riot at the same time.

I don't know. If it works, and it's funny, I say do it.

[hugo]

Part of the problem for me is that T.V. shows generally are packaged as "box sets" and may be more difficult to obtain. I would also worry about the pacing of the shows, as TV dramas tend to be faster paced than movies, and often much more dialog-driven, which are two things that don't neccessarily lend themselves to the best riffing. Serialized dramas also tend to take it for granted that we're regular viewers, so plunking someone down in the middle of a season might make the entire experience harder to get into. (of course, this would not apply to pilots, so I would assume the Rifftrax team would stick to 1st and 2nd episodes)

So I dunno, maybe once in a while if a special opportunity comes along to do a show that's just begging to be riffed (which I think Lost is a perfect candidate) then go ahead. But there's still plenty of movies out there that deserve to get the treatment first.

[mightyjack]

Anytime I laugh, it's a good idea. That ends the debate for me, dead on arrival, as to what should or shouldn't be riffed.

If the jokes are funny enough then I'm usually not effected by the quality of the film, bad, good, indifferent. I could care less as long as my sides are splitting.

"Lost" made me roar with laughter. End of story.

[BathTub]

They always consider availability, LOST, and Grey's are big enough that you should be able to find them in a rental store or get them through iTunes. That's one reason why there hasn't been anything like Troll 2 done recently.

[Skyroniter]

I enjoyed Lost but haven't seen Grey's yet.
I prefer they stick with movies. As previously mentioned, they are typically less expensive to obtain. Also the take you from beginning to resolution in 1 1/2 to 2 hrs. TV series tend to leave you hanging.

[jetjaguar15]

Dunno yet. Just bought my first Rifftrax for a TV show, Grey's Anatomy. Will let you know...

[hugo]

mightyjack said:

Anytime I laugh, it's a good idea. That ends the debate for me, dead on arrival, as to what should or shouldn't be riffed.

If the jokes are funny enough then I'm usually not effected by the quality of the film, bad, good, indifferent. I could care less as long as my sides are splitting.

"Lost" made me roar with laughter. End of story.

Fair enough. (though I wonder if you'd be as forgiving if the next few Rifftrax were based on random "Starsky & Hutch" episodes which could prove difficult to obtain)

And while "If I laugh, etc." is a perfectly viable philosophy, it can really only be said to apply to PAST experiences (i.e. Rifftrax's that you've already seen) What's being discussed here is whether or not TV shows in general would be able to sustain a future for Riffing. There have been a few reasons cited that demonstrate that this may not be the case. I.E. if a previously unseen regular character appears, should the riffers say "who the hell is this?" or should they assume that everyone knows who he is?

For a movie, everyone (riffers and viewers) starts out with a "blank slate" so to speak, which I think makes for a better overall environment. Sure, Mike & Co can make funny riffs on just about anything from the Weather Channel to C-SPAN, but I think preserving the original formula is probably in everyone's best interest. Again, I agree that "funny is good enough" for this kind of thing, but it could very well lead to a situation where we've strayed too far from the "so bad they're great" type of movies to "mediocre TV shows" and suddenly the whole spirit of riffing begins to elude us. Just my $.02

[Mr. Atari]

I love the idea.

Easily two thirds of my DVD watching consists of TV shows. They are readily available, even old shows.

Both "LOST" and "Grey's..." are cultural phenomena, so why not? I'm looking forward to more.

[mightyjack]

hugo said:

mightyjack said:

Anytime I laugh, it's a good idea. That ends the debate for me, dead on arrival, as to what should or shouldn't be riffed.

If the jokes are funny enough then I'm usually not effected by the quality of the film, bad, good, indifferent. I could care less as long as my sides are splitting.

"Lost" made me roar with laughter. End of story.

Fair enough. (though I wonder if you'd be as forgiving if the next few Rifftrax were based on random "Starsky & Hutch" episodes which could prove difficult to obtain)

And while "If I laugh, etc." is a perfectly viable philosophy, it can really only be said to apply to PAST experiences (i.e. Rifftrax's that you've already seen) What's being discussed here is whether or not TV shows in general would be able to sustain a future for Riffing. There have been a few reasons cited that demonstrate that this may not be the case. I.E. if a previously unseen regular character appears, should the riffers say "who the hell is this?" or should they assume that everyone knows who he is?

Sorry, but I read Dr. Zs original post as being about the "laugh factor" vs "Phantom rule" - He doesn't enjoy the shows, he... "Hates them so much that even the considerable talents of Mike and guest riffers can't make me watch them again"

That's not about availability or "Unseen characaters", it's about the quality of the subject being riffed. So, Dr. Z can correct me if I read that wrong, but my answer to his original question as I read it, is still viable. If I'm laughing hard enough I'll sit through anything


And this isn't MST, Period! Time and time and time again they've shown that Rifftrax isn't just doing the worst, but also the best (LOTR, Casino Royale) if that's not your cup of tea, fine. But that is the reality of rifftrax. I for one laugh, and since that's what I'm here for, that's all I give a damn about

As for availability. Trax has made a point of selecting movies and shows that are readily available. I'm not too concerned that this is going to change. Thus far, availability has been a non factor.

[hugo]

Good points. And indeed: THIS ISN'T MST3K, for sure. Also agreed: funny is enough. Grey's Anatomy and Lost were, I'm sure, easily obtainable (I've never uses Netflix, so I dunno) I just worry that if the trend of riffing TV shows were to continue, things could progress to "less obtainable" titles. Though, if they hold true to form, this should not be the case.

But you gotta admit, during the "Grey's Anatomy" riffing (and I'm strictly referring to the sample clip, since that's all I have) they had to lower the actual show's volume A LOT in order to fit their riffs in, which supports my earlier theory about network TV being faster-paced and overly dialog-driven. They (the old MST3K crew) have rejected certain films for being "too talky" and for (presumably) good reason. I know, I know, this isn't MST3K but let's face it, the two formats have a heck of a lot in common, and what's true for one may very well be true for another. I for one hope that their venture into riffing TV shows is just an occasional dalliance, and not the tip of an iceberg.