I only learned in 2021 of Tracey's shows and movies. So glad for her available videos . Her 1983 cover of They Don't Know is a new favorite song of mine. Once heard it years ago and didn't know who sang it! 2021 in a Trader Joe's store, I heard it and said to the grocery cart " That's it!"
I'm a fan of James L. Brooks' stuff, but telling a British comedienne to watch American comedy so she can "get a feel for it" might be the worst advice you could give them. It's like telling someone who eats steak to try a Big Mac. Mel Brooks, George Carlin and Richard Pryor are certainly some of the exceptions, but in general, British comedy is far superior. American sitcoms are generally about nothing. Stereotypes. Not even satire. Just stereotypes with nothing new to add. No creativity. You've got an actress and comedienne from the UK, and you want her to dumb down her comedy so she can reach the lowest common denominator. In the end, Tracey Takes On, as opposed to the Tracey Ullman Show, was terrific. But that was on HBO, not Fox. American cable is where you get halfway decent television. There's really nothing of value on network television and hasn't been since the 70s. The Simpsons wasn't bad though, particularly early on when it helped define 90s culture, and Tracey had a hand in that as well. Then again, if you want to learn halfway decent American comedy writing, Mel Brooks is probably the guy you want to learn from. He's a master satirist. That's very rare on this side of the pond.
I love Mel.
I love Carl.
I love Tracey.
I love American Masters.
I love PBS.
Thank You!!!
I couldn't agree more. I'm English and Tracy is the funniest woman to ever came out of England.
I only learned in 2021 of Tracey's shows and movies.
So glad for her available videos . Her 1983 cover of They Don't Know is a new favorite song of mine. Once heard it years ago and didn't know who sang it!
2021 in a Trader Joe's store, I heard it and said to the grocery cart " That's it!"
I'm a fan of James L. Brooks' stuff, but telling a British comedienne to watch American comedy so she can "get a feel for it" might be the worst advice you could give them. It's like telling someone who eats steak to try a Big Mac. Mel Brooks, George Carlin and Richard Pryor are certainly some of the exceptions, but in general, British comedy is far superior. American sitcoms are generally about nothing. Stereotypes. Not even satire. Just stereotypes with nothing new to add. No creativity. You've got an actress and comedienne from the UK, and you want her to dumb down her comedy so she can reach the lowest common denominator. In the end, Tracey Takes On, as opposed to the Tracey Ullman Show, was terrific. But that was on HBO, not Fox. American cable is where you get halfway decent television. There's really nothing of value on network television and hasn't been since the 70s. The Simpsons wasn't bad though, particularly early on when it helped define 90s culture, and Tracey had a hand in that as well. Then again, if you want to learn halfway decent American comedy writing, Mel Brooks is probably the guy you want to learn from. He's a master satirist. That's very rare on this side of the pond.