Sitcoms and Spectrumites

Post Reply New Topic

I've noticed that none of the people with AS I know are into sitcoms, with the notable exception of Big Bang Theory because of Sheldon's characteristics and those of the other geeks on the show. I can easily see why other people with ASDs feel drawn to the characters and situations, as these are things that they can easily relate to.

I'm wondering if perhaps one's ability to navigate social situations is tied to their ability to understand and relate to sitcoms, since so much of their humor is derived from quirky characters and awkward situations. I'm wondering this because over the past few years I feel my ability to recognize emotions and social nuances has become better, and as a result, this has led to lots of friendship and socialization experiences. As a result, I'm able to identify with the characters and experiences in sitcoms to a greater degree. I'm thinking it's also related to self-esteem as well, as I find myself relating to the characters and being reminded of situations I've had similar to theirs...and laughing about them.

I first watched the popular sitcom The Office through someone I knew when it first came out. I was in college and living away from home for the first time, so I was also pretty socially naive. I didn't understand it at all, let alone find it funny. But when I started watching it again last year, I found it hilarious and then proceeded to watch all the past seasons. I'm now watching and immensely joining the current season. I find it relies heavily on non-verbal language to convey humour...there are countless instances where a character is going on about something that is ridiculous or far-fetched, and another character just has this "knowing look" that they share with the audience.

My latest obsession is with the show How I Met Your Mother. It's about an ambitious guy in the city who navigates the world of dating, along with his four friends: a disgustingly cute couple, a tomboyish (mostly) single woman also finding herself, and a guy who is a perverted yet somehow lovable ladies man. Most of the humor comes from situations and behaviours that, over the course of meeting and getting to know people, you'll increasingly identify...perhaps not from your own peer group but from people you have run into. For example, Barney, the lovable pervert, comes up with a "Bro Code", a written set of "unwritten rules" that governs behaviour between two single males trying to help each other score girls. Although I have not done this sort of behaviour myself, being a woman, I have witnessed "bro" behaviour between single guys.

So, what are your thoughts on sitcoms? Feel free to add comments on my above theory, or add your own thoughts. I'm just curious on the board's perspective of them.

I really like the office and the big bang theory, don't care for how I met your mother. I also like raising hope and modern family.

I think that is a plausible theory, and probably the biggest reason why I never found sitcoms as funny as other people did. I watched one episode of How I Met Your Mother that had Britney Spears on it and found some parts funny, but I didn't ever understand the actual plot as you have described it above. One thing I find eerie is how, when I was younger, I was lying on my bed and listening to Everybody Loves Raymond, which my parents were watching in another room. I found it hilarious for some reason. But once I actually started watching the show, I suddenly stopped finding it funny. Perhaps it was easier for me to comprehend what was going on through a single sensory channel, or perhaps I just happened to be in a silly mood that day. I didn't find The Office funny, either.

not into sitcoms they kill my buzz.

Actually, there have been many that I've liked over the years. I can't really name them all (nor would I want to).

Some of my "top" sitcoms:

-PERFECT STRANGERS
-MURPHY BROWN
-CHEERS
-WINGS
-FRASIER
-JUST SHOOT ME

Occasionally, I will watch HOT IN CLEVELAND now, but not all the time.

I regularly watch the following shows:

New Girl
Best Friends Forever
Raising Hope
30 Rock
Cougar Town (so much funnier than I expected)
Modern Family

I watch them because they're funny and because they all have a little bit of an edge to them without being judgy. I've been told repeatedly that I'd love The Office, but frankly I find it uncomfortable and mean. I would like How I Met Your Mother more, but I really don't like Ted. (he's kind of whiny)
I've been thinking maybe I should give Parks and Recreation and Community another shot.
Of these shows, I only quote 30 Rock. But I quote 30 Rock ALL THE TIME.

i'm just not into anything that's not on PBS or NPR/PRI. "sitcoms" might as well be depicting martians interacting with plutonians, for all the sense they make to me. i find nothing amusing about them, they are totally foreign to me.

Actually, I've never been into sitcoms because they don't depict realistic people. Sitcoms, unlike many of the great serialized shows, have a heavily staged/scripted vibe to them that is really hard for me to connect with. I did like most of the sitcoms I grew up with, though, like "Full House" and "Roseanne".

These days, the only sitcoms I like are:

Big Bang Theory (explicitly for the reasons you mentioned)
30 Rock (Tina Fey is one of my favorite people, and I relate to her character, Liz Lemon, A LOT)
Parks and Recreation (it's the same format of The Office, which I've never found funny at all, but the characters are really charming, quirky and likeable)

My absolute favorite show (non-sitcom) is "Shameless", which is about as real life as you can get. The sitcoms above are fun for 30 minutes of fun escape, but I like my television with a hefty dose of reality and emotional punch.

all in the family, sanford and son, soap, and mary hartman were the only ones i found any entertainment value in.

I've said for a while that I've learned to understand how people communicate with one another by watching television. And sitcoms are probably one of the best ways to do that, being as characters tend to be a little less complex than they do on really heavy dramas.

That being said, I'm not a huge fan of sitcoms. Watch "Big Bang Theory" sometimes, but I like the earlier episodes better. I think they're trying to cater to NTs more these days and the characters have become caricatures of their former selves. YMMV on that one.

"Bones" taught me how people interact with one another. And these days, the show is more of a sitcom than a darkly humorous crime drama.

I mostly like shows with some kind of scifi or fantasy stuff or lots of gayness and violent/adult content.

Some examples of shows I like: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Vampire Diaries, Moonlight, Xena, Hercules, X-Files, Sliders, Queer as Folk (American version), and Oz.

OP, if you look up HIMYM on Wiki you'll find a link to Barny's blog, the website where Lilly and Marshall sell their stuff, and TedMosbyIsAJerk.com.

There are also published books of the Bro Code, and I think there is a copy of it online somewhere. Have you seen those?

We have all the seasons but I haven't watched them all yet.

Did you like Freaks And Geeks, or did you ever see it? I didn't see it when it was on but I saw it about a year ago when my oldest daughter and her fiance got the whole series (two seasons only) on DVD. It's great, especially for anybody who was in high school in the late 70's early 80's. It's more accurate about the time period than "That 70s Show" by far.

My newest favorite show is on TruTV and it's called "Impractical Jokers". It's these four guys who have to do embarrassing things in public and they film each other. It's great, I love it!!

_________________
I'm giving it another shot. We will see.
My forum is still there and everyone is welcome to come join as well. There is a private women only subforum there if anyone is interested. Also, there is no CAPTCHA.

The link to the forum is http://www.rightplanet.proboards.com

I love sitcoms. I'm not as crazy about HIMYM anymore though since it's become more serious (it used to be my favorite show).