Modern Comedy

The mockumentary style is very interesting. I actually have written about it a couple of times now.  They’ve been becoming more and more common with many very popular examples these days.  There’s the Office, but also Modern Family, Arrested Development, Parks and Recreation, and 7 Days in Hell. There has even been some pretty interesting kids shows like The Naked Brothers Band or the Total Drama Series. They function in different ways, the Office and Parks and Rec provide a sort of a western “slice of life” show. The shows take the viewer into the everyday, if out of the ordinary, lives of these coworkers. Modern Family is similar in that it follows the life of an unconventional family, but still gives you the perspective of each character thought the reality TV style  “confession cameras.” Meanwhile 7 Days in Hell and Arrested Development simulate actual documentaries. It all provides a different framing for comedy than the standard sitcom.  Rather than a straightforward story telling, the mockumentary allows for that story, but with the ability to insert those interview like portions that give an extra chance for jokes and the chance to give characters real opinions.

The popularity of these shows coincides with the rise of popularity of actual reality shows.  Modern Family came just after Keeping Up with the Kardashians, another show about the daily lives of a family.  The Total Drama series, a made up competition series pitting teens against each other in ridiculously dangerous challenges, came out while Survivor was still culturally relevant.  People seem to enjoy these shows that take everything that is inherently incongruous with these cultural phenomenons and dial it up to make it even more ridiculous.