My mom has suggested that we watch a show together from our separate locations, but comedy only. The thing is that she is extremely picky about comedy (and I get it, I am too). When asked what she finds funny, she cited "Running Scared" and "Uncle Buck", but I think that's more nostalgia for the era and Chicago, where she's from. I floated "Ted Lasso", but she said she watched one episode and didn't like it. I'm coming up empty....please give me your best recs to make our 90 min runtime not awkward! Both movies and TV recommendations are good! Some notes to help (or in my case, stump):
- She's enjoyed Friends and Seinfeld, but hates most sitcoms
- She enjoyed Derry Girls, but never went beyond the first few episodes; I think the accents were too much for her and she didn't want to read subtitles (she was forced to go to Catholic School when she was younger, so I think the content was relevant to her)
- No misogyny, no matter how slight
- No sex scenes (mostly because I don't want to sit through that with her)
- No "sophisticated" humor; I'm not even sure what I mean by this....like things that require someone be well-read or understand the throwaway one-liners that deal in niche knowledge.
- She doesn't have any hobbies; she barely scraped by in high school; she mostly didn't work except as a teacher's aide and as a bus driver for kids who needed extra help, so she loves kids (just not her own -- we have a very distant relationship, the backstory isn't relevant here). I only mention any of this because I think the things most people find funny come from a place of knowing and experience. There's an element of truth we intimately recognize. And, I'm struggling to find something like that for her.
I was considering The Detectorists, but that may be a bit too slow with the laughs. I might also try an episode of Party Down or maybe Freaks and Geeks. Working-class sensibilities without being crass or maybe kid hijinks might be the sweet spot.
Thanks for racking your brains, even if you can't think of anything. The limitations make this a tough ask!
- She's enjoyed Friends and Seinfeld, but hates most sitcoms
- She enjoyed Derry Girls, but never went beyond the first few episodes; I think the accents were too much for her and she didn't want to read subtitles (she was forced to go to Catholic School when she was younger, so I think the content was relevant to her)
- No misogyny, no matter how slight
- No sex scenes (mostly because I don't want to sit through that with her)
- No "sophisticated" humor; I'm not even sure what I mean by this....like things that require someone be well-read or understand the throwaway one-liners that deal in niche knowledge.
- She doesn't have any hobbies; she barely scraped by in high school; she mostly didn't work except as a teacher's aide and as a bus driver for kids who needed extra help, so she loves kids (just not her own -- we have a very distant relationship, the backstory isn't relevant here). I only mention any of this because I think the things most people find funny come from a place of knowing and experience. There's an element of truth we intimately recognize. And, I'm struggling to find something like that for her.
I was considering The Detectorists, but that may be a bit too slow with the laughs. I might also try an episode of Party Down or maybe Freaks and Geeks. Working-class sensibilities without being crass or maybe kid hijinks might be the sweet spot.
Thanks for racking your brains, even if you can't think of anything. The limitations make this a tough ask!
