The Simpsons
An animated sitcom about a dumb, lazy nuclear plant worker and his family.
Where The Simpsons comes up1 episode or test
From Scott Dikkers on layered humor
What was said about The Simpsons
The Simpsons puts broad comedy on top and smart jokes underneath. Scott Dikkers holds it up as the model for layered humor: a dumb Homer on the surface, with clever jokes in the layers below. He says this hidden layer earns it more credibility than Family Guy.
Dikkers frames it as about 90% of the audience enjoying the broad joke while the other 10% enjoy the hidden smart layer. He ties it to a rule from The Onion's first book: "the bigger the headline, the more accessible the joke has to be." Under that rule, an obscure reference can sit deep in the piece, around paragraph eight, for the few who will get it.
The 11 Tricks Behind Funny Storytelling (Scott Dikkers Interview)
Used as the model for broad comedy on top with smart jokes running underneath. It gets more credibility than Family Guy for that hidden layer.
The Simpsons puts broad comedy on top and smart jokes underneath. Scott Dikkers holds it up as the model for layered humor: a dumb Homer on the surface, with clever jokes in the layers below. He says this hidden layer earns it more credibility than Family Guy.
Dikkers frames it as about 90% of the audience enjoying the broad joke while the other 10% enjoy the hidden smart layer. He ties it to a rule from The Onion's first book: "the bigger the headline, the more accessible the joke has to be." Under that rule, an obscure reference can sit deep in the piece, around paragraph eight, for the few who will get it.
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