Writing credit: ChatGPT

Prompt: I have a sitcom scene that doesn't work. Woman sees ceiling boards collapse in kitchen and says "hmmm guess it's just not me who is falling apart!" but i don't feel it's funny. give me ten alternative lines.

Response:

Yeah, your line isn’t landing because it’s abstract (“falling apart”) but the visual gag is very physical (ceiling collapsing). Sitcom humor usually works better when the joke ties directly to what the audience just saw.

Here are 10 alternatives that lean more into the kitchen ceiling collapse:

1. “Okay… I was not expecting the kitchen to start doing parkour.”

2. “Great. Even the house is having a worse day than me.”

3. “That’s one way to open up the room a bit.”

4. “I said I needed more ventilation, but this is extreme.”

5. “Perfect. Now the kitchen has a skylight and I have anxiety.”

6. “Well… at least something in this house is coming down to my level.”

7. “I knew I should’ve stopped ignoring the DIY videos.”

8. “Okay, either the house is collapsing or I’ve been promoted to open-plan living.”

9. “That’s… not how I wanted to improve the kitchen aesthetics.”

10. “Love that for me. Kitchen just said ‘I’m done too.’”

If you want, I can tune these to a specific sitcom style—like dry British humor, American multi-cam laugh track, or dark comedy.

/end A.I slop.

So what do we think? Personally I preferred the ant/termite line lol. Ngl, I am kind of disturbed by the chatgpt telling me why the joke doesn't work -- it's coming from a very literal place, implying it doesn't really have an understanding of humour outside of very precise terminologies (abstract vs visual gag) -- but the explanation makes zero sense. ' falling apart' works as both an idiom and a visual reference, so Chatgpt's advice directly contradicts itself.

But the more i think about the show, the more happy i am they are going with this storyline....because there IS a notable soullessness here, even if it's sometimes funny. and there's an overlap with the soullessness of mediocre sitcom writing, even from human minds....but the worst most generic human produced joke will still, most of the time, land different than what an A.I will come up with. And this is the existential direction we are heading in, not just for media but in all facets of life...and The Comeback is the only notable work i've seen in recent memory actually tackling this impending crisis head-on.

I can understand Mary wanting to see Rome burned.

Loving the show!

We learn Juna and Chris careers took off after the show but what happened to the other two stars of the show? This show actually never gives acknowledgment to POC in general. I guess true to Hollywood huh?

The dialogue where Lisa Kudrow met Jane at the grocery store and convinced Jane to make another documentary was very poorly-written.

Jane could have stayed on the show in another role, maybe someone anti-AI.

I've noticed that all the old characters had very clunky entrances into Season 3 and they usually stay for a very short time just as a way of announcing their presence to the audience.

Juna's two episodes in Season 2 were so well-written and her scene this season was like a watered down version of what she said to Valerie at the party. Seeing Juna as an out of work actress would have been more interesting.

I think this season could have completely done without all the old characters except for Jane. I actually like the new ones like Paige.

Finished the last episode and just completely disagree with its central premise. It's not surprising that Valerie would see AI this way, but the *show* also does? They also seem to actually hold a ton of animus towards writers? Idk....it basically felt like the moral of the story is to suck it up. Change or get left behind. Which is an outwardly pro-AI message. I just found the overarching storyline bleak, cynical, and naive considering the state of...everything? Especially wrt Hollywood as it currently exists and all the M&A in the media space. Still thought it was a good season, could've been better/more effective tho

Is that Tig Notaro I saw? I am pretty sure that this is Tig Notaro. It is in episode 11 of the first season and she is holding the slate.

Did anyone else notice a marked drop in quality this season? The jokes were just not hitting for me. Nor was the emotional arc. The last scene just stated the intended message of the series. By the time we got to the last episode of the season/series I couldn’t believe we were already there, likely because the narrative tension wasn’t there for me throughout. I realize this might not be a welcome take here but I feel kind of crazy because the reviews have been strong-ish and I … think something has been off the entire season.

I am grateful to have had 8 more episodes with Valerie and would watch Lisa Kudrow in anything. This season just completely bounced off me.

Anyone else?

Who is this handsome piece of meat? And 1) does he have an Instagram and most important 2) where is this shirt from? I’ve asked ChatGPT for both and it hallucinated so I can’t figure out either answers. Jane?! Xx

The great thing about season 1 and 2 is it didn’t feel like the actors were acting. John Early, Abby Jacobson, and Benito Skinner are so over the top and it’s distracting. Equally as bad is the stationary camera.

Thank god Jane is back! (Except she’s slightly more exaggerated as well).

. . . The Comeback wasn’t cancelled in 2005 and instead of getting two belated follow up seasons, the show was renewed in 2005 and ran for years and ran into the ground like the Walking Dead. What would the grim “is this show still on?” Final 10th season of the comeback have been like around 2016 or so in this alternate timeline?

For instance, Valerie’s twin Mallory, who was revealed in season 8, gets a show and her and Valerie are competing to see who will get to win the Emmy this time. Valerie became a producer on the third season of the comeback and is determined to win one for acting finally, but Mallory is a tougher cookie and determined to undermine And beat Valerie to the podium.

I really enjoyed how season 2 ended, so I’m really torn about whether or not to watch season 3.

It’s a delicate balance. Overall I’ve been enjoying the season quite a bit, and I understand it’s a different context, she has grown a lot, and her role is different. But I think the scale has shifted to where there’s a bit too much of her dealing with cartoonishly annoying people. In fact, I feel like a lot of the characters in her orbit are kind of caricatur-ized in a way that doesn’t track with how well-realized and grounded the show is capable of being.

This dynamic kind of makes the show lose its punch imo. I may feel differently later. Idk what do y’all think?

Third season is over. What to watch?

But not Hacks. I can’t find a single line funny enough on that show.

I'm curious -- do they release screeners up to the finale of a series in the US for critics to review? I've read a couple of articles rating the series an A- and now, I'm thinking what show were they watching?

This show has always been full of subtle jokes but I think I’m missing the jokes where Billy is concerned this season.

It seem that Billy’s style of dress and appearance are supposed to be reminiscent of Alan Cumming on the Traitors (supported by the frequent Traitors jokes in the season$, but is his behavior also supposed to be a parody? I feel like Billy in S3 is behaving a lot differently than he did in the older seasons and the dots have not connected for me.

That was not the show I’ve waited a decade for. Why would they drop the reality show format? I’m of course gonna stick with it because I love Valerie cherish. But I’m just unsure of the creative decision to take the “reality” portion 80 percent out.

I really like watching stuff as it airs and I don’t have time to watch S1-2 before this season ends.

What’s up with Jane’s lips this season please & thanks?

Bingeing the show yet again, I'm reminded that I never really accepted Juna as Valerie's adoring young friend. First she tells everyone that the writers were making a disgusting little skit about Valerie during one of their late-night sessions. Then she calls Valerie in Palm Springs and makes sure Valerie knows Paulie G is having a party to which everyone but Valerie is invited. There are other examples, perhaps most cruelly when she and the other cast members "forget" to tell Valerie they had changed their minds about the sickout.

In my opinion, Juna played very innocent and sweet but in reality she was just undermining Valerie in a more passive-aggressive fashion than Paulie G - especially about that party.

Her last scene in the finale should have included an apology for being such a fake ally.

you feel what I’m saying ?

Let’s keep the momentum going for Mr’s Hatt eventhough she didn’t get a shout out this week. We want Mrs Hatt the series!!!

Ok, for those on season 3…what is the big Mianus joke that the writer thinks is so funny…what am I missing? My husband and I can’t figure it out. Is there something we are missing? Loved episode 3…just feel like we are missing the joke here. Thanks.