Carol Burnett Criticizes Modern Sitcoms, Receives SAG Lifetime Achievement Award

Comedienne and TV personality Carol Burnett shared her thoughts on the present state of comedy as she sat for an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. Burnett, who received the Lifetime Achievement A...
Carol Burnett Criticizes Modern Sitcoms, Receives SAG Lifetime Achievement Award
Written by Val Powell
  • Comedienne and TV personality Carol Burnett shared her thoughts on the present state of comedy as she sat for an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

    Burnett, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Saturday evening, could not help but notice how much modern comedy has changed. She said much of today’s sitcom’s “sound like they’ve been written by teenage boys in a locker room.”

    While there is nothing wrong with sitcoms being edgy, she admitted she misses the old classic way of delivering jokes.

    “I am kind of bored of producers saying, ‘It’s got to be edgy.’ Edgy is fine — I’m not a prude by any stretch of the imagination — but what’s wrong with a good ol’ belly laugh? I miss that,” Burnett shared.

    Producers wanted sitcoms to be fast and Carol Burnett thinks because of this trend, “some of the writing isn’t good anymore.”

    “A lot of comedy today is so fast — it’s like: “Boom! Boom! Boom!” — because they think people can’t pay enough attention,” observed the 82-year-old comedienne.

    Burnett faced a lot of discouragement before she became a comedy icon just because she was a woman. In her acceptance speech at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, she shared the discrimination she experienced as a woman trying to make a name in the comedy department.

    Carol Burnett Delivers an Inspiring Speech at the 2016 SAG Awards

    She hosted the comedy variety series The Carol Burnett Show but revealed the network wanted something different. Carol Burnett was told to do a half-hour sitcom called Here Comes Agnes but she refused. She revealed that she was constantly told by the network that comedy variety was not for girls. “They said, ‘Carol, no, no, no no, look. All the comedy variety shows are hosted by men,” Burnett recalled.

    Carol Burnett Starred in Her Own Sketch Comedy Show

    Fortunately, Carol Burnett did not give up. The Carol Burnett Show won 25 Emmy Awards during its 11-year run.

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