Is Offensive TV Comedy Dead?

June 6, 10:57 PMBoston TV ExaminerMichael Langston Moore

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   Dave Chappelle from "Chappelle's Show" on Comedy Central

There are all kinds of comedy in the vast television landscape.  There's wholesome comedy, stand-up comedy, physical comedy, and low brow humor. 

But what about edgy and, at times, flat out offensive comedy?

Oftentimes, the comedy that pushes the envelope is the most funny--not merely because of the joke itself but because of what a given punchline or sight gag is skewering.  Offensive comedy can be mean spirited, sure, but it can also point the mirror at the audience and help showcase our own perceptions and biases regarding the people and world that surround us.

George Carlin, Chris Rock, and Richard Pryor's television specials are great examples of this.  Even better are the Norman Lear created classic sitcoms "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons."

In 2009, though, Archie Bunker would've been run off television before his first season concluded. 

But why is this?  Are we too sensitive?  Too soft?  Too scared?

It's not as if we haven't seen edgy comedy as of late.  The 1990's brought us "In Living Color," which featured Damon Wayans playing the handicapped superhero "HandiMan."  Even in 2009, in a world full of Peter's, Homer's, Cartmans, and a "Dick in a Box," would this air on network television at 9pm?

In 2009, no longer does Bernie Mac stare directly at the camera and proclaim that he will "beat his kids 'till the white meat shows" or opine that "white women need to stop losing weight" on "The Bernie Mac Show."  No longer are viewers able to wintess Dave Chappelle dress as a homeless crack addict who teaches elementary school kids or view "Seasame Street" characters discuss sex topics on "Chappelle's Show."

There are, of course, the comedic staples that are still on television.  HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" is getting ready to return in the Fall.  FOX's "Family Guy" is still on the air, along with the other Seth MacFarlane comedy "American Dad" (soon, FOX will debut "The Cleveland Show," a "Family Guy" spin-off).  Comedy Central's "South Park" always attempts to stay topical with jokes ranging from Tom Cruise to R.Kelly to Sarah Palin.

Oddly enough, one "South Park" episode that sparked the most controversy involved the N-word.  In a 2007 episode titled "With Apologies to Jesse Jackson," the N-word was uttered by a character and the entire episode dealt with racism and irony.  Although offensive to some, the episode was praised by Jill Flowers, the co-founder of the organization Abolish the "N" Word.

That's the thing about offensive comedy--if handled correctly, it can both offend and enlighten.

But sometimes, networks make attempts to be edgy for the sole sake of gaining ratings.  In 1998, ABC aired the show "The Hughley's" starring D.L. Hughley as a father who moves his family from the inner city to the suburbs.  D.L. played Darryl, a hardworking man who held onto some racial biases about people.  Billed as the next George Jefferson, Darryl Hughley came across as a castrated Archie Bunker.  And though the character made fun of his white and Korean neighbors, the jokes always lacked the venom and wit of other daring shows.

The network FOX also tried their hand with the 2005 "The War at Home."  This time, Michael Rapport starred as Dave Gold, a man who lived with his wife and three children in Long Island.  Though a loving parent, Dave had racial and homophobic issues, which he had no problem voicing to those around him.  Many episodes revolved around the theory that Dave thinks his son might be gay.  Another episode dealt with Dave being outraged that his daughter was dating a black man.  And in the opening of the pilot episode, Dave calls Mary Tyler Moore a "bitch."

Is this edgy and daring or ugly bully tactics?

What makes offensive comedy work is not when we laugh at the butt of the joke, but when audiences are in on the joke itself due to the viewers' sophistication.  We never laughed at Archie Bunker because he called people "gooks" or "jungle bunnies"--we laughed at his ignorance and his inability to see his own bigotry (and his mangling of the English language). 

We laughed because through his hate speech, we understood what the real inside joke was. 

We laughed because, through the entire thirty minute episode, after Michael, Gloria and Edith had eviscerated every non-sensical point that Bunker threw out, he never changed.  We knew he would never change.  His ignorance almost became a disability--you laughed because you were shocked that a man could see the world through such a set of warped eyes.

David Chappelle's "Racial Draft" sketch--while no doubt a modern classic--made us think about how we classify others due to race and ethnicity.  Is Tiger Woods "white," "black," or "Asian?"  Should a certain group feel more proud about the success of Mariah Carey or the historic Oscar win for Halle Berry--both of whom come from mixed backgrounds? 

In the backdrop of this conversation is the already worn out phrase "The Obama Effect."  In a world in which the first African-American president campaigned on a theme of inclusiveness, racial harmony and civic unions, has edgy comedy lost a place on television?  In an America where the economy remains in the toilet and gay men and women cannot marry the ones they love, do we still desire to see offensive material on TV? 

The answers may be difficult to come by, but in an industry where trends quickly come and go, it will be interesting to see if television can once again find the strength to be ballsy audacious.