Salon‘s TV critic Matt Zoller Seitz wonders whether pop culture-referencing (or “self-aware”) comedies, including my favorite sitcom of the moment Community, aren’t consigning themselves to the dustbin of pop ephemera by being so meta.
My quick response: Not as long as they’re still funny to audiences who don’t get those references.
Also, kids don’t know who Arnold Schwarzenegger is anymore? Sigh, I’m old.
I agree with you. I think The Simpsons stands apart from the hordes of shows that were clearly inspired by it because it’s filled with as many allusions to classical literature and culture as references to contemporary pop culture. It’s strength was its ability to integrate all of those references into something that was already a funny concept. Contrast that to Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, which represents the worst of that tradition and isn’t worth watching under any circumstances.