The Planet's Funniest Animals - Unfunny Writing, Big Shirts, Decent Clips

Perhaps it's because I don't have any of the premium movie channels or TIVO, but there are times when nothing on TV will keep my interest. After I go through my channel surfing hierarchy in order from most likely to find something interesting (ESPN Classic) to least likely (E!), I sometimes have to settle for other mind numbing TV. When times are tough like this, I give Animal Planet a chance and find myself watching "The Planet's Funniest Animals" (PFA). I have no qualms with "clip" shows, as I've seen a great resurgence in my watching of America's Funniest Home Videos (aka "AFV" for those in the know as the show brands itself). At least on AFV, there really is a "live (instead of a dead) studio audience" and the wardrobe department actually has money to spend.

I'm not going to compare AFV and PFA, but I am going to plea with the producers and distributors of PFA to buy clothes that fit the host. Whether it's the old host, Matt Gallant, or the new one, the clothes are at least one, if not two sizes too large (though the new guy seems to fit a little better). I'm not joking about this. Watch the show with Gallant (I keep thinking of Goofus and Gallant from "Highlights" magazine) as host and I guarantee you will see an inordinate amount of wrinkles in his shirt because the sleeves are too long. If you're lucky, you'll get to see a shirt that's also too long for his torso. I have zero fashion sense and even I see there's a shirt size situation..

My guess is the producers thought a taller male, about 6'3", was going to host so wardrobe bought lots of shirts for him. Then, after the taller guy was unable to say unfunny jokes with as much enthusiasm as Gallant, wardrobe had no more money to update the clothes to fit Gallant. They just said, "Here's all we got. If you want to host you must wear the clothes we have."

While I'm playing TV consultant, could the writers write any less funny? The intros Gallant and the new guy say bring me closer to tears than laughter. Maybe the host is dressed in funny clothes on purpose to deflect attention away from what he's saying. Also, the clip quality is hit or miss. Watching cats fight or other violent animal acts aren't funny. Watching a dog flush the toilet or a kitten crawling out from a bunch of stuffed animals are the crux of the show. I think you should mute the show to avoid the jokes, but still watch Gallant and the other guy struggle through unfunny writing and oversized clothes.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the rest of my blog full of rants, raves, and attempts at humor, its current address is:

http://bandtcrowd.blogspot.com