The principal flaw of most alleged comedies is that they turn on audience enjoyment of the weakness -- including but not restricted to out-and-out stupidity -- of some or all of the characters.
The principal flaw of most series or movies about characters of awesome power is that the writers don't know how to write real challenges for such characters, and thus must write such characters so that they are too stupid to easily overcome otherwise undaunting challenges.
I Dream of Jeannie was a sitcom about a character of awesome power. Unsurprisingly, it portrays a world filled exclusively with fools.
Major Nelson's challenge in each episode is to conceal the fact that he is bonded to a genie. He has unlimited wishes, and his genie is sufficiently power to eliminate all evidence, including human memory. But somehow the challenge takes him a full episode to meet, each episode.
Of course, with the hero being such a fool, all of the antagonists too are fools, so that they don't overcome him (either within the story, or as potential objects of viewer affection).
Indeed, the audience is presumed to be so fond of watching fools that Major Healey, a fool amongst fools, is introduced to increase the presumed amusement.
Intelligent and humane viewers, however, will regard as intolerable this mindless fare exploiting the perverse appeal that some find in the ridicule or humiliation of others.
The principal flaw of most series or movies about characters of awesome power is that the writers don't know how to write real challenges for such characters, and thus must write such characters so that they are too stupid to easily overcome otherwise undaunting challenges.
I Dream of Jeannie was a sitcom about a character of awesome power. Unsurprisingly, it portrays a world filled exclusively with fools.
Major Nelson's challenge in each episode is to conceal the fact that he is bonded to a genie. He has unlimited wishes, and his genie is sufficiently power to eliminate all evidence, including human memory. But somehow the challenge takes him a full episode to meet, each episode.
Of course, with the hero being such a fool, all of the antagonists too are fools, so that they don't overcome him (either within the story, or as potential objects of viewer affection).
Indeed, the audience is presumed to be so fond of watching fools that Major Healey, a fool amongst fools, is introduced to increase the presumed amusement.
Intelligent and humane viewers, however, will regard as intolerable this mindless fare exploiting the perverse appeal that some find in the ridicule or humiliation of others.