Something along these lines– A television show focused on mockery of commercials, ads, trailers, etc. So often I sit and watch these ads that are so deserving of parody, but nothing arises. Of course, these are the problems:
– Some companies will get upset if their work or products are maligned and will object and/or sue. Still, there are ways around this
– Commercials are very temporary and short-lived. To watch a parody of a commercial years later would be confusing, like reading political jokes from the 1800s. Still, there are ways around this.
– Getting the exact right tone would be hard– too strong, and it’s just ugly; too weak, and it’s boring. Still, there are ways around this.
My concept is of a comedy troupe, like SNL, that engages in commercial spoofs, like SNL Digital Shorts. The comedy should be a mix of the fun of “Whose Line is it Anyway?”, the randomosity of “Family Guy”, and the blunt mimicry of “Whitest Kids U’Know” along with traces of “The Catherine Tate Show” and “Portlandia”.
Each show opens with a theme, like “Important Things with Demetri Martin” and goes from there. There are a variety of sketch structures. Some begin with a person watching TV, with film of a real commercial on television– then a jump to the mad possibilities where the commercial could lead. Some simply mimic the typical commercial models, such as that of Geico, Apple, or any car company. Some make fun of the world and people of television commercials, where kids smile and dance for love of new stuff and parents struggle with standard vacuums or tools, needing the new infomercial time-saving products. Some just create new commercials for fake products. After 10-20 commercials, the show ends with the cast talking about the theme, like “All That”.
If you’re careful, you can skirt around being sued. You just can’t be to obvious or blunt and be careful with copyright infraction. As for the short-lived nature of commercials, some models and concepts are timeless, and the temporary ones can simply be included as clips that segue to the parody. As for getting the right tone, it requires the right comedians, producers, and editors. It’s possible.
Anyway, this is an idea I’ve had for a while. I’d love to create it, but doubt it will ever come to be from my hands. It will just be a dream for now—and possibly for ever.
Fortunately, there have been various conceptions of the commercial parody. Just no TV Show dedicated to such mockery. Here is a collection of SNL parodies– Enjoy! http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/categories/commercial-parodies/33500/