why gen z comedy keeps failing

gen z comedies feel forced — overcompensating, i love la, adults, not suitable for work all launched trying to capture this specific audiente, and most of them expose the age gap instead of closing it. in this video i break down how the comedy formula that worked for every generation before us stopped working for ours, and what that reveals about the actual writers behind these shows. first we go back fifteen years to shows like modern family, how i met your mother, girls, and glee to explain why comedy used to rely on a shared cultural reference pool — and why gen z, raised on algorithmic feeds instead of shared channels, doesn't have one. then i walk through the shows actually getting it right: hacks, abbott elementary, adults, and sterling point — and why the difference isn't the writing, it's the directing and the willingness to be genuinely vulnerable on screen. i also compare lena dunham's girls and tina fey's 30 rock to rachel sennott's i love la and benito skinner's overcompensating, and why "embarrassing" isn't the same thing as "vulnerable." plus, why even mindy kaling — one of the most successful creators writing for this exact audience — can't get networks to be patient with her shows. — TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - why gen z comedy feels forced 1:58 - how comedy used to work: modern family, himym, girls, glee 4:04 - the algorithmic problem 6:56 - charli xcx vs julia fox cameos 8:28 - intergenerational shows: hacks, abbott elementary 9:42 - direction vs. writing 12:18 - gen z vulnerability problem 14:24 - mindy kaling and the patience problem 15:57 - questioning the sitcom format 16:45 - what's next for gen z comedy — ABOUT ME: hi! i am vianna, i am 21 yo and love to analyze entertainment - not only what happened or what's trending, but what's behind it and why it is working. here i promise you'll see great (or dubious) takes over films, tv, music, and the invisible systems behind entertainment as a whole. and hope you have fun and perhaps learn something new! follow @viannatalks across socials ;)   / viannatalks     / viannatalks