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Point-and-Laugh Show

187 statements
19 feature instances
8 referencing feature instances

Point-and-Laugh Show	type	TVTItem
Point-and-Laugh Show	label	Point-and-Laugh Show
Point-and-Laugh Show	page	PointAndLaughShow
Point-and-Laugh Show	comment	A partially or wholly unscripted show with real people, where the idea is to point, laugh, and say, "Damn, those people are stupid/crazy/losers/trashy/jerks!" Everybody in the cast is either a moron, a Jerkass, insane, ratchet, trailer-trash, or all of the above. The audience sees these people humiliate themselves in public, and is comforted that no matter how messed up their own lives may be, at least they have more sense than these fools. Sometimes, the cast includes a No-Respect Guy, who is relatively decent but kind of a stick in the mud. The audience winds up snickering at them just as much as at the rest of the cast. With these shows, the single most important job is that of casting director. The host doesn't need to do much; just wait for the cast of losers to show up, sit back, and enjoy the comedy. The art of casting them reached its heights (or depths) in three genres: Talk Shows, Reality Television, and Game Shows. The final element is putting the cast under as much stress as possible (hostile studio audiences for the talk show, cramped conditions and hunger for Reality Television, and seizure-inducing sets for the Game Show) so they really crack up. Since these are real people involved in unscripted pain, there are people who can't help but sympathize with them. This is often rebutted with the claim that because they're "dumb enough" to have it filmed, they deserve to be laughed at, even though they are all essentially events that the victim could not have predicted. At times it's not even a valid excuse. Some of these shows intentionally use false names when filming their subjects. A variant of the Point and Laugh Show is found in books and the Internet. Instead of rounding up losers as the television shows do, the variant uses the far more efficient technique of listing anecdotes of losers who have yet to appear on TV. These are almost always Guilty Pleasures, appeal to the Lowest Common Denominator, and usually use Bigot vs. Bigot. Compare Sadist Show and Immoral Reality Show, as well as The Freakshow. See also The Freelance Shame Squad, when bystanders laugh at a character's misfortunes In-Universe. Sister Trope to Cringe Comedy, when scripted shows try for a similar effect.
Point-and-Laugh Show	fetched	2024-03-18T09:01:36Z
Point-and-Laugh Show	parsed	2024-03-18T09:01:37Z
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to AmericanIdol: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to AmericasFunniestHomeVideos: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to AreYouSmarterThanA5thGrader: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to BadGirlsClub: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to BaitCar: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to BigBrother: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to BrowsHeldHigh: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to CakeWrecks: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to CanadasWorstDriver: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to CasoCerrado: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to CatfishTheTVShow: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to Cops: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to Cracked: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to Cram: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to DarwinAwards: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to DeagleNation: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to Distraction: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to DogEatDog: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to DrPhil: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to DragonsDen: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to EstateOfPanic: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to FamilyFeud: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to FearFactor: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to GrandTheftAutoV: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to GravityFalls: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to Greed: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to HellsKitchen: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to HereComesHoneyBooBoo: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to IWannaMarryHarry: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to Idiocracy: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to ImACelebrityGetMeOutOfHere: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to Jeopardy: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to JerseyShore: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to JoeMillionaire: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to JudgeJudy: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to LoveIsland: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to Maury: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to NailedIt: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to NotAlwaysRight: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to OneThousandWaysToDie: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to PalaeoFail: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to PennAndTellerBullshit: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to PoliceStop: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to RaffyTulfo: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to Reddit: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to RemoteControl: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to Retsupurae: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to RoadRules: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to RuPaulsDragRace: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to RussianRoulette: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to ShaunOfTheDead: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to SilentLibrary: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to SomethingAwful: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to SouthPark: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to StreetSmarts: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to Supernanny: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to Survivor: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to TakeshisCastle: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to TextsFromLastNight: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to TheBachelor: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to TheBachelorette: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to TheBatman: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to TheChair2002: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to TheJeremyKyleShow: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to TheJoeSchmoShow: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to TheMortonDowneyJrShow: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to TheOffspring: Not a Feature - IGNORE
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to TheOprahWinfreyShow: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to ThePeoplesCourt: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to TheRealWorld: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to TheSimpsons: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to TheSteveWilkosShow: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to ToCatchAPredator: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to TropeMaker: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to TrueCapitalist: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to UHF: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to UncleJohnsBathroomReader: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to WhatTheFuckIsWrongWithYou: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to WheelOfFortune: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to WifeSwap: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to Wipeout2008: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingComment	Dropped link to WorldsDumbest: Not a Feature - ITEM
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingUnknown	TropeMaker
Point-and-Laugh Show	processingUnknown	TheBachelorette
Point-and-Laugh Show	isPartOf	DBTropes
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_108c268e	type	Hotter and Sexier
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_108c268e	comment	Jenny Jones started off fairly normal like Jerry Springer was in the early days and had more or less the same format as Oprah for the first two seasons, but declining ratings led to the show getting a Hotter and Sexier Re-Tool, though nowadays it's mostly remembered as being the only Point and Laugh Show that led to one guest murdering another one later.
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_108c268e	featureApplicability	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_108c268e	featureConfidence	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show	hasFeature	Point-and-Laugh Show / int_108c268e
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_13a984c	type	Hopeless Auditionees
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_13a984c	comment	A similar, more recent version was 30 Seconds to Fame, where the Hopeless Auditionees had to survive 30 seconds without getting voted off the stage by the audience.
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_13a984c	featureApplicability	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_13a984c	featureConfidence	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show	hasFeature	Point-and-Laugh Show / int_13a984c
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_1777688d	type	Genre Savvy
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_1777688d	comment	The more Genre Savvy contestants, having realized what the producers want, send in audition videos that make themselves look bad. Season 3's Kelly claimed that her main hobby was "manipulating men", but she turned out to be a decent person (by Point and Laugh Show standards, anyway). She later explained that she wasn't a manipulative person, but knew that if she lied and said she was, it would get her on the show.
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_1777688d	featureApplicability	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_1777688d	featureConfidence	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show	hasFeature	Point-and-Laugh Show / int_1777688d
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_33cd16fa	type	Older Than Feudalism
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_33cd16fa	comment	This genre may be Older Than Feudalism, as some of the ancient Roman historians (especially Seutonius) delighted in reporting the most petty court gossip they could find and ignoring big policy questions.
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_33cd16fa	featureApplicability	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_33cd16fa	featureConfidence	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show	hasFeature	Point-and-Laugh Show / int_33cd16fa
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_44bd31e2	type	Trope Codifier
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_44bd31e2	comment	The Trope Codifier of the Point and Laugh Show, and probably the best known example, is Jerry Springer. While the show initially took a serious approach (originally conceived as it was as a platform for the former Mayor of Cincinnati to raise his profile), with episodes that dealt with serious issues and politics (one notable episode seeing Jerry spend a night with a teenager who was living on the streets), it turned into this trope around the mid-1990s or so. Bring on the cross-dressing dog fetishists. Bring on the albino midgets. Bring on the homicidal glue-sniffing trailer trash. Bring on the homicidal glue-sniffing cross-dressing albino midget dog fetishist trailer trash. It's an old-school circus sideshow freak attraction for the new millennium. Springer goes the extra mile and has the audience mock the people on stage, in addition to Jerry's own Deadpan Snarker lines.
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_44bd31e2	featureApplicability	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_44bd31e2	featureConfidence	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show	hasFeature	Point-and-Laugh Show / int_44bd31e2
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_68a171b6	type	Sadist Show
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_68a171b6	comment	Parodied by the Sadist Show Drawn Together, where the characters frankly aren't much worse than the real people they're parodying.
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_68a171b6	featureApplicability	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_68a171b6	featureConfidence	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show	hasFeature	Point-and-Laugh Show / int_68a171b6
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_69e2194b	type	Older Than Radio
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_69e2194b	comment	This, in turn, is a genre Older Than Radio, starting with the 19th-Century English as She Is Taught, which had students who thought "aborigines" meant a mountain chain in North America. When Mark Twain reviewed it, he quoted the student who thought that "there are many fossils in theology departments" and added that sometimes they do get one right.
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_69e2194b	featureApplicability	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_69e2194b	featureConfidence	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show	hasFeature	Point-and-Laugh Show / int_69e2194b
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_711e9c91	type	Network Decay
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_711e9c91	comment	Most of TLC's current lineup seems to be this, which also spreads onto other channels like Discovery Life. My Strange Addiction and My Crazy Obsession are both shows on that channel, along with specials about extremely overweight people and extreme couponers. My Strange Addiction is especially controversial for lumping harmless quirks and (with their cosplay and lolita fashion episodes) perfectly ordinary people in with those who do stupid, unsanitary, or otherwise dangerous things, with little if any distinction between the two. When the show features harmless subcultures, the people being interviewed are never told exactly what kind of show they are going to be on. Despite being mostly reenactments, Sex Sent Me to the E.R. can be seen as falling into this category. While the show does have a real cautionary tale behind most stories, the main appeal of the show is the humor to be found in people landing themselves in painful and awkward situations during sex. Untold Stories of the E.R. is also a similar show based around reenactments that is more often laughable than educational or sympathetic.
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_711e9c91	featureApplicability	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_711e9c91	featureConfidence	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show	hasFeature	Point-and-Laugh Show / int_711e9c91
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_83444b89	type	MST
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_83444b89	comment	MSTs are this for Fanfics.
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_83444b89	featureApplicability	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_83444b89	featureConfidence	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show	hasFeature	Point-and-Laugh Show / int_83444b89
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_83ea0763	type	Rouge Angles of Satin
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_83ea0763	comment	The F in Exams series is perhaps equally well known, with all manner of silly answers found on high school tests (some deliberate, some not) and typos from elementary school students' assignments.
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_83ea0763	featureApplicability	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_83ea0763	featureConfidence	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show	hasFeature	Point-and-Laugh Show / int_83ea0763
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_8409a385	type	Exactly What It Says on the Tin
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_8409a385	comment	The 776 Stupidest Things Ever Said and its many sequels, by Ross Petras, were Exactly What It Says on the Tin. Petras' series and its many imitators lost much of their reason for being with the rise of the internet, when lists of dumb quotes became freely available to all.
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_8409a385	featureApplicability	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_8409a385	featureConfidence	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show	hasFeature	Point-and-Laugh Show / int_8409a385
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_96e5792c	type	Moral Guardians
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_96e5792c	comment	Special mention goes to the short-lived Snap Judgment, where the host seemed to be daring the Moral Guardians to force him off the air. Eventually they did, and he moved on to hosting a serious talk show.
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_96e5792c	featureApplicability	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_96e5792c	featureConfidence	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show	hasFeature	Point-and-Laugh Show / int_96e5792c
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_9c6ba43a	type	Values Dissonance
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_9c6ba43a	comment	With a heavy dose of Values Dissonance: in the 18th century, Bethlem Royal Hospital earned its funding by letting visitors pay an admissions fee to watch the patients' antics, even giving attendees sticks to poke them with.
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_9c6ba43a	featureApplicability	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_9c6ba43a	featureConfidence	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show	hasFeature	Point-and-Laugh Show / int_9c6ba43a
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_ae3d6438	type	Deadpan Snarker
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_ae3d6438	comment	Springer goes the extra mile and has the audience mock the people on stage, in addition to Jerry's own Deadpan Snarker lines.
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_ae3d6438	featureApplicability	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_ae3d6438	featureConfidence	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show	hasFeature	Point-and-Laugh Show / int_ae3d6438
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_bcb2cfe1	type	Beam Me Up, Scotty!
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_bcb2cfe1	comment	It's also worth noting that most of these books are crammed with fabrications, urban legends, and other lies. The worst are lists of famous last words, which are about 90% fake.
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_bcb2cfe1	featureApplicability	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_bcb2cfe1	featureConfidence	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show	hasFeature	Point-and-Laugh Show / int_bcb2cfe1
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_c5ef2d50	type	Cringe Comedy
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_c5ef2d50	comment	Pretty much the idea behind "Cringe Compilations", along with Bile Fascination.
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_c5ef2d50	featureApplicability	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_c5ef2d50	featureConfidence	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show	hasFeature	Point-and-Laugh Show / int_c5ef2d50
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_d512ac5b	type	Subculture of the Week
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_d512ac5b	comment	Subverted by Sally Jessy Raphael. While she did delve into some of the usual daytime talk show fodder, her Subculture of the Week episodes actually treated the guests in a respectful manner. For example, episodes that featured drag queens and transgender/intersex people actually had them talk about their lives, rather than the usual "Your girlfriend has a secret..." or "Is this a man or a woman?" storylines that other shows used. For this reason, Sally developed an LGBT Fanbase that many of these shows lacked.
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_d512ac5b	featureApplicability	-0.3
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_d512ac5b	featureConfidence	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show	hasFeature	Point-and-Laugh Show / int_d512ac5b
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_d9eee868	type	Spin-Off
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_d9eee868	comment	Now has several spinoffs, most notably Not Always Working (focuses on bosses and co-workers, where the original focuses on customers).
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_d9eee868	featureApplicability	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_d9eee868	featureConfidence	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show	hasFeature	Point-and-Laugh Show / int_d9eee868
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_name	type	ItemName
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_name	comment
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_name	featureApplicability	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_name	featureConfidence	1.0
Point-and-Laugh Show	hasFeature	Point-and-Laugh Show / int_name
Point-and-Laugh Show / int_name	itemName	Point-and-Laugh Show

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

Point-and-Laugh Show	hasFeature	Argument of Contradictions / int_96fe1b72
Point-and-Laugh Show	hasFeature	Daddy DNA Test / int_96fe1b72
Point-and-Laugh Show	hasFeature	Fake Pregnancy / int_96fe1b72
JudgeJudy	seeAlso	Point-and-Laugh Show
Point-and-Laugh Show	hasFeature	Poe's Law / int_96fe1b72
PointandLaughShow	sameAs	Point-and-Laugh Show
Point-and-Laugh Show	hasFeature	Talk Show / int_96fe1b72
Point-and-Laugh Show	hasFeature	Too Hot for TV / int_96fe1b72

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