Jimmy Carr

Comedy

Reality

Here Comes the Aeroplane

LOL: Last One Laughing UK

Prime Video

Zeppotron

Initial

United Kingdom

Effie

**The set is TOO BIG.**

There are some genuinely great moments in LOL, but it suffers from one massive, fundamental flaw: the set design is way too big.

If you've watched the original Japanese "Documental" version, you know exactly what makes this format work. Documental used a small, claustrophobic set blocked out with loads of objects in the way. That confined space was a pressure cooker. It forced all the comedians to overhear each other's jokes, keeping it fast-paced and forcing at least 75% of the comedians who weren't participating in a bit to overhear the jokes and see the funny expressions. The narrow walkways often had people stood in the way, so if someone was trying not to laugh, they were physically trapped with several people actively trying to make them laugh, and not then laugh themselves too. This stopped them peacefully walking away and dragged out the 'struggling not to laugh' moments even longer, which were hilarious. They seriously struggled to dissipate the laugh energy.

In the UK "LOL" version, the sprawling set completely kills that tension. You end up with groups of two or three drifting off into far corners, unable to hear other groups, their jokes, or see their comedic expressions and bits. They literally can't hear the jokes to even try not to laugh. This means there are fewer laughs, fewer people organically playing off already comedic moments, and fewer drawn out 'trying not to laugh' moments. Comedians can just saunter away to cool off when they feel a laugh coming on, which massively lowers the stakes, and reduces the comedic moments.

Instead of a chaotic, fast-paced comedy crossfire, the huge empty space makes the pacing drag. It honestly makes the comedians seem bored half the time and the editors are clearly trying to cut around it. It feels like a corporate, watered-down version of the original (which, ironically, was also produced by Amazon). They completely misunderstood the structural essence of what made the original so hilarious and brilliant.

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LOL: Last One Laughing UK

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