Was The Chaser’s dying kids sketch a rip-off anyway?
Bad enough that The Chaser’s been accused of bad taste over last night’s “Make A Realistic Wish Foundation” spoof, it turns out that it may not even be original. Comedian Dan Ilic has pointed out its remarkable similarities to this “Reasonable Request Foundation” sketch which went out on The Mansion on the Comedy Channel last year:
It was done better too.
Is it just me, or does three stories on The Chaser in one day sound like someone’s hating on The Chaser with the rest of the ‘mob’?
Comedians have done countless hours of work, and they’ll be a time when a sketch is similar or close to someone else’s, doesn’t mean they stole the idea off someone else.
It could easily be argued that The Mansion sketch stole their idea from The Onion (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2OObOM3R_U). I don’t see you accusing the producers of The Mansion of bad taste and non-original works.
I think the chaser one was funny but this one is even better!
Hi Michael,
Fair point – I was just saying to a colleague that The Chaser is all I’ve bloody written about all day. But there again, it’s the most interesting thing happening.
For the record, no, I like The Chaser. I worked with a couple of them at the B&T Awards and found them extremely professional and very nice guys. But that doesn’t stop me from being disappointed in the new series.
And actually, it’s four articles today, not three. The first was part of our daily TV ratings round-up.
Another was reporting the breaking news on the sketch being pulled from tonight’s repeat.
Then there was my own opinion piece.
And finally, this piece above which again I only became aware of in the last few minutes.
(As to whether they “stole” it… They are a professional group of TV writers and comedians. For nobody on that team to have seen one of the few sketch-based comedy shows to be produced and shown on Australian TV last year would in itself be pretty unprofessional. Possibly more so than stealing the idea. Neither one is particularly palatable though, is it?)
That’s the nature of a site that updates throughout the day. When things develop, we update them with a new piece.
But unless Julian Morrow makes a tearful plea for forgiveness on A Current Affair, I think it’s safe to say I’m done writing about this one for today…
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
Interesting that this has been brought up, because comedy duo Elbowskin did a very similar song to the Chaser’s about the Fritzl incest case at the Melbourne Comedy Festival this year – yes even to the tune of the Brady Bunch theme song. But then again, maybe lots of comedians thought the same: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OfQ0NE4yNo
Of course, the Chaser has been ripping off The Onion (and the UK’s Chris Morris) for years.
Thought this one was better, more subtle and the pamela/angry gag was way funnier than “here’s a stick” .
There is an Onion one as well: http://www.theonion.com/conten.....e_a_wish_0
And there is no way a successful and well-established group of satirists did not know of similar work done by other successful and well-established satirists.
well I can see there are a lot of sick people here, there is no way that was satire
The Chaser dabbled in this kind of material on their website back in 2003, if we really insist on trawling through history for examples of similar work..
http://www.chaser.com.au/index.....;Itemid=98
Another very similar sketch to ‘Oscar Bait’ from the same episode is American Dad’s ‘Oscar Gold’ trailer. Identical premise, but I think it’s a genuine coincidence:
http://www.tu.tv/videos/oscar-gold
Ani is right. I pointed out on a few other blogs that the Chaser themselves had a much better version of a similar gag, many years ago. It would never make the ABC.
http://www.chaser.com.au/index.....;Itemid=98
Teen’s dying wish for Cameron Diaz blow job not granted
Monday, 03 March 2003
PHILADELPHIA, Monday: The parents of 15-year-old leukaemia patient Josh Morten, who last night passed away after a four year battle with the illness, said they were sorry not to have fulfilled his dying wish to get a blow job from Cameron Diaz.
I think the difference here is that this sketch is:
a) funny
b) not portraying sick children in a way that’s going to bring back awful memories
I thought this week’s episode of The Chaser was mostly rubbish, although Craig Ruecassel’s Buckingham Palace skit was a saving grace. They need to seriously lift their game.