The Marriage Ref: An Uncomfortable Comedy

NBC's The Marriage Ref attracted about a minute's worth of attention before it dawned on me like an avalanche of revulsion that a reality show about marital problems is doomed to vapid, pointless commentary and awkward one-liners, and that this show was a platform for comedians to joke about subjects that are inherently unfunny.

In a flash of dread I contemplated, amid the chuckles of celebrities and flashes of couples' faces, what married couples would pass the audition to be on this show. It was immediately apparent that the producers would never allow couples with real problems on the show, because of how unpleasant such a spectacle would be as to see them hash out their problems.

Marital discord falls into two categories: transparently superficial problems that can be worked out in a conversation, and deep-seated concerns that result in counseling or divorce. There's something to be said by quickly broaching concerns about a spouse, to avoid a small concern building into a major one. A TV show isn't the venue best-suited to such a resolution. That's a private conversation at home.

It's uncomfortable to watch a live-action show where the jokes aren't funny, because you get the uneasy feeling too often that you're being lied to. The lies come in the form of phony laughter and phony smiles, from the joke-makers and the couples, who, if they really have a problem, shouldn't be laughing.

So why, then, would a comedian as well-regarded as Jerry Seinfeld develop, let alone agree to star in, a show that's inherently unfunny? There's no good one-liner to answer that.