FOX’s newest sitcom Welcome to Flatch is trying to reach the the same popularity as fan-favorite mockumentaries The Office and Parks and Recreation — but so far it’s planted itself at the bottom of TV ratings. Many people don’t even know what the show is about. While there could be several feasible reasons for its poor performance, it also serves as a sign that the mockumentary sitcom trend has gone on just a bit too long.
With other mockumentaries like What We Do in the Shadows still scoring well with audiences and getting one star cast in the Blue Beetle film, the overall mockumentary style can still find success. But the FX show adds a twist to the standard sitcom blueprint by not trying to make the fictional scenario appear too real. Using vampires as the subject matter makes the show more of a supernatural comedy, as opposed to a reality TV-style documentary.
Flatch, on the other hand, seems to be trying to find a balance somewhere between the dry humor of The Office coupled with the ridiculous realities of small-town America that gained popularity through Schitt’s Creek (featuring Super Bowl ad star Eugene Levy). While the concept sounds promising, Flatch tries too hard to steep its plots and characters in reality. Today’s comedy audiences are responding more favorably to extreme caricatures, rather than shows built upon mocking the lifestyles of seemingly real-world Americans.
The lack of interest may also be tied to bad timing and political tensions between Americans today. The Office, minus a few plots that would be considered controversial now, could still work if it aired now. The setting was neutral and familiar to most people in the working world, depicting characters from all corners of the country with varying personality types.
Flatch is focused solely on rural America, and while the fictional town of Flatch does have a few charms, it’s unclear whether the series is trying to advocate for the current trend of leaving city life for a simpler life in the country (as the opener of every episode likes to remind viewers) or trying to warn would-be transplants to stay far, far away. Minus the two characters who moved to Flatch from the city, every lead in the show is rude, selfish, narrow-minded and often lacking in education, making it difficult for liberal viewers to sympathize with the characters and coming off as outright insulting to the conservative side.
Fox’s tactic of releasing half the season on Hulu may help audiences connect with the characters a little faster, but it might not be enough to save the show from a quick cancellation. With viewers oversaturated by popular reality series on Netflix and quick-form reality on social media, they don’t need to seek reality out in their comedies anymore. If Flatch wants to succeed, the series should consider stepping up the ridiculousness of its characters to the point where everyone can laugh at the situations they get themselves into. This should be an easy enough feat to pull off if the writers allow their greatest comedic asset — Seann William Scott — to unleash his full acting style, as opposed to being stunted by playing the strait-laced preacher.
Welcome to Flatch‘s creative team needs to face the fact that the rules of the mockumentary sitcom are outdated. Taking concepts from successful British TV series and twisting them to fit American themes doesn’t work anymore. Shows like Flatch prove that the mockumentary of a few years ago is dying, and unless this sitcom and others like it can adapt to what audiences find entertaining now, that era in sitcoms will quickly come to an end.
Catch the first seven episodes of Welcome to Flatch on Hulu now, or watch new episodes every Thursday at 9:30/8:30c on Fox.
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