The Grass is Screener

***The Grass is Screener*** is a British comedy review/archive television series first broadcast on Toffa in March of 2015. The show was vaguely similar to the 1990s TV review comedy programme TV Offal broadcast on Channel 4 and Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe. In it, Thomas Thomanory (the host) would present generally obscure pieces of television history such as the time BBC Two tried rebranding in October 2008. This was around 2 years before the creation of The Thomanory Sketch Show.

As well as looking at television presentation and idents, the show looked at satirical rejections for potential episodes of television episodes (often animated; played out in a comic-like form, alas DC Comics). Thomanory used a variety of segments to show off these sections of television. The show also showed off fake footage such as a satirical conflict while making Eurythmic's music video for the song *Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)*.

The show was broadcast post-9pm (watershed) so this would be a program in which a swear word is uttered now and there and wouldn't be censored out. Thomanory claimed that this would be to leave the programme feeling untouched and 'real'.

The series was cancelled after only eight episodes went out. A new series under the working title of *The Grass is Still Screener* is reported to be in development.

## Segments

#### Crapverts

One of the more well known sections. Thomas looks at advertisements that personally annoyed him including Quiznos' attempt at a company mascot and the infamous Head-On commericials where the phrase "Head-On. Apply directly to the forehead" is repeated throughout the commercial.

#### Horribly Constructed Ident of the Week

This section looked at idents past and present and determined weather or not it was a good TV ident or not. Certain idents included ITV's 2013 idents and BBC Choice's 2000 idents.

#### Game Show, Lame Show

A audio dub over a certain game show moment which is usually played out in a satirical manor.

#### The Episodes They Didn't Want You To See **(also known as *Lost Episodes*)**

This section gives the impression that television executives keep scripts of potential television episodes to never open and look at again. For example, a former writer for the Simpsons suggested that for an episode, the family become drug dealers and perform incest-like acts on each other. Another would be the kids of South Park starting a big polyamorous relationship which shocks all the parents and the media to their cores. This turned out to be one of the more controversial segments.

#### This Week's Gay Stereotype

Often misread for a more offensive version of Queer As Folk (UK), this Section looked at how the media portrays homosexuals on television, Thomas often mistakes millennials for homosexuals on a daily basis (but not in real life).

#### Controversial Song of the Week

Usually closes out the show, this would look at a song which is nowadays considered 'offensive' or 'not suitable for television'. Such as Not the Nine O'Clock News' song about Oswald Mosley sung by Punk Nazis.

## Episodes

While the series itself has rarely been repeated, it has been made into three 45 minute long compilations entitled *The Best of the Grass Is Screener: Volume I*, *The Best of the Grass Is Screener: Volume II*, and *The Best of the Grass Is Screener: Volume III*.