Editorial: Soaring talents

OPINION: One of the great skills in life is knowing when to quit while you are ahead, and that is exactly what our best entertainment exports have done.

Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clements, better known as the Flight of the Conchords, have disappointed fans by calling it quits on their TV comedy after only two series.

The Conchords' brand of humour is difficult to describe to those unfamiliar with it. The pair's show was dead pan, dead funny and a wonderful showcase for their incredible talent.

While what makes them so searingly funny is difficult to pin down, it is much easier to get a grip on how successful the pair have been.

Awards along the way include a Perrier comedy prize at the Edinburgh Festival in 2003, a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album in 2008, and two American Emmy Award nominations in 2009. They have also won a string of awards at home.

The show was a cult comedy hit – with "cult' meaning that it probably did not get as many millions of viewers as it deserved – but their art is likely to be hugely influential for a long time.

They are arguably the most successful New Zealand comedy exports of all time, outstripping even the great John Clark in terms of international success.

The New Zealand entertainment industry was probably spoiled by the long running success of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. After that it was natural to expect a void to follow.

The Flight of the Conchords snuck up on everyone and filled that void with a great show that Americans lapped up in spite of their broad Kiwi accents.

In a land where the formulaic situation comedy with canned laughter reigns supreme, they managed to win dedicated fans with a show that defied conventions.The pair could easily have kept on going but have decided to call it quits before they got stale.

The decision goes against the trend in America, where every good comedy idea is thrashed until it is lifeless in order to milk every cent possible from it.

Instead of going the way of M*A*S*H*, and countless other shows that went too long, Clements and McKenzie took a better path by deciding to end the show before they entered the flogging a dead horse phase.

It is a path well beaten by the best of British shows, including Fawlty Towers and Blackadder, which both ended in their prime.

There were clear signs and plenty of hints for Conchord aficionados that a third series was unlikely, with the pair hinting that they felt they did not have it in them to keep the comedy going. It looks like a wise decision, albeit a disappointing one.

The good news, according to one report at least, is that a movie is a possibility. Whatever they choose to do next Clements and McKenzie are likely to remain an export we can be proud of for a long time to come.

- © Fairfax NZ News