Is HBO's Camping the most misunderstood show on TV?

The New Republic

Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner's remake of the Julia Davis-created British cult comedy of the same name received mostly harsh reviews, all of which entirely miss the point, says Josephine Livingstone. "Almost every major review in the U.S. so far has bemoaned the painfulness of the Camping experience," she says, adding: "But great satire is meant to be unpleasant. It’s supposed to make your soul feel the way your mouth does when it fills with bile. When you have that feeling and then you laugh, it has the taste of truth. The new Camping has had some of the old force taken out of its swing, but now and then it delivers a real, live uppercut. A show like this should be a tussle: between viewer and character, between love and hate, between enjoyment and pain. Camping could be nastier still, but at least the fight is there." ALSO: The problem with Camping is the characters aren't unlikable enough.