Abbey Road

In the middle of the terrible Saturday Night Live this week there was one terrific bit--a Spike TV promo for Downton Abbey:



What makes this work extra well is they didn't take the easy way out.  Normally, all the jokes would be about Spike TV's incomprehension or incompatability with a British import like Downton Abbey--the channel trying to make the series seem sleazier or sexier or more violent than it is, and not understanding its style or plot.  And the promo has that, but they went the extra step and also mocked Downton Abbey, and in ways that required some knowledge of the show. A concept that goes where it's expected to can work well with proper execution, but when they go that extra mile it's something special.