British and American Television Comedy

[Secura]

You just have to resign yourself to the fact that all comedy on BBC3 is utter st

Well, Gavin and Stacey started on BBC Three until it grew really popular; I really enjoyed that. But otherwise I'd have to agree... the likes of Coming of Age and Two Pints of Lager are pretty poor, really. I blame the writers rather than the actors, though.

There are still loads of great comedies produced in recent times, for example Spaced, Arrested Development, Brass Eye, anything by Charlie Brooker, anything by adultswim, are all just as good as the older "classics".

You have very good taste, particularly Spaced. I'm also fond of Brooker's very dry, sarcastic humour, and I thought he was fantastic on most recent The Big Fat Quiz of the Year. Whoever paired him up with David Mitchell for that show deserves a medal.

I'm keen to hear some non-British opinions too, .Orgahs! :P

[gaelic cowboy]

Father Ted is hilarious also Black Books very good there is no real good comedy on tv in Ireland that does not come from somewhere else all our comedians go to UK who graciously export back the quality to us which is nice

[Thermal]

Yes, Father Ted is pretty good, also Vicar of Dibley is hit and miss with the occasional brilliant episode.

I think BBC 3 as a channel is fairly good though I agree most of its comedy's are shabby.

I do like American animations though, the simpsons is brilliant but personally I find family guy to be Laugh-out-Loud funny and more entertaining overall, regardless of what some people think of it.

[Secura]

Father Ted is fantastic, it's such a shame that Dermot Morgan died before his time.

Family Guy is probably my favourite American comedy, to be honest, but it amazes me the extent of things they get away with saying; I cannot see a live action comedy being able to make racial or homosexual remarks in the context FG does without controversy.

[Louis VI the Fat]

I'm keen to hear some non-British opinions too, .Orgahs! :P

The Americans have a good sense of humour. Seen some great stuff over the years. My favourite US comedy is Married with Children.


My great love is British humour. Very different from american, even if I can't exactly point out in which way right here on the spot. Blackadder, the Office (Gervais version) and Extras are the very best comedy I know. Such unmitigated brilliance. I've got them all on DVD, and watch them over and over again, and I laugh as hard every time. Which shows they're really rather good or I'm really rather too dumb too remember a joke.

Two eighties, two noughties shows then.



Wait, make that German humour. By far my favourite:
'A man walks his dog in the park. He sees a woman with a dog. Says he: you are ze third woman wearing a brown leather jacket this week'.
Oh, and the classic:
'Do you see that BMW? It has three wheels. Then we haben it gefixed back in Stuttgart. How many wheels does it have now?'
'Well....four?
'Nein! Now it has five - four underneath and one spare!'

[Centurion1]

My great love is British humour. Very different from american, even if I can't exactly point out in which way right here on the spot. Blackadder, the Office (Gervais version) and Extras are the very best comedy I know. Such unmitigated brilliance. I've got them all on DVD, and watch them over and over again, and I laugh as hard every time. Which shows they're really rather good or I'm really rather too dumb too remember a joke.

Two eighties, two noughties shows then.

Its drier i enjoy sometimes.

In the US most people think of like Monty Python when they hear British Comedy.

I think modern comedy is becoming more crass which doesnt make it any less funny especially for hormonal teen males like myself.

[Louis VI the Fat]

I think modern comedy is becoming more crass which doesnt make it any less funny especially for hormonal teen males like myself.

American Pie had its moments. Especially the first one. which was a rather sweet movie too. Then the series quickly deteriorated.


I, erm....I personally wouldn't watch such plebeian rubbish, of course. The above is what I remember from the reviews.

[Secura]

I'm very particular about comedies from across the pond, really; there's sometimes a level of humour that I don't find funny, or I feel has been dumbed down for the wider audience. Having said that, I do like US comedy just as much as British, really.

My current favourites from the good old US are The Big Bang Theory and Scrubs. BBT feels a little like IT Crowd for a younger, less tech-orientated audience; the jokes aren't so vague that only a certain demographic will understand them. And Scrubs... well, I've loved that since the very beginning, though it feels as though they're trying to live past their prime by continuing past Season Eight.

They should take a leaf out of Fawlty Towers' book; quit while you're ahead, before things get stale.

[Centurion1]

American Pie had its moments. Especially the first one. which was a rather sweet movie too. Then the series quickly deteriorated.


I, erm....I personally wouldn't watch such plebeian rubbish, of course. The above is what I remember from the reviews.

Lets be frank my dear frenchmen, you liked the first one because of the lovely nadia.

i like office.

personally i do not find scrubs funny, at all. but many people do so i dont judge

[naut]

personally i do not find scrubs funny, at all. but many people do so i dont judge

I liked it when it first came out. So seasons 1-4ish. But now I'm kind of over it and I don't really find it funny anymore.

I love Brit-coms though. I adore IT Crowd (half my Uni course is IT so...). But my favourite is the Mighty Boosh, quirky and ridiculous.

Of the recent US offerings Arrested Development has to be my favourite. The writing is fantastic, unbelievably witty and dry show.

[a completely inoffensive name]

I don't care for any of those shows you guys watch but I love iCarly and Drake and Josh on Nickelodeon. That stuff is waaaay more hilarious then Monty Python, Scrubs or Ricky Girvais.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Two and a half men was great (I've seen the first 2 seasons), but from what I've seen it doesn't work with Jake grown up.

The weirdest thing about sitcoms to me is how utterly unfunny they are if you miss the beginning.

That 70's show was great too. What's his name who always wore sunglasses was my favorite.

[Centurion1]

That 70's show was great too. What's his name who always wore sunglasses was my favorite.

hyde. yeah its a funny show.

[Beskar]

Yes Ministter, Red Dwarf, New Statemen, the list could go on.

Peter Kay is good though, with Phoenix Nights... damn, haven't seen that in ages. Remind me to watch it when I return home.

[Strike For The South]

If you haven't seen Airplane or Animal House, you haven't seen American comedy.

[CountArach]

And Scrubs... well, I've loved that since the very beginning, though it feels as though they're trying to live past their prime by continuing past Season Eight.

Scrubs stopped being funny around teh time they introduced a plotline. I enjoyed the first two seasons, but past that, no thanks.

I personally love British comedy, partly because that is what I have been exposed to for much of my childhood and have been on a bit of a journey of discovery lately as to what is out there. Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie are both geniuses and anything they touch is fantastic (A Bit of Fry and Laurie, for instance, or QI). Blackadder, as always, is hilarious. However, 'Allo 'Allo grates at me a bit and I can't quite place what it is, and don't even get me started on Are You Being Served.

[Furunculus]

Brit comedies:
Blackadder is awesome.

Yank comedies:
quite fond of Scrubs.

Gavin and Stacey had some funny characters (ness and bryn), but the domesticity of it was depressing.

[Beskar]

Gavin and Stacey had some funny characters (ness and bryn), but the domesticity of it was depressing.

It was depressing. To imagine people are even like that. I guess the show would be boring if they were simply normal.