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I love comedy shows, they're easily my favourite genre. I do like a lot of the US comedies, so naturally Family Guy, American Dad, South Park (although the latest season did not work at all well for me), Simpsons (yes, it's not a popular view, but I think after stumbling big time Simpsons is picking up again somewhat), I even warmed to The Cleveland Show.
I'm a big fan of Scrubs which IMO has an occasionally depressive, realistic grounding which separates it from a lot of Sit-coms. Apart from the last season which was a mistake.
I also love Friends. Still.
UK wise, Red Dwarf is hard to beat, although I will disagree somewhat with the criticism of Chloe Anette. I personally think she did a good job with what she had to work with, and I have stated repeatedly elsewhere that Series VIII and VII are respectively my least favourite if the regular series. Only BtE is weaker. I just cannot agree that Grogan would have improved things, I have a great deal of respect for her but her acting in Red Dwarf leaves a lot to be desired (1,2 & 6, she really wasn't good). X and XI were good though, looking forward to XII!
Blackadder is another great though, especially 2 and 4. 1 is like a different programme. Apart from that though... Christmas Carol is really hurt by the Future scenes which were a bit dated back in then. Back and Forth, the Elizabethan scenes in particular dated very badly and weren't particularly funny at the time.
Only Fools and Horses remains the most over-rated comedy IMO I'm sure a fair bit of that is down to me growing up outside of mainland, mainstream UK society but I just do not understand the appeal. I just can't warm to Delboy in the same way that anyone who grew up on mainland UK seems to love that character.
Others for me include Rugrats, Arghhh! Real Monsters, Rocko's Modern Life and Beavis and Butthead, the latter especially because there was a couple of guys I was at school and work with who basically were them.
Edit: Also Fawlty Towers. I don't generally enjoy 1970's and before British humour but I picked up the series 1 DVD earlier and i t still works very, very well IMO.
...and Game On. Although that has probably one of the most depressing finales of all time. Blackadder Goes Forth is easily more poignant though, it still brings a tear to my eye.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2017/03/01 23:08:05
Fawlty Towers is the perfect template of how a good comedy should be IMHO. John Cleese even went so far as to say that Basil is deliberately played as a horrible human being who deserves everything coming to him.
Across the pond I quite enjoyed Married with Children, which while trying to pass itself off as the rest of the gakky run of the mill nuclear family sitcoms, nicely deconstructed it by having each and every character being horrible in one way or the other. Not to mention the odd bit of Bottom-like physical violence or bodily harm.
...so there's a new show called " Trial and Error" coming out state side.
Lithgow is in it and it seems to have very much a Parks and Rec. vibe...
.... yah or nay ?
The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all
We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.
"the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king,
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a good one. Miserable loathsome characters up to insane hijinks. Netflix it.
Scrubs was great. I've watched it al probably three times.
Malcolm in the Middle is probably the best family comedy. Real flawed characters you come to love with hardships and triumphs. Great writing and acting. Bryan Cranstons best.
"Holy Sh*&, you've opened my eyes and changed my mind about this topic, thanks Dakka OT!"
One of the few comedy shows I can binge-watch is Father Ted. Like Fawlty Towers, it's three horrible characters trapped in a hell of their own devising. Also has a rather bleak finale.
Blackadder and red Dwarf; yes, but I never finished the latest series of Red Dwarf. not that I didn't like it, just ... I was never in the mood to watch it. I think it's still on my PVR somewhere, waiting. I think my favourite RD episode is the one with the Despair Squid and Dwayne Dibley.
Early Simpsons was good, although I've never been a huge viewer - it was always either on a channel I didn't have or on when I was eating dinner, so I only ever saw the odd episode now and then. Futurama (pre-cancellation), on the other hand, is excellent.
Futurama (pre-cancellation), on the other hand, is excellent.
Post-cancellation, it is merely great.
We were once so close to heaven, St. Peter came out and gave us medals; declaring us "The nicest of the damned".
“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”
