British comedy vs American comedy

[Mentok]

Blackadder beats everything ever done by any country ever.

 

[GarudA]

Blackadder beats everything ever done by any country ever.

I agree

 

[RogueLDN]

Black adder is awesome, love the goblin song.

I like black books too, dylan morna and bill bailey. I think our panel shows are better too. Qi and have i got news for you.

The english wit is simply sharper and more intellignet i think. Ricky gervais is a legend.

 

[November Rain]

fraiser has more sharp wit and is more intelligent than 95% of anything produced in the uk and that is an american show, albeit based on brits of half breed brits...

or cultured ( or classically raised) americans, i was never quite sure myself...

 

[kainedamo]

Frasier, for a sitcom, is pretty damn good. Better than 95% of uk comedy? I wouldn't go that far.

 

[RogueLDN]

fraiser has more sharp wit and is more intelligent than 95% of anything produced in the uk and that is an american show, albeit based on brits of half breed brits...

or cultured ( or classically raised) americans, i was never quite sure myself...

have you wathced many UK shows? It's more clever and relevant than say the office? Rubbish.

 

[November Rain]

i guess you fail to realise the amount of cack the uk produces but just gets sidelined...

in 40 years, there is only a hand full of comedies that stand the test of time, the newer ones are mostly cult comedies that don't have the pulling power to please the masses.

none of them i can see filling that 8-10 friday slot on chanel four, which i associate with hardcore comedy viewing time, nostalgically. Just wouldn't happen.

but it comes down to personal taste i presume.

 

[The_Vision]

I love Frasier and Friends.

 

[November Rain]

have you wathced many UK shows? It's more clever and relevant than say the office? Rubbish.

the office is highly overrated cringe tv, the appeal is based on the fact that everyone knows a 'david brent', similar to little britains appeal of everyone will know a 'vicky pollard'. It's not real big or clever.

even so for the sake of keeping the piece, office goes in the 5% range just to keep the peace.

of modern era comedy, it's one of very few that have mass appeal.

 

[MichaelDigital]

Mr Bean
http://youtube.com/watch?v=fUsYDItwYBw

http://youtube.com/watch?v=2ADj9D2Y0SE

 

[White Honkey]

American humor sucks...all it is dick and fart jokes, as Kevin Smith so elegantly put it. British humor is classy dick and fart jokes. Therefore it wins.

 

[kainedamo]

Mass appeal has nothing to do with quality. The 8-10 slot on channel 4 in NO way represents the best the British have to offer.

The Office isn't just "cringe" comedy. It's comedy timing. Timing, in comedy, can be everything. The perfect example of this is Father Ted. Father Ted would have been a total failure if the timing was wrong. But the comedy timing in Father Ted is perfect!

Father Ted is miles better than Frasier, and thats coming from someone that quite likes Frasier.

You ever watch Peep Show? Peep Show is hilarious. Fantastic social commentary.

That's the reason why I feel British comedy is better - they look at real life situations that everyone has been through.

 

[kainedamo]

The thing about British comedy is that alot of people here admit it's smarter. American comedy, you can leave on the tv as background noise, or watch it like a brainless zombie. Clever comedy ultimately produces far more satisfying laughter.

 

[Enzyme]

As is the case with Arrested Development.

I prefer Britcoms, but once in a while America produces pure gold.

 

[November Rain]

Mass appeal has nothing to do with quality. The 8-10 slot on channel 4 in NO way represents the best the British have to offer.

The Office isn't just "cringe" comedy. It's comedy timing. Timing, in comedy, can be everything. The perfect example of this is Father Ted. Father Ted would have been a total failure if the timing was wrong. But the comedy timing in Father Ted is perfect!

Father Ted is miles better than Frasier, and thats coming from someone that quite likes Frasier.

You ever watch Peep Show? Peep Show is hilarious. Fantastic social commentary.

That's the reason why I feel British comedy is better - they look at real life situations that everyone has been through.

if something is truelly funny then surely the best representation of this IS mass appeal, don't you think, something that is universally accepted?

all comedies have an essence of timing about them and would fall apart without it, don't just make it seem like only a few shows have them, that's the basis of pretty much all comedy.

father ted is fairly childish comedy, anyshow with blatant 'gimmick' characters aren't to my taste. concept is nice but it never grew on me.

as for peep show, the concept again is a brilliant one but especially as time went on, i never saw myself in similar situations thinking the same thing, rather in the mindsets of some disturbed individuals. meh, would have worked better if it was a normal person surrounded by morons but i guess it would be a repeat of the victor meldrew character from one foot in the grave for a younger generation, not a bad thing though.

british comedy isn't so photo realistic, it's quite surreal to be honest. especially the trend towards programs like spaced, and the mighty boosh etc....

what the yanks do have is the able to spread the comedy across animation, simpsons, south park, king of the hill, daria, family guy, futurama.

it'd be hard to find a brit who is into comedy who doesn't have a box set of one of those shows on their shelf. especially a young one.

 

[White Honkey]

what the yanks do have is the able to spread the comedy across animation, simpsons, south park, king of the hill, daria, family guy, futurama.

it'd be hard to find a brit who is into comedy who doesn't have a box set of one of those shows on their shelf. especially a young one.

quoted for truth.

 

[Mentok]

Mr Bean
http://youtube.com/watch?v=fUsYDItwYBw

http://youtube.com/watch?v=2ADj9D2Y0SE

You know something... No matter how many times I watch Mr. Bean I still enjoy them like its the first time.

 

[November Rain]

don't let me get into standup...

 

[Lord Valumart]

british comedy isn't so photo realistic, it's quite surreal to be honest. especially the trend towards programs like spaced, and the mighty boosh etc....

you forget that the mighty boosh is utter ****e and that spaced is comedy perfection...

and spaced isn;t that surreal....i've seen me in situations like some of the ones in there

 

[Mentok]

Mass appeal has nothing to do with quality. The 8-10 slot on channel 4 in NO way represents the best the British have to offer.

The Office isn't just "cringe" comedy. It's comedy timing. Timing, in comedy, can be everything. The perfect example of this is Father Ted. Father Ted would have been a total failure if the timing was wrong. But the comedy timing in Father Ted is perfect!

Father Ted is miles better than Frasier, and thats coming from someone that quite likes Frasier.

You ever watch Peep Show? Peep Show is hilarious. Fantastic social commentary.

That's the reason why I feel British comedy is better - they look at real life situations that everyone has been through.

I forgot about Father Ted That show rocked.

 

[Mentok]

Spaced was awesome... Never got into The Mighty Boosh... But I did see and love their stage show a few years back

 

[November Rain]

you forget that the mighty boosh is utter ****e and that spaced is comedy perfection...

and spaced isn;t that surreal....i've seen me in situations like some of the ones in there

the day today and brass eye are comedy perfection, n'oubliez pas mon amis....(ie don't forget it biatch )

you don't like boosh? wow

we definitely move in different circles...

 

[Lord Valumart]

the day today and brass eye are comedy perfection, n'oubliez pas mon amis....(ie don't forget it biatch )

you don't like boosh? wow

we definitely move in different circles...

yeh....brass eye is brilliant....but i fail to see how anyone can laugh at the mighty boosh. it's this new gerneration of comedy....like bo selecta and that the bear crap...it's just not funny....

i'm more into classic comdey...like 70's 80's stuff....now THAT was funny

 

[November Rain]

nah, you're just being nostalgic.

 

[kainedamo]

if something is truelly funny then surely the best representation of this IS mass appeal, don't you think, something that is universally accepted?

Wrong. Totally wrong. I never get why people make this argument, the glaring flaw of the argument should be apparent before the brain makes the effort to form said flawed argument into words. If what you said is true, then Friends is the greatest comedy of all time, Titanic is the greatest movie of all time, and Snoop Dogg is one of the best things to happen to recent music. All three things are, of course, wrong. Mass appeal has NOTHING, NADA, ZILCHO to do with quality.

all comedies have an essence of timing about them and would fall apart without it, don't just make it seem like only a few shows have them, that's the basis of pretty much all comedy.

father ted is fairly childish comedy, anyshow with blatant 'gimmick' characters aren't to my taste. concept is nice but it never grew on me.

On the surface, Father Ted would appear to be yet another sitcom. But the show touches genius many times. I find it hilarious, possibly the best sitcom ever made.

as for peep show, the concept again is a brilliant one but especially as time went on, i never saw myself in similar situations thinking the same thing, rather in the mindsets of some disturbed individuals. meh, would have worked better if it was a normal person surrounded by morons but i guess it would be a repeat of the victor meldrew character from one foot in the grave for a younger generation, not a bad thing though.

While the characters are on the extreme and weird end, I do find myself thinking the same things, and in similar situations.

british comedy isn't so photo realistic, it's quite surreal to be honest. especially the trend towards programs like spaced, and the mighty boosh etc....

Realistic comedy is just one aspect of British comedy. You are correct to say much British comedy is surreal. The surreal comedy rules. I want to ask, do the yanks have anything similar at all to Brasseye?

what the yanks do have is the able to spread the comedy across animation, simpsons, south park, king of the hill, daria, family guy, futurama.

it'd be hard to find a brit who is into comedy who doesn't have a box set of one of those shows on their shelf. especially a young one.

Yeah, animation is one of the best places for comedy in the US.