British sitcoms. Whats your view?

[SturmDolch]

I'd have to go along with the crowd for the most part, but touting a british comedy series just because its british is the height of precocious trendiness and those people should be beaten with a garden hose.

Oh, tell me about it. I always hear how British TV is better, or that watching it means you're more intelligent.

I prefer American sitcoms, because I haven't really watched any British ones. I've watched clips, though, and did find them funny. I just don't have too much interest in actually watching a full season.

But they were still better than any sitcom made in Canada. I can't believe the CBC funds some of the bullshit that comes on TV. InSecurity? Makes me want to punch people in the face. Corner Gas? I thought it was a comedy, but there's no jokes. Kids in the Hall? Just plain disgusting. Little Mosque on the Prairie? Racist trash.

Spoiler: I miss when we had a good sitcom.

 

[GiantRaven]

[Red Dwarf doesn't exist past 6]

Red Dwarf had 8 series.

Also, is it just me or has nobody mentioned Porridge? Disgraceful.

 

[Zykon TheLich]

[Red Dwarf doesn't exist past 6]

Red Dwarf had 8 series.

Also, is it just me or has nobody mentioned Porridge? Disgraceful.

I will repeat myself. Red Dwarf does not exist past series 6.

 

[joe90]

I can't stress enough how important it is for everyone who says british comedy is losing it's edge to watch the first episode of Garth Merenghi's Darkplace. Probably the most creative comedy in the last twenty years, ever. with shows like Peep show, IT crowd and the first two series of The Mighty Boosh as well in the past decade, we are matching america blow for blow.

Surrealism FTW

 

[loc978]

So long as the situation in sitcom is a ship the size of a city three million years into deep space, I love 'em.

 

[flamingjimmy]

The vast majority of sitcoms are shit, including British ones. However there are some gems in amongst all the poo, perhaps relatively more so than when compared to the ratio of shit sitcoms vs good ones coming out of the US.

 

[thejboy88]

Well, being British myself I naturally have a bias towards comedy from my own country.

But as much as I love shows like Yes Minister and Blackadder, there are a number of American comedies I love wtaching, with Friends being the most prominent.

 

[Something Amyss]

Love the good ones, hate the bad ones. Pretty straightforward deal. Every genre, every nation, every art medium runs between good and bad. I love British humour when it's good, but not everything the Brits do is brilliant.

 

[Fetzenfisch]

What I really love about British sitcoms is that most of the time, the Directors view or expression of the show isn't influenced from monetary gains. This results in a more "raw" type of comedy that isn't affected by whatever fads are going on or you won't get some show that feels like it was made by committee.

With American comedies, they are usually stretched out too far and laid too thin just for the sake of keeping the money rolling. Not to say they aren't good, but most American sitcoms start out really creative and intelligent, but die out and seem to force themselves to produce mediocre work just for the bucks.

It's like Extras...

exactly this.
Its the big advantage and disadvantage of britcoms to be pure, original, hilarious and shortliving.

"How long did your show run in the UK?"
"4 years"
"Thats how many episodes?"
"24"
"see thats one season for us"
(Episodes)

Yeah "Episodes" depicts the clash of these 2 worlds in a perfect manner. go watch it NOW

 

[Something Amyss]

exactly this.
Its the big advantage and disadvantage of britcoms to be pure, original, hilarious and shortliving.

"How long did your show run in the UK?"
"4 years"
"Thats how many episodes?"
"24"
"see thats one season for us"
(Episodes)

Yeah "Episodes" depicts the clash of these 2 worlds in a perfect manner. go watch it NOW

Of course, these days the US is doing fewer and fewer shows with "full" seasons. It'll be a long time before we get six episode seasons standard, but we're staerting to even out some.

 

[MetalDooley]

Father Ted

Dangerous territory saying that one! As much as it would be great to take credit for the genius that is Father Ted, that's an Irish show, not British.

That's debatable really.While the writers and stars were Irish and most,if not all,of the outdoor scenes were shot in Ireland it was made by a British production company for a British TV channel.That makes it British in my opinion

OT:British comedy is just like any other.Some is brilliant,some is average and some is terrible

 

[kurupt87]

A general rule of thumb; if it's on BBC or ITV it's bad while if it is on C4 it is good.

You're kidding rite?

ITV I'll float you. But the BBC.

That's about all that's worth watching.

We're talking about sitcoms here. The beeb has a whole host of great programmes, it is not the place to go if you're looking for a sitcom though. The only sitcom I can think of that is even mildly funny is Not Going Out. Oh, How Not To Live Your Life as well actually, that can be funny; getting a bit stale though.
(Edit: Episodes has been mentioned which I forgot about. I saw the first episode and it didn't really do it for me. I may have to catch up and see if I'm missing out.)

Top Gear is one of the funniest programmes on the BBC and it's supposed to be car show for crying out loud.

Sitcoms that are worth watching are on C4; Shameless, Skins, The Inbetweeners, The I.T. Crowd, Pete Vs Life and those are just off the top of my head and they are all better than the two I listed for the beeb. It also hosts a great line up of straight up comedy quiz shows that rival the beebs own.

Don't get me wrong I love the beeb, but the comedy on C4 beats it hands down IMHO.

(For my sanity please do not suggest Miranda as a decent sitcom, I may have to kill either you or myself.)

 

[Flames66]

There hasn't been very much good humour around here recently on the television. That is the main reason I don't watch it any more.

tionz and?!?

 

[Caligulove]

I love British sitcoms, things like Blackadder, Spaced, Fawlty Towers, The IT Crowd, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, The Office, Extras and Black Books.

Some great stuff with incredibly funny and recognizable comedians. Plus, the last decade has seen an increase in British TV being translated for an American audience, so I find it odd for Americans not to like British TV, as if they don't understand that, right now at least, it's the root of some of our best television. Hell, House MD- on of the best shows on right now would be nothing without Hugh Laurie and his success in things like Blackadder and A Bit of Fry and Laurie.

 

[TheGuiggleMonster]

Peep Show and the Inbetweeners are fantastic. Sitcoms with John Cleese are generally good but they stopped making those a long time ago. I prefer British sitcoms to American ones because generally American sitcoms last for way too long and completely lose all humour after the first season. Two and a Half Men, for instance. It has its very rare funny moments, but it's not worth watching anymore because it's just stretched out too much with the humour spread very thinly.

 

[Jack Macaque]

IT Crowd and The Office are both amazing, nuff said.

 

[GiantRaven]

I will repeat myself. Red Dwarf does not exist past series 6.

Oh yeah, my mistake. Must've been thinking about something else.

 

[Conza]

I don't think I've ever seen a British sitcom I didn't like... That I can remember

They do have a major problem though, what the hell, is with only 6 episodes a season?!?! What, the, hell? make it 20-22! Black Books only had 18 episodes, true, they were all excellent, but seriously, they work for 6 weeks straight and need a years holiday? A YEARS holiday? In America the adoption of 10+10 is fine, they could easily work for another 4 weeks, then break, then work again.


Red Dwarf
Black Books
IT Crowd
Black Adder (haven't seen it all)
Spaced (never seen an episode, but I know it'll be good)
Coupling (a bit girly maybe, but, it had good comedy)

I love TopGear as well, but A. I'm a car enthusiast, and B. Plenty of non-car enthusiasts like it for the comedy alone, but it's still not a sitcom, so I can't count it (or is it at times? eg. the challenges?).

 

[cutecuddely]

They do have a major problem though, what the hell, is with only 6 episodes a season?!?! What, the, hell? make it 20-22.quote]

there is a trouble with making one season with 20 is thats there will likely only be 1 season. take fawlty towers as an example. every single episode needed to be as funny or funnier than the last so John Cleese stopped after 12 episodes because he knew that he could not top what he had done. Also Morcambe and Wise were hetting worried because their shows had to be as funny or funnier than the last.

 

[cutecuddely]

(making this one work better hopefully)

They do have a major problem though, what the hell, is with only 6 episodes a season?!?! What, the, hell? make it 20-22!.

there is a trouble with making one season with 20 is thats there will likely only be 1 season. take fawlty towers as an example. every single episode needed to be as funny or funnier than the last so John Cleese stopped after 12 episodes because he knew that he could not top what he had done. Also Morcambe and Wise were hetting worried because their shows had to be as funny or funnier than the last.