British sitcoms. Whats your view?

[Sneeze]

Fawlty Towers, Bottom and Spaced are personal favorites. All brilliant and works of genius. Mr. Bean is also good and Blackadder goes forth (for some reason I could never get into the others). There's others I like too but thats just to name a few.

A few American ones I like that I'd probably need to erect a flame shield before admitting too so I'll save myself.

As a rule though, I do think us brits have the better sit-coms.

 

[Conza]

(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.

As much as I understand the arguement, I don't think it's really justified. I think all series should be ~20 episodes long, for almost all shows. Look at Friends, it was a good comedy show, it must've had ~200 odd episodes, which is better for the show overall, as you get more show, even if more doesn't always give you more comedy.

I think the british television industry should rethink its 6 episode per series strategy, I mean look at TopGear, it has a ridiculous amount of seasons, 16, in only 9 years. If it were 18, and they did 10 episodes a season, that'd be a different story (the same as American shows, only half and half).

 

[Squilookle]

I generally prefer britcoms because their shorter format means only the best jokes and sharpest comedy can make it in, leading to generally a higher quality of writing. I'd also agree with the early 90's view, except that I think Men Behaving Badly is funny as hell too.

For me britcoms didn't really start to suck until The Office came out. Apart from the IT CROWD and Garth Merenghi, british comedy today mostly seems to be triying to get laughs out of throwing characters into increasingly awkward positions, which gets repetitive and dull pretty quick.

Quiz shows like QI are good though, combining education with off the cuff conversational comedy.

 

[Wolfenbarg]

I don't sort through enough to really be qualified to pass judgment. However, if anyone here can sit through a single episode of Peep Show without dying of laughter at some point, I automatically deem you unfit of human status.

 

[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.

As much as I understand the arguement, I don't think it's really justified. I think all series should be ~20 episodes long, for almost all shows. Look at Friends, it was a good comedy show, it must've had ~200 odd episodes, which is better for the show overall, as you get more show, even if more doesn't always give you more comedy.

I think the british television industry should rethink its 6 episode per series strategy, I mean look at TopGear, it has a ridiculous amount of seasons, 16, in only 9 years. If it were 18, and they did 10 episodes a season, that'd be a different story (the same as American shows, only half and half).

I see what you are getting at like some shows can go on for neigh on 200 episodes and that some could be a bit longer like QI or any other things but the thing is with comedy programs is moderation and gettint better or staying as funny as the last one. if a comedy show which lasts for 20 episodes a series and after series 1 the BBC wanted another its going to be very difficult for the writers to come up with new stuff and using the Mentalist as an example the first series was fantastic but in series 2 it got worse and because series 1 was about 20 episodes and they then had to write another 20 episodes for series 2 and they had not got that many ideas left. (i probably have reiterated what i said earlier but i think in different terms)

 

[Nemu]

I love Brit comedies.

I dislike US comedies.


Of course there are exceptions, but all-in-all, my sense of humor leans more to the dry/sarcastic/border-line offensive style of British humor.

That being said, I don't watch much tv at all, aside from Animal Planet, Travel Network, et al.
*shrugs*

 

[CoL0sS]

I'm not familiar with the new stuff cause local TV stations only show Turkish soap operas. Seriously it's a frigging epidemic, you can't even catch a decent movie these last couple of months. I did like the old stuff such as Black Adder, 'Allo 'Allo and especially Red Dwarf.

 

[Chairman Miaow]

Not all comedy in a country is good, but all the same, not all comedy in a country is bad.

This show for example:
<youtube=iRmxXp62O8g>

I quite like what I've seen of The IT Crowd but this clip was just awful.

 

[Nemu]

(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.

As much as I understand the arguement, I don't think it's really justified. I think all series should be ~20 episodes long, for almost all shows. Look at Friends, it was a good comedy show, it must've had ~200 odd episodes, which is better for the show overall, as you get more show, even if more doesn't always give you more comedy.

I think the british television industry should rethink its 6 episode per series strategy, I mean look at TopGear, it has a ridiculous amount of seasons, 16, in only 9 years. If it were 18, and they did 10 episodes a season, that'd be a different story (the same as American shows, only half and half).

Quality > Quantity


Plus, a HUGE reason that networks order more shows per season is because after 100 episodes, they can be sold into syndication.

Not trying to argue your opinion, I'm just saying that I'd rather have fewer really great episodes versus 10 good eps and 10 really awful ones, especially when it comes to series with longer arcs. (Obviously, for the sake of the topic, I mean comedies. Series like Mad Men and The Walking Dead do JUST FINE with short seasons, too.)

 

[Popadoo]

The Inbetweeners. Need I say more?


I rest my case.

 

[aLivingPheonix]

Despite having lived in England for 5 years, I've never seen any sitcoms, aside from Spaced. Which is awesome.

So... I guess I like them?

As for American... Ehh... I don't really like American sitcoms that much.

 

[Prince Regent]

I think the US makes the best action, drama and even the best science ficton series (sorry to all the Doctor Who fans out there), but the best sitcoms are deffinitly British.

I mean just watch one episode of Blackader (seasons II-IV) and compare it to let's say big bang theory. and You will know what I mean.