Poll: American or British Comedy?

[HandsomeJack]

I can go either way, depending on mood. God I miss The Benny Hill Show though...

 

[ace_of_something]

Depends on the show, but mostly I prefer American. Psych, Scrubs, House (seems like a drama/comedy to me at least), are all some of my favorite shows. Though the British have Monty Python, that was a good 30 years ago now. They're still some of the best though.

Hugh Laurie from House is British as well, which might be why that show is fantastic.

Ummm... he's an actor if you want to credit the jokes to someone it's mostly due to the writers. Who are american.

This thread has false dichotomy all over it. Some american shows use surrealist or witty 'british' humor and many british use raunchy, observational, or slapstick 'american humor'
The fact that people think one nation owns one or the other because of a handful of prominent shows/comedians is kind of stupid.

 

[ffxfriek]

American all the way

 

[Loop Stricken]

British, but then again I'm biased.

I do like Jon Stewart however, and that video of him on that Crossfire thing only serves to raise my estimation of him.

It was a sad day when the Daily Show website decided to block non-US ISPs and a sadder one when I realised I just couldn't be arsed circumventing it.
Please, somebody tell me what he thinks of Obama!

 

[neoontime]

I'd like to change my option.
I never saw the wittiness in British humor and always accused it as not trying hard.
From what I hear American humor seems to try too hard.
So, guessing that Canadian comedy is in between it seems like the best option....for me!

 

[Treblaine]

I love American comedy. I think the UK should negotiate rights to get the Today Show and Colbert Report broadcast over here.

Personally, it's not for me. Too much straw-man bullshit.

Common problem with American comedy, it isn't THAT funny just to ridicule your political rivals, especially if it just goes on and on. They tend to exploit the contractions in people they don't like rather than in the situation itself.

For example, even a Christian should be able to find The Life Of Brian funny because it finds the humour in such an important era surrounding their belief. It doesn't just say "hah, look at Jesus being so stupid" but subtly-subverts the situation:

Like Michael Palin the ex-lepper, it cleverly exploits the ridiculous scenario that someone would complain about the Messiah curing them of their terrible disease. Doesn't insult Jesus or the Christ story.

In fact the entire overarching story is how would someone deal with the pressures of being a religious leader if they didn't want to be one and had no idea how to handle it with grace. The more he tries to rid himself of them, the more he seems to attract.

I still retain that Life Of Brian is the perfect film even for all Christians, though fundamentalist type tend to completely miss the joke and automatically think they are the butt again.

Compare and contrast 'Life of Brian' with that crappy American comedy 'Dave' where someone is mistaken for the US President (Political rather than Religious Leader) the movie instead just spends the time dissing the real president by saying basically "huh, why don't you do this, like any ordinary guy would". Less drawing humour from the farcical situation of mistaken identity.

I haven't seen Dave, so I can't comment on it, and I agree on Life of Brian, but I don't think you're giving American comedians a chance.

Eddie Murphy is a side-splitter, Jay Leno is a genius, Lenny Bruce, while not a contemporary and I haven't heard very much of his stuff, was a visionary when it came to unpeeling the crappy hang ups we have about swear words and obscenities and a fucking human stick of dynamite when it came to saying what had to be said. I am still ashamed (but not surprised) that the UK deported him on arrival because of his routines.

George Carlin was a goddamn genius and he remains one of my favorite comedians and I honestly nearly wept when I heard of his death. An atheist, a strong critic of organised religion and politicians and a penchant for criticism in the most stylish and obscene manner possible.

Robbin Williams, a man who can actually have me weeping with laughter effortlessly and his improvisation is something to be seen to be believed. And the legendary Bill Hicks, who, while his mannerism on stage grated on my nerves, didn't detract in the least from the gravity of his words and the manner in which he expressed them.

American comedy isn't like British comedy, which is a good thing. Americans have their own style and it is extremely refreshing.

Don't get me wrong, I love American comedy... but it tends to be usually the Jewish Farce type, like Arrested Development or Curb Your Enthusiasm. I mentioned earlier how Arrested Development almost killed me suffocating on my own laughter. It may be jsut me but I loved Steve Oedekerk's Kung Pow, maybe because it's basically a proto-rifftrax and I LOVE rifftrax which British comedians have not really gotten into yet, hmm, maybe the snarkiness is too much.

Ah, of course, The Spoony One, even though he's an internet type I still think he's one of the funniest guys I've ever seen... full stop. Right up there with Charlie Brooker and his various TV shows and products.

Also The Simpsons and Futurama, though Simpsons has REALLY gone downhill in recent years and Futurama is constantly being cancelled and screwed around with.

But the comedy which I hold closest is something which doesn't have any real US-Parallel (that I know of) which is the Comedy Quiz Show. This is a fairly recent idea in the UK (emerged in early 90's), it even works well with American guests though they seem really confused at what is going on and seem to think most of this will end up being edited out.

The formula is you have a quiz show with a host asking questions of teams of comedians and celebrity guests only the entire show is played for laughs; jokes, tangents and piss-taking are more important than actually earning points.

It has the atmosphere like a drunken pub game where there is inevitable humour from both giving deliberately wrong answers and exploring the humour of the actual answer once given. Almost all of it is entirely improvised and in the case of particularly stupid guest is even unintentional.

I imagine it is incredibly hard for the host and producers to pull it off, it is at times a bit like "whose line is it anyway" only far less slapstick as everyone is safely behind their desks (where many keep notes to keep track of humorous aspects)

 

[Kapol]

Hugh Laurie from House is British as well, which might be why that show is fantastic.

While he's an amazing actor, he's not the only reason the shows great. You have to remember the writer, the director, and everyone else too. Though it wouldn't be as good without Hugh Laurie.

 

[Willwillwritehiswill]

American comedy throws the punchline in your face and demands you laugh at it. British comedy any time.

 

[shelif]

british because of the accent
and becuse half the time its actually funny unlike america were u have to be a ***** to get anything

 

[LiquidGrape]

It was a sad day when the Daily Show website decided to block non-US ISPs and a sadder one when I realised I just couldn't be arsed circumventing it.
Please, somebody tell me what he thinks of Obama!

Generally, he likes him. But he doesn't pull any punches when he thinks criticism is warranted.
He especially laments the lack of action to dismantle the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy, which Obama expressively promised to get rid of.

 

[3_of_8]

Oh there's brilliant American comedy (The Big Bang Theory comes to my mind), but British comedy is far better. Usually more subtle and witty. I haven't seen any American comedy that comes even close to Monty Python, Fry and Laurie, Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams. British humour is often absurd (like all of the previously mentioned comedy groups/authors) and dark. (mainly the first two) And I really like that.

Oh yes, and the accents, of course. I think that good comedians can "play" with British accents to enhance the comedic effect, it might work with American accents to, but not as well, in my opinion. But again, don't get me wrong, there are brilliant American comedians, too, and there are some American series and films that I find really funny, too, but if I had to choose, I'd choose British humour without hesitation.

 

[flaming_squirrel]

It's Rich Hall.

That's the one!

I love his droll sense of humour.

 

[GuerrillaClock]

British comedians produce most of the classics. Monty Python, Father Ted, Red Dwarf, Spaced, Blackadder, the list goes on. Granted, Britain produces just as much trash as America, but it seems all the talented Americans stick to Hollywood. The American Office (which was based on a British idea anyway) is the only truly great comedy in the league of those I mentioned, at least that I can think of off the top of my head.

I know everyone talks about 30 Rock, but I've never watched it.

 

[Wolfinton]

I just have one thing to say:

Monthy Python.

Ill second that, but add 1 thing.

Only Fools and Horses.

 

[iTwitch]

As has been said many times both have their pros and cons. I havent seen much American comedy from the same era's as Monty Python or Faulty towers and those two alone are timeless gems. Modern British comedy such as peep show, mighty boosh or even just the quiz shows like mock the week I find extremely funny. On the other side, America brought us both Friends and Scrubs, South Park and many other heavily comedy based cartoons. Its a tough call really but I'd have to go British, but thats only my opinion

 

[PrototypeC]

I'd say American comedies are better with a gun to my head, but only because it would be an American doing the gun-pointing.

 

[Baby Fark McGee-Zax]

Four words, "Da Ali G Show".

EDIT: I guess Da Ali G Show can go both ways since it started in Britain and then went to the U.S and A.

They only visited there. The cast, crew and writers remained British.

Friends didn't become a British comedy when they visited London.

Very true. So I guess that settles it. BRITISH COMEDY!

 

[Gary Harper]

I like the fact that Britain has stand-ups that are actually funny. I live in america and our versions are jack shit in comparison. no offence.