Poll: Who's better at comedy? Brits or Americans?

[Dominic Burchnall]

Come on,

Red Dwarf, Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead, Mr Bean, Johnny English, 'Allo 'Allo, This Is Not The Nine O Clock News, That Was The Week That Was, QI, The Full Monty, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Dad's Army, Blackadder, Only Fools and Horses, the original Whose Line Is It Anyway, Porridge, Father Ted, The Vicar of Dibley, The Inbetweeners, Ali G, Black Books, Shameless, Mock the Week, never Mind the Buzzcocks, Outnumbered, Spike Milligan, Benny Hill, Spaced, The Office, Extras

or

Frasier, Friends, Cheers, The Big Band Theory, How I Met Your Mother, assorted progams stolen from the British.

Not saying that the American shows aren't funny, or that I don't enjoy them, but for sheer quantity of classic and modern comedy, the British have exclipsed the Yanks for years.

You have taken the words right out of my mouth.

Just going to chip in with Seinfeld for the Americans and The Mitchell and Webb Look, The Two Ronnies, Morecombe and Wise, and Shooting Stars for my fellow Brits. Not wishing to downplay our cousins across the pond, but I'm afraid we win hands down for this.

 

[Entraboard]

I think the question is a moot point.
I would lean towards saying that Americans are funnier, but if you research a bit you'll find that the best/most famous comedians are Canadians.

In other words, it's 'em canucks that be the funniest English-speakers.

 

[twistedmic]

Movies? American Pie vs. Hot Fuzz. Right...

That's not really a fair comparison. American Pie is not really a satire, it's a Teen sex romp movie.
A much more fair comparison would be Hot Fuzz vs Observe and Report or Cop Out (both being Dark comedies involving cops). Either way, those two movies are on par with Hot Fuzz in the comedy department.

 

[Requi3m]

Agreed. Go for the Brits when you want more subtlety. The Americans are often more direct in their comedy.

Also, don't forget BlackAdder!

 

[Kenjitsuka]

Little Britain... need I really say more?

 

[SadisticBrownie]

Brits, and not just because I'm one of them. While I do occassionally enjoy American TV comedy, it just doesn't compare to the British greats like Blackadder, Fawlty Towers etc. As for stand-up, the only American stand-up comedian I've enjoyed is George Carlin, and there are loads of British ones I love.

 

[Tallim]

Going to try and hit some of the lesser known ones from UK (unless you are old like me)

Look Around You
Brass Eye
Garth Merenghi's Darkplace
Bottom
Mighty Boosh
French & Suanders
Victoria Wood
Peter Serafinowicz
Reeves & Mortimer
Ross Noble - Probably the only comedian who can do a 2 hour show with only 40 minutes of pre-prepared material and have it be hilarious. Also the only comedian who has genuinely had me unable to breath as I'm laughing too much.

I can't stand Ricky Gervais, one of the least funny people in existence IMO.

Having said that HIMYM *is* a work of genius.

EDIT: I forgot TV Offal and Inside Victor Lewis Smith. Both by Victor Lewis Smith.

 

[Xanadu84]

Say British humor and you know what I mean.

Saying American humor, and your left with pretty much every conceivable style of humor ever made by man. How can you lump into the same category Garfield and Daniel Tosh? Or George Carlin and Dane Cook? Fraiser and Clerks? I don't think you can really give a meaningful comparison culturally, because America is such a melting pot.

 

[Yopaz]

Hard to say.
I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe for minutes while watching Jason Manford.
Still, I laughed for a few hours when I saw Stephen Lynch live in Oslo.
Brits are better at the offensive parts. I really love How Not To Live Your Life and Little Britain. Then again I love The Simpsons, Futurama Scrubs and several other American shows.

My favourite comedian of all time is Norwegian though because he really knows to take things too far. I can't really decide, but I like all humour that suits my taste be it British, American, Japanese, Norwegian (but never French).

 

[ToastiestZombie]

Come on,

Red Dwarf, Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead, Mr Bean, Johnny English, 'Allo 'Allo, This Is Not The Nine O Clock News, That Was The Week That Was, QI, The Full Monty, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Dad's Army, Blackadder, Only Fools and Horses, the original Whose Line Is It Anyway, Porridge, Father Ted, The Vicar of Dibley, The Inbetweeners, Ali G, Black Books, Shameless, Mock the Week, never Mind the Buzzcocks, Outnumbered, Spike Milligan, Benny Hill, Spaced, The Office, Extras

or

Frasier, Friends, Cheers, The Big Band Theory, How I Met Your Mother, assorted progams stolen from the British.

Not saying that the American shows aren't funny, or that I don't enjoy them, but for sheer quantity of classic and modern comedy, the British have exclipsed the Yanks for years.

Forgot Bottom, Shooting stars, Little Britain , Have I got news for you, anything Charlie Brooker has made, Stephen fry's shows, The Two Ronnies, Harry Hill, Tim Minchin, Ross Noble, The Mighty Boosh. anything Karl Pilkington is in, Shaun The Sheep, That Mitchell and Webb Look, some of Russel Brands's stuff and Wallace And Gromit! The only American Shows you forgot were Family Guy and South Park which just shows you how much stuff we've got over here in good old blighty!

Britain will always do comedy better, we have had a much richer history of it and the amount of very talented people is much much bigger than America. Doesnt mean that american comedy is bad (South Park is one of my favorite comedies of all time), its just most of it is copied from us, or lacks that special kind of humor that makes british comedy great.

 

[docSpitfire]

I too have to say Canadians. Half or more of the US's best comedy? All part of a Secret Canadian Plot to cripple our economy. They make tons of money and then send it back home to Canada, and we don't make enough on exports to cover the money flowing out of our economy.
It's a good thing we stole Hockey from them. Even if we don't watch it. (Though that might be what sparked this whole secret economy war)

If you think of your top 5 American comedy TV/Movie actors odds are even if you're actively trying not to include Canadians in your list you've probably still got 2.

 

[The Harkinator]

While I have to say British comedy hands down I do have to bear in mind being British I have had more exposure to British comedy, I've seen more acts, get the references and appreciate it more.

This works both ways though so if I was American I would probably like their comedy better. Though I can't stand the canned laughter, yes I know its in British shows too but I don't find it to be as frequent or intrusive. In British shows the laughter actually happens when I laugh, in American shows the canned laughter seems to be on a 10 second loop.

 

[DaJoW]

Brits hands down. Better stand up, better sketch shows, better sitcoms and the only good panel shows I've seen. Nearly all comedy shows here are from the US though, have to to the Internet to find British comedy :/

 

[Your once and future Fanboy]

Britts are funnier.

Proof: go watch 10 minutes of UK Top Gear, then watch the US version

I don't think the US top gear has comedians on it.

Well, the Uk top gear presenters are Richard Hammond; a former morning radio host, James May; a former car magazine columnist and wine critic, and Jeremy Clarkson; a collumnist and a former tv-host for other shows (including other car shows, like the more serious 1977-2001 top gear).

strictly speaking, none of these guys are comedians either, they are just car-show host that are funny!

 

[Suicidejim]

I'm going to take the road less travelled and go by literary humour.
Douglas Adams. Terry Prachett. Britain wins.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

I would have to go Britain, but America does have some good things, like South Park, American Dad, Reginald D Hunter and Rich Hall. People seem to tout Bill Hicks as a comedy god too, but I dislike him intensely.

Britain has a wealth of great comedians and there are some good sitcoms again, like Not Going Out. There's just so much classic stuff from Britain that I could never say America.

 

[Thaliur]

I think the question is badly worded. THere is no such thing as US-American comedy, sorry.

They even suck at remaking British originals. Just compare both versions of Coupling. The US version of IT Crowd at least had a few original jokes (of which one was even funny), and one actual actor.

 

[WickedSkin]

But the Americans have Carrot top so Brits win by default.

Now now, America has apologized for Carrot Top on multiple occasions.

Not enough!

Britts are funnier.

Proof: go watch 10 minutes of UK Top Gear, then watch the US version

I don't think the US top gear has comedians on it.

/SLICE!

strictly speaking, none of these guys are comedians either, they are just car-show host that are funny!

I also noticed that every single joke they do on US top gear is an almost exact ripp-off from UK top gear.
UK Top Gear is now ripping it's own jokes as well. Time to take a gander at UK top gear or Korean Top Gear maybe.

 

[Zaverexus]

Two words: Douglas Adams.
To be contrasted with another two: The Simpsons.

...yeah.
I'm a fan of British humor. Most American stuff today seems to prefer stupid humor over clever humor, and I do not appreciate that.

 

[Byr0m]

TBH I would say Brits but that's only because if British so im sort of biased, however British and American comedy is different enough that neither nation 'gets' the other nation's comedy so, if we're being fair, its probably both equally, or maybe slightly on the side of the Brits (we used to make some pretty good comedy - Monty Python, Morecambe and Wise etc.