British humour or American humour?

[KingOfHyrule]

Fawlty Towers! Jesus how could I forget Basil and Manuel lol supreme comedy. And The Young Ones - goes without saying!

[ViPeR]

well i suppose its sort of in the same category, but regardless of its location Father Ted rocks GO onnnn!!

 

i dont get Friends, it seems a bit....meh, but i love the simpsons.

 

Was watching Father Ted the other night . Oh the joy of having every series on DVD. I, also, have no idea why people find Friends funny. I have laughed accidentally at it on occasions simply at the random crap the characters were coming out with and I didn't know what was going on. There are some decent American comedies though. Like someone said earlier it's the scriptwriters not the country. Although few tend to brake the mould. Scrubs, Simpsons, and Futurama are good examples of great American comedies. In fact British comedy has lost its appeal these past few years. The BBC and ITV are churning out some real dog shit to be honest. I want Bottom back! The only show that has had me watching over and over is Peep Show. It's pure genius.

[dabookerman]

should be more like old comedy vs new comedy. friends is awesome because its more story based, and chandler was the one that really made things funny for me.

 

but fawlty towers, monty python, only fools and horses > anything that comes on now

[The3rdChildren]

If it makes me laugh, its good. American or English. Friends is consistently very funny, despite what anyone says, and if you look hard enough at what's on offer in the world today comedy-wise... you'll realise more time should be spent watching these shows, and far less time writing unfunny debate posts concerning them.

 

SIMPSONS SERIES SIX TIME, LADIES.

[RATM_4_EVA]

 

If anyone can, check out Jeff Foxworthy. He's a redneck from the US, and he's -very- funny.

Wow! are you kidding me LOL. serously, I have met no onr that likes red-neck humor. soooooooooo 70's. but hey some people like it.

 

British humor I love and also American.when I watch The Holy Grail and Seinfeld I crack up. its not that any of them make you think, its sometimes inside humor. Such as current events, pop culture and stuff that is the opposit. I all comes down to who your aiming your product at. Cultures are different and you can tell by what they find funny or strange or just dumb.

[harribo]

In fact British comedy has lost its appeal these past few years. The BBC and ITV are churning out some real dog shit to be honest. I want Bottom back! The only show that has had me watching over and over is Peep Show. It's pure genius.

 

I cant say I agree with you there there have been some great comedies recently like Little Britain, Monkey Dust, QI, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Have I got News For You, Dead Ringers, They think its all over and peter kays comedies have never failed to make me laugh.

[Roostophe]

Was watching Father Ted the other night . Oh the joy of having every series on DVD. I, also, have no idea why people find Friends funny. I have laughed accidentally at it on occasions simply at the random crap the characters were coming out with and I didn't know what was going on. There are some decent American comedies though. Like someone said earlier it's the scriptwriters not the country. Although few tend to brake the mould. Scrubs, Simpsons, and Futurama are good examples of great American comedies. In fact British comedy has lost its appeal these past few years. The BBC and ITV are churning out some real dog shit to be honest. I want Bottom back! The only show that has had me watching over and over is Peep Show. It's pure genius.

 

I forgot about Scrubs and Peep Show. Both class

 

I agree with you about Bottom there. Rik Mayall did send a script to the BBC of a final series of Bottom, but it was rejected, the bastards.

I'm not sure about British comedy losing its appeal, what with Peep Show, Little Britain, Bo' Selecta (I just remembered that, too), The Mighty Boosh etc. etc.

[Bren]

Im into american humour in cartoons (family guy, simpsons) but theyre live acts, are shite, bar the def jam comedy series, that shits ace.

 

British humour is funny as hell, im into Lee Evans, and the usual popular english acts (peter kay, alan partridge),

 

so, both equal imo

[Pit-Jr]

American comedy sucks in general, ive never seen any British shows cause they dont show them here. Our only saving grace is pre-season 12 Simpsons and older sitcoms like Roseanne and a few good stand-up comedians like Andrew Dice Clay and Margaret Cho. Oh if you guys get a chance to see the Pamela Anderson Roast on Comedy Central, i dont think ive ever lauged so hard in my life.

[#1cubeplayer]

In addition to South Park, Futurama, Simpsons, and Family Guy (which have all been mentioned), I like That 70's Show, Seinfield, and Everybody Loves Raymond. I grew up watching Mr. Bean so I love his comedy. I don't know much other British comedy, though.

[Platty]

i like anything thats funny! british, american whatever, if its good and makes me laugh its alright in my books.

[Shorty]

Living in America now, I'm beginning to turn to enjoy more humour in shows like Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, Family Guy, Cheers, Friends - but I think when the British do it well, they do it best

[Dieter]

The thread title is a perfect example of what question NOT to ask on a mostly UK-based site (and yes, Europe is closer to UK than USA).

 

If anyone can, check out Jeff Foxworthy. He's a redneck from the US, and he's -very- funny.

 

I have his cd, 'You might be a redneck...'. I know it by heart by now 'Nuff said

[fatnickc]

I prefer British humour mostly. There are some American shows which i find funny etc., but the only ones which have ever made me actually laugh so that someone sitting close to me could here it are British. Have I Got News For You is one of my favourites (great one on Saturday 22nd), and very recently I've started watching Supernova, which I quite like.

[Sarka]

I love Father Ted, Family Guy, The Office (UK), American Dad, Blackadder, Futurama, I'm Alan Partridge, South Park etc.

 

For films, I love American stuff it seems though. Jim Carrey films, Hot Shots, Austin Powers etc.

 

Meh...

[Hostile]

Young Ones.

 

We win, tbh.

[dukkadukka]

to be honest i don't really care if it's american or british, if it makes me laugh then it's done its job. family guy and scrubs are brilliant, but i also love adam & joe and league of gentlemen. i'm really getting into nighty night at the moment too, any fans here?

[ViPeR]

I cant say I agree with you there there have been some great comedies recently like Little Britain, Monkey Dust, QI, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Have I got News For You, Dead Ringers, They think its all over and peter kays comedies have never failed to make me laugh.

 

Well 4 of those are quiz shows, which I didn't think about but are good examples of Brit comedy. As for Little Britain, well yes it is great. That was until it got whored out and every stupid gimpy kid from here to the falklands could be found saying "Yeh I know". It lost its appeal for me after the first series. As for Dead Ringers, the same applies. After the first two or three series it did get a little repetitive but the fact it's based on current events keeps it a little fresh and entertaining.

[Aimless]

I find a lot of American shows funny, but I have to wonder whether something like 'Spaced' would ever get the go ahead in the US. But then I can only judge things from this side of the pond, my only evidence the programs that money-grabbing executives decide to release over here.

 

My impression is that American shows are a lot 'glossier' than British comedies, but part of the charm of things like 'The Young Ones' is the shoddy props. I suppose you could say that shows made in the UK are more honest with both themselves and their subject matter.

 

I was bought up on British TV, so naturally I prefer it. If I had been raised in the US of A things might have been different. I'd probably have been shot for one thing.

[Daniel]

america has produced some classic comedies... no ones mentioned M*A*S*H yet!? thats up there with British greats like Monty Python, Faulty Towers, The Young Ones etc

[Athriller]

I've always liked a bit of both. Anchorman was the latest offering from the U.S. that made me guffaw like a dawg.

[#1cubeplayer]

The thread title is a perfect example of what question NOT to ask on a mostly UK-based site (and yes, Europe is closer to UK than USA).

Quite a discovery you've made there, Sir.

[Dan_Dare]

I hope you arent trying to diss Airplane! I'd be mighty pissed if you are...

[Waylander]

I prefer British comedies but I like American animated comedy series like The Simpsons and Futurama.

[jayseven]

Coupling. I have no clue how many series they're up to by now, but the first two were above average in terms of funz. Spaced is genius: bring on series 3! Teachers, the first three series, i loved. Dick & Dom In Da Bungalow is clearly the brainchild of some tripping dreams and monty phython. Mr. Bean,Blackadder, Fawlty Towers. Red Dwarf, Monty Phython, all traditional stuff.

 

Newer stuff; Green Wing was really good, here's hoping for a series 2 sometime soon, with a nice series 1 dvd collection to go with it. Black Books is another nice little gem; Bill Bailey is a brilliant guy, and Dylan Moran's character is perversely charming to watch... Nathan Barley/BrassEye/that other Chris Morris show, more perversions of the national humour for you.

 

Y'see, I don't always understand 'british humour' as a phrase, I mean I understand that apparantly the americans don't 'get' irony, but i don't understand. I don't think I've given much analytical thought-power to what sort of tickling any given show does.

 

The american comedies i've come into will be known and said in this thread already. Of course, I'll emphasise on Scrubs because it's the best thing around, even if the show's ever so slightly dampened since they gave the janitor such an active role (yes i know he's hilarious but his quirks were better in smaller doses). I am a fan of the Ben Stiller franchise; clearly a formulaic routine has been plotted by the guy, but it's an equation I don't mnd casting my eyes over. Malcolm in the Middle was a classic in the making.

 

Sometimes I think comedy shows appear to become less brilliant sheerly through their hugeness. There are so many episodes of some things, and so many more to come, it's hard to accept a new one as a Great one.

 

Ahem. This is kinda the opposite to posting impotance... Kinda splurting all sorts of crazy shit out. It ain't pretty!

 

There are actually few shows that can have me properly laughing, and they are usually quiz shows for some reason. I think knowing that much of what i see is spontanious means I'm far more leniant with exhaling my giggles. I find myself in some sort of smiling trance, often laughing at something I didn't even hear properly just because i KNEW it would have been funny even if i had heard it. I bet everyone's done that. Laughed along.

 

This post is easily in the "meh too long to read" phase. Perhaps if I keep going it'll reach the "wow this post takes up my screen several times! I can't help but read sentances as I scroll down!" era. Are we there yet?

 

So yeah, this is a bit of an essay now, SO I guess I should retort; I think I prefer british humour if only because I've been exposed to much more of it. I have seen a fair few american comedies, most of what has been mentioned here, but not a lot of it catches my attention for very long. I genuinely find that accents act as some sort of barrier to me [OK so I just typed out and then deleted a minor essay on the ways I react differfently to british and american cinema, and how easy it is to forget that americans ARE NOT BRITISH, that they are fundamentally different to me in teh same way a frenchman or japaneseman is. I think it's easy to imagine the americans as people just like me except with an accent, which I think overlooks a hell of a lot of things. I also think that me narrating that I just deleted an essay WITH AN ESSAY as the narrative is slightly hypocritical]... and so I reach my.. point. Yeah. That point in my long posts where I forget what I was writing and just decide to hit "post message" and pass the buck onto you guys.

 

Must Try Harder.