Posted December 3, 2010 I always liked Michael. I saw him as the on-screen version of me. Both Michael, brown hair, glasses, intelligent, nerdy. He came out as gay last series. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 3, 2010 Garth Marenghi's Darkplace is made of win. the spinoff show is fantasically underrated also. Channel 4 uploaded all 6 episodes. This is the funniest one though Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 3, 2010 (edited) I don't think there has been a truly brilliant British sitcom since The Office... until now. That is to say, Alan Partridge's Mid-Morning Matters (sponsored by Fosters) on YouTube. It's more of a sketch than a sitcom, but it's often hilarious and feels like the big boys have returned to show people how to do comedy. I particularly recommend episodes 2, 4 and 5. Edited December 3, 2010 by Grazza Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 3, 2010 Peep Show, Green Wing, Coupling are all brilliant. I like seeing the love for Coupling as it's never mentioned anywhere. I have all of the episodes on DVD There was a sitcom starring Sean Lock called 15 storeys high which I liked. If you like Sean Lock's style of humour then you'll enjoy it. Extras and The Office are great too but Ricky Gervais is a love him or hate him kind of guy - tbh I think because most people think he actually is like his character from The Office which is totally untrue. The Thick of It is definitely worth watching. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 3, 2010 Did anyone watch Phoneshop? Fuck. That took bad to a whole new level. Terrible Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 3, 2010 Did anyone watch Phoneshop? Fuck. That took bad to a whole new level. Terrible When I saw the adverts, it just looked so bad I saw it was on one night so decided to watch a bit of it to see if it was as bad as I expected. If anything, it was worse Simply terrible! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 3, 2010 Coupling was great! It's pretty old now though! It remains awesome. It's basically a good version of Friends with more sex. God yes, the american Office was so much better, just because it didn't have Ricky Gervais in it. Son, you're entering a world of pain. Are you even remotely serious? Not that the American Office isn't good (hell, seasons 2-5 are more than just good), but yours is just 10 times better on every account, pretty much. And Gervais is a legend in his own right just for creating such a fantastic blend of humour. All you need to love Gervais is those last 15 minutes on the Extras special... (and he was supposed to be a dick on Office, if he annoyed you, he achieved his purpose) My Family. But that may be late 90s, not sure Fuck that. Some okay moments, but it's just too generic. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 3, 2010 Green Wing, Second season was a bag of shit though, factamundo. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 3, 2010 I hate to be the one to say it, but as much as I feel Dylan Moran is one of the greatest stand-ups of the modern age, I always thought Black Books is a bit meh. It's chuckle-inducing at the best of times, whimsy at others, but it just lacks any brilliance. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 3, 2010 I see where you're coming from, it doesn't really offer anything new or exciting but it's still very enjoyable. I agree with you about Dylan Moran too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 3, 2010 Darkplace is one of the funniest things I've ever seen. It's so, so good. Bit of a hidden gem that one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 4, 2010 Darkplace is one of the funniest things I've ever seen. It's so, so good. Bit of a hidden gem that one. I agree watch darkplace Oxigen. You cannot say it isn't original that's for sure Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 4, 2010 I hate to be the one to say it, but as much as I feel Dylan Moran is one of the greatest stand-ups of the modern age, I always thought Black Books is a bit meh. It's chuckle-inducing at the best of times, whimsy at others, but it just lacks any brilliance. I have to agree with this. Black Books was way overrated. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 4, 2010 I have to agree with this. Black Books was way overrated. True, I was expecting it to be better, to be honest. But it's still quite good. Not great, but good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 4, 2010 (edited) God yes, the american Office was so much better, just because it didn't have Ricky Gervais in it. Ricky Gervais essentially wrote the The American Office. He helped write the pilot, is an executive producer and has creative input into the show. How he can annoy you you is beyond me, his performance in The Office and Extras is close to perfect, The Office especially. I would guess it's his character who annoys you in The Office, but that's what's so funny about it. Look up the scene where they're doing staff training or the "chatting up scene" in Extras. Comedy brilliance. And the best 10s clip ever is Gerard Kelly in Extras saying "smarties, yum yum yum!". Outnumbered is another fantastic sitcom. So many genuine laugh out loud moments. Edited December 4, 2010 by Charlie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 4, 2010 My Family. But that may be late 90s, not sure It's still going on. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 4, 2010 Seriously? Amazing- especially as it's total balls. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 4, 2010 Seriously? Amazing- especially as it's total balls. The worst thing that happened to it was everything was turned into a sexual innuendo and the show got sexualized (is that even a word) good for 13 year old boy. Not so good for anyone else. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 4, 2010 Outnumbered is another fantastic sitcom. So many genuine laugh out loud moments. Got to agree, Outnumbered is brilliant. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 4, 2010 Its okay....but I'm clearly Outnumbered. Bdum tsk. (No, I actually do like it a lot) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 4, 2010 If I hate children trying to be funny, will I hate Outnumbered? Think I saw some Children in Need version of it and hated. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 4, 2010 You hate comedy that isn't Nighty Night....so....it doesn't matter anyway. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 4, 2010 Ricky Gervais essentially wrote the The American Office. He helped write the pilot, is an executive producer and has creative input into the show. I think you're over selling his input there a little. He wrote the pilot but it was really a reworking of the scripts from the UK version as was a lot of that first season and it's not a patch on what followed. Everything that came after moved further and further away from the UK version and it became better as it did so. The fact he's only written one script, after that point, in all the time it's been going is probably a good reflection on the level of input he has on the show. Executive Producer is a nothing title - it just means he gets a bigger cut of the money for doing the same amount of work and has his name broadcast in to millions of homes every time the show airs. It may have been his original idea but the show didn't start off a success. It wasn't until they moved away from the trying to recreate the UK show and started making their own show that it became the hit it is. And I doubt Gervais has much, if anything, to do with that. He's not been writing 26 scripts a year plus the mini spin offs they do for the last 7 years. Now I'm not trying to say I don't like Gervais because I do find him very funny - I'm not jumping on the bandwagon of hate and suddenly claiming him to be "overrated" just because he became very successful and it's the hip thing to do. It's just that I strongly think the US Office is vastly superior to ours because it's in different hands. It's a different style of comedy almost even if the environment is the same. And Garth Marenghi's Darkplace is beyond awesome! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 4, 2010 I'm sure I read an interview with Gervais recently where he said that he still oversees all the scripts for all the other versions of The Office... May not mean he writes all the scripts but he has the final say, which is crucial with TV. Just look at any Fox Network show! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 4, 2010 I'm sure I read an interview with Gervais recently where he said that he still oversees all the scripts for all the other versions of The Office... May not mean he writes all the scripts but he has the final say, which is crucial with TV. Just look at any Fox Network show! He probably could go into a production meeting to throw his weight around and I'd bet they'd all take notice but he's not going to do so - the program has evolved over the years and yes he probably puts in the odd idea or two and gives a general guidance on where he thinks the series should lead before the writing process begins. But I don't believe he's not really close enough to have impact to the maintaining of its success... "Oversees" is a very loose definition - much like his exec-pro role. Miyamoto oversees a vast chunk of Nintendo's creative output but I wouldn't credit him as being the driving force behind what made, say, Metroid Prime such a brilliant game - other than he got the team to focus on the one project. Satoru Iwata get's credited on all games as Executive Producer though I'd imagine his direct input is even less. I could be totally wrong on this though, in which case, yeah, I'll hold my hands up and say I was off the mark Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
