NationStates Jolt Archive

what do you prefere??? classic British comedy like fools and horses, faulty towers and Yes PM or American stuff like friends or simpsons??

what do you prefere??? classic British comedy like fools and horses, faulty towers and Yes PM or American stuff like friends or simpsons??

British comedy, especially if it's got Rowan Atkinson or John Cleese.

I prefer drama.

American - sorry, but while British comedy is funny...its kinda weird.

what do you prefere??? classic British comedy like fools and horses, faulty towers and Yes PM or American stuff like friends or simpsons??
To me, Classic British comedy is Monty Python, and Benny Hill
preferre them over the American stuff.

except the old Tonight show with Johnny Carson.

British stuff but American stuff is great too (family guy, futurama, Simpsons and American Dad)

I dont think i see enough british comedy to say that I can vouch for it

I have to say British comedy; the Pythons, Goons, Fawlty Towers... unbeatable.

While I love Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister, I'm not so keen on our other classic comedy. I now prefer our various topical comedy quizes (Have I Got News For You and Mock The Week for example).

its hard to determine but with shows like blackadder, red dwarf, the friday night armistice, the fast show, monty python etc i would say british comedy is slightly better on average.

British...American comedies are a bit 'simple', i like the weirdness of the britsish comedies. My favorites are Monty Pyghton, the fast show, fawlty towers and black adder.

On average, british. But with Friends, Simpsons, Family Guy etc. vs. Monty, Fawlty etc. it gets harder...

spaced is another recent brilliant british comedy. i can relate to shows like that rather than seinfeld.

Probably the British. I've never quite "gotten" American humour. I keep meaning to grab some Monty Python - I've heard it's quite funny, and I suspect it's right up my alley. My sense of humour always has been slightly off-kilter...

Also, I never found the Simpsons "funny". Don't get me wrong, it's great, but I never really found it funny.

Then again, I live in Australia. The Australian ep WAS funny though. LMAO @ the boot...

Thats a tuff one. I like witty british humor but I dont really like things like mr.beans. This question should be more of what type of comedy to you prefer because I think some slapstick humor is funny but when thats the only joke then it gets really stupid. I really like witty humor and stand up comedians.

Do you know what I'd like to see more of?

Mixtures. Whose Line is it Anyway?(The british version) had some of the best British and American comedians together and they made my sides hurt!

One of the funniest movies I ever saw was 'A Fish Called Wanda' which starred british and american actors.

As good as in their own way as british and american comedy is, they're like chocolate and peanut butter. Great apart, better together. :)

As good as in their own way as british and american comedy is, they're like chocolate and peanut butter. Great apart, better together. :)
That sounds... disgusting. No offense, but many eating-habits I've seen from the US (and several other countries... I'm looking at you, Holland!) just weirds me out. Though A Fish called Wanda was excellent :D

"It's K-K-K-Ken c-c-c-coming to k-k-k-kill me!"

That sounds... disgusting. No offense, but many eating-habits I've seen from the US (and several other countries... I'm looking at you, Holland!) just weirds me out. Though A Fish called Wanda was excellent :D

"It's K-K-K-Ken c-c-c-coming to k-k-k-kill me!"

You never had a peanut butter cup?!? :eek: My god, you are deprived!

You never had a peanut butter cup?!? :eek: My god, you are deprived!
I really don't like peanuts. ESPECIALLY not in a mayo and onion dip for chips (damm you Holland!)

I really don't like peanuts. ESPECIALLY not in a mayo and onion dip for chips (damm you Holland!)

peanuts...dipped into mayo and onion. Okay, I agree. That's disgusting.

But peanut butter and chocolate work together. They really do. *nod*

I despise mose BBC humour its pretty pedantic and annoying. I'm more of a fan of channel 4 humour (peep show) and American random humour like Scrubs and Family guy pure genious.

I wouldn't know... But it was peanutbutter, mayo and chopped onions as a dip for french fries (I've been talking to Brits recently, I'm stuck on chips). It's much better with curry-ketchup instead of peanutbutter (also known as "patat special" (sp?)).

I would say, on consideration, that I can like both equally. I really love Yes, Minister, Have I got news for you, Bremner, Bird and Fortune, Red Dwarf, and Monty Python... but I also love Scrubs, Family Guy, American Dad, Simpsons, Futurama, etc. Britain, in my opinion, does political comedy better, by and large.

British comedy is a huge deal better than the usual American crap.

Peanut Butter and Hazelnut Chocolate Spread combine to form the greatest sandwich in the history of creation.

I object to the terms of the debate! It implies that the Brits aren't any good at comedy anymore. :mad:

I remember trying herseys for the first time. My reaction was "And why is this popular in the states? How bad can the alternatives be?!"

*coverts his British chocolate*

I just thought of good reason. The British have the best milk in the world as we don't do weird shit to it to make it last longer. We just pasteurise it, and as a result we get better chocolate. :D

Anyway... uh... comedy... generally best when it's new and creative. Which can come from anywhere, but America is suffering a little from the bottom line in terms of some of its comedy. :(

I wouldn't know... But it was peanutbutter, mayo and chopped onions as a dip for french fries (I've been talking to Brits recently, I'm stuck on chips). It's much better with curry-ketchup instead of peanutbutter (also known as "patat special" (sp?)).

You mean "saté" - not peanutbutter. Both contain peanuts, but they are quite different. Not to mention the difference between Dutch and American mayo.
But yes - it is a silly combination. Still better than McDonalds sauce though ;)

British comedy is exquisite, or, at least, it was, until Little sodding Britain arrived.

Is Friends a comedy?

I personally think both British and American comedy has become a lot better recently. Blackadder, Fawlty Towers, Monty Python and Porridge were really good, but there was also a lot of shit in older British comedy. Just look at most of Carla Lanes sitcoms, like Bread. Eurgh.

Likewise, America has always had good comedy like Seinfeld and Cheers, but I get the impression we only got to see the best stuff over here, and even some of that I wasn't THAT impressed with.

However, nowadays Britain is producing great comedy on such a larger scale. Admittedly some stuff is pretty borderline, like Little Britain and some other new shows, but the good stuff outweighs the bad. Spaced, Peep Show, The Royle Family, The League of Gentlemen, Phoenix nights, Shooting Stars , Fist of Fun, Alan Partidge - those are just a few of the really great shows that we have had recently. I think overall we get a lot more high quality stuff now that comedy isn't aimed at the family and writers play the characters they write for.

British comedy is exquisite, or, at least, it was, until Little sodding Britain arrived.
Quite so. Other things I can't stand: The Office, The League of Gentlemen. Other things of their ilk. Peep Show, for example. Oh, and Monkey Dust.

But generally, yes, I'll prefer home-grown comedy to imports.

Forgot to mention:

I haven't seen many new American Comedy admittedly, but if Family Guy and Futurama are anything to go by then things are definitly getting better. Those shows are hilarious.

Overall, if I could only have one, i'd go for British comedy. But that may just be because that's what i've being exposed to more.

Quite so. Other things I can't stand: The Office, The League of Gentlemen. Other things of their ilk. Peep Show, for example. Oh, and Monkey Dust.

But generally, yes, I'll prefer home-grown comedy to imports.

Very true, why on earth are sitcoms now unfashionable, frankly the only worhtwhile comedy to emerge within the last few years is the Mighty Boosh, and don't getme started on the queen of Catchphrases, Catherine Tate:mad:

How can you compare The Simpsons and Friends? Friends is a sitcom, and not a very good one at that. The Simpsons is animation and very, very funny. Just because both come from the US doesn't make them equals. And Monty Python beats out everything.

How can you compare The Simpsons and Friends? Friends is a sitcom, and not a very good one at that. The Simpsons is animation and very, very funny. Just because both come from the US doesn't make them equals. And Monty Python beats out everything.

Actually, to the British mind it rather does, and you really ought to invert the above opinions, at least Friends is amusing, the Simpson's is lost between pure comedy, sit com and political allegory, and acordingly resorts to "stupid Homer" for the majority of its humour.

Very true, why on earth are sitcoms now unfashionable, frankly the only worhtwhile comedy to emerge within the last few years is the Mighty Boosh, and don't getme started on the queen of Catchphrases, Catherine Tate:mad:

There was a program on recently called "Who killed the British sitcom?" which explained the number of factors which brought about it's fall. It was really a case of alternative comedy type shows going for the post watershed slots and being very popular, and the pre-watershed slots being filled with reality TV and docu-soaps like Airline. Sitcoms which try to appeal to everyone in the family just don't work as well as comedians who write their own lines and play their own characters doing what they think is funny.

American comedy also played a part - the American sit coms have a massive number of writers who all contribute to make a show funny - British sitcoms are usually written by one or two people. Therefore, they could churn them out at a far faster rate and so won the competition for time slots against the British.

Personally I'm a fan of Canadian comedies more. My guess is you are grouping that in with American comedies but I think Canadian comedy is somewhere in between the two. Personaly my favorite is Corner Gas. Granted I am from Saskatchewan and this is probably why I find it so hillarious.

Is "Alan Partridge" on T.V. in the U.S.? They're missing out if it isn't...

Being American I'm already drawn to our own styles, but I just saw Kids in the Hall and that's some pretty funny stuff. "Franco Harris, or my Cock!" lawl

not much a fan of Yes PM but thats mostly cos i've never seen that much. Faulty Towers is funny but again, i'd choose american stuff over it probably.

but thats not to say i don't like British comedy. i (mostly) like monty python, i love non-ficticious british stuff like Have I Got News For You, The News Quiz, The Now Show, Never Mind The Buzzcocks (as examples) over american equivalents i've seen. only fools and horses and one foot in the grave... even ab fab, i like.
and then i love more recent british comedies like Spaced, Black Books, Father Ted, Bottom and Blackadder... and also generally prefer british stand-ups

but i suppose for most tv comedies/sitcoms i'm more swayed by american stuff. i mean, probably my favourite tv sitcom/comedy is Frasier, followed by Family Guy, Futurama, Cheers, Malcolm... etc (i even like Friends nowadays... and damnit i thought the Joey show was funny!)



short answer: i don't know. i think a good mix of both rocks :)



edit:
Is "Alan Partridge" on T.V. in the U.S.? They're missing out if it isn't...
meh, never got that show... just not really funny. liked the Britas Empire, which was kind of similar (with Chris Barrie) but... meh.

Quite so. Other things I can't stand: The Office, The League of Gentlemen. Other things of their ilk. -snip- , for example. Oh, and Monkey Dust.

*nods* agreed.

I prefer Brtish, ic an think of thousands of great british comdedys, but only 5 or 6 American ones (Mostly cartoons)

British: Python, Blackadder, Yes Minister, Fools and Horses, The Office, Little Britian, Dinnerladys, Dads Army, Fawlty Towers....

American: The Simpsons, Malcom in the Middle, Futurama, Familly Guy, Freinds...erm?

Being American I'm already drawn to our own styles, but I just saw Kids in the Hall and that's some pretty funny stuff. "Franco Harris, or my Cock!" lawl

The Kids In The Hall is some hilarious shit. It doesn't have all the parts the Monty Python's Flying Circus had, but it's right up there with it on the laugh factor.

Personally I'm a fan of Canadian comedies more. My guess is you are grouping that in with American comedies but I think Canadian comedy is somewhere in between the two. Personaly my favorite is Corner Gas. Granted I am from Saskatchewan and this is probably why I find it so hillarious.

We love Corner Gas out East too.

I love homegrown Canadian comedy too, though the bulk of our endeavours seems to go to political comedy. Not a bad thing, just in need of some branching out. Also, I could probably watch Red Green forever.

Can't I like both? I like British comedies like Keeping Up Appearances and As Time Goes By, but I also like American classics like Golden Girls, the Nanny and Will and Grace

American - sorry, but while BritAIN is funny...its kinda weird.
Heh, sorry, but I just had to :D


Nah, I prefer Classic British Comedy for the most part, although some very good stuff has come over from across the pond (Futurama, Freinds)


Blackadder, Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, Yes Minister...the list goes on.

Although recently there has been a lot of utter shite produced. And the simpsons, whilst very very good seems to be going downhill.


And then there is the films.....

The smug, self-congradulating tone of Brits when the subject of their comic heritage is brought up is all too familiar. Yes it's true Monty Python, Yes Minister, the Ealing Comedies, the Pink Panther, Blackadder, Fawlty Towers, Have I Got News For You, Absolutely Fabulous and more recently the Office, the Thick of It, the League of Gentlemen and Nighty Night but don't forget brilliant American comedy such as Woody Allen, Richard Pryor, Bill Murray, Saturday Night Live, Cheers, Rushmore and other Wes Anderson films, South Park, Frasier and the Coen Brothers. And to be honest, I don't mind a bit of Friends or Will and Grace now and then either. Americans are just as capable of irony and acerbic wit as anybody else.

Don't forget some of the utter crap that Britain has churned out too such as Are You Being Served, the Carry On films, Little Britain, Catherine Tate, Lenny Henry, Titty Bang Bang, Time Gentlemen Please, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Dinner Ladies (sorry, I know it has intelligent fans and I otherwise like Victoria Wood), Alan Carr, Jimmy Carr, the Sketch Show, Smack the Pony, Dead Ringers, 2D TV, Bo Selecta, the Friday Night Project, My Family, should I go on?

Some British comedy I find hilarious. Most of it I just find Strange.

The smug, self-congradulating tone of Brits when the subject of their comic heritage is brought up is all too familiar. Yes it's true Monty Python, Yes Minister, the Ealing Comedies, the Pink Panther, Blackadder, Fawlty Towers, Have I Got News For You, Absolutely Fabulous and more recently the Office, the Thick of It, the League of Gentlemen and Nighty Night but don't forget brilliant American comedy such as Woody Allen, Richard Pryor, Bill Murray, Saturday Night Live, Cheers, Rushmore and other Wes Anderson films, South Park, Frasier and the Coen Brothers. And to be honest, I don't mind a bit of Friends or Will and Grace now and then either. Americans are just as capable of irony and acerbic wit as anybody else.

Don't forget some of the utter crap that Britain has churned out too such as Are You Being Served, the Carry On films, Little Britain, Catherine Tate, Lenny Henry, Titty Bang Bang, Time Gentlemen Please, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Dinner Ladies (sorry, I know it has intelligent fans and I otherwise like Victoria Wood), Alan Carr, Jimmy Carr, the Sketch Show, Smack the Pony, Dead Ringers, 2D TV, Bo Selecta, the Friday Night Project, My Family, should I go on?

To be blunt, Two Pints is not that awful, whilst Jimmy Carr is sufficeintly cynical to be amusing, and the Friday Night Project is eccentrically amusing.

To be blunt, Two Pints is not that awful, whilst Jimmy Carr is sufficeintly cynical to be amusing, and the Friday Night Project is eccentrically amusing.

Jimmy Carr is an ugly, insipid, pompous, dimwitted non-comedian. A smug pile of boring bourgeois blandness.

Don't forget some of the utter crap that Britain has churned out too such as Are You Being Served, the Carry On films, Little Britain, Catherine Tate, Lenny Henry, Titty Bang Bang, Time Gentlemen Please, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Dinner Ladies (sorry, I know it has intelligent fans and I otherwise like Victoria Wood), Alan Carr, Jimmy Carr, the Sketch Show, Smack the Pony, Dead Ringers, 2D TV, Bo Selecta, the Friday Night Project, My Family, should I go on?

In true Brish fashion we just pretend the bad things dont exist :P

Bsides, I quite like Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, and a few of that Carry On films are excellent (admittedly most of them are a bit shite).

Jimmy Carr is an ugly, insipid, pompous, dimwitted non-comedian. A smug pile of boring bourgeois blandness.

im of the opinion that jimmy carr is relatively funny while absolutely fabulous is absolutely dreadful. It always goes back to opinion.

Game On, fairly good british comedy

I Like British Comedy Better Than American Comedy. And I'm American.

Jimmy Carr is an ugly, insipid, pompous, dimwitted non-comedian. A smug pile of boring bourgeois blandness.

Having actually met him through my fathers line fo work, I can attest personally to his being a thorougly affable bloke, damn intelligent, or, informed at the least, and the cynicism and sarcasm, as a stand up act, not game shows, is amusing.

Oh, And What Do You Guys Think Of The Show "Dead Ringers"? I Find It Extremely Funny. In Fact, It's The Funniest Thing I've Ever Seen.

British comedy, especially if it's got Rowan Atkinson or John Cleese.


Fawlty Towers one of the greatest shows ever

Oh, And What Do You Guys Think Of The Show "Dead Ringers"? I Find It Extremely Funny. In Fact, It's The Funniest Thing I've Ever Seen.

Bloody awful, not a patch on Bremner Bird and Foryjne, and considerably less intelligent.

Red Dwarf, Blackadder (did i say that right? been a while since i seen it), Mr Bean, Monty Python, The Office are more of my UK favorties.

British comedy i must say is more intelligent, and witty than american humor. Take friends for example, just take a bunch of cliches from Threes Company (because everyone else rips off it, best US sitcom ever BTW) and other shows and slap it together with boring "comedic actors" and expect you to laugh. Reason why I have boycotted US sitcoms.

Someone give me some money so i can get digital cable and get BBC back. I miss it so :(

Mr Bean
Ahh, Good Ol' Mr. Bean. Love That Old Chap. Don't Have BBC Though, So I've Been Missing Out On British Comedy. Believe Me, Most Of My Family Doesn't Understand British Comedy. I'm The Only One In My Family Who Enjoys Watching It, In Fact.

Ahh, Good Ol' Mr. Bean. Love That Old Chap. Don't Have BBC Though, So I've Been Missing Out On British Comedy. Believe Me, Most Of My Family Doesn't Understand British Comedy. I'm The Only One In My Family Who Enjoys Watching It, In Fact.


Did you ever see the americanized Bean movie? Looks like someone took a shit on a film reel and called it a movie.

Did you ever see the americanized Bean movie? Looks like someone took a shit on a film reel and called it a movie.
Yes. It Was Absoutley Dreadful. That's Why I Only Watch British Movies In Their Original Context.

Yes. It Was Absoutley Dreadful. That's Why I Only Watch British Movies In Their Original Context.


did they ever make a british bean movie?

Don't forget some of the utter crap that Britain has churned out too such as Are You Being Served, the Carry On films, Little Britain, Catherine Tate, Lenny Henry, Titty Bang Bang, Time Gentlemen Please, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Dinner Ladies (sorry, I know it has intelligent fans and I otherwise like Victoria Wood), Alan Carr, Jimmy Carr, the Sketch Show, Smack the Pony, Dead Ringers, 2D TV, Bo Selecta, the Friday Night Project, My Family, should I go on?
I'd disagree, some of the stuff you've said is classic:

little Britian (1st seris), Are you being served, Lenny Henry, Two Pints of Larger, Dinnerladies, Dead Rigners, 2dTV, Bo Selecta and My Fmailly are all comic gold.

Until I see American humour as black as the finale of Blackadder Goes Forth, League of Gentlemen or the typical Monkey Dust episode, I know which I'm ultimately going to prefer.

Whoever made the peanut-butter-and-chocolate statement is right, though. Both sides of the Atlantic have produced absolutely classic comedy series. If you had to generalise, you could say that Brits tend to be more self effacing, whilst Americans tend to be more extravagant and exuberant, but there's no good reason to say one is inherently different to the other. Both have produced absolutely classic series, and both have produced stinkers. And both have very, very overrated 'classics' (Friends in the US, the vast majority of UK sitcoms definitely).

Just one thing: Americans, don't refer to Benny Hill as typical UK comedy. I don't think many British people under 20 would have ever watched it; it's pretty much dead here.

I love British comedy! All of tem are great.

Only fools,
Black Adder
Vicar of Dibley
Faulty Towers
My Hero
My Family
Porridge
Are you beign served
2.4 children

Much better than the American stuff! RULE BRITANNIA!

I'd disagree, some of the stuff you've said is classic:

little Britian (1st seris), Are you being served, Lenny Henry, Two Pints of Larger, Dinnerladies, Dead Rigners, 2dTV, Bo Selecta and My Fmailly are all comic gold.


Yeah, i agree, why would they create UKTV gold otherwise?

British for sure, Python, Blackadder and that old favourite- Red Dwarf. I think it's more consistently funny. Although that said, Futurama is genius.

I'd have to say British comedy. The only modern American comedy I can think of that comes close is Arrested Development.

British for sure, Python, Blackadder and that old favourite- Red Dwarf. I think it's more consistently funny. Although that said, Futurama is genius.


Futurama is one of the best shows to come out (at least in teh US) in the last 10 years. No one has ever made me laugh so hard as Bender has.

Futurama is one of the best shows to come out (at least in teh US) in the last 10 years. No one has ever made me laugh so hard as Bender has.
Indeed, it was a prity it was cut.

Apart from Futurama and the Simpsons, as well as maybe one or two other examples...I far prefer British comedies.

what do you prefere??? classic British comedy like fools and horses, faulty towers and Yes PM or American stuff like friends or simpsons??
I much prefer the classic British comedies such as Fawlty Towers or Don't Wait up, or Keeping Appearances. They tend to be full of wit and sarcasm typical to the British mindest. What I don't like are most modern British comedies; in this regard, I prefer American comedies such as Friends and so on.

Well you Brits, what are you expecting from our comedy? The Spanish Inquisition?! :D

Perhaps we only get to see the best of US comedy here in the UK, but I would still rather watch My Name is Earl than toe-curlingly awful things like Are you being served or Keeping up appearences. There have been some great British comedies like Fawlty Towers, Brasseye, Nightingales (does anybody but me remember that?) but for me they are few and far between.

Perhaps we only get to see the best of US comedy here in the UK, but I would still rather watch My Name is Earl than toe-curlingly awful things like Are you being served or Keeping up appearences. There have been some great British comedies like Fawlty Towers, Brasseye, Nightingales (does anybody but me remember that?) but for me they are few and far between.
My Name is Earl is hilarious :eek: I love his ex- girlfriend. She is such a redneck. Curb your enthusiasm is brilliant too.

The word is PREFER :headbang:

Curb your enthusiasm is brilliant too.

For some reason I have never seen any of it. Saw a couple of episodes of Arrested development which I really enjoyed as well. Really must buy myself a dvd recorder.

For some reason I have never seen any of it. Saw a couple of episodes of Arrested development which I really enjoyed as well. Really must buy myself a dvd recorder.
Oh well you can catch it on Channel 4. It's really good.

Indeed, it was a prity it was cut.


it's ok there are 4 new direct-to-dvd feature movies coming out soon :D