I've thought about making a thread about comedy for a long time now because it's such an important part of my life. I need to laugh to forget the world sometimes, well most times. I've been put off making this thread though because comedy can be incredibly divisive and I really don't want arguments to start or for people to be caused offense because of a thread that I had made.
There doesn't really seem to be a thread to discuss comedy. It does fit somewhat into the television, film and even YouTube and music threads but I wondered if a dedicated place to discuss it might be better.
I thought I'd start with a (hopefully) safe bet. I really like harsh and/or witty comedy and Simon Amstell was/is one of my favourite comics. I used to love his stuff on Buzzcocks and even Popworld before that.
I'm not huge on stand-up unless it's someone I really like, I much prefer panel shows and scripted television/film but I decided to randomly watch the Simon Amstell - Set Free stand up on Netflix. I didn't find it massively funny but there aren't a huge amount of jokes in it. But I found the story he tells really relatable and there are some good laughs to be had from it. It's not his usual schtick from way back when but probably worth a watch for any other Amstell fans.
But yeah, feel free to discuss any comedy you enjoy here whether it be stand up, panel shows, sketch shows, scripted TV/film, web series etc. I know comedy can become dated very quickly but it's the laughs that are important and personally I find it important to laugh at myself and others because it helps me cope with how ridiculous humanity can be.
Please keep it civil, not everyone will have tastes aligned with your own and try not to judge people on their tastes. You can laugh at a joke without agreeing with a core message that it conveys.
Hopefully I've not just put a lit powder keg in the middle of this forum. I will delete this thread if it explodes but I am hoping we can just discuss what comedy we are fans of, be reminded of stuff we like and most importantly just have a bit of a laugh!
@ralphdibny I love great comedy, but my tastes are often different from most people’s. Plus, there is definitely a cultural aspect to comedy and even a regional aspect within the U.S. I think comedy really hits when the consumer of it has a common experience with what the comedian is making fun of.
I remember a few years ago when I was really into The Office (before Carrell left and the show completely jumped the shark) and I thought I’d try the original British version and I could barely make it through the first episode because to me it was just so unfunny. But I think it was just the cultural nuance that made it not hit with me.
It’s partly why I’m surprised to see so many UK fans of The Simpsons on here. I would have thought the humor would be too Americanized for the British palate.
I’ll definitely check out Simon Amstel though and see what I think. I like good stand-up but it’s just so hard to find. It’s either really cringey or it devolves into bathroom humor pretty quickly.
I love stuff like Peep Show and the Inbetweeners because they position the characters as just the worst people to ever exist. It’s Always Sunny is the closest the Americans have gotten to actually cracking cringe comedy. Peep Show is pretty much the best TV show ever created though to be honest. Gifs don’t even do it justice.
@Th3solution I'm a big fan of Curb Your Enthusiasm and Seinfeld to a lesser extent. I have also always loved Frasier, and a Counselling Psychology degree has helped me appreciate that show more. Are you a fan of Curb or any of the others? Some people may not think that Larry David's awkwardness and social embarrassment translates that well over here but I think it's a great equivalent of something like The Office or Alan Partridge that we've had over here, both of which I love as well.
@TheBrandedSwordsman Seinfeld is definitely a classic, as is Frasier. I enjoy watching old episodes of both. I’ve never tried Curb Your Enthusiasm and I’ve always meant to. I think I’d like it, so I just need to take the time and do it. Jerry Seinfeld’s stand-up is pretty decent too.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@Th3solution the Simpsons is incredibly broad and I'm guessing that a lot of people are like myself and basically just grew up watching it. It was always on (and still is on Sky and channel 4) Sky 1 and BBC2. I dunno, we seem to love (but not universally) American TV. The Fresh Prince was another show that's incredibly popular here, I'm guessing because it was on free TV as we were growing up. I love both shows though!!!
The (English) Office is a slow burner. It takes a few episodes for you to adjust to it's sense of humour. I hated it when it came out but came to appreciate it more as I got older and had experienced more of these kind of cringey situations in real life. Now I think it's blimmin' excellent!
The adjustment to humour isn't just in English TV, stuff like Archer and Rick and Morty takes a while to get into but there's something about them that keeps you interested enough to stick with it and before you know it, you are laughing and crying along with the show.
In terms of American comics, I absolutely love Dave Chappelle and more recently have been getting into Bill Burr. I can't say I have a lot in common with them on a personal level but I imagine Chappele's appeal could be from his ability to create the story before the punchline. So even if you haven't experienced something specifically, you can understand where the joke is coming from. Having said that, my partner hates Dave Chappelle 😂 so I might just be full of shiz!
I dunno really, stuff can just take a while to gel. I remember hating Anchorman when it came out but now I think it's one of the funniest movies I've ever seen! Might just be mood, hype (over or under) and where you are in life that affects your enjoyment of certain products.
That Amstell special I mentioned is not really indicative of his overall appeal from earlier in his career. He took over as presenter on this panel show in the UK called Never Mind the Buzzcocks and he was just so harsh to most of his celebrity contestants and would always call them out on their shallow celebrity nonsense. Before that he presented a daytime show aimed at young people on channel 4 called Popworld. The funniest thing I remember from that, and it still makes me laugh to this day, is that he was interviewing G-Unit member Lloyd Banks when his solo album came out. Lloyd Banks has this real gangster image but he also happens to look a bit like Craig David who is like a British R&B singer, not a million miles a way in terms of genre but almost certainly not "gangster" and probably quite lame in comparison to somebody who considers themselves as much. But yeah, Amstell just wouldn't let it go. He kept telling this gangsta rapper that he looked like Craig David and Lloyd Banks was getting so annoyed, it was so funny 😂. Anyway, YouTube is probably your best bet for some full on Amstell-tainment
@TheBrandedSwordsman I love Frasier so much, I really need to get on watching it all from the beginning as I believe they are doing a reboot/sequel series to it. Such a brilliant show, it was always on after Friends back in the day and I always thought it was infinitely funnier than friends too. Even though Friends was still good.
@nessisonett I love Peep show so much, especially the earlier ones! Love Jeremy's "tick" from when he was trying to flub the job interview or Alan Johnson's "me, you, Chinese and an F off spreadsheet" or whatever the line was. I haven't watched it in years because I used to watch it so much that I had to give it a break but I think the time may be soon that I need to get back on it!
I haven't seen The Inbetweeners (though I did work on the second movie!) or It's always Sunny. They were too well hyped before I had seen them (I was in before the hype on Peep show) and I try to avoid hyped stuff and equally stuff that people passionately hate because I don't want that to influence me. I watched the Ghostbusters remake only last year, years after the negative hype had dwindled and I found it surprisingly good because of that! Should probably get on both of those shows you've mentioned now that some time has passed though!
@RogerRoger cheers for the clip! I thought I'd share this Harry and Paul clip actually, seeing as you like or at least are familiar with some of these panel shows and the guests/hosts. As much as I love the people that this sketch is a parody of, I still think it's spot on! (Strong-ish language warning!)
@ralphdibny I would love to meet Frasier (Kelsey Grammar) in real life and just ask him to say "Niles!" just once, with a dramatic intonation, happened so much during the show's run and was always delivered with panache' and style.
So many great comedies and really depends on your mood at the time I think. I could happily sit there and watch fawlty towers or bottom and then another time find them too stupid and slapstick.
My faves have to be peep show, curb your enthusiasm, league of gentlemen and nighty night.
In terms of stand up, Sean lock would get my vote
@MatthewJP Nighty Night’s another good shout, that’s a brilliant show. Very very dark but amazing. I do like The Trip as well with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon.
@TheBrandedSwordsman yeah for sure. I bet he's awesome to just hang with anyway with all his partially relatable life experience. He's a bit like the American Stephen Fry.
@MatthewJP I'm a big fan of Sean lock. He's not top tier for me (very few are) but he's very close to it. Love watching shows that he's on and I loved fifteen stories high as well!
@nessisonett I've seen that film A Cock and Bull Story which is like a precursor to the trip. Coogan and Brydon are brilliant in general
You seen the Mitchell and webb sketch shows? Situation and Look?
Absolutely love Sean Lock, truly excellent comedian and came across as such a nice guy, so gutted. I watched him so much on the TV and on YouTube as well. I saw a few comments saying they could see he was unwell. Sad times.
I've finally started watching Veep which is Armando Iannucci's American spiritual successor to his The Thick of It TV show and In the Loop movie because it's back on NowTV!
I've watched the first series so far. It takes a while to get into and adjust to it, just like The Thick of It did and most other comedy programmes do anyway. I think the lack of Peter Capaldi's Malcolm Tucker hurts the premise a bit but still,
It's actually really good! It's maybe not as good as I thought it would be or at least, it's good in a slightly different way. It's kind of forging its own identity. I'd say most characters from The Thick of It have analogues in this show except Malcolm Tucker. But then again, who could imitate Capaldi so why even try?
I think a few of the American references are going over my head a bit. It's definitely localised. Likewise I'm sure that Capaldi saying "F--- off Andy Pandy" to Chris Addison's character in The Thick of It would go over some Americans' heads. (That's probably my favourite line in The Thick of It 😂)
@RogerRoger I've got a bit into season 2 now. It almost seemed like they were setting up a new Capaldi with Gary Cole's character (Gary Cole also played Bill Lumbergh in Office Space which is probably one of my favourite comedy films) but this new character is like a numbers guy instead of a spin doctor and is nowhere near as mean so I'm interested to see how it all unfolds. But yeah, definitely seems like they've spread out the crazy and it's kind of made new characters out of the combinations.
I've bought a few new DVDs recently after my brief and disappointing soirée with BritBox. Stuff I've mostly seen before on TV or a borrowed DVD but I think they are good to have for a rainy day. I got a complete set of The Thick of It and In the Loop. The Day Today, BrassEye and Nathan Barley. Complete Blackadder and Fifteen Stories High.
I've got my eye on a few more like The Office (English) and Dad's Army which I might pick up in store if I pop down to HMV one day. Also I will probably pick up that blu ray box set of Red Dwarf at some point as it seems like the cheapest way to get all the seasons plus the special features that were on the original DVDs. Not sure if I'm going to wait a bit because there was some issue with a few of the discs so I'd probably want to watch it right away so I can get replacement discs if need be.
I haven't actually seen 30 Rock, it seemed quite popular among my partner's PhD lot but I never got into it myself. I need to watch some more American comedy TV when I get a chance!
I watched the first episode of Brass Eye on All 4 on a whim this evening. It made me laugh more than anything seen in a while. Probably not for everyone but still holds up. I will definitely be watching more.
“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.”
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