The Song Fight Bulletin Board

does anyone else think that roseanne kicks some ass?

Calfborg wrote:I thought that show was kind of lame.

So did almost everyone else, judging by its ratings. Oh well.

Roseanne kicked major ass!

Phil. Redmon. wrote:1.Diff'rent Strokes
2.Sabrina The Teenage Witch
3.Murphy Brown
4.Designing Women
5.Mork & Mindy


Yep.

What the hell was I thinking?!

(viva zombie threads.)

obscurity wrote:In order:

Blackadder (except season 1, which was crap)
Red Dwarf (except the last 2 seasons, which were just OK)
Joking Apart (Hardly anyone else ever seems to have heard of this one, so sadly I doubt it'll ever see the light of day on DVD )
Yes, [Prime] Minister
Coupling (except the last season, which was just OK)

I recently bought all of Yes, Prime Minister on DVD. Sadly it doesn't have quite the same magic that Yes, Minister does.

Caravan Ray wrote: I recently bought all of Yes, Prime Minister on DVD. Sadly it doesn't have quite the same magic that Yes, Minister does.

You reckon? I think I like them both equally. What is it that you think Y, M has over Y, PM?

obscurity wrote:

Caravan Ray wrote: I recently bought all of Yes, Prime Minister on DVD. Sadly it doesn't have quite the same magic that Yes, Minister does.

You reckon? I think I like them both equally. What is it that you think Y, M has over Y, PM?

Dunno - nothing I can really put my finger on - it just doesn't seem quite as good. I think maybe Jim Hacker seems to be slightly more confident in YPM - he seems to trick Humphrey occaisionally. In YM - Hacker was almost always the innocent being manipulated by Humphrey. In YPM it seems he has become more part of the system. It is still a very fine show - don't get me wrong - but the elevation and evolution of Hacker's character seems to take the edge off it slightly for me.

It does allow them to take on bigger political issues though - which is a plus. It seems the focus of the comedy has shifted slightly towards some of the general absurdities of international politics - and away from the minutiae of government in general (which is what I found hilarious, based on my own Public Service experiences)

If 30 Rock keeps it up, they might make my top 5 someday.

And the American Office is funnier than the British. Let the flaming ensue...

1- The Office (British version)
2- Coupling
3- News Radio
4- Sex and the City
5- The Office (American version)

I prefer the British version slightly over the American Office, they’re both wonderfully brilliant shows.

Basically:

Ricky Gervais is far funnier than the very funny Steve Carrell
Mackenzie Crook is far funnier than the very funny Rainn Wilson
Martin Freeman and John Krasinski are equally very funny
Jenna Fischer is indeed funnier than the British Lucy Davis

So that’s 2 for the Brits, one tie and one for the Americans.

What’s best about the American Office is that it still exists and I can look forward to new shows. I like Ricky Gervais’ new show Extras a lot, but no where near as much as the Office.

kill_me_sarah wrote: And the American Office is funnier than the British. Let the flaming ensue...

I don't think 'flaming' is necessary. There is nothing I could say that could further question your intelligence than what you have written right there.

Actually, it just comes down to cultural differences in senses of humour. ie. non-Americans have a sense of humour, but Americans think that Friends, Everyone Loves Raymond and anything involving Adam Sandler is comedy. Generally though, the rest of the world just likes to laugh at Americans.

Knock Knock
Who's there?
President George W Bush!


That one cracks me up every time!

Caravan Ray wrote: Knock Knock
Who's there?
President George W Bush!

Stop it, you're killing me.

Speaking of unamerican funniness, has anyone mentioned Peepshow yet? God, I've been loving that show! Many of my faves are from non-americans, actually. I can't possibly pick only five faves. Does this mean I watch too much TV?

obscurity wrote:

Caravan Ray wrote: Knock Knock
Who's there?
President George W Bush!

Stop it, you're killing me.

Yes - that's the Iraqi version of the joke. It's not as funny really.

I just came across this thread, and what an interesting read it has been.

Tho' on the point of British comedy, I believe that the whole industry started sometime in the medieval period with the BlackAdder, and ground to a halt just after the first world war.

Yet there have been wonderful excursions to the land of politics or student life and even 3 million years of space, and we mustn't forget the joys of running a hotel, or the troubles of trying to liberate Tooting.
And of late Ive found the Manchester drug trade to be a delightful source of giggles.


And with all these American shows being mentioned, how come nobody seems to like Sledge Hammer as much as I do.

HeuristicsInc wrote:New list. I haven't seen Blackadder in ages, but when I did I really liked it.

Simpsons, Cheers, Soap, MASH, Blackadder.

Er, I'll add "How I Met Your Mother" but I don't feel like eliminating any of the others. Ok, Cheers can go. Also, I got the Blackadder DVD set and it's great.
All right, then:
Simpsons, How I Met Your Mother, Soap, MASH, Blackadder.
-bill

Spaced is perhaps the best sitcom I've ever seen. Oh god damn is it good. British people rule comedy : (.

I seem to be the first person that likes Scrubs.
Also
Coupling for sex and confusion
Drawn Together for envelope-pushing gross insanity

Seems to me like Ricky Gervais has one extremely funny technique that he executes to perfection.

Steve Carrell does a very passable version of that technique-- but has a greater range of other techniques/gags/characters at his acting disposal.

The thing about American vs. British Office is that the British one always seemed to put more emphasis on making you cringe than making you laugh. I really liked the British Office, and I'm not slagging it, since obviously without it the American version couldn't have existed. I just think that this was one of the few shows that made it across the sea and actually managed to improve upon, instead of water down, the original show.

I think my five are:

1. Simpsons
2. Scrubs
3. The Office
4. Seinfeld
5. News Radio

That list is pretty shaky though. I could easily swap some of those out with Futurama, Red Dwarf, 30 Rock, My Name Is Earl, etc.

And yes most of those are American, and yes if I were British, they would probably be mostly British. I don't think either is funnier, it's just what you're used to. In addition to Red Dwarf I've been known to be a fan of Fawlty Towers, Mr. Bean, Monte Python, Extras, etc. But I only catch most of those during PBS pledge drives.

I just realized that I never posted my top 5 in this thread.

1. Coupling (UK)
It was just comic genius. "SHADAIM!"

2. The Simpsons
I was recently watching a clip of Bart and Lisa battling a group of UPS men and laughing my ass off. And then I realized, this was from last season. How could a show be on this long and still make me laugh. And if it wasn't for this show, there'd be no Simpsons:Road Rage. And I love that game. "Not the trees! Not the precious lifegiving trees!"

3. Night Court
I know it's a dark horse choice but I have fond memories of finishing my homework and watching Night Court reruns. John Larroquette was always hilarious and John Astin's cameos rocked. "Your Honor, according to witnesses, Miss Congeniality led the attack with a kick to the groin."

4. The Cosby Show
It's a sitcom that never had to be outrageous to work and that's why I like it. All it needed was a simple family situation like Denise wanting to drop out of school or Theo having a jealous girlfriend or Cliff trying to sneak a hoagie.
"Cliff: It'll be a boy named after me.
Clair: It might be a girl named after me.
Cliff: Still named after me. Heathcliff Female."

5. Married with Children
Whereas I like the Cosby Show for its simple non-outrageous style, MWC was a plethora of strippers, foul humor and madness. God bless Al Bundy. "Bundy's a name you earn. Our emotional scars run so deep you can almost see them."

Niveous wrote:I just realized that I never posted my top 5 in this thread.

1. Coupling (UK)

Did you ever manage to see Joking Apart? It was from the same bloke (Stephen Moffat, or something like that), and was (imao, at least) even better than Coupling.

I've never even heard of such a thing. I will seek it out.

Niveous wrote:I've never even heard of such a thing. I will seek it out.

Sadly I doubt you'll have much luck - the beeb have never repeated it, and I've never seen it on DVD. In fact, thinking about it, I feel such a tease for having mentioned it!