Music Banter - View Single Post

Mojo · 12-18-2008, 04:39 PM

Theres bad and good in both American and British comedy really. I think if you look hard enough you realise theres not THAT much difference.

A very easy generalisation to make would be that American TV comedy is over blown, over the top, over enthusiastic **** made more in the "typical" sitcom environment whereas British comedy is much more dry, cynical, wittier and pushes more boundaries instead of simply churning the same **** out over and over again.

There are certainly examples to be given to support such a therory. Will and Grace, Hope and Faith, Everybody Loves Raymond etc on the American side of the fence and the likes of Spaced, Black Books, Green Wing, Mighty Boosh on the British side of the fence. However I think it is just a generalisation and not really accurate.

The Brits seem to have an ability to make a comedy where absolutely nothing happens and more often than not relies on the strength of the script. The Royle Family, Early Doors, The Office etc spring to mind but really Seinfeld did that years earlier in the States with their earlier two or three seasons. Seinfeld would become more of a typical sitcom, bigger storylines, crazier ideas and more of a focus on physical comedy but the earlier shows were very much reliant on the strength of the scripts and were all about conversation.

The likes of Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Arrested Development, Scrubs etc all include a lot of what I used to describe as "Unamerican" humour, by that I meant they didnt follow the same formula as the likes of Cheers, Friends, Frasier and more conventional US sitcoms but I guess I cant really say that anymore as I dont think American humour is what it used to be.

I know a lot of people who view American comedy and American TV as the lowest form of comedy. They are mainly British because thats what British people do when it comes to Americans. I dont think there can be a clear winner though when America produces some of the God awful stuff I mentioned before and the Brits are responsible for such atrocities as The Mighty Boosh, The Thin Blue Line, My Family, The IT Crowd, 2 Pints of Lager and A Packet of Crisps and so many others I could mention.

12-18-2008, 04:39 PM	#82 (permalink)
Mojo Melancholia Eternally Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: England Posts: 5,018	Theres bad and good in both American and British comedy really. I think if you look hard enough you realise theres not THAT much difference. A very easy generalisation to make would be that American TV comedy is over blown, over the top, over enthusiastic ** made more in the "typical" sitcom environment whereas British comedy is much more dry, cynical, wittier and pushes more boundaries instead of simply churning the same ** out over and over again. There are certainly examples to be given to support such a therory. Will and Grace, Hope and Faith, Everybody Loves Raymond etc on the American side of the fence and the likes of Spaced, Black Books, Green Wing, Mighty Boosh on the British side of the fence. However I think it is just a generalisation and not really accurate. The Brits seem to have an ability to make a comedy where absolutely nothing happens and more often than not relies on the strength of the script. The Royle Family, Early Doors, The Office etc spring to mind but really Seinfeld did that years earlier in the States with their earlier two or three seasons. Seinfeld would become more of a typical sitcom, bigger storylines, crazier ideas and more of a focus on physical comedy but the earlier shows were very much reliant on the strength of the scripts and were all about conversation. The likes of Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Arrested Development, Scrubs etc all include a lot of what I used to describe as "Unamerican" humour, by that I meant they didnt follow the same formula as the likes of Cheers, Friends, Frasier and more conventional US sitcoms but I guess I cant really say that anymore as I dont think American humour is what it used to be. I know a lot of people who view American comedy and American TV as the lowest form of comedy. They are mainly British because thats what British people do when it comes to Americans. I dont think there can be a clear winner though when America produces some of the God awful stuff I mentioned before and the Brits are responsible for such atrocities as The Mighty Boosh, The Thin Blue Line, My Family, The IT Crowd, 2 Pints of Lager and A Packet of Crisps and so many others I could mention.