I'm tired of those arrogant British...

[Sava]

Amen, Friends is utter gob****e.

worst sitcom ever!

[Imran Siddiqui]

Thank you GL...Imran, you've just demonstrated your ignorance...it is Red Dwarf

Another one who has never made a typo before. I'll remember this when you make a misspelling one day .

[Nubclear]

Originally posted by Evil Knevil
Argue dammit! Analyse and debate. Don't just claim something is ****e and leave it at that.

Argument:

British television is ****e.

Analysis:

This explains many things about them. And about Americans.

[Provost Harrison]

There is nothing else to add, it is just whiny bollocks and it isn't remotely funny. It makes my skin crawl. No analysis, no debate. It's opinion. And my opinion is always right

[Provost Harrison]

"Well bloody bugger me, was that a spot of British arrogance there"

[Evil Knevil]

Nevermind, I'll retreat back to my obscure comedy forums again.... (Evil Knevil disappears back into the ooze).

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by Evil Knevil
(Evil Knevil disappears back into the ooze).

Ewwwww...

[Imran Siddiqui]

Argue dammit! Analyse and debate.

k, Seinfeld is the greatest comedy of all time. It was tagged as a 'show about nothing' and that is what gave it, its charm. It harped on the neurosis's of life and on those four super-shallow characters in the middle. Jerry would break up with women for the most trivial reasons (such as having 'man hands', etc). George was almost married because of a bet with Jerry. Elaine would be on and off with Puddy for the silliest reasons. And Kramer, well... he was just Kramer . The utterly silly, neurotic dialogic and utterly ludicrous priorities they placed on things make the show a work of comedic art.

Add that to the amazing casting. The big 4 were perfect, and then you had Newman, Puddy, J. Peterman, Sue Ellen Mishke, Steinbrenner, Babu Bhatt, The Soup Nazi, Kenny Banya etc, etc. The show reached the upper levels of the stratosphere because of the amazing work of those secondary characters and how well integrated they were in the story arc.

Seinfeld

[Evil Knevil]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
k, Seinfeld is the greatest comedy of all time. It was tagged as a 'show about nothing' and that is what gave it, its charm. It harped on the neurosis's of life and on those four super-shallow characters in the middle.

It made fun of those neuroses, very much in a "this is the anti-Friends" sort of way. When Sex and City etc tries to copy 'neurotic shallowness' it just ends up being to serious and falling flat on its face. So, I agree with you. The misanthropy was excellent, as it showed how stupid the world and New York could be.

The utterly silly, neurotic dialogic and utterly ludicrous priorities they placed on things make the show a work of comedic art.

I agree. To my British mind, most American sitcoms seem overly neurotic and whacky, but if it's done properly it towers over British attempts (Coupling, anyone?)

Add that to the amazing casting.

This is true. Something often missing in sitcoms, especially British ones. Good acting can make or break a sitcom(like Dad's army in GB, or Only Fools).

Give me a couple of hours to suggest a British giant to compare with Seinfeld...... I'll be back.

[Imran Siddiqui]

The misanthropy was excellent, as it showed how stupid the world and New York could be.

Oh indeed! In fact it deliberatly played up those neuroses to the absurd level just to show how crazy and nuts some common neuroses are. Such as dumping a woman because her hands are too big or because she eats funny or something. It is totally silly because it is all blown up, but you can easily see how dumb some of your own neuroses are from it.

To my British mind, most American sitcoms seem overly neurotic and whacky

If Brits are going to complain about 'whacky' I suggest they look at Monty Python's Flying Circus, Blackadder, Father Ted, and other strange (and hilarious) comedies they have over the pond.

Neurotic, yes. It is what makes Seinfeld AND Fraiser so wonderful. In Frasier, the neurotic-ness of Frasier and Niles is a joy to watch.

Give me a couple of hours to suggest a British giant to compare with Seinfeld...... I'll be back.

I shall be waiting then .

[Evil Knevil]

I would argue that British comedies aren't whacky, because they aren't self-conscious about it. British comedy is more "this version of the world is weird, but it has its own laws and logic". Wheras whackyness in something like Friends means the characters seem to step outside their normal parameters.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Ah... well under that definition of wacky, I'd imagine 'Monty Python' is still wacky. I'd argue it may be the definition of wacky in a television series (perhaps "Kids in the Hall" eclipses it).

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Provost Harrison


That woman on the cover is giving that soldier a really 'dirty' look

You Americans liked Lord Of The Rings didn't you? Please remind me, where was JRR Tolkien from again

Uh, South Africa

Or are you enough of a JRRT geek to explain the tangled course of his boyhood

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Evil Knevil
Seinfeld was good, but thats because it had a core of British type misanthropy to it.

Id say more eastern european Jewish misanthropy, selfdeprecating humor etc. Seinfeld is just another heir to the "borscht belt" and the long tradition of New York American Jewish humor.

So why is there no such comedic tradition among London Jews? Numbers too small? No show business tradition (but why not?) Greater pressure to assimilate?

[Pax]

The skit in Life of Brian with the people's judean liberation front was funny and the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy was funny. Most things are funny with a little British humor but Benny Hill levels are too much.
British Sci-Fi is great.
I think Blake's 7 and Doctor WHo were both ahead of their time. At least ahead of Special Effects.