US Comedy or UK Comedy - Whats your preference?

Kinzdone · 12-11-2007

The majority of people I know prefer UK comedy, so I thought a quick and simple poll was in order to see if this is reflected here.
I don't mean 'which is the best', because each one obviously has certain things over the other, just what you prefer.

VolcomMartin · 12-11-2007

I voted UK,
cos of The Office, Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, Extras..

However, I enjoy lots of the animated US shows like,
The Simpsons, Family Guy, Futurama and so on..

Yea, there u go.

BASSI · 12-11-2007

i do like both, The One you listed for uk, i have never seen one ep of them.
UK
Fawlty Towers
Bottom
The Catherine Tate Show
Only Fools and Horses
One Foot in the Grave
Men Behaving Badly

US
Friends
The Simpsons
How i met your Mother
8 Simple Rules
Home Improvment
Hope and Faith

i like them 6-6 each

Powderedwater · 12-11-2007

Good Thread man, I'm not gonna vote because I have affinities for both. In general I have seen more American comedies and some have been good to excellent and some not so much. I just haven't seen enough British comedies to cast an accurate vote. Sure The Office was very funny but it wasn't mind blowingly funny, just original. Monty Python was also very good, but I also grew up with shows like MASH , possibly one of the best sitcom's ever made. Barney Miller, WKRP in Cincinati and several others I grew up with including The Muppet Show which was also big overseas if I'm not mistaken.

Notice I'm mostly talking about older shows, that's because I don't want to watch a lot of comedies that are on today. I watched a little Sienfeld, and it was Ok. I went out of my way to not watch Friends. That's not to say there aren't any good ones left. I just don't think there are any that I could watch today that aren't just regurgitating the same old crap.

Kinzdone · 12-11-2007

Speaking personally, I much prefer UK comedies. After Seinfeld, which was good for maybe 6 episodes, everything else after that was just recycled material. The classic 'Hillbillies' were OK, but never made me really laugh out loud, same with 'Diff'rent Strokes' or 'Family Ties'. 'MASH', I have to say was funny and enjoyable - before they subjected us to re-runs over and over again.
'Just Shoot Me' was pretty good until mid-season 2, but 'Friends' was something I avoided afters seeing one episode. Of course, ALF always made me laugh and the only thing stopping me from buying the series on DVD is that episodes on the DVD are edited from their airing versions for some reason.
On the other hand; 'The Goodies' have me in stitches still today, as does 'Monty Python', 'Fawlty Towers' and the great first three seasons of 'Red Dwarf' before it ran out of steam. 'Black Books' is exceptional, but 'Little Britain' repulses me.

UK comedy seems to be more off-the-wall and unconventional than US comedy in my opinion. US comedy is more linear and based on one liners and situations. As far as modern shows go, they've drawn from each other's early attributes.
Though I am glad they don't try and do 'American versions of British comedies' or vice versa anymore - watching what survived of the abandoned American version of 'Red Dwarf' is incredibly painful!

JackBurton · 12-13-2007

UK humor is so much funnier but I have to say the US version of The Office is much funnier than the UK version.

Sci-Fi-Guy · 12-15-2007

U.S. all the way.
My one hatred for U.K. comedy is that I have problems translating British accents into North American english.

By the time my mind translates the joke and I understand it they've moved on to the next one and I'm all confused again.
I liked Benny Hill cause it was 90% visual.
Every time I watch a British movie on DVD I have to have the sub-titles on.

Powderedwater · 12-15-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sci-Fi-Guy

U.S. all the way.
My one hatred for U.K. comedy is that I have problems translating British accents into North American english.

By the time my mind translates the joke and I understand it they've moved on to the next one and I'm all confused again.
I liked Benny Hill cause it was 90% visual.
Every time I watch a British movie on DVD I have to have the sub-titles on.

Bullet Tooth Tony: A bookie's got blagged last night.
Avi: Blagged? Speak English to me, Tony. I thought this country spawned the f**king language, and so far nobody seems to speak it.

Kinzdone · 12-16-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sci-Fi-Guy

Every time I watch a British movie on DVD I have to have the sub-titles on.

Thats a bit bizarre, isn't it? Sorry, don't mean to be rude.
Some people I know have a problem understanding some British accents, but never to the point of viewing an entire British film with subs.
Good reason anyway, quite right - if you can't understand it, you can't enjoy it.

Sci-Fi-Guy · 12-17-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kinzdone

Thats a bit bizarre, isn't it? Sorry, don't mean to be rude.
Some people I know have a problem understanding some British accents, but never to the point of viewing an entire British film with subs.
Good reason anyway, quite right - if you can't understand it, you can't enjoy it.

Naw, it's not rude. It's true.
I'm wierd that way.
The ironic thing about it is I'm originally from Newfoundland where the inhabitants speak an English/Irish/Scottish/French/slang dialect.
It's hard as hell for most other Canadians to even understand Newfies and now over 25 years later, I can't understand them either. I can't believe I used to talk that way when I was a kid.

As for subtitles, let me give you an example:
During The Chronicles of Narnia when the little girl met the goat-boy, Mr. Timnus she asks what he is and he replies, "I'm a phone!"
I was like..."Huh...? Wuzzah? A phone?"
Stop. Rewind. Subtitles on.
"I'm a faun!"
Ahhhhhh....."OK, the subs stay on!"

Took me forever to even watch Snatch or Lock Stock because I knew I'd have a problem with the accents. Thank God I remembered about the subtitles.

Some british accents are easier for me to get than others though.
Never had a problem understanding Captain Picard!