Comedy - What Is It?

[mistermack]

All I know is Harry Hill makes me want to kill myself.

I was like that when he first came on the scene.
Then he started doing ''you've been framed'' and I didn't mind, because you couldn't see him, and YBF is one of my favourites.
Without looking at him, I found his banter quite funny.
Then he did tv burp, and even though I was looking at him, I quite liked it. I suppose I got acclimatised to him.
But he's only as good as his jokes. Without a good script, I think I'd go back to not liking him.
I don't like the look of that trailer.

I agree about Rowan Atkinson, but it's not surprising, because Blackadder and Mr. Bean are so totally different, they are bound to appeal to different audiences.

John Cleese is absolutely brilliant, so long as he's being incredibly rude or angry. But he'd be shit as a sympathetic or vulnerable character. Well, shit in the not-funny sense.

[Animavore]

I love Harry Hill.

There. I said it.

[mistermack]

As soon as you make rules about comedy, someone breaks them.

I've often heard it said that Americans like successful, slick comedy, whereas Brits like losers.
But the greatest American comedy ever was Laurel and Hardy, (I think), two eternal losers.
And Charlie Chaplin. Maybe the US has changed it's humour?

I really liked ''married with children''. Nothing to do with a stunning blonde daughter. Nope, nothing like that. But that proves that Americans get loser comedy too. Or did.

[FBM]

Comedy is easy. My students often laugh when I'm not even trying to be funny.

[mistermack]

Comedy is easy. My students often laugh when I'm not even trying to be funny.

People who are trying to be funny, aren't funny.
Not unless they can disguise it well.

Except when them trying to be funny, and not being funny, but thinking that they ARE funny, is the joke.

[FBM]

Comedy is easy. My students often laugh when I'm not even trying to be funny.

People who are trying to be funny, aren't funny.
Not unless they can disguise it well.

Except when them trying to be funny, and not being funny, but thinking that they ARE funny, is the joke.

Funny how that works out, innit?

[mistermack]

Comedy is easy. My students often laugh when I'm not even trying to be funny.

People who are trying to be funny, aren't funny.
Not unless they can disguise it well.

Except when them trying to be funny, and not being funny, but thinking that they ARE funny, is the joke.

Funny how that works out, innit?

Are you trying to be funny???

[FBM]

Comedy is easy. My students often laugh when I'm not even trying to be funny.

People who are trying to be funny, aren't funny.
Not unless they can disguise it well.

Except when them trying to be funny, and not being funny, but thinking that they ARE funny, is the joke.

Funny how that works out, innit?

Are you trying to be funny???

I have this funny feeling that I may have been...

[mistermack]

I have this funny feeling that I may have been...

Funnily enough, I've had the very same feeling.
And what's funny is, it wasn't even funny.

[FBM]

I have this funny feeling that I may have been...

Funnily enough, I've had the very same feeling.
And what's funny is, it wasn't even funny.

Ah, but the funny thing is that according to your formula above, it shouldn't have been.

[Audley Strange]

As soon as you make rules about comedy, someone breaks them.

I've often heard it said that Americans like successful, slick comedy, whereas Brits like losers.
But the greatest American comedy ever was Laurel and Hardy, (I think), two eternal losers.
And Charlie Chaplin. Maybe the US has changed it's humour?

I really liked ''married with children''. Nothing to do with a stunning blonde daughter. Nope, nothing like that. But that proves that Americans get loser comedy too. Or did.

Well most successful situation comedy is based on desperate losers out of their depth who delude themselves. They think they are better than they are and thwarted by their own hubris. Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy are good examples, but so is Rigsby, so are Steptoe (or Sanford) and Son, Dad's Pooves Army, Blackadder, Friends, Desmonds, Father Ted (and all of Linehan's variations of that theme) Del Boy and Rodney,Will and Grace, The Big Bang Theory, Frasier, Everybody Loves Raymond, 30Rock and Community and countless others use the same formula more often than not.

The only successful show I can think of that didn't use it regularly was The Cosby Show, but I'm sure there must be others.

[Hermit]

Comedy. Conditioning or genetics?

There may be a bit of each involved, but conditioning is definitely an essential part. If the appeal was down to genetic factors, everybody would have been reduced to uncontrollable laughter just watching The Benny Hill Show and nobody would have been able to read Aldous Huxley's satirical novels without at least a good few heartfelt chuckles. (everybody and nobody being interchangeable here)

[mistermack]

As soon as you make rules about comedy, someone breaks them.

I've often heard it said that Americans like successful, slick comedy, whereas Brits like losers.
But the greatest American comedy ever was Laurel and Hardy, (I think), two eternal losers.
And Charlie Chaplin. Maybe the US has changed it's humour?

I really liked ''married with children''. Nothing to do with a stunning blonde daughter. Nope, nothing like that. But that proves that Americans get loser comedy too. Or did.

Well most successful situation comedy is based on desperate losers out of their depth who delude themselves. They think they are better than they are and thwarted by their own hubris. Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy are good examples, but so is Rigsby, so are Steptoe (or Sanford) and Son, Dad's Pooves Army, Blackadder, Friends, Desmonds, Father Ted (and all of Linehan's variations of that theme) Del Boy and Rodney,Will and Grace, The Big Bang Theory, Frasier, Everybody Loves Raymond, 30Rock and Community and countless others use the same formula more often than not.

The only successful show I can think of that didn't use it regularly was The Cosby Show, but I'm sure there must be others.

I wouldn't agree there. (although I'm no expert on US comedy_)
But compare the US shows to some of the UK ones.
Frasier is definitely set in a wealthy environment. It's a sort of high value penthouse, with views of downtown Seattle, and he's a psychiatrist.
Compare that to Steptoe, he's a rag-and-bone man, with views of his horse's arse.
The big bang theory is about highly educated graduates. Del Boy is a constantly broke market trader.
And although Blackadder had nobs in it, it was Baldrick who got the most laughs, and Edmund was usually broke, or about to lose all his money.

I liked Married with Children, and it was the only US sitcom that was really blue-collar and built around the notion of a loser. And it was funny and well acted.
But I suppose there are more.

I think the difference is there between US and UK humour, but it's a blurry difference.
Apart from the fact that we have humour, and they have humor.

[Audley Strange]

Oh you mean there is a class difference. Sure. However Frasier is still a desperate man with an over-inflated ego that gets him into trouble all the time. Same with the comedy Aspies of TBBT.

Yeah I'll grant you their is a class difference, but not the mechanisms for the comedy. There is a class difference in the soaps too, their's all seem to be about the leisure class and vaguely aspirational ours seem like propaganda from peasant Hell but they all end up being about humans betraying each other for dramatic effect.