An American Watches British Sitcoms

[Cena's Little Helper]

I once read on youtube that British sitcoms being better than American sitcoms is a fact, not an opinion. I decided to put this statement to the test by watching 10 of Britain's most beloved situation comedies. I'll start posting my thoughts on each tomorrow, but I'll give you a preliminary judgment right now: throughout the 70s, 80s, and 90s, I concurred with the aforementioned youtube comment. However, in the new millennium, it seems to be the case that us Yanks finally caught on to the magic of making a great sitcom while the Brits seem to be in a rut of sorts.

Anyway, here are the sitcoms I'll be reviewing:

The Vicar of Dibley
Peep Show
Spaced
One Foot In The Grave
Blackadder
The Young Ones (Posted)
Fawlty Towers (Posted)
Father Ted
TBA
TBA

Look forward to sharing my thoughts with you soon!

 

[Loveless]

I suggest adding

Red Dwarf
Steptoe and Son
The Office
Til Death Do Us Part (A personal favourite of mine)
The League of Gentlemen (We didn't burn him! )
Rab C Nesbitt (though it's highly unlikely you'll be able to understand a word)
Extras
Outnumbered (One of the very rare great new UK sitcoms)

Christ you missed Only Fools and Horses!

I'd certainly agree that UK sitcoms have majorly lost their way in the last decade. The have essentially copied the US style and become bland and inoffensive while the US has gone in the opposite direction.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

Please Tdigs skip over BlackAdder 1 if you can. It ranks nowhere among the great parts of the series that follow. Especially BlackAdder Goes Forth. That is one of the best series I have ever seen.

Look forward to your reviews.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

Review 1: The Young Ones (1982-1984; 12 episodes)

What You Need To Know As An American: The Young Ones follows the lives of four university flatmates/roommates whose squalid and revoltingly dirty living conditions make all American college students look like anal-retentive neat-freaks by comparison. The four roommates are as follows: Mike, the self-described "cool one" who always seems to get the better of the other three through smooth cunning and trickery; Vyvyan, an extremely aggressive fan of punk rock who solves all his conflicts through the way of the fist; Rick, a wannabe anarchist who knows how to do nothing but nag and write horrible poetry; and Neil, a constantly depressed hippie who is always taken advantage of and abused both verbally and physically by everyone else. Oh, and there's also some Russian guy who shows up in every episode; although he's originally the landlord of the four main characters, his role seems to vary with every episode. The show doesn't really have any overarching storylines, so episodes can be watched out of order without any risk of confusion on your part. Finally, every show features a musical performance (save for one which features a circus act). Allegedly, this is because the BBC no longer had enough of a budget for a new sitcom but did have enough money left over for a variety show, hence why there's always some kind of act somewhere in the middle of each episode.

tdigle's Long Verdict: While I personally didn't like The Young Ones, I can't deny its originality and wittiness. The Young Ones features great comedic performances, homophonous plays on words by the boatload, and cutaways featuring everything from puppet rats to the show's actors discussing their fictional selves out-of-character. From the reviews I've read, The Young Ones humor is described by many as "anarchic." I still have no clue what this entails, but The Young Ones is like nothing I've ever seen, and I'm doubtful that anything strongly similar to it exists.

As I already mentioned, The Young Ones heavily uses cutaways, a comedic device that I originally thought was outright created (or at least popularized) by Seth MacFarlane, Family Guy's creator. Obviously, Mr. MacFarlane took VERY liberal inspiration from The Young Ones. While this has made me value MacFarlane's comedic abilities less, I seriously doubt that diehard fans of Family Guy will feel the same way. Regardless of whether or not MacFarlane can do no wrong in your eyes, check out The Young Ones. If you love Family Guy, you'll love The Young Ones.

tdigle's Short Verdict: Brilliant, but not my cup of tea.

 

[Shamalanighya]

I love the original The Office with Gervais and Keeping Up Appearances. I mark hard for Mrs. Bucket.

 

[sharmaq]

Try and check out the Royle family if you can - essentially a family sitting around not doing much, but hilarious nonetheless, a lot of humour to be found in the mundane nature of the characters lives. I echo the previous sentiments for Only Fools and Horses, and the UK version of Coupling was very good while it lasted.

 

[The Doctor]

You really should try out Dad's Army. It's one of my favorite television shows, period. I still find it extremely funny and never tire of watching it, even if I've seen the episode in question multiple times before. The characters, the setting, the situations - everything is perfect and it's just a joy to watch.

That said, it may not have aged well. I do have a habit of looking at it through my Nostalgia Filter, since it reminds me of Nan, who passed away a year and a bit ago. I'd like to see what you think of it, should you decide to review it. In my mind, it's a classic.

 

[X]

Interesting thread, convenient too considering I just started watching Peep Show last week and have fallen in love with the show. I'm only through the first series right now but every single episode has had me in stitches. My only prior British comedy experience was the original Office and random episodes of Blackadder I used to watch on PBS, and this blows them both out of the water in terms of laugh-out-loud moments. I wanted to die laughing in I believe the second episode of the first series when they go out on a "date" to a bowling alley and Mark smokes a joint in the bathroom. His inner monologue left me in tears, just the way he triumphantly thought to himself "I am a drug user!" "Fuck the police!". I haven't laughed that hard in ages.

I'll keep my eye on this thread TDigs, I'm always looking for new shows to watch.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

Review 2: Fawlty Towers (1975-1979; 12 episodes)

What You Need To Know As An American: Fawlty Towers is a bayside hotel in Torquay, a town located in southwestern England. Fawlty Towers' proprietors are Basil and Sybil Fawlty. Obviously lacking anything remotely close to an intimate relationship, the Fawltys run their hotel with the help of Polly, an attractive and kind-spirited maid in her late-twenties/early-thirties, and Manuel, a porter/bellhop from Spain whom we Americans would deem "fresh off the boat." The comedic value of this show primarily results from Basil's high-strung and snobbish ways clashing with the lazy pragmatism of his wife and Manuel's inability to comprehend more than ten words or so of English.

tdigle's Long Verdict: Yes, the premise sounds quite generic, but trust me when I say that you should already know about this classic show and have seen it in its entirety. Although made over 30 years ago, Fawlty Towers is just as (maybe even more) funny than when it originally aired. I'm not that well versed in the terminology of farcical comedy, but I've never seen anyone with a greater grasp of it than Connie Booth and John Cleese (the writers and two of the stars of this show). They push improbability just as far as it can go without becoming contrived and tragic (this thought will be further elaborated upon when I review One Foot In The Grave). Do whatever you have to do to get this show and watch it; it will be some of the best hours you ever spent in front of a television.

tdigle's Short Verdict: Essential viewing for anyone who has any liking whatsoever for sitcoms.

 

[shattered dreams]

Thin Blue Line I would always get a good laugh out of when it would randomly come on. Rowan Atkinson is pretty good in it. Coupling was pretty good too as someone mentioned. Combination of friends and sex and the city is a fair description you hear a lot but the show is still quite entertaining to males as well in spite of it. The sitcom in general has died this millennium.

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

You gotta do Only Fools and Horses dude, serioulsy, and you haven't got Porridge up there either.

You said Fawlty Towers is essential viewing? Arguably either of those two can be described in the same manner.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The Inbetweeners is a must as you are getting a version over there very soon... it's the best sitcom in years...

Red Dwarf also would be a good one..

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

Review 3: Only Fools And Horses (1981-2003; 63/64 episodes)

What You Need To Know As An American: Voted by viewers as the best British sitcom ever made in a 2004 BBC Poll, Only Fools and Horses follows the lives of brothers Derek (or Del Boy as he is affectionately known as) and Rodney Trotter, independent traders (read: street hawkers) in Peckham, a district in South London. Ever the more sleazy and optimistic of the two, Del Boy never fails to go an episode without telling Rodney, "By this time next year we'll be millionaires," or, "He who dares wins." Obviously then, hilarity ensues with the two brothers always chasing the quick buck...and always failing miserably.

tdigle's Long Verdict: If British posters on here are representative of the voters of the 2004 BBC poll, then we are unfortunately going to be at odds here. While a very good show (and even a brilliant one at times), Only Fools and Horses is definitely not the greatest British sitcom ever made. Given how much love it seems to get, I'd go so far as to say that it's the most overrated sitcom ever made. Although this show provided the most touching moment I've ever seen in a British sitcom (i.e., when Rodney and Del Boy look at each other before Rodney leaves while Simply Red's Holding Back The Years plays in the background) and I found its mix of comedy and drama to be exceptional, the writing and jokes are nowhere near as good as what I've seen in other British sitcoms. Only Fools and Horses might be British, but it's the closest thing to an American sitcom that I've seen during my foray into the world of UK television.

On a more optimistic note, I'll next be reviewing One Foot In The Grave and The Royle Family. I consider these shows respectively to be the greatest British sitcom ever made and my most favorite British sitcom.

tdigle's Short Verdict: Watch an episode or two. If you don't like it, don't worry; you aren't passing up anything uproariously funny and groundbreaking.

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

Review 3: Only Fools And Horses (1981-2003; 63/64 episodes)

What You Need To Know As An American: Voted by viewers as the best British sitcom ever made in a 2004 BBC Poll, Only Fools and Horses follows the lives of brothers Derek (or Del Boy as he is affectionately known as) and Rodney Trotter, independent traders (read: street hawkers) in Peckham, a district in South London. Ever the more sleazy and optimistic of the two, Del Boy never fails to go an episode without telling Rodney, "By this time next year we'll be millionaires," or, "He who dares wins." Obviously then, hilarity ensues with the two brothers always chasing the quick buck...and always failing miserably.

tdigle's Long Verdict: If British posters on here are representative of the voters of the 2004 BBC poll, then we are unfortunately going to be at odds here. While a very good show (and even a brilliant one at times), Only Fools and Horses is definitely not the greatest British sitcom ever made. Given how much love it seems to get, I'd go so far as to say that it's the most overrated sitcom ever made. Although this show provided the most touching moment I've ever seen in a British sitcom (i.e., when Rodney and Del Boy look at each other before Rodney leaves while Simply Red's Holding Back The Years plays in the background) and I found its mix of comedy and drama to be exceptional, the writing and jokes are nowhere near as good as what I've seen in other British sitcoms. Only Fools and Horses might be British, but it's the closest thing to an American sitcom that I've seen during my foray into the world of UK television.

On a more optimistic note, I'll next be reviewing One Foot In The Grave and The Royle Family. I consider these shows respectively to be the greatest British sitcom ever made and my most favorite British sitcom.

tdigle's Short Verdict: Watch an episode or two. If you don't like it, don't worry; you aren't passing up anything uproariously funny and groundbreaking.

If you didn't piss yourself laughing at the majority of Trigger's lines/actions, then you have no sense of humour.

Best moments:

Del ropes Rodney and their grandad into cleaning a set of chandaliers for a wealthy family. They set up their gear, prepare to lower one of the chandaliers, and as Grandad releases the first one, Del and Rodney watch in shock as the one they're stood under doesn't budge, and the next one along falls to the floor and smashes. Hilarious.

Or, Del is in a fancy bar trying to look cool in front of the local yuppies. Triiger walks in and after a brief discussion, Del notices some women looking at them. As he stands up straight and picks up his drink, the barman exits the bar and doesn't put the flap back down. This is of course exactly where Del is stood, yet he doesn't notice that the flap is no longer there. He sips his cocktail and says 'We could be onto a winner here Trigger. Play it cool son, know what i mean?' and he goes to lean on the bar and just falls behind it. Trigger being the imbecile he is, doesn't notice, turns to see Del has disappeared, turns a full 360 and then a very shaken and embarrassed Del Boy re-emerges and says 'Come on Trigg, we're out of here.' One of THE most repeated scenes in all of British comedy.

tdigle's right though, OFAH can be very hit and miss and seems to appeal to a certain type of audience.

I myself can't stand The Royle Family for example. Couldn't give an example of a single joke that i found amusing. Never really saw what was so funny about One Foot In The Grave either. The joke was always the same, just the situation changed each time. "How much shit will Victor go through before he shouts 'I DON'T BELIEVE IT!'"

Each to their own as they say.

Are you going to do 'Porridge' tdigs?

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

I've always found Only Fools & Horses to be pretty overrated. Granted I haven't watched too many episodes, but I think I've seen enough to pass that sort of comment over it. I cannot deny that there are moments of sheer brilliance (The Chandelier scene is classic as is the Batman/Robin moment), but a lot of the jokes are simply recycled versions of previous gags. I also think it should have simply ended with Del & Rodney getting rich, and not with the extra specials they did afterwards. Those to me weren't necessary and were mostly unfunny (Though the 'Gary' scene is one of my favourites). The spin-off is quite atrocious (Green Green Grass).

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

If you didn't piss yourself laughing at the majority of Trigger's lines/actions, then you have no sense of humour.

Best moments:

Del ropes Rodney and their grandad into cleaning a set of chandaliers for a wealthy family. They set up their gear, prepare to lower one of the chandaliers, and as Grandad releases the first one, Del and Rodney watch in shock as the one they're stood under doesn't budge, and the next one along falls to the floor and smashes. Hilarious.

Or, Del is in a fancy bar trying to look cool in front of the local yuppies. Triiger walks in and after a brief discussion, Del notices some women looking at them. As he stands up straight and picks up his drink, the barman exits the bar and doesn't put the flap back down. This is of course exactly where Del is stood, yet he doesn't notice that the flap is no longer there. He sips his cocktail and says 'We could be onto a winner here Trigger. Play it cool son, know what i mean?' and he goes to lean on the bar and just falls behind it. Trigger being the imbecile he is, doesn't notice, turns to see Del has disappeared, turns a full 360 and then a very shaken and embarrassed Del Boy re-emerges and says 'Come on Trigg, we're out of here.' One of THE most repeated scenes in all of British comedy.

tdigle's right though, OFAH can be very hit and miss and seems to appeal to a certain type of audience.

I myself can't stand The Royle Family for example. Couldn't give an example of a single joke that i found amusing. Never really saw what was so funny about One Foot In The Grave either. The joke was always the same, just the situation changed each time. "How much shit will Victor go through before he shouts 'I DON'T BELIEVE IT!'"

Each to their own as they say.

Are you going to do 'Porridge' tdigs?

Nah, man. Roger Lloyd Pack always steals the show, whether it be in Only Fools and Horses or The Vicar of Dibley. It's a shame that he never got a truly big series with him as the principal character.

I might do Porridge since it's so well-regarded. I'm not big on 70s sitcoms though (Fawlty Towers being the exception).

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

If you're still looking for British sitcoms to watch then I'd recommend Still Game which is about 2 pensioners who are best friends and living in a crappy area of Glasgow but having lots of banter and some mini adventures.

The supporting cast are also a real bonus to the show, from Bobby/Boaby the barman to Isa the local gossip and busybody but with a heart of gold to Tam, the stingiest man alive!

May need to watch it with subtitles depending how tuned your ears are to the accent but it's a fantastic show that spawned 6 series' and a few christmas and hogmanay specials. Don't know how easy it is to track down online or anything over there but definitely worth a watch!

 

[Kane666]

All this talk of British television and no one has even mentioned Are you Being Served?One of if not the best british tv shows ever.Although the later seasons weren't great all in all it's a fantastic show.If you've never seen it i highly recommend you watch it.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Fuck, I was just going to mention Are You Being Served? Coupling is terrific before Jeff leaves the cast.

I know it's not a sitcom but if you've never watched Benny Hill, it is pricelss and most of the humor and skanks still holds up today for the least mature males among us.

Cool idea by the way.

 

[¡Roján!]

I don't know if you've ever heard of: ''Mind your language''.

Mind you language is a show set in a classroom with foreign adults learning how to speak English. Seriously, it's really underrated and forgotten about, but it's genius. They cancelled it after six years cause' it was a tad racist. It's not racist, per se, but it personifies a lot of stereotypes.

[YOUTUBE]R1KhsLN1fxM&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Chess]

I like some of your choices but I think you are missing some of the best newer sitcoms from your list.

As mentioned you should watch the Inbetweeners as it is hilarious but I would also suggest 'The IT Crowd'. This in my opinion is the funniest show I have seen in ages.

Not all americans get British humour and prefer the more obvious stupidity or gross out comedy (nothing wrong with that) but if you like sacasm, self mockery and observational humour then us Brits have that down to a T.

Prepare to put mustard on those words, for you will soon be consuming them along with this slice of humble pie, that comes direct from the oven of shame, set at gas mark 'egg on your face'.

 

[OwenHart100%legend]

Can't agree with the OP feelings regarding Only Fools and Horses think it is deserving of its place at the top of the pile as far as British sitcoms are concerned. Need to give a mention to Pheonix Nights and 'Allo 'Allo and for anyone that has not seen Gervais' new comedy Lifes to Short its well worth a watch