I just find it so much easier to relateto English sitcoms. Yes - the whole point of South Park is that it looks so cheap. And the fact that it's all about kids relating to strange (American) adults makes it work. They really take the piss out of themselves and the Canadians and the Iraquis and the Jews and the red necks and the etc etc etc......
I guess 'My Name is Earl' hasn't made it across the pond yet?
The US can do some great comedy, but some of it doesn't get picked up. Also, some drama has some great comic moments, like Boston Legal, really one of the best shows on tv in my opinion.
My Name is Earl has made it over the pond, it arrived in a ship called 'Third Rate Malcom in the Middle.'
The good thing about Americans is that they will commission anything unlike over here where they only commission things which are new versions of popular shows. e.g. Wife Swap becomes Celebrity Wife Swap, Little Britain becomes Catherine Tate, Not the Nine O'clock News becomes Mock the Week etc. Although Lost became Heroes in America so maybe i'm talking shit, which becomes bullshit in America.
Both Friends and Earl rock!
The re-makes thing is to make it more appealing and understandable to the American market. Nothing wrong with that, funny is as much about delivery and connecting with your audience as it about the content.
Where does Scrubs fit into all this do you reckon? I think it's better than most British comedy, by a long way in most cases. It is definately up there with the work of Gervais for me, I wouldn't be able to decide which takes top spot.
Quote: F Morrison @ April 10, 2007, 4:12 AMI guess 'My Name is Earl' hasn't made it across the pond yet?
We got season one from mid-January 2006 on Channel 4. Not sure if they've broadcast anything subsequently though?
Quote: ajp29 @ April 10, 2007, 7:12 AMMy Name is Earl has made it over the pond, it arrived in a ship called 'Third Rate Malcom in the Middle.'
Quote: Tom Pk @ April 10, 2007, 10:24 AMWhere does Scrubs fit into all this do you reckon? I think it's better than most British comedy, by a long way in most cases. It is definately up there with the work of Gervais for me, I wouldn't be able to decide which takes top spot.
Now that's an interesting question. I'm really not sure what to make of scrubs, to be honest. I used to really like it, but then lately I find myself switching off if it comes on. Maybe I just happened to be unlucky in only catching some of the poorer episodes for a while?
I don't think it's getting shown enough over here. Well, more that it gets shown a lot but it's always the same handful of episodes. I rarely see one I haven't seen over and over.
Scrubs quality has be slowly degrading but this season had one of "the" funniest episodes they've ever done which perosnally I would of used as the last ever episode it really was that good. It was the musical episode, they've done a clip show recently which I really hate. Saying that it's still better then anything brits have produced in a good while.
They're putting moral lessons into Scrubs which is why I hate mainstream American Shows. 'If you do drugs you'll die!' f**king network wankers, they're all on drugs anyway. They treat audiences like children with credit cards, 'we'll patronise you and you buy the products in the adverts, well done, have a biscuit.'
Quote: ajp29 @ April 19, 2007, 12:52 AMThey're putting moral lessons into Scrubs which is why I hate mainstream American Shows. 'If you do drugs you'll die!' f**king network wankers, they're all on drugs anyway. They treat audiences like children with credit cards, 'we'll patronise you and you buy the products in the adverts, well done, have a biscuit.'
Yeah, you wouldn't see that in Green Wing. In there, you just put drugs on a CD case then turn it upside down and spill it on the ground.
Maybe it's stating the bleedin' obvious but Americans really do have a different sense of humour. You have to explain the punchline every time. We lent "The Office" to an American pal and he just didn't get it at all.
Quote: Something @ April 19, 2007, 11:03 AMMaybe it's stating the bleedin' obvious but Americans really do have a different sense of humour. You have to explain the punchline every time. We lent "The Office" to an American pal and he just didn't get it at all.
Maybe because they were thinking "Hmm hasn't this style of humour already been done in Larry Sanders and Seinfeld".
Anyway reading back over this thread I see that nobody (including myself) has mentioned Arrested Development, one of the best sitcoms of the Noughties, not just in America but in the world. A truly brilliant show, tons of jokes, amazing plotlines, tremendous acting from a wonderful cast, pure class. And look what happens when we try to do the same, we get...Roman's Empire.
Arrested Development's fantastic.
I enjoy watching Scrubs, but it doesn't really make me laugh all that much, smile yes, but not laugh. I seems like more of a (very) light drama.
I must admit there are so many sitcoms to try and you can't watch them all. Friends - if you hadn't noticed - I find a reall turn off along with its spin offs so maybe I'm a bit prejudiced and have never watch Curb or Arrested. Am I really missing something good or am I right in thinking that if I don't like Friends etc I won't like these?
I've never watched CYE either (well, I've tried to), and only seen about one episode of Arrested, but I get the impression that they're really pretty different.