The current state of comedy on TV

I'd be interested to hear what other people think about this subject. A lot of people seem to think that just because the traditional sitcom has struggled in recent years that TV comedy is also struggling. I would disagree though. I think if you look at cult sitcoms, panel shows, chat shows, sketch shows and even 'I'm A Celebrity' (forgive me) then you would have to say that British comedy is in a pretty good state at the moment.

The budgets may not be as high as they once were but I think that comedies have diversified and show that there are still a heck of a lot of talented writers and performers in this country.

I agree I think Green Wing and Peep Show are two of the funniest programmes ever and they are pretty recent and not over...yet!!

Hyperdrivel, Supernova, Lead Balloon. There's plenty of other bags of shite that i'd be too embarrased even to associate with those 3 shows.

I can't honestly spot an emerging classic like Fawlty Towers, Black Adder, or a Red Dwarf, Porridge, Dad's Army, Young Ones.

I don't think we've seen a true classic produced in the last decade - with the possible exception of League of Gentlemen series 1 and 2. That should make us worry.

Topical Comedy: QI and HIGNForYou will never compete with traditional sitcoms in the long haul. What use is a 2006 topical throwaway gag in the year 2016? Not likely. However, Fawlty Towers will still be watched then (as too will L+H and Chaplin - not sitcoms but examples of timelessness) because it has a transcendence.

Reality TV: Even less likely to be watched is the God-awful spawn of hell reality shows (and i'm going easy on them) that rely on here-today-gone-tomorrow nobodies with rattling brains, whining voices, and their filthy attitudes towards people and money. Spoiled 15-minute zeroes spouting on about bollocks isn't comedy gold. Reality TV is the crucial TV phenomenon that threatens to destroy creativity. How can people create when they're too busy watching a 'what-did-he-used-to-be-in' STAR(??) washing his pants in a stream or sleeping in the jungle.

The main reason behind this failure for an emergence of a true great sitcom is:
1) a growing fear of comedy unattached to a 'name'
2) an entrenchment of traditional risktakers (like the Beeb - Gawd bless you, ma'am) through fear of failure
3) mass movement of people away from terrestrial broadcasters.
4) All this coupled with the parasitic regurgitation of old shows on Sky are undercutting funding / talent scouting of potential from the ranks of writers.

Unfortunately I'd have to say the situation is deplorable and we may even be witnessing the death of sitcom as its funding gets frittered away by CEO chasing ratings with B celeb tits and giggles. The change in attitude has to come from within TV because the writers are still out there.

British TV comedy is in a better state than a couple of years ago, but that's not saying much. There are too many mediocre shows on at the moment. Of the current crop of sitcoms, there are none that are essential viewing in the Wheeler household. For example, if I'm around and Lead Balloon is on, then I'll watch it but it's one of those shows where you can fail to catch a couple of episodes and you won't miss much. There are a couple of laughs to be had from every episode and that's about it. I would rather watch Curb Your Enthusiasm as it does the same thing as Lead Balloon but a hundred times better.

The best British comedy of the year has probably been that old favourite, The Royle Family. Says it all really. A quick look back at the rest of 2006 shows that there is far too much shite making its way on to our screens - e.g. Hyperdrive, Tittybangbang, Star Stories, Dogtown and it's hard to see 2007 being any different - i.e. more mind numbingly cynical reality shows, catchphrase-obsessed sketch shows and the occasional half decent sitcom.

I think its true theres a lot of rubbish, but I would imagine no more than at any other time. Recent shows that Ive thought highly of include The Mighty Boosh, Green Wing (ESPECIALLY SERIES ONE), Darkplace, Peep Show, Nathan Barley, the IT Crowd, Extras, Lead Balloon. True, some of those are spread over a few years, but theres always some good stuff to discover. I would agree that there are not enough quality shows, especially when it comes to sketch shows, Mitchell and Webb was all right but not in the top class of Big Train, league of gentlemen, etc.

With the exception of Fawlty Towers, I think the best British sitcoms of the late 90s and this decade are better than any before them. The Office, Spaced, Phoenix Nights, I'm Alan Partridge, Peep Show. Green Wing, Extras, The Mighty Boosh, Black Books, Nighty Night, Saxondale, Darkplace, Max and Paddy, Catterick and the League of Gentlemen (just to name the very best) are my favorite British sitcoms, along with Fawlty Towers, and are all from the past ten years. A lot of the older shows just aren't as funny IMO. I think the state of British comedy is as good as it could be.

As for American sitcoms, a lot of the best, such as Seinfeld, NewsRadio, Larry Sanders, Frasier and The Simpsons, were all at their height in the mid 90s. This is the best era of American sitcoms IMO. This decade hasn't been so great, and has only produced basically three amazing shows, Scrubs, Arrested Development and The Office. Besides those three, American comedy isn't doing so well right now.

I feel ashamed to admit that I'm probably the only one on this board who hasn't yet managed to see any green wing so I hope I'm in for a treat when I get the set! Never get time for telly! Black Books gives me a warm glow and the belief that there is still hope for comedy. What has been making me chuckle all day has been Wheeler's signature - love the way you've used that! The joke is they too aren't getting paid for making someone laugh!

when will the bbc let new talent on? bring on new (funny) blood, stop the catchphrase comedy and down with reality tv!
i live in hope. there are plenty of funny undiscovered people around, the bbc just need to visit gigs and other outlets around the country to see that! anything, just not another series of little britain and <your least favourite comedy here>

Interested to see what blunder, the new e4/channel 4 show is going to be like.

saw a trailer/clip for that today. doesnt look too good, but i'll watch it anyway--gotta give it a chance.

I agree with Matthew Stott that there's probably no more rubbish now than in the supposed golden era(s) of sitcom. Because we're not contemporary to them (big guess about the demographic of the Forum's members, sorry), we don't consume the other dross that was made in those periods as fully 'cos they're not sucessful so they don't get repeated, so the only examples we cite are the few with 'timelessness' which shine through. People are generally more critical of their own eras 'cos they see the dross, whereas past times (not the faux historical gift shop)can be romanticised about.

Right, I'm off to enrol on a Media Studies course.

Quote: Mike @ November 21, 2006, 7:05 PM

I think the state of British comedy is as good as it could be.

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That's a depressing thought. All of the shows you mention (with the exception of I'm Alan Partidge) are nowhere near as good as such classics as Only Fools & Horses, Steptoe & Son, Hancock's Half Hour, The Likely Lads, The Young Ones, Blackadder, Fawlty Towers, Dad's Army etc etc.

I agree with you (to a certain extent) on the subject of US sitcoms. The 1990's was a golden era and things have not been quite the same since Seinfeld, Frasier and a few others ended, but that was inevitable (it couldn't go on forever) and you guys still turn out some quality comedy programmes. You name three great shows like Scrubs, Arrested Development and The Office and then argue that apart from that US sitcoms aren't very good at the moment. ...British TV comedy would kill for something as good as AD at the moment.

Croydesponger, glad you like the signature. Chipandale does get royalties for its use. These are paid in to an account which he can access when he turns 18 - 12 years from now.

Quote: Moxy Poron @ November 21, 2006, 9:25 PM

when will the bbc let new talent on? bring on new (funny) blood, stop the catchphrase comedy and down with reality tv!

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I agree, the thing i don't get is the BBC trailers, they have one for music and a few other types of entertainment, the comedy one says something along the lines of "we take new discoversd writers, and give them a chance" it burbles on with clips of the office (yes that friggin dancing scene again) at the end it says "new talent, this is what we do" is it? if thats what you do then why do ageing shows like little britain, catherine tate get new series, and why do we still have to put up with repeats and copy-cat sitcoms, as soon as Channal 4 stops relying on American sitcom's to butter it's bread and converts to brit com more than bbc will struggle, to be ,the one, for comedy.

I've tried a lot of British comedy from pre-1990s, and besides Fawlty Towers, their mostly mildly funny. Nothing as brilliant and hilarious as the shows of the last few years, (The Office, Spaced, Phoenix Nights and the others I mentioned above). Only Fools and Horses, Young Ones and Dad's Army are classic shows, and are good for a laugh, but I don't see them as being close to as good as the best stuff of the last 15 years. Again, Fawlty Towers is a big exception. Leaps and bounds better than any other sitcom on the air before, during and for a while after.

It's interesting to see the different points of view.

People do mention an awful lot of classics from yesteryear that are still remembered but they are obviously spread over several decades. It would be intriguing to see what would happen if somebody looked at specific years from the past to see how many shows from that time are remembered.

I must say that I've enjoyed quite a lot of comedies that have been shown in recent times. Extras, Not Going Out, Peep Show, 15 Storeys High, Annually Retentive, The Thick Of It, Darkplace etc. There has been plenty of dross as well but that is true of any period in TV history.

I'm not sure how people can criticise Little Britain or Catherine Tate either. It's not like they have run for a decade or anything (as quite a few comedies did in the past) and it's clear that a lot of people like them. It doesn't mean that there isn't room for other sketch shows either like Blunder, Mitchell and Webb, Tittybangbang etc.

If you just take a look at the new comedy shows this week then it makes pretty impressive reading.
Sitcoms: Lead Balloon, Jam and Jerusalem, Pulling.
Sketch shows: C Tate, Blunder, Tittybangbang.
Panel shows: Q.I., HIGNFY, Buzzcocks.
Others: Dean Learner, R Brand, G Norton etc.

It certainly shows that comedy fans have a diverse selection of shows to choose from.