Does anybody have any idea what the sitcom scene is like in countries that aren't America? Kath and Kim is good (although not quite as good as everybody says), but surely the Australians must produce other comedies? And what about Canada? I know it gets a lot of stick, but they must have some funny people there?
German comedies are a bit poor, they have a real dry wit and there sitcom is always a snore fest, i,ve seen a estonian sit com which sounded o.k, to the audience, but i only know English, and they appeared to be talking in a different language, and a scouse accent, i don't know about Japan and china, and i,ve heard that north korean sitcoms are the bomb (work it out)
oh yeah and canadian sitcoms are soooooooo bad it's unbeleivable, picture this, emmerdale storylines, eastenders characters, and video's of fred elliot naked with emily bishop, that would be twice as good as a canadian sitcom
Quote: lewis roberts @ November 2, 2006, 2:33 PMoh yeah and canadian sitcoms are soooooooo bad it's unbeleivable, picture this, emmerdale storylines, eastenders characters, and video's of fred elliot naked with emily bishop, that would be twice as good as a canadian sitcom
id like to see some french or daneish sitcoms
cos it would be good to watch sitcoms from other angles
we once had to sit in french and watch a french version of friends, we did this every friday and wednesday for a whole term, the only one laughing was the teacher and ricky, the teachers pet,(he's also her son), then when we got our gcse results back, the highest(apart from ricky)was a F and that was me, so i failed my french gcse because of french humour, and the fact i bunked 80% of my lessons, which didn't help.
I love Kath and Kim, it IS as good as people say!
And The Kids in The Hall are fantastic Canadian comedy, but not exactly a sitcom.
I suppose comedy is very cultural, as I don't think I've found much Japanese or French comedy all that funny. But I'm sure there are plenty of funny foreigners out there somewhere, bless 'em.
atronising]
Isn't French television altogether meant to be f**king awful?
well its like with english tv you have to try and work your way through the shit and the bad shit to get to the gems such as porridge so there muct be some hope for french isnt there??
One would have thought so, but it really doesn't have a terribly good reputation!
Quote: Jason Kindred @ November 2, 2006, 9:32 AMDoes anybody have any idea what the sitcom scene is like in countries that aren't America? Kath and Kim is good (although not quite as good as everybody says), but surely the Australians must produce other comedies? And what about Canada? I know it gets a lot of stick, but they must have some funny people there?
Hey Lads, lets not be so hard on the Canadians!!!
Trailer Park Boys, made in Halifax Canada, is absolutely fantastic and one of the funniest shows I’ve ever seen. It’s not a sit-com in the purest sense, more of a mockumentary, but it is well crafted and the characters fit perfectly.
What makes the show different from others of a similar ilk is the constant use of bad language. However this really adds to the show, gives it more of a realistic feel and because it’s used in the right context, it doesn’t become gratuitous.
The show is on season 6 at the moment, with a seventh planned and Trailer Park Boys the Movie was released in the States a few months ago. If you haven’t discovered it yet lads then I suggest you check it out. It is shown on the Paramount comedy channel, although not at present, but there are loads and loads of YouTube clips, including full episodes.
AW
http://www.paramountcomedy.com/trailerparkboys/
http://www.trailerparkboys.com/
I haven't got a clue if these bloddy links will work!?! If they don't sorry!
The Canadians have a great show called "Corner Gas"--it's currently in its 4th season. (The first 3 are available on dvd.)
Well, concerning Japan I'm not aware of any sitcoms. When it comes to popular entertainment, it is animation and comics - anime and manga - that they are known for.
While most people think of anime and manga as either being children's stuff like Pokemon or more "adult" stuff.
However, there is a load of stuff in between and it covers all the genres including comedy, which I myself enjoy.
I prefer the sci-fi comedy shows. One of the first I cam across and enjoyed is Martian Successor Nadesico (don't worry, they nearly always have titles that have odd English translations). The basic plot is that the Earth is in an war against an alien race. The show is set on a space ship (The Nadesico) and focuses on one man, Akito, who just wants to be a chef, but is constantly called upon to fight against the aliens much to his annoyance.
Not only that, but the female captain of the ship, Yurika, is a girl who was madly in love Akito as a boy but who was completely oblivious to the fact Akito was not interested. Yurika is still in love with Akito and constantly tries to make him fall in love with her. Not only that, but as the series goes on, almost every other woman on the ship begins to fall in love with Akito, despite the fact he has almost no interest and just wants to cook.
I found the series enjoyable and was one of the series that began my fondness for anime.
However, in terms of anime, not just in comedy but in anime in general, there is one series recently shown which has got a massive amount of hype and I think it deserves it: Gurren Lagann.
This series is part comedy drama, part adventure, part post-apocalyptic sci-fi and part mecha - which is an anime genre which involves people fighting each other in large robots. I think the best described as a cross between Transformers, a war epic and a Carry On film.
One thing I love about this show is that it is brilliant mainly because it is so ridiculous and OTT. It's got these wonderful qoutes such as: "Don't believe in yourself! Believe in me that believes in you!"
It also mixes the comedy well with the drama. For example, there may be a scene in which the heroes fight the enemy, and there is shouting, anger, passion, pain, suffering, anguish and death. All of these emotions are building up in you and you do feel for the characters, even though you know it is just a cartoon. It is an amazing feeling. At times when I watch it, I feel that I want to cry it is so good - I am being honest about that. And while all of this is going on, you see a poor, little, defenceless animal, and that animal is seeking refuge from all the violence, and finds it - by hiding in large pair of boobs.
And you sit there and you are thinking, "What the f**k is going on?" It is silly, but it is great because it is so silly. I urge you to watch it (a bit of advice mind - best watch it in Japanese with subtitles, otherwise you get annoying Americans dubbing it over).
Where do you watch this stuff, Ian? Online somewhere?
Quote: chipolata @ May 9 2010, 10:53 PM BSTWhere do you watch this stuff, Ian? Online somewhere?
Both of these shows are on DVD and are on sale over here. Some stuff can be watched online, as there legal streaming services.
Quote: chipandale @ November 3 2006, 12:59 AM BSTid like to see some french or daneish sitcoms
cos it would be good to watch sitcoms from other angles
No you don't! Danish sitcoms just rip off the lesser known foreign shows and push it as their own. Best exsample is the blatant theft from "Curb your enthuiasm" converted into the toe-curling Danish sitcom "Klovn" ... Also why would I be here if Danmark had a healthy sitcom culture?
French comedy? Yeah well, you know. 