Can the Americans really do comedy? Page 14

Quote: Tommy Power @ September 27 2008, 5:07 PM BST

I was wondering who judges what is "good" and "bad". I suspect an average American audience would consider US comedy superior, and an average British audience would think the opposite. It might be hard to work out a ratio of "good" ones if "good" cannot be easily defined.

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I meant it in terms of audience share and series longevity, commercial success etc, rather than the entirely individual assessment of what is "good". But yeah. It's always tricky.

Quote: Tommy Power @ September 27 2008, 5:10 PM BST

How often does "§" come up in Word usage? The section key?

Finck, have you got the "B" (ss) thing on your keyboard?

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Course I have. It's a German keyboard, it better have the complete German alphabet. It's next to the 0 key.

Re §: I just checked my old type-writer and it has a § key, too. But on the 9. On the 3 key is the % sign.

Edit: § is used a lot in the law.

What does § mean?

Quote: Aaron @ September 27 2008, 5:21 PM BST

What does § mean?

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Paragraph. Which in German mostly refers to a paragraph in a legal document, in our Constitution, for instance.

Quote: Finck @ September 27 2008, 5:18 PM BST

Course I have. It's a German keyboard, it better have the complete German alphabet. It's next to the 0 key.

Re §: I just checked my old type-writer and it has a § key, too. But on the 9. On the 3 key is the % sign.

Edit: § is used a lot in the law.

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We've got "-" next to the 0. And % on 5. Clearly global homogenisation has a way to go yet.

§ = "Section". Yes, used in law to refer to specific sections of acts. Over here, we just use "s". We are lazy, you see.

EDIT: "Paragraph" is "para". We're also imaginative.

This thread makes me a bit frightened to keep coming to this site.

Yeah, some of our shows are shit, but I'm sure that you guys have had your share of shit shows as well.

For example, I know that it's well loved by many, but I can't sit through an episode of "Black Adder". I also can't sit through an episode of "Friends", so it's all relative.

Quote: Benn Stimmel @ January 9 2009, 3:21 AM GMT

This thread makes me a bit frightened to keep coming to this site.

Yeah, some of our shows are shit, but I'm sure that you guys have had your share of shit shows as well.

For example, I know that it's well loved by many, but I can't sit through an episode of "Black Adder". I also can't sit through an episode of "Friends", so it's all relative.

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Have you seen many Blackadder episodes? The first series is nowhere near as good as the other 3. I find it particularly hard to accept that anyone could hate the fourth series.

Quote: catskillz @ January 9 2009, 3:56 AM GMT

Have you seen many Blackadder episodes? The first series is nowhere near as good as the other 3. I find it particularly hard to accept that anyone could hate the fourth series.

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I've found it really hard to get through the episodes that I've seen. I can't admit to having seen all of the episodes, but the ones that I have seen I didn't like.

Having not read the thread, I would say that any Brit who claims Americans "can't" do comedy is either outstandingly ignorant, or lacking in taste.

I trust those members of the board who possess a sense of humour have already reached this conclusion.

30 Rock, Friends, Frasier, Arrested Development, The Office, Big Bang Theory, Seinfeld; yep, Americans can't do comedy.

What a mental thread this is.

The best comedy in the world right now is American.

I know this place is The British Sitcom Guide Forum but reading this thread has left me agog at some of the narrow-mindedness.

Opinions are like arseholes etc. etc. but US comedy has been putting British output to shame for a good few years now, in my honest arsehole.

Quote: Gregor Shamsa @ January 10 2009, 10:36 PM GMT

I know this place is The British Sitcom Guide Forum but reading this thread has left me agog at some of the narrow-mindedness.

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Don't worry, only idiots think Americans can't do comedy.

I think American sitcoms are a lot sillier than their British counterparts. Not many are grounded in reality.

British comedy lets you work out that they slipped on a bananna skin whereas the Americans have to pick up the bananna skin wave it at camera and shout "He slipped, how about that everybody" which will be followed by much whooping.
To be fair some of it does make me laugh but it's all a bit too in your face!

This sums up American re-makes, genius.

http://uk.youtube.com/results?search_query=only+jerks+and+horses&search_type=&aq=0&oq=only+jer