I was watching some more today. What occurs to me is that the genius of the writers were to develop plots with interesting characters, and not to constantly slow down the action to work in a gag. The funny bits often come from the absurdity of the characters' behaviour and language, and awkward moments they encounter. They are surprising and genuinely funny for the fact that they are unpredictable. Gag after gag is monotonous, and you soon know what you're in for for the rest of the show - I'm glad these guys did something different. The observation of the film styles they recreate is also excellent and shows the talent of the directors, many of whom went on to much bigger things.
