The demise of sketch shows.

Snap

I think the problem lies in the fact that most "comedy" isn't actually funny. Eventually people start to realise that. Most of the recent stuff IMO is toe curlingly unfunny and really predictable. 

The worst things for me are those shows like Mock The Week, or 8 out of 10 cats etc where people are desperately trying to outfunny the next person with their pre prepared faux off the cuff stuff. Makes me itch 

And don't get me started on sitcoms. Shitcoms more like.

west

Sassafras said:

axisus said:

Dominic said:

Mike and Bernie were not American they were from N London ( Cockfosters )

That is so weird! I'd have sworn that they were American! Oh well, they weren't funny and I probably haven't seen them since I was about 7.

The only funny one of the team was Schnorbitz:

Eeeeeeeeeeeee chu-chi face .... !!

Shrews

Snap said:

I think the problem lies in the fact that most "comedy" isn't actually funny. Eventually people start to realise that. Most of the recent stuff IMO is toe curlingly unfunny and really predictable. 

The worst things for me are those shows like Mock The Week, or 8 out of 10 cats etc where people are desperately trying to outfunny the next person with their pre prepared faux off the cuff stuff. Makes me itch 

And don't get me started on sitcoms. Shitcoms more like.

I agree in the main. I find hardly any comedy funny nowadays. Partridge is good, The Inbetweeners hilarious, Plebs and Cuckoo had their moments, likewise the Gervais/Merchant stuff. But The Inbetweeners is how many years old now?

Stand up is just woeful.  It's like they tell a gag and pause for everyone to laugh, which they do, even if it's about as funny as sticking your cock in a blender.

tanihhiavlt

You guys seem to be looking fixedly at "terrestrial tv", there's a fair amount of comedy on Netflix, new series of Bigmouth is starting November 5th, What we Do In the Shadows is on Disney+ (as is Solar Opposites and , Last Man on Earth is on Amazon, Garth Marenghi is on 4OD (frankly noone need ever watch another show again this is the pinnacle of comedy, even just listening to it with your eyes closed is hilarious).


Basically BBC is dead in the water, the content is dire, any good formats are sold off, the rest have to be more "efficient" each year, channel 4 gets some good shows (Derry Girls) but the broadcast tv is on it's last legs.

sinbaadi

I don't think I've seen a better sketch show than The Peter Serafinowicz Show.  

Stevepage

It’s the same with sitcoms. There’s plenty from America, but they’re terrible (big bang theory)

The Young Ones
Bottom
Black Books
Only Fools and Horses

To name some, are still funny today. But the Woke Brigade would have a shit fit if something like them came out today. 

axisus

Stevepage said:

It’s the same with sitcoms. There’s plenty from America, but they’re terrible (big bang theory)

I disagree, BBT is the best ever American sitcom for me. There's a reason why things win shedloads of awards, run for 12 seasons and pay the stars £1 million per episode!

Heartfeltdawn

Stevepage said:

It’s the same with sitcoms. There’s plenty from America, but they’re terrible (big bang theory)

The Young Ones
Bottom
Black Books
Only Fools and Horses

To name some, are still funny today. But the Woke Brigade would have a shit fit if something like them came out today. 

S'funny how times change. The Young Ones was written by a guy who was anti-Thatcher/Tory and pro-environmentalism and mocked his own right-on approach and featured a Marxist stand up. This is not woke apparently. 

hollywoodrox

I love American sitcoms 
 
frasier
last man standing 
king of queens
seinfeld
everybody loves Raymond 
goldbergs
young sheldon  prefer it to Big Bang now 

Shrews

axisus said:

Stevepage said:

It’s the same with sitcoms. There’s plenty from America, but they’re terrible (big bang theory)

I disagree, BBT is the best ever American sitcom for me. There's a reason why things win shedloads of awards, run for 12 seasons and pay the stars £1 million per episode!

I agree. I love The Big Bang Theory!  Married with Children was also superb and who can forget the hilarious 'Soap!' Chuck and Bob mindreading one of my favourite comedy clips!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwDbd4jQpkA

axisus

Shrews said:

I agree. I love The Big Bang Theory!  Married with Children was also superb and who can forget the hilarious 'Soap!' Chuck and Bob mindreading one of my favourite comedy clips!

When we were growing up we LOVED Soap, it was brilliant. I bought a DVD a couple of years ago for old times sake and it was unwatchable! Times have sure moved on, the 'gay' stuff in particular was so hard to watch now.

Brio

I think my absolute favourite us comedy was Becker but also got into The Nanny lately.

EricTheWeary

axisus said:

Stevepage said:

It’s the same with sitcoms. There’s plenty from America, but they’re terrible (big bang theory)

I disagree, BBT is the best ever American sitcom for me. There's a reason why things win shedloads of awards, run for 12 seasons and pay the stars £1 million per episode!

I think BBT did that classic US sitcom thing of a hesitant start, hitting it’s prime and then being made for too long so it had really lost the plot by the end. 

Seinfeld did that - the first series is patchy, the last series just not very good and all the classic episodes are inbetween.
Classic US television trying to rinse every last $ out of a successful idea and failing to quit on a high. 

Mattharrier

I think that TV in the US - at least in the big 4 networks - is as much about making money from syndication as anything else. 100 episodes is the magic number, I think, once you have 100 episodes of something you can easily sell it to other broadcasters, and the more episodes you have the more you can sell it for.

So many shows that kept going long after they peaked.