Just Plain Awful 'Comedy'

[Naughty_Felid]

Russell Howard and his Mum - should have been great except for the fact here's never been funny, relies too heavily on sex, cock and paedo jokes and is utterly out of his depth ad libbing on WILTY, etc.


The horribly creepy, shagging, cock jokes shared with his mum on the American Road Trip was truly pitiful.


On the Buses is miles ahead of this.

 

[Tigerhawk]

I can think of a lot of British "comedy" (and several Australian ones, too) that are just so much bum burp as to be cringeworthy even when thinking about them. Are You Being Served? and On The Buses were forty years out of date forty years ago.

 

[MercuryCrest]

And of course, by no means is this limited to British or Australian "comedy".

I use to love Saturday Night Live...in the late 80's to early 90's. There were classics such as Landshark, and Quarry™ Brand Breakfast Cereal. And anything with Steve Martin or Jim Belushi.

I stopped watching for a couple of years and the next thing I know, the punchlines were weak, the gags weaker.

I find nothing so cringe-worthy as a grown adult acting like a spoiled child with possible emotional problems. Yet when I tuned back in, that's exactly what I got. Literally. And what made me sad was that there was no actual punchline. All you got was a grown man acting like a child and that got laughs. That's when I turned it off. MadTV was about the same.

Yes, I know, that grown man was Chris Farley and we're all suppose to love him for it, but that was all his schtick was and I despised him for it.

At that moment, I felt like comedy as I knew it was dead...then I discovered George Carlin....

 

[StuKE]

Anything with Keith Lemon in it. Another 'funny man' surrounded by people who laugh at everything he says or does (like Chris Evans). The Lemon character had been around way too long, but while there's an unlimited supply of z listers desperate to appear on ANYTHING that pays, there will always be a place for people like K.L.
Through the Keyhole? Lloyd Grossman he ain't.

 

[smokehead]

Some of the classics from yesteryear, Dads Army, Steptoe and Son, Rising Damp, off the top of my head had casts who weren't necessarily comedians but were very good actors.
Porridge is slightly different because of Ronnie Barker, although I always thought he was a very good actor in addition to being a comedian.
Arguably the best comedy series of recent years, Detectorists, stars Toby Jones, who is usually excellent in whatever role he plays.
Just sticking one of the Mock the Week crew into a sitcom doesn't work, but then I think a lot of modern comedians aren't very likeable as people anyway.
The best from the past, Tommy Cooper, Les Dawson, Morecambe and Wise to some extent, had an essentially benign quality that invited you to contemplate the worldview of harmless idiots.
Seeing the modern lot ruthlessly stomp all over a rivals lines in endless panel shows is hardly endearing, and 'edgy' comedy turns out to mean foul language, lavatorial humour and ultimately one series on BBC3 and oblivion.

 

[Swifty]

Jo Brand : "I'm FaT .. men are craP .. I like cake" .. she got a good ten years out of that rib tickling act

Ronnie Corbet : ... took ten times longer than anyone else to tell a joke, the fact that he'd go on to ramble about something else apparently being the joke

Jimmy Carr : .. technically, on paper, his jokes are funny but his stiff robotic delivery drowns them

Rowan Atkinson as Mr Bean : pull lots of stupid faces, collect the pay check (he was better in Blackadder to be fair)

Miranda : fall over a few times, pull men that in real life wouldn't notice you, talk to the camera, collect the pay check

Keith Lemon : already described IMO correctly by the above poster

 

[Anonymous-50446]

Jimmy Carr : .. technically, on paper, his jokes are funny but his stiff robotic delivery drowns them

He's better when he gets into exchanges with someone else, as he's very quick.

Miranda (as a series) made me laugh...which it was supposed to do.

Agree with you otherwise.

 

[smokehead]

Rich Hall's American documentaries on BBC4 are worth looking out for. He's better in that format than stand up I think.
Don't like Greg Davies, overrated in the first place and then he had that hissy fit on HIGNFY at Kirsty Young because she wasn't laughing at his jokes, probably because they weren't funny. A revealing moment for me.

 

[Anonymous-50446]

Don't like Greg Davies, overrated in the first place and then he had that hissy fit on HIGNFY at Kirsty Young because she wasn't laughing at his jokes, probably because they weren't funny. A revealing moment for me.

Didn't see that, interesting.

 

[cycleboy2]

Keith Lemon, yep. Mrs Brown's Boys, Miranda, Mr Bean. My wife watches Everybody Loves Raymond in the morning, which I hate with a passion.

I still enjoy Dad's Army a lot - great cast and observational comedy (let down for me by the Corporal Jones slapstick segments). Father Ted is a timeless work of unalloyed genius and I agree with Smokehead: Rich Hall is always worth looking out for; I'd recommend his books too.

 

[Anonymous-50446]

Everybody Loves Raymond

Just a bunch of not very nice people, some might say.

 

[JamesWhitehead]

The ubiquitous Susan Calman seems like dead air to me.

Ticks a lot of boxes, I suppose but none of them comedic.

 

[smokehead]

How Mrs Doyles 'Ah go on' Is Not That Much Of An Exaggeration.

My ex is Irish. We visited her family, I'm sitting there reading the paper.
Lily, her mum,, lovely woman bless her memory comes out of the kitchen.

"Martin, would you like a ham sandwich?"
"No thank you Lily I'm fine"
"Are you sure now?"
"Yes, I'm fine Lily thank you."
"..............it's ham now"
"No thank you Lily I'm fine"

The wife's sister Anne comes in and goes to the kitchen.

Lily: "Would you like a ham sandwich Anne?"
Anne :"Oh thanks mam.......... is Martin having one?"
Lily: "I asked him but he said no, would you ask him again?"
Anne: "Martin, Mams after making ham sandwiches, d' ya want one?"
Me: No thank you Anne I'm fine"

My then wife Mary comes in and goes to the kitchen. Ten seconds later.
Mary: "Martin, do you want a ham sandwich?"
Me: No thanks Mary I'm fine".

This is pretty much verbatim. Like I say, not that much of an exaggeration.

 

[StuKE]

I re

Just a bunch of not very nice people, some might say.

I really like it, also Mr Bean bur I think with Bean it is more about watching it with my children, my youngest laughing out loud, it's worth it to hear your children laugh like that.

 

[Spudrick68]

Jimmy Carr has such a punchable face.

 

[cycleboy2]

Just a bunch of not very nice people, some might say.

That's exactly it. While both Steptoes had issues, as did Basil Fawlty, Frasier Crane, Reginald Perrin, Father Ted et al, they were all characters one could empathise with at times. There's not one pleasant character on Everybody Loves Raymond. I am very fond of Still Game, which I discovered very late, and if I can find some cheap DVDs they'll have my name on them...

 

[Anonymous-50446]

I am very fond of Still Game

Most of Still Game is on Netflix. I love it.

 

[Bigphoot2]

How Mrs Doyles 'Ah go on' Is Not That Much Of An Exaggeration.

My ex is Irish. We visited her family, I'm sitting there reading the paper.
Lily, her mum,, lovely woman bless her memory comes out of the kitchen.

"Martin, would you like a ham sandwich?"
"No thank you Lily I'm fine"
"Are you sure now?"
"Yes, I'm fine Lily thank you."
"..............it's ham now"
"No thank you Lily I'm fine"

The wife's sister Anne comes in and goes to the kitchen.

Lily: "Would you like a ham sandwich Anne?"
Anne :"Oh thanks mam.......... is Martin having one?"
Lily: "I asked him but he said no, would you ask him again?"
Anne: "Martin, Mams after making ham sandwiches, d' ya want one?"
Me: No thank you Anne I'm fine"

My then wife Mary comes in and goes to the kitchen. Ten seconds later.
Mary: "Martin, do you want a ham sandwich?"
Me: No thanks Mary I'm fine".

This is pretty much verbatim. Like I say, not that much of an exaggeration.

I was at a Catholic Christening when Father Ted first appeared on the telly. Afterwards, a friend of mine couldn't resist asking the priest what he thought of Father Ted. I was expecting outrage, instead he burst out laughing and said "You wouldn't believe how close to the truth that show is!"

 

[Tigerhawk]

I've always thought Mrs Brown's Boys to be fifty years out of date...

 

[Anonymous-50446]

I've always thought Mrs Brown's Boys to be fifty years out of date...

Maybe, but it makes me laugh.

 

[StuKE]

I don't agree that none of the characters are pleasant on Raymond, Ray is lazy, Deborah is often uptight and angry, Robert is jealous, Frank is sexist, lazy and so on... I get that, but none of them are horrible people, they just have certain characteristics sometimes. I wouldn't find it funny if they were all bloody good Samaritans. Do characters have to be loveable? Ritchie and Eddy from Bottom weren't, Frasier is hugely pompous, Sheldon from Big Bang is arrogant, neurotic, selfish, old man Steptoe was conniving, Basil Fawlty had many 'fawlts' (see what I did there...). The point is, they all have bad traits, we need them for the comedy, but why is it acceptable for all the others I named and not the characters in Raymond? Add Arnold Rommer to that list by the way.

...next you'll be telling me King of Queens is rubbish.

 

[StuKE]

I know this thread is about bad comedies, but right up there, at the pinnacle of good comedy for me are:

I'm Alan Partridge
The Office, An American Workplace (like the original lots, prefer the US version though)
Curb Your Enthusiasm

 

[Analogue Boy]

I know this thread is about bad comedies, but right up there, at the pinnacle of good comedy for me are:

I'm Alan Partridge
The Office, An American Workplace (like the original lots, prefer the US version though)
Curb Your Enthusiasm

You're right. This isn't about good sitcoms. We already have a thread for that.
Heil Honey, I'm Home.

 

[StuKE]

You're right. This isn't about good sitcoms. We already have a thread for that.
Heil Honey, I'm Home.

Yes, As I said, I know, thanks for confirming, but others are mentioning comedies that are better than others on here, that is all I did.

 

[Anonymous-50446]

...next you'll be telling me King of Queens is rubbish.

....er

In the end you have to like the characters no some level and it's odd what appeals and what doesn't. Yep, Frasier is a pompous twat 90% of the but he somehow redeems himself. The supporting cast is fantastic as well, 'Niles Crane' steals the show for the most part.

Steptoe and Son, clearly a 'great', I can't bear it, I just don't like the characters. I feel the same with Fawlty Towers. Everyone raves about it, but I just don't like the (main) characters in it. I love 'Ever Decreasing Circles', but Mrs Coal can't bear it. I found 'Fools and Horses' predictable and only mildly amusing. And so on.

Mind you we both watched the first Episode of 'Dinner Ladies' tonight and laughed loads (again).

 

[Mythopoeika]

You're right. This isn't about good sitcoms. We already have a thread for that.
Heil Honey, I'm Home.

Funny that they all have New York accents, and it's a British 'comedy'.

 

[EnolaGaia]

And of course, by no means is this limited to British or Australian "comedy". ...

I find nothing so cringe-worthy as a grown adult acting like a spoiled child with possible emotional problems. Yet when I tuned back in, that's exactly what I got. Literally. ...

That's pretty much how I reacted to, and still feel about, Friends and Seinfeld. It boggles my mind that these two lame and self-indulgent series are consistently ranked among the top American sitcoms of all time (with Seinfeld often coming in at #1).

 

[GNC]

Funny that they all have New York accents, and it's a British 'comedy'.

It was a spoof of how crass US sitcoms could get, but hardly anyone got the joke, and it's trotted out time and again on clip shows as the nadir of comedy. OK, it's not all that funny, but it had ambition, misguided as that was.

 

[GNC]

As long as comedy isn't actively hateful, I don't mind it even if it doesn't make me laugh, at least it's cheering somebody up. If it is hateful, then it has an anti-humour effect for me.

 

[cycleboy2]

Most of Still Game is on Netflix. I love it.

What is this, er, Netflix, of which you speak?!