Out of your list, there are only three shows that I actually like. I leave it to you to guess which three.
Blake's Top 10 TV Comedies of All Time!
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 On 06/26/2013 at 02:59 PM by Blake Turner See More From This User » |
So my last two blogs have been rather angry rants, or have been about rather weighty subject matter. I thought I'd break away from that and tackle something a touch more lighthearted - Comedy Television! Well I might as well just jump into it!
10. Spaced
Forget about The Big Bang Theory, this is the ultimate show about geeks. Unlike The Big Bang Theory, the characters on this show feel like real people, despite the surrealness of the show. Also, unlike The Big Bang Theory, this show is actually funny. I mean, it's Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright making a show about playing video games, reading comics, and watching movies. This show also paved the way for shows like Community by being filled to the brim with references and homages, and not giving a flying fuck how weird it is. There's an episode early on where Tim plays Resident Evil for two days straight, goes to an Avant Garde theatre performance and punches a transgender artist because he hallucinates and thinks it's a zombie. It's freaking gold! Not to mention, on DVD there's a feature called the homage-o-meter, that displays every single reference in the show. There are so many than I'd ever dream of catching!
9. Archer
Despite being a spy genre spoof along the lines of Get Smart, or Austin Powers, this show actually reminds me of Arrested Development more than anything. That's probably because nearly THE ENTIRE FUCKING CAST ends up in it at some point. Other than that, there's the fact that this show is willing to use any sort of humour - smut, puns, inuendos, obscure literature references - and constantly merges high brow comedy with low brow. Also, it has a LOT of in jokes, and the pacing of the humour is similar. Oh, and I forgot, THESE ARE TERRIBLE PEOPLE! In the best way possible though.
8. Red Dwarf
If you've never watched this show, WHY THE SMEG NOT?! Seriously, this show is a classic. Sci Fi comedy at it's best. I mean there's Lister, who has been in Stasis for 3 million years, only to emerge to find out that every one on his ship is dead, the computer has chosen the person he hates most to reanimate as a hologram for company, and there's a being that evolved from his pet cat! It's a brilliant set up, it's insanely hilarious and silly, yet at the same time it's a very human show, as all of these characters have their strengths and weaknesses, and they're all far from perfect. Also, this show invented the word smeg, which is the greatest imaginary curse word ever, and it has some of the best insults I've ever heard on television!
7. Louie
You know how Seinfeld is supposed to be a show about nothing? That's bullshit. This is the real show about nothing. The episodes are usually two short films that have nothing to do with each other, and even with those, there is no three act structure. It's just some funny stuff that happens in someones day. Occasionally, the show isn't even a comedy, it turns into a full on drama. There's an episode where his friend comes and tells him he wants to kill himself, and the conversation is just so intense and real that you can't help but admire it. Another episode starts with a group of comics discussing the word "faggot" with a homosexual man, and it's both hilarious and insightful. The best part of Louie? You never know what you're going to get. You don't know if you'll get a heart warming story that truly makes you happy, or an episode that is extremely dark. You don't know if the episode will make you piss yourself laughing or have you on the edge of your seat with tension. The show is truly unique, and that's something that is lacking from the market.
6. Black Books
Dear god is this show hilarious. The main character (Dylan Moran) is an utter jerk who owns a book store. He hates everyone - including himself - and doesn't want to sell any books because then he'll have to do work. This leads him to hire an Assistant (Bill Fucking Bailey), and the dynamic between the two is brilliant. Everyone on this show is utterly insane, and nothing is ever normal. Who could forget such brilliant lines as "Yes, I think you should shave your beard, then nail it to a frisbee, and fling it over a rainbow." Or when Jehovah's Witnesses rock up at his door and when he lets them in to get out of doing his taxes, they proclaim "It's a trap, run!" and "Sorry, we've never actually been indoors before." It's completely insane and completely hilarious, and I advise you to watch it immediately!
5. South Park
I think a lot of people dismiss this show simply because of the over the top vulgarity this show displays. However, if you look deeper, you will find one of the most biting, insightful, and intelligent satire's on television. There is nothing these guys won't poke holes in, like religion, politics, pornography, facebook, authority, video games - absolutely everything is fair game in South Park. They are the ballsiest motherfuckers in comedy, and that has to at least earn your respect.
4. Scrubs
The second season of Scrubs is one of the best pieces of television comedy. Every season after season 5 displays some of the worst. I think it's all down to the characters, and how you can grow so attached to them. I mean, I watched up until season 8 just because I liked the cast. The show makes me happy when I watch it, and I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe it just reminds me of good times in my life, or maybe it's just because this show can be ball bustingly hilarious at times!
3. Parks and Recreation
The Office is a great show, but dear god can it be awkward. Some scenes in that show are just so frustrating to watch that I can't put up with it sometimes. Thankfully, that's where Parks and Recreation comes in. It's The Office, but more light hearted and surreal. I love that in a landscape of cynacism, this is a show displaying pure optimism. It's such a warm show, and it is also really funny! All of these characters are hilarious, and April is now officially my dream girl. Andy is one of the best idiots on TV, and RON FUCKING SWANSON!!!! I mean, that guy is a legend. "Fishing is for sport, not food. Fish meat is practically a vegetable." Brilliant! There isn't a single character on the show that I don't like, and that really is a credit to the writers.
2. Community
Firstly, DAN HARMON IS BACK FOR SEASON 5!!!! Halle-fucking-lujah! This is brilliant news, because even though season four had some good episodes, it was mostly a stinking pile of shit. This show is just so clever, meta, and hilarious. Even if you don't get the references in the show, the characters are witty and likeable enough for you to endure. This show has some of the best episodes of tv comedy EVER. The zombie episode, the dungeons and dragons episode, the different timelines episode, and who could forget, the paintball episodes! This show is fantastic, and you should all watch it.
1. Arrested Development
This is the smartest comedy ever to grace television. It will take an entire season to set up a joke, it will reference itself, it will break the fourth wall, and it will go ANYWHERE for comedy. The show rewards repeated viewings, as everytime you rewatch the show, you will notice something new. Something in the background. A joke that didn't make sense until the second viewing. Of course, there are still regular jokes, and they're all hilarious. Oh, and if you didn't like season 4, you're an idiot. Rewatch it. Every second of that season is either a joke or setting up a joke. Also, look up who George Maharris is. I guarantee you will wet yourself when re-watching George Michael's episodes. Not to mention G.O.B.'s second episode is among the series best!
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