Which prominent comedies have you never seen/read/heard?

[Jockice]

I've never seen After Life. Or Life's Too Short.

New page life in general.

[Ferris]

Seinfeld. Never even seen a clip. I think it's because (as was discussed in another thread a while back) it's never been one of the many US sitcoms on heavy rotation on British TV, so other than whenever it originally aired here (if it did?) there's been very limited opportunities to see it. And apparently it's dated quite badly now so I doubt I'll ever bother.

It is dead good, try and seek it out on a streaming service and watch a few eps.

All those American alpha males who go on each other's podcasts - no idea who any of them are.

Or me. At least one of them is a boxer/UFC man or something but I genuinely don't know or care who they are.

[dr beat]

A lot of Seinfeld series are (were?) on All4, at least they were in April.  We burnt through the lot them.  I love it although I'm not a fan of the finale.

[Armin Meiwes]

Pretty sure no one is a fan of the finale, including the people that wrote it.

[madhair60]

I only got Bill and Ted watched last month and both films are truly joyous.

[mippy]

I like Derry Girls a lot, but the music is really jarring because they use music from anywhere from 1993-1995 and it annoys me trying to work out when it's actually set. Which sounds like pedantry, but if it's pre-Good Friday Agreement, it does make a difference as they are often showing bits of news reports.

[Armin Meiwes]

I've never seen After Life. Or Life's Too Short.

New page life in general.

Don't bother watching After Life mate, life's too short.

[Armin Meiwes]

I only got Bill and Ted watched last month and both films are truly joyous.

Think they've actually got a new one about to come out after all these years which is... kind of weird. Could be good tho!

[KennyMonster]

Someone who saw Oxide Ghosts the same time I did told Jonathan Maitland that Nathan For You is the only thing to rival Chris Morris' brilliance.

Was he right?
How would I see it in the UK?
I have Freeview and Netflix.

I've never seen Filthy Rich and Catflap, it never seemed to get repeated but The Young Ones did.

Is it worth it?
(I think I'd not enjoy re-watching The Young Ones these days to be honest though).

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

I like Derry Girls a lot, but the music is really jarring because they use music from anywhere from 1993-1995 and it annoys me trying to work out when it's actually set. Which sounds like pedantry, but if it's pre-Good Friday Agreement, it does make a difference as they are often showing bits of news reports.

Isn't  the very last episode of the last series set during the time Big Bill Clinton came to town?

[dissolute ocelot]

I've never knowingly listened to a podcast. I've downloaded a few things from the BBC but (a) they were programs? and (b) they weren't funny.

Unless they've been on proper TV or Comedy Central/Dave/etc, I've never seen any of the "acclaimed" shows on Sky/HBO, which means Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep, Girls, Barry, etc, and have seen very little on Netflix (no Bojack etc, but have seen Good Place and Kimmy).

Going further back, I'm not conscious of ever having watched Bottom: I am familiar with all their earlier work (Young Ones, Friday/Saturday Live, FR&C, Happy Families, etc) but I think didn't bother/gave up then. Also looking at popularity rather than quality, I've never seen Benidorm which for a while was almost the only sitcom on TV, and never seen Mrs Brown's Boys, Afterlife, Derek, or some American blockbusters like Everybody Loves Raymond.

[Ferris]

Someone who saw Oxide Ghosts the same time I did told Jonathan Maitland that Nathan For You is the only thing to rival Chris Morris' brilliance.

Was he right?
How would I see it in the UK?
I have Freeview and Netflix.

Yes, it's terrific. Not sure on streaming in the UK, you might have to buy it. You can watch the odd clip on YouTube but you need to see a full episode to marvel at how quickly it develops ideas then casts them aside. It is a very clever and funny show, and actually improves over the run. The final episode is something else, a really unexpected treat.

My favourite bit involves the season 4 retrospective episode featuring a realtor, which has the smartest take on interviewing a charlatan I've seen, while simultaneously staying in character and being very funny. To do that on your feet is impressive.

If you've seen it, I'm referring to

Spoiler alert

the interview of the ghost realtor's new psychic. A normal interviewer would challenge the absurd notion that this new psychic can speak directly to the previous (dead) psychic, but Nathan taking him completely at his word and asking how the dead medium enjoyed his time on the show as if it was a totally normal interview made me laugh on about 3 levels.

[close]

[Marner and Me]

This Country - Seen the odd bit not funny.
Only Fools and Horses

[ollyboro]

Certain stuff is unavoidable to an extent. Every time there's a documentary on Sellers, or somebody of a similar vintage, you'll see/hear The Goons, but I've never listened to a recording. Never seen any of American Pie, My Name Is Earl, The Big Bang Theory, Schindler's List, Derry Girls and a thousand etceteras. But, I have seen an episode of  Mrs Brown's Boys....and therein lies the danger of spreading yourself too thinly.

[Jockice]

Isn't  the very last episode of the last series set during the time Big Bill Clinton came to town?

It is. It was on E4 earlier this week.

[letsgobrian]

Using the IMDb number of votes for Comedy TV Shows as a yardstick of prominence:

Two and a Half Men.

And a lot of US Dramedies like Weeds, Suits etc.

[non capisco]

Or Life's Too Short.

Summed up by its title. The dwarf isn't even called Ian Life.

[sutin]

Seinfeld. Never even seen a clip. I think it's because (as was discussed in another thread a while back) it's never been one of the many US sitcoms on heavy rotation on British TV, so other than whenever it originally aired here (if it did?) there's been very limited opportunities to see it. And apparently it's dated quite badly now so I doubt I'll ever bother.

Only the fashions have dated. The humour is timeless.

[Jockice]

Only Fools and Horses

I find that hard to believe.

[Poirots BigGarlickyCorpse]

Never seen any of American Pie, My Name Is Earl, The Big Bang Theory, Schindler's List, Derry Girls and a thousand etceteras.

...one of these things is not like the other

[jobotic]

This Country - Seen the odd bit not funny.
Only Fools and Horses

Oh leave off, This Country is great.

My step-dad liked Only Fools and Horses. Watched a few. Can't see why it's something is discussed at length years later. Same with Men Behaving Badly.

Why not Last of the Summer Wine?

[Psmith]

I've seen 5 minutes and never again of a lot of them so to say never at all would be untrue.
As for Seinfeld,all the characters are horrible.What is there not to like?

[hummingofevil]

Agreed! One of the very few books I've read multiple times.

I would go a step further and say I really struggle to read books. I read that thing a few months ago about people not being able to visualise stuff in their mind's eye (I just see blackness and nothing else) and then the internal dialogue stuff (I have a constant, intense internal dialogue that I never realised was so strong - to point where I am narrating myself writing this - and as a teacher I am teaching kids and have that voice in my head decribing and commenting on what I am doing - usually to more amusement to myself than the kids).

Point being I find extended fiction difficult as I can't visualise the characters and everything is just lumps of text and easily find my brain wandering off when I try to read stuff as words just send my internal dialogue off on tangent.

I have read A Confederacy of Dunces half-a-dozen times and not only thing it is perfect (well I have some issues with the final chapters but that is just a matter of taste) and think of pretty much all of the  characters very much as real, identifiable people.

I love it.

[trabuch]

Confederacy of Dunces is the only thing I've read that has made me laugh out loud. I often laugh internally whilst reading, but only once have I ejaculated. It's the only thing on that list that is utterly exceptional.

[non capisco]

'My valve is screaming for appeasement!'

[Custard]

Hancock's Half Hour has to be the big one for me. I've had it on DVD for about 5 years, never watched it.

I'm currently visiting my parents who live near Bognor, where we went yesterday for a bit. Apparently Hancock stayed in one of the hotels there, several decades ago. What made me laugh was that they've put a plaque in his honour on the front of the hotel, and as we were walking down the seafront there were several pictures and mentions of him attached to a building site that looks like it's gonna be turned into flats or something.

Maybe that's a whole other thread, places dining out for decades on a famous person's incredibly brief visit/connection. It really tickled me

[timebug]

Never seen:
This Country
Episodes
Derek
Extras
Friends
American Dad
Futurama
Anything by Carla Lane
Anything with Miranda Hart in

[Glyn]

Yes, it's terrific. Not sure on streaming in the UK, you might have to buy it. You can watch the odd clip on YouTube but you need to see a full episode to marvel at how quickly it develops ideas then casts them aside. It is a very clever and funny show, and actually improves over the run. The final episode is something else, a really unexpected treat.

Yep, another vote for here for hunting down Nathan for You. I think you can now get the DVDs on Amazon ? . It was the 'robot arm' episode in season one that fully convinced me ( I did wonder if the format would get stale quickly but that just blew it all wide open). One of the few comedies that makes me catch my breath from laughing at both the setup and execution.

[Andy147]

Hancock's Half Hour has to be the big one for me. I've had it on DVD for about 5 years, never watched it.

I'm currently visiting my parents who live near Bognor, where we went yesterday for a bit. Apparently Hancock stayed in one of the hotels there, several decades ago. What made me laugh was that they've put a plaque in his honour on the front of the hotel, and as we were walking down the seafront there were several pictures and mentions of him attached to a building site that looks like it's gonna be turned into flats or something.

Maybe that's a whole other thread, places dining out for decades on a famous person's incredibly brief visit/connection. It really tickled me

To be fair, Bognor is where they shot the location scenes for The Punch and Judy Man, so it was Hancock, other actors and a film crew, plus the town and various locals getting to appear on screen; it's not just a place he happened to visit for a week.

[Better Midlands]

I like Derry Girls a lot, but the music is really jarring because they use music from anywhere from 1993-1995 and it annoys me trying to work out when it's actually set. Which sounds like pedantry, but if it's pre-Good Friday Agreement, it does make a difference as they are often showing bits of news reports.

That annoyed me too, good show though.