Underrated comedy performances

[dead-ced-dead]

I've been re-watching Scrubs and I just love Ken Jenkins as Dr. Kelso. In a show full of wonderfully broad comic performances, he's easily my standout. I never hear anyone talk about him. Especially in this clip:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FrEp_DZUWYY

[BeardFaceMan]

The bloke who plays Fabio in 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. Game for anything, never breaks, always keeps a straight face and it makes me laugh every single time when he turns to the audience, smiles and waves. Seriously, he's fucking great.

[Magnum Valentino]

Peter Kay as the young kid that gets fired for being shit in the Bingo hall episode of That Peter Kay Thing. That single performance is astounding, so convincing it barely registers as a possibility he's just acting as that person.

Don't know if it's underrated but Kevin "Handsome Man" Dunn as Ben Cafferty is my favourite thing in Veep by far.

[An tSaoi]

The cast of The Sopranos, particularly Christopher. You get as many laughs per episode as a sitcom.

[dead-ced-dead]

The cast of The Sopranos, particularly Christopher. You get as many laughs per episode as a sitcom.

I'm rewatching The Wire and Andre Royo and the late Michael K. Williams are we hilarious as they are tragic and imposing, respectively.

[Magnum Valentino]

This thread deserves better. Wee shot in the arm:

James Smith in The Thick of It. Had me howling earlier at his pronunciation of "cwazzonts".

I mentioned recently that I love Geoffrey McGivern in the first episode of Blackadder The Third and that his downward glance of shame when the presenter scolds him is one of my favourite thespian flourishes in anything ever.

Peter Kay again, as the boxing club manager in the Partridge Comic Relief segment. Genuine menace and expert enunciation on "you're a dick-HEAD".

And finally, Nick Frost lisping for England in Black Books. "Uvverwise the kidth thtart calling the lionth prickth" is one of the best baseless declarations ever made.

[BeardFaceMan]

I'm not sure I'd call Simon Pegg's appearance in Black Books underrated, not on here at least, but it one of the best performances of his career and isn't talked about enough.

[Magnum Valentino]

Agreed, it's a clinker. Really liked Ricky Grover in his episode too, I think about some of those lines all the time ("and your mums" etc).

You could maybe even argue Dylan's performance is underated in the sense that I can't imagine it ranking on a list of televised sitcom favourites but it's a memorable series lead with a few moments of pathos and nastiness alongside the masterful cartoonishness. All three leads were great in Black Books.

[neveragain]

A similar thread:
https://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,89210.msg4670483.html#msg4670483

[Utter Shit]

I'm not sure I'd call Simon Pegg's appearance in Black Books underrated, not on here at least, but it one of the best performances of his career and isn't talked about enough.

The bit where he stubs the cigarette out on his hand is terrifying.

Eddie in Friends is brilliant. Just completely bonkers.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Two for one here, as I think both Mark Benton and Paul Kaye are superb in Anna And The Apocalypse, which deserves to be seen a much loved Christmas classic. Benton's incredibly sympathetic and lovely in general as the lead's dad, while Kaye's excellent as the villain, it's a borderline pantomime-ish part where he's fun to boo and hiss, and he gives it his all in both of his songs.

[dead-ced-dead]

Two for one here, as I think both Mark Benton and Paul Kaye are superb in Anna And The Apocalypse, which deserves to be seen a much loved Christmas classic. Benton's incredibly sympathetic and lovely in general as the lead's dad, while Kaye's excellent as the villain, it's a borderline pantomime-ish part where he's fun to boo and hiss, and he gives it his all in both of his songs.

I watched this for the first time just the other night. I didn't love the film, but I did love Kaye and Benton. Benton actually made me shed a tear towards the end.

[Fr.Bigley]

The lovely Clive swift in keeping up appearances, the episode where he's forced into early retirement and realises he has to spend every day with hyacinth is so wonderfully defeated, it has something of the reggie perrin about it.

His son Joe swift isn't that funny though, in fact I haven't had one laugh from gardeners world, except when Monty showed up to gardeners world live smashed out of his head asking why they were letting black folk into the Hampton Court flower show.

[Captain Z]

Most of the PhoneShop cast had moments of excellence, but Javone Prince as Jerwayne was consistently brilliant.

Here's man tryin to look stupid: *elaborate head movement into serious pose*
Now, here's man asleep: *exact same movement and shuts eyes*

Any of them faces look stupid to you?

[lankyguy95]

Jimmy Carr's hairline.

[Egyptian Feast]

Katherine Helmond as Jessica Tate in Soap was hardly underrated at the time, but she doesn't get enough props these days. One of the greatest lovable thicko performances of all time, she can leave me in bits doing very little.

[Brundle-Fly]

David Battely and Henry Woolf in Rutland Weekend Television.

[Virgo76]

I mentioned recently that I love Geoffrey McGivern in the first episode of Blackadder The Third and that his downward glance of shame when the presenter scolds him is one of my favourite thespian flourishes in anything ever.

Wow. Only just realised that was him.

[Magnum Valentino]

Wow. Only just realised that was him.

Haha me too, actually. I've always loved it but it wasn't until I saw him in a recent episode of Ghosts that I thought "who IS that" and looked him up. This, despite having listening to Hitchhiker's Guide so many times, too. Some weird recognition blackspot for me.