most overrated comedy shows of all time...

[Uzi Lover]

I know this is shows, but I'm still going to voice my hatred for Billy Connolly. There was a programme about him where someone said "One of the reasons he's so funny is that he's so likeable." I disagree on both counts.

In answer to the topic, Fawlty Towers *hides*. It's alright but I wouldn't put it among my top sitcoms of all time. Especially after 12 episodes. The sitcoms I respect are ones where they've churned out masses of great stuff like One Foot in the Grave or Seinfeld.

[Squidy]

The Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy.

[McChesney Duntz]

I don't go in for this sort of thing very much, but I must say I'm a touch nonplussed by the level of adulation accorded Family Guy.  Most episodes are good for one or two solid moments of "where the fuck did that come from?" absurdity, but otherwise - ugly animation, unpleasant characters, and a way too heavy reliance on lame shock humor and the laziest kind of reference/recognition jokes.  And yet it's revered in many circles (including here).  Don't get it.

[Bert Thung]

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Thing is, I think Larry David is a very funny man, I just hate his show.

[butnut]

I don't go in for this sort of thing very much, but I must say I'm a touch nonplussed by the level of adulation accorded Family Guy.  Most episodes are good for one or two solid moments of "where the fuck did that come from?" absurdity, but otherwise - ugly animation, unpleasant characters, and a way too heavy reliance on lame shock humor and the laziest kind of reference/recognition jokes.  And yet it's revered in many circles (including here).  Don't get it.

I quite like FG - I think the baby character (whose name I've forgotten, Stewie?) is excellent. But  like you, I don't see why it gets so many people so excited. I got the DVD boxset but still have most of series 3 to watch as I just got so pissed off with the Dad. He ruins the show for me. Oh well.

[purlieu]

The Royle Family. Series went downhill as it went on, and it was never that good. Repeat viewings proved incredibly tedious.
And that other one... Early Doors. Can't understand how anyone watched that.
Oh, and anything with Peter Kay in. I've sat through three of his stand up shows and genuinely not laughed once. His type of comedy is the sort of thing you laugh about with your mate in the pub, and I don't find it works at all on stage. The one at the Bolton Albert Halls was FULL of little comments that my dad and I have made hundreds of times in the past. The guy's popularity really fucks me off because, with no arrogance intended, I know many people - myself included - who could make exactly the same observations as he does. And wouldn't stand there going "what's that eh? Eh? What's that? What's that about? Eh? June? Eh? June?? What's that about?" for five minutes EVERY TIME.

[Pseudopath]

Absolutely...

Apart from the delectable Morwenna Banks, this show had absolutely nothing going for it and I fail to understand its exalted status around these parts.

Stoneybridge, indeed!

[Coughlan]

Clearly you wouldn't prefer that

No I would.

[Coughlan]

The Royle Family. Not because it's particularly shit in its own right (although I never really 'got' it myself) but because it's the first programme with which I've come to associate the "It's good because it doesn't have a laugh track" received opinion.

On a side note, Does anyone think that those pictures in the paper recently of Saddam Hussein look incredibly like Ricky Tomlinson?

[The Mumbler]

Have to admit I find the constant praise heaped on to Curb Your Enthusiasm to be bewildering.  Loved Seinfeld to bits, where any edgy subject matter usually had some zing to it.  CYE self-consciously, even smugly, underlines its "cable so we can say fuck" agenda to what is, for me, a one-joke sitcom.  The other characters seem two-dimensional, and even Larry David just seems crudely drawn.  It just goes to show what a genius Jason Alexander was to portray David's alleged character in such a hilarious, compelling guise as Costanza.  Contrastingly, David himself is unconvincing and I find the show dull and uninvolving.  Having said that, I've only sat through four episodes (the first four) so far.  Baffled by the seemingly unanimous plaudits, I now await a long list of people to tell me I know nothing about comedy.

[lankinpark]

On a side note, Does anyone think that those pictures in the paper recently of Saddam Hussein look incredibly like Ricky Tomlinson?

No, but he looks exactly like one of my old uni lecturers.

As for overrated stuff, I've downloaded a wad of Burkiss Ways from Pinball on Soulseek (cheers Pinball), and I'm struggling to understand the appeal. It's one of those shows people praise for being clever and pushing boundaries, but I'm wondering if those were boundaries that have long-since vanished, because it all seems very run-of-the-mill to me. Although one of the episodes did make me laugh quite a lot, so maybe it's just hit and miss and I keep getting the misses.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

Sean Lock. I mean, he's alright, but...

[Darrell]

Sean Lock. I mean, he's alright, but...

Give the live album a spin, it's very enjoyable.

[Purple Tentacle]

The work of Neil Innes.

While I can recognise that it's well made and, y'know, not shit, it leaves me completely cold.


edit: Acutally this is a bit of an erronious post, I'm sure he's very good at what he does, I just don't like what he does.  But not "overrated", any more than carrots are "overrated".

[Utter Shit]

Sean Lock. I mean, he's alright, but...

Give the live album a spin, it's very enjoyable.

Where might one get hold of this?

I've never quite got the appeal of Futurama...I mean, I can sit down and watch it, and it's ok, but some people seem to rate it right up there with the very best of cartoon comedies, and IMO it just doesn't touch South Park, The Simpsons or Family Guy.

[TJ]

The Office, of course, but also Bill Hicks.

[Mediocre Rich]

Nope, it was chaired by Clive Anderson with Stephen Fry and John Sessions as the regulars, with guests such as Griff Rhys Jones, Lenny Henry, Dawn French, Rory Bremner and the like.  And it was fantastic.  If you want it, let me know and I'll send you the series.

I had absolutely no idea that this existed.

How did you get a copy? Is it downloadable anywhere?  It sounds fan-bloody-tastic!

I suppose for pure over-ratedness I would say the Office, but then I still enjoy it.

[The Mumbler]

It gets a repeat on BBC7 about once every six months, actually.

[The Boston Crab]

Fawlty Towers has never made me laugh out loud once.

I gave Absolutely a good try recently after hearing it praised on here, did nothing at all for me, very embarrassing to watch even, because of the ham and wacky voices.

Eddie Izzard - is just too self-aware, it's annoying. I remember having to endure conversations about him with my friends and extended family for years.

Bill Hicks - I agree with too, sure he demonstrated some real rage, but did he ever make me laugh out loud? No. Were his arguments well thought-out? Often not.

One Foot In The Grave - seems to be a very droppable name here recently, is that because 'everybody' wants to champion a trad-sit-com 'wiv proper jokes an everyfink'? Utterly chronic. How anyone can slag off Curb Your Enthusiasm and praise this is beyond me.

Absolutely Fabulous was thoroughly vile to me also. It's literally the worst form of comedy. There were no jokes it was just a matter of association for women who worked in similar fields, or people who enjoyed watching inappropriate behaviour to live out fantasies. No better than American Pie & Co.

Friends was occasionally very funny but I wouldn't have missed it if it had been cancelled at any point during its run. People having an orgy of grief over its decline/demise are beyond me. It's like not getting out of bed one morning because you're so upset that The Real Ghostbusters was cancelled because of the Olympics. And The Real Ghostbusters was a great show!

[variant]

Always thought the Fast Show was poop. I always remember that interview with Paul Whitehouse in Comedy magazine (or possibly Deadpan) when he said 'It's not comedy, just a load of bloody cathphrases'. Spot on, but look how far we've progressed...

Also I never really liked Seinfeld.

[Banana Woofwoof]

Nope, it was chaired by Clive Anderson with Stephen Fry and John Sessions as the regulars, with guests such as Griff Rhys Jones, Lenny Henry, Dawn French, Rory Bremner and the like.  And it was fantastic.  If you want it, let me know and I'll send you the series.

I had absolutely no idea that this existed.

How did you get a copy? Is it downloadable anywhere?  It sounds fan-bloody-tastic!

I suppose for pure over-ratedness I would say the Office, but then I still enjoy it.

If you have soulseek, my_red_dream and I'll send it to you.  Or when I get the time I might upload it to Rapidshare for listening enjoyment and that.

Bill Hicks *is* over-rated, but still magnificent.

[mikeyg27]

I quite like FG - I think the baby character (whose name I've forgotten, Stewie?) is excellent. But  like you, I don't see why it gets so many people so excited. I got the DVD boxset but still have most of series 3 to watch as I just got so pissed off with the Dad. He ruins the show for me. Oh well.

That's exactly how i feel as well. I just don't consider Peter Griffin as compelling or rounded a character as say, Homer Simpson, because he comes across as just a jerk, whereas at least Homer does something good every so often. Actually, using the word 'rounded' doesn't really work for me, because if anything Stan Smith is even more one-dimensional, yet I really like American Dad.

[Pepotamo1985]

Anything related to Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer. I just don't find it funny whatsoever.

Harry Hill, too. Maybe it goes over my plebian head, but much of his work strikes me purely contrived madcappery. Madcappery that's not funny.

[Coughlan]

I think everything is over rated,nothing in any walk of life is so good that it deserves to be out ahead or above of everything else.

A lot of people liked the office, and I thought it was good, but theres no reason that it should be considered better than something like human remains, which was less popular in the main stream snse.

You can make the same argument with music, Are u2 or the beatles SO much better than other bands? NO.

Are Lord of the rings or Starwars SO much better than other films? NO

[Munday's Chylde]

I think everything is over rated,nothing in any walk of life is so good that it deserves to be out ahead or above of everything else.

Eh? Why ever not?

[Coughlan]

Eh? Why ever not

Because there are always people who can tell you why something is shit, and their reasons are just as good as someone telling you why something is the best ever.

Coldplay are the biggest band on the planet at the moment, but thereare people who don't like them and have perfectly good reasons why.

Some people thought derek and clive was ground breaking and genius, others thought it was purile and digusting. They're both right.

[Munday's Chylde]

Oh dear.

[wherearethespoons]

Strike is one of the few that I do like, along with Mr Jolly, the two Bad News's, Dirty Movie, and Didn't You Kill My Brother. I'm struggling to think of any others I've liked so far.

They are my favourites of the lot. Along with the two 'Four Men...' episodes on disc eight.

As for overrated - Little Britain and Bo Selecta! Both about as funny as a kick between the legs.

[slim]

Oh dear.

I've not heard of that. Was it on in the 70's? It sounds like one of those cosy sitcoms.

[skinbeard]

Seinfeld is just a show I can't get into, having watched countless episodes. I suppose it originally threw me off due to it being so different from other American sitcoms, but even now I'd prefer Frasier or Becker over Seinfeld.

Bill Hicks is another one who I don't really laugh at. He's good but never makes me laugh uncontrollably. Plus all that goatboy shit is just self-indulgent.