Comedy shows to watch with pre-teens

[madhair60]

Family Guy's first two or three seasons are basically the funniest thing imaginable when you're a kid

[Tony Yeboah]

Not Going Out. Lots of silly jokes, fairly clean and all on the iplayer.

[Poobum]

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix, fun, upbeat, and extremely underrated.

[grainger]

Would love to know what a kid that age would make of The Good Place.

Need to be careful there. A friend of ours watched it with her son, but then regretted it when they got to the bit with that character in the middle place (the non bad, non good place), who's always masturbating. I can't remember how explicit the dialogue is now, but you might want to check the content first before watching with a kid. It's a shame, as otherwise I know our kid would enjoy the show for all the philosophy stuff.

[Virgo76]

Yep. Never did me any harm! (Except for Late-Onset Cleese Disappointment.) I'd also recommend The Day Today, Look Around You, Red Dwarf and classic Simpsons. If they're of a darker bent, the League of Gents.

The League? For pre-teens?
Not definitely disagreeing. Just wondering as seems a bit strong.

[neveragain]

Actually, maybe a bit strong. My views on this may be a bit mixed up as I was allowed to watch loads of stuff I shouldn't have been (for example, the film Man Bites Dog at the age of ten.) Funnily enough I was better then with especially dark or violent scenes than I am now.

[Sonny_Jim]

My pre-teen loved the US Office.  It felt like school and he loved seeing all the memes.  HARDCORE PARKOUR!

Red Dwarf is a must imo.  New series due soon innit?

[Shaky]

The first few series of Arrested Development before it went shit should do the trick.

Not having a go but I can't see any pre-teen having a bar of AD. Most adults don't get their heads around it until several episodes in.

[Mobius]

Nighty Night

[neveragain]

Not having a go but I can't see any pre-teen having a bar of AD. Most adults don't get their heads around it until several episodes in.

I don't know, it's very fast paced, lots of colourful characters. Pre-teens might get something from it.

[Catalogue of ills]

A lot of Boosh is good for that age. Tundra, Bollo and Jungle spring to mind. Maybe not Hitcher or Crack Fox.

[dead-ced-dead]

Derry Girls' biggest fans seems to be teenagers, so perhaps that would work for you.

[bobloblaw]

since lockdown (when they were 9 and 12) my kids have both loved:

UK:
Ghosts
Friday Night Dinner
Taskmaster
Would I Lie to You

US:
Modern Family
Brooklyn 99
Friends (them, not me)
Malcolm in the Middle
Young Sheldon
Simpsons

the eldest has also enjoyed:
The Office US
The Good Place
Community
Schitt's Creek
It's Always Sunny
early Family Guy

He also watched of his own volition:
How I Met Your Mother (not a fan)
Parks & Rec (got a bit bored but wants to try again having loved other Michael Schur shows)

[SweetPomPom]

Gravity Falls.

Had never heard of it til a year ago but is on Disney+ and has an insane gag rate. Even the 4 minute Gravity Shorts have more gags than the average 30 min sitcom.

[greencalx]

Magic. Thanks for all the suggestions. Given the speed we work through stuff, this will probably keep us going until retirement (his, not mine).

[Wayman C. McCreery]

Not having a go but I can't see any pre-teen having a bar of AD. Most adults don't get their heads around it until several episodes in.

It's so packed with gags that even if only a quarter of them land with the kids then it's still a great return. And it's a cliche, but it's a show that works on so many levels.

[Pink Gregory]

Gravity Falls.

Had never heard of it til a year ago but is on Disney+ and has an insane gag rate. Even the 4 minute Gravity Shorts have more gags than the average 30 min sitcom.

Gravity Falls is extremely good and special.  Should have it in your life either way.

[Mister Six]

...Grave is one of the shows we've been working through in the post-bedtime slot. I had wondered if we might have put this in the family-viewing slot, but thought it might be a bit too complex for that age group.

I was left distraught after that episode with the blind bloke that ends

Spoiler alert

with him being beaten to death in his house by burglars because he spent the money that should have gone to fixing his front door on presents for his grandkids, who never actually write to, or think about, him.

[close]

So maybe not? Or maybe your kids are made of sterner stuff.

Red Dwarf, which was mentioned upthread, was a good shout. I loved that as a youngster.

If you don't mind approaching it from the other side, there are a bunch of kids shows that are as funny/clever as good adult ones: Gumball, Apple & Onion, Adventure Time and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Mrs Six and I watched and loved all four, and we don't even have children. Dunno, if your nippers would rather watch ostensibly more "grown up" stuff with you though.

[thenoise]

I was pretty traumatised by all the animal deaths in One Foot when I watched it as a child. Couldn't even enjoy the classic dog phone gag as I was convinced the poor pup would meet a sorry end by the end of the episode (don't worry, he doesn't).

[MojoJojo]

If you don't mind approaching it from the other side, there are a bunch of kids shows that are as funny/clever as good adult ones: Gumball, Apple & Onion, Adventure Time and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Mrs Six and I watched and loved all four, and we don't even have children. Dunno, if your nippers would rather watch ostensibly more "grown up" stuff with you though.

Steven Universe should be on that list too.

[Mister Six]

Steven Universe should be on that list too.

Haven't watched that. Is it properly funny?

Also, I heard it was cancelled and unsatisfactorily wrapped up in a TV movie or something?

[Das Reboot]

Spaced
Parks & Recreation
Travel Man
The Boosh (maybe)

Some classics that I really got into around that age:
Red Dwarf, obvs
Porridge
Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?
The Good Life
M*A*S*H
Frasier (currently available on All4, just noticed Cheers is also)
Whose Line Is It Anyway?

[Pink Gregory]

Haven't watched that. Is it properly funny?

Also, I heard it was cancelled and unsatisfactorily wrapped up in a TV movie or something?

Is is, but it's a bit closer to later Adventure Time where it's not as gratuitously silly.

If you watch it, look out for any episode based around a character called Onion.  Love that little guy.

[MojoJojo]

Haven't watched that. Is it properly funny?

Also, I heard it was cancelled and unsatisfactorily wrapped up in a TV movie or something?

I'd say it's as funny as Adventure Time.

The main series ended with a 44 minute long special. Then there was an epilogue series set some years later, Steven Universe Future, and a musical film, which is set after the series but is sort of tangental to it. So not cancelled.

[Catalogue of ills]

The downside to Red Dwarf, especially the first two series, is the dodgy attitudes to sex. One gag revolves around Rimmer getting to shag Magruder when she's unconscious. Haha rape. And another about someone putting mirrors on their shoes to upskirt women.

[Emma Raducanu]

I've watched Worzel Gummidge with mine and we both find it really funny. It's also beautiful and heart warming and available on bbci

[Mister Six]

Is is, but it's a bit closer to later Adventure Time where it's not as gratuitously silly.

It's the irreverence I like. I always got the impression that Stephen Universe was a bit too sincere and faintly self-righteous, but that's probably me judging it on all the shit blog posts and thinkpieces I was subjected to during its run.

[Pink Gregory]

It's the irreverence I like. I always got the impression that Stephen Universe was a bit too sincere and faintly self-righteous, but that's probably me judging it on all the shit blog posts and thinkpieces I was subjected to during its run.

It is sincere, but it's generally light-hearted along with it.  It doesn't forget to be funny but some of the character moments are a bit more low key than Adventure Time. 

Garnet (the big one with the afro voiced by Estelle) has some great moments.

[Mister Six]

Hm, maybe, but we've still got 10 more seasons of King of the Hill to get through.

Hey, there's an idea for OP - King of the Hill! Plus classic Simpsons (S3-7 or 3-9 at a push), of course.

[Sonny_Jim]

A good episode of Who's Line is great, but we found it got very repetitive after a couple of episodes.  Very similar sentiment with KITH, although we kept that fresh by playing 'Spot the punchline'.

Also regarding the Red Dwarf sex stuff, in pretty much any older comedy you'll find stuff that wouldn't be acceptable.  Obviously I don't go out of my way to expose them to it (I'm not going to put on 'Curry & Chips), but when it pops up it gives us a chance to talk about how things have changed.

We're watching King of the Hill at the moment and just realised that my lads mate looks almost identical to Bobby.