Things You Assume Everyone Agrees On ( The Comedy Shows Version)

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

1. Mark McKinney is easily the least memorable of the " Kids In The Hall" Crew ( despite being the " I Crush Your Head" guy).

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

2. Our American friends are quite right to regard the British Comedy Show attitude of " We'll make 2 series of this popular comedy show, then that's yer lot" with nought but rightful ridicule ( memorably satirised on an episode of " Community").

[Rizla]

1. Mark McKinney is easily the least memorable of the " Kids In The Hall" Crew ( despite being the " I Crush Your Head" guy).

U wot mate, there's no unmemorable kid -anyway what about The Toronto Kid?!

Anyways, McKinney and Thompson are the Cleese/Chapman analogues, so obviously that makes him Cleese dunnit.

[zomgmouse]

2. Our American friends are quite right to regard the British Comedy Show attitude of " We'll make 2 series of this popular comedy show, then that's yer lot" with nought but rightful ridicule ( memorably satirised on an episode of " Community").

Nah I disagree. Distil the best from an idea and then move on to something new. Why drag it out to 120 ok episodes rather than make 12 brilliant ones.

[The Crumb]

Nah I disagree. Distil the best from an idea and then move on to something new. Why drag it out to 120 ok episodes rather than make 12 brilliant ones.

For me, a mix is good. amazing shows that have a short and sweet run have a place, as do decent-great comforting shows with loads of episodes to dip into.

[sutin]

The best Alan Partridge thing is the first series of I'm Alan Partridge in the travel tavern.

'Golden era' Simpsons is seasons 1 to 9.

[mr. logic]

The best Alan Partridge thing is the first series of I'm Alan Partridge in the travel tavern.

'Golden era' Simpsons is seasons 1 to 9.

No way on the first one.

[Small Man Big Horse]

1. Mark McKinney is easily the least memorable of the " Kids In The Hall" Crew ( despite being the " I Crush Your Head" guy).

I might have agreed with you once but after watching him in Superstore I'd say Kevin McDonald has taken that spot (even though  I really like McDonald a lot).

[Icehaven]

1. Mark McKinney is easily the least memorable of the " Kids In The Hall" Crew ( despite being the " I Crush Your Head" guy).

I'd disagree as he's the Kid I've most recently seen in something (Superstore). Bruce McCullough is the only one of them I've never seen in anything else.

[Brundle-Fly]

Christopher Ryan's performance in The Young Ones is unfairly maligned.

[Magnum Valentino]

That the Simpsons' eighth and ninth seasons are good is a received opinion. They have a number of very memorable episodes each but they are vastly outnumbered by the first swathes of really weak episodes.

What's the chances this thread DOESN'T turn into another "who's the worst member" thread? Slim innit.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Nah I disagree. Distil the best from an idea and then move on to something new. Why drag it out to 120 ok episodes rather than make 12 brilliant ones.

But why stop at 12 if you could make even more brilliant episodes? A show should run for as long as it remains good. Fawlty Towers ending after 12 episodes shouldn't be taken as some golden rule.

'Golden era' Simpsons is seasons 1 to 9.

That the Simpsons' eighth and ninth seasons are good is a received opinion. They have a number of very memorable episodes each but they are vastly outnumbered by the first swathes of really weak episodes.

3 to 8 for me. The first couple of seasons are pretty schmaltzy in places and lack the verve of the truly classic years. 8 certainly has a number of episodes that foreshadow the show's decline - on paper, You Only Move Twice has all the hallmarks of Zombie Simpsons - but it was still funny enough to get away with it.

[Barry Admin]

But why stop at 12 if you could make even more brilliant episodes? A show should run for as long as it remains good. Fawlty Towers ending after 12 episodes shouldn't be taken as some golden rule.

Strongly agree. Seinfeld was slow for the first few seasons, and wacky and different when Larry David left, but that doesn't mean that all 180 episodes aren't utterly vital.

[sutin]

You Only Move Twice has all the hallmarks of Zombie Simpsons - but it was still funny enough to get away with it.

That episode is absolutely rubbish. Not one funny line, stupid storyline and that Scorpio guy is a shit character. That and Principal & The Pauper are the two episodes that suggest to me that things weren't gonna be the same again soon.

[Utter Shit]

That episode is absolutely rubbish. Not one funny line, stupid storyline and that Scorpio guy is a shit character.

You're a madman, it's the best Simpsons episode!

[sutin]

You're a madman, it's the best Simpsons episode!

Hell no! It's perhaps the worst of the golden era, not a single laugh. And i've always considered it a bit non-canon because I didn't see it or know it existed until 2010. Maybe the BBC didn't show it because of it's a bit violent (or because it sucks)?

[Autopsy Turvey]

But why stop at 12 if you could make even more brilliant episodes? A show should run for as long as it remains good. Fawlty Towers ending after 12 episodes shouldn't be taken as some golden rule.

But it's quite rare for popular UK sitcoms to end after 12 eps (give or take). The Young Ones, IAP, Phoenix Nights and The Office is about the lot, and 3/4 of them post-2000. (There are many more sitcoms that stopped after 2 series of course, but these are the only ones that seemed to make a deliberate show of ending prematurely, although in each case it was probably more a question of the cast/writers being keen to get on and do other things rather than saying "Fawlty Towers stopped at 12, so must we, it's UK sitcom law").

[QDRPHNC]

But why stop at 12 if you could make even more brilliant episodes? A show should run for as long as it remains good. Fawlty Towers ending after 12 episodes shouldn't be taken as some golden rule.
3 to 8 for me. The first couple of seasons are pretty schmaltzy in places and lack the verve of the truly classic years. 8 certainly has a number of episodes that foreshadow the show's decline - on paper, You Only Move Twice has all the hallmarks of Zombie Simpsons - but it was still funny enough to get away with it.

2 to 5 for me.

[Ignatius_S]

But it's quite rare for popular UK sitcoms to end after 12 eps (give or take). The Young Ones, IAP, Phoenix Nights and The Office is about the lot, and 3/4 of them post-2000. (There are many more sitcoms that stopped after 2 series of course, but these are the only ones that seemed to make a deliberate show of ending prematurely, although in each case it was probably more a question of the cast/writers being keen to get on and do other things rather than saying "Fawlty Towers stopped at 12, so must we, it's UK sitcom law").

There's also A Bit of a Do - that might have been 13 or 14 episodes over two series though.

The number of episodes is a bit of a blind, particularly with the number of episodes per series/seasons vary. The Likely Lads had 30 episodes over three series, whilst Whatever Happened to... had 26 (not including the Christmas special) in two series. The latter is a good example to consider with these type of discussions as the first series had two main storylines (the return of Terry and Bob's wedding) really did benefit from having 13 episodes to fully explore those storylines - if it had tried to do all that in six episodes, I suspect it would but have worked quite so well. I feel parallels can be drawn with what the same writers did with Going Straight, the sequel to Porridge, which is a very solid series but they tried cramming in too much over six episodes. 

[Dusty Substance]

Any man who doesn't own a dog house is one them gays.

[madhair60]

2 to 5 for me.

Mm, I'm starting to lean in this direction too. Some great stuff in 6 and 7 but it's far more cynical and unlikeable, several actively bad episodes in 8

[bgmnts]

2. Our American friends are quite right to regard the British Comedy Show attitude of " We'll make 2 series of this popular comedy show, then that's yer lot" with nought but rightful ridicule ( memorably satirised on an episode of " Community").

Nah fuck that.

[beanheadmcginty]

Russ Abbot is the only comedian called Russell who is in any way funny.

[Video Game Fan 2000]

Rowlf is the best Muppet
The last few seasons of Louie were appalling outside of Pamela Adlon, like actually shit and bollocks, the praise for them was embarrassing even without benefit of hindsight
The Day Today is better than Brass Eye by quite a lot
24 is da highest numbah
Jones was almost as unfunny as Cheeseman
The cut off between good and bad Simpsons is - good season = the Lisa episodes shine, bad season = Lisa episodes unwatchable
Ronnie C's monologues were brilliant

[Kankurette]

Spinal Tap is funny.

[Shaky]

Palin was the most versatile, talented Python by a wide margin.
Jam is a poor facsimile of Blue Jam, and it's when the rot began to set in for ol' Chris.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

The Day Today is better than Brass Eye by quite a lot

Each to their own, but I doubt everyone would agree on that, especially the "quite a lot" part.

24 is da highest numbah

I bamlem Jack Buaer.

[Magnum Valentino]

I presumed that was the case as well. Day Today is miles better.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Hell no! It's perhaps the worst of the golden era, not a single laugh. And i've always considered it a bit non-canon because I didn't see it or know it existed until 2010.

While I think your opinion of that episode is wrong, verging on evil, I can empathise with the second sentence. There's are other factors involved, of course, but it's almost certainly not a coincidence that Season 8 is the last of the classic years for me and was also the last one that seemed to be on the BBC.

[bgmnts]

Palin was the most versatile, talented Python by a wide margin.
Jam is a poor facsimile of Blue Jam, and it's when the rot began to set in for ol' Chris.

Did he direct? Jones and Gilliam directed as well as acted. Palin was clearly the best actor of the lot though.

Jones was also a widely respected amateur historian of Chaucer.