What comedy shows made you think " What a load of shit" from the first episode?

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Mrs Brown's Boys, orbviously.

I also thought Stath Lets Flats initially, but that was from the first episode of the second series.Then I changed me mind, 'cos the next episode was quite funny.

Thought Who Dares Wins was smug, try hard stuff from the pilot show on Channel 4 in 1983, subsequent serieses did nothing to change my mind about that opining of mine.

Similarly,  the first episode of Mullville and McGrath's Chelmsford 123 was woefully unfunny from the first episode, kept up that standard throughout the occasional episodes I might find meself watching cos my flatmate was watching it, or worrever.

Hale & Pace's The Management, just watched the first episode to see if it was as shit as I expected, was not disappointed.

Similar deal with Carla Lane's Luv, just watched the first episode due to a liking of Michael Angelis, couldnae bring meself to watch any further episodes.

[timebug]

Carla Lane's dreadful 'Bread' which I hated from the opening of episode 1 (which was the only one I ever saw!)
'On the Buses' obviously.I was a yoof at the time, and it just creeped me out; two slimy middle aged blokes lusting after any young woman who appeared in it and leering and almost slobbering at them!
'Friends' which everyone told me was superb. Gave up on episode one after a few minutes and never tried again!
'Mrs Browns Boys for obvious reasons, because its just shite.
Must give 'Stath Lets Flats' another go, because I hated the episode I did watch, but maybe its a 'grower'?
Curiously, I wasn't grabbed by the first episode of 'League of Gentlemen' but stuck with it and am glad I did.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

On The Buses is a good shout. Reg Varney in his 50s living with his mum. Every single character a grotesque, no likeable characters at all. A very grim show, how did it ever get beyond one series? Was it two or three spin- off films it yielded?

[ajsmith2]

On The Buses is a good shout. Reg Varney in his 50s living with his mum. Every single character a grotesque, no likeable characters at all. A very grim show, how did it ever get beyond one series? Was it two or three spin- off films it yielded?

3: On The..., (1971) Mutiny On The... (1972) and Holiday On The..... (1973)

It was hugely popular in its day and even now has a Dr Who (well before the revival anyway) level fanbase that holds conventions where surviving cast members (Anna Karen and dolly bird clippies who were in one episode these days as everyone else is deceased) are corralled into doing meet and greets.

Have to admit I have a grim fascination with it and often put episodes on in the background while I'm working while acknowledging it is shit. The absolute dark misery of Olive and Arthur's marriage is particularly morbidly compelling.

[no_offenc]

The IT Crowd

[pigamus]

3: On The..., (1971) Mutiny On The... (1972) and Holiday On The..... (1973)

It was hugely popular in its day and even now has a Dr Who (well before the revival anyway) level fanbase that holds conventions where surviving cast members (Anna Karen and dolly bird clippies who were in one episode these days as everyone else is deceased) are corralled into doing meet and greets.

Have to admit I have a grim fascination with it and often put episodes on in the background while I'm working while acknowledging it is shit. The absolute dark misery of Olive and Arthur's marriage is particularly morbidly compelling.

To me, growing up in the eighties, it always meant the films. I've never even seen the TV series. I don't think I could stomach it - at least the films have a sort of grotty gloss to them.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Always thought it appropriate that the Hammer Films studio produced the OTB films franchise.

Wonder if It's worth turning this thread into an " On The Buses"  ' un? One abiding memory I have of the films is a coach driver insisting on playing the first film I think it was on the big telly they used to have at the front of coaches in them days whilst meself and a bunch of other teachers were transporting a bunch of Johnny Foreigner children to Brighton or somewhere like that. The young lady teacher was not impressed by this choice of film in the slightest, especially when Bob Grant's character said to Reg Harvey's character in appreciation of a young female cripple. " You know what she is, Stan...she's crumpet!" I instinctively turned to face her to witness the most impressive bit of world- weary eye rolling I ever did saw, and couldnae help but burst out laughing. The young lady herself conceded a half smile at the sheer sexist gall of the dialogue.

ETA : was thinking of changing that unfortunately auto corrected word to "clippie", but just going to leave it as it is, as it amusingly  increases the obnoxiousness of Bob Grants comments. " Phwoar! Look at the wheels on That!"[nb]in reference to her wheelchair, you see.[/nb]

[kalowski]

I am a bit morbidly fascinated by Bob Grant's suicide.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

^ Yep, was thinking of mentioning that meself, too.

So, out- and-a out On The Buses thread it is, then?

[samadriel]

Red Dwarf.

[Pink Gregory]

Watched a bit of some Inbetweeners also-ran (well, Jay was in it) over a friend's shoulder called Off the Hook and even my impressionable 17 year old mind was all 'this is dogshit'. 

It was something about this guy, who I remember reminding me of James Corden, so already nil point, being on a dste with two girls and eating bad cheese (or using the word cheese a lot because lolrandom cheese) and getting Jay-from-the-Inbetweeners to read off a list of symptoms while really rather badly acting them out.

Did get a laugh out of me though -

Man 1 - "Is that the list?  Read it to me."
Jay - "..."
Man 1 - "Out loud!"

[Icehaven]

Some recent British sitcom about videogamers, can't even remember what it's called but there were two vagina jokes in the first 3 minutes so I didn't get to the 4th.

[Better Midlands]

Some recent British sitcom about videogamers, can't even remember what it's called but there were two vagina jokes in the first 3 minutes so I didn't get to the 4th.

Dead Pixels? I liked that, but I know what you mean.

[C_Larence]

Took me 10 episodes to get into Arrested Development. Not sure why I stuck with it that long when I wasn't particularly enjoying it, but glad I did because now it's one of my favourites. Going back and watching those first episodes again I have no idea what I was missing.

[Twonty Gostelow]

The young lady teacher was not impressed by this choice of film in the slightest, especially when Bob Grant's character said to Reg Harvey's character in appreciation of a young female cripple. " You know what she is, Stan...she's crumpet!" I instinctively turned to face her to witness the most impressive bit of world- weary eye rolling I ever did saw, and couldnae help but burst out laughing. The young lady herself conceded a half smile at the sheer sexist gall of the dialogue.

ETA : was thinking of changing that unfortunately auto corrected word to "clippie", but just going to leave it as it is, as it amusingly  increases the obnoxiousness of Bob Grants comments. " Phwoar! Look at the wheels on That!"[nb]in reference to her wheelchair, you see.[/nb]

... and then I got off On the Buses aaahhh

[pigamus]

I had no trouble believing they were lusting after a disabled girl, it was that sort of show

[studpuppet]

3: On The..., (1971)

Highest grossing British film in 1971, beating Diamonds Are Forever (which admittedly was only released in December).

[thenoise]

Little Britain. I only persevered for the whole of the episode because I loved Matt Lucas on Shooting Stars and I had a lot of fondness for Tom Baker from Doctor Who repeats on Gold.

Spent the whole half hour thinking "well this sketch is a load of shit, maybe the next one will be better". And with my finger over the remote control in case my parents walked in (couldn't take the shame of watching such shite).

Of course now S01 E01 is considered some kind of high point in the careers of Messrs Lucas and Walliams, so I'm glad I quit when I did.

[dissolute ocelot]

Friends, which has a pilot that neatly sets up the characters and situations but isn't funny at all (there's an absolutely terrible running gag about ice-cream).

[Gurke and Hare]

Green Wing. A crash zoom isn't an acceptable substitute for a joke.

[Egyptian Feast]

Frankie Boyle's Tramadol Nights was abandoned at the first ad break and never returned to. I made it through an entire episode of Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy, so that must've been slightly more bearable but not worth bothering with again.

Stretching the remit of the thread a tad, but I got five minutes into an early Ricky Gervais stand up special that had been highly recommended to me and switched it off, declaring he was the worst stand up comedian I'd ever seen. I can't remember which one it was, but he was pulling an awkward face next to someone in a wheelchair when I switched over. It was unbearable shite and supposedly one of his better ones.

[Johnny Foreigner]

The Big Bang Theory. I fail to see the appeal of this celebration of anti-intellectualism, filled with bizarre caricatures. Not a single moment that even elicited a smile.
Cardinal Burns did not manage to make me smile, either. Don't know why; it just seemed stupid to me.
I started on the first episode of Fresh Meat, but did not find it particularly amusing and gave up.

[Egyptian Feast]

Green Wing. A crash zoom isn't an acceptable substitute for a joke.

Lol, just started watching that recently and that's extremely accurate. My partner has fond memories of catching the odd episode while 'winding down' after work, but never managed to catch it consistently at the time (I was always in the pub, so only caught the big fuck-off billboards everywhere), so we will see the course. I'm finding it quite watchable as a wind-downer, but the episode lengths and time stretching filler put me off watching more than one at a time and I probably would've given up after one if it was entirely up to me (and I didn't secretly fancy one of the women in HR).

[checkoutgirl]

Two and a Half Men. Painful from the start. Most American sitcoms to be honest. They're nearly all shite.

[Dusty Substance]

Lab Rats was meant to have been a return of the old-fashioned multi-camera sitcom with a live audience but it was clear from the first episode (first minute, if I'm honest) that it was a dud which made The Brittas Empire feel like Curb Your Enthusiasm.

I stopped watching the first episode of Fleabag after the third time she broke the fourth wall, thinking "this just isn't for me" (although I'm prepared to be proved wrong on this one and will give it another try at some point).

[Magnum Valentino]

Does anyone remember Kookyville? An early failed attempt by Channel 4 to produce a semi-scripted reality-based comedy, sort of in the vein of Made in Chelsea or TOWIEssex, and followed a host of "characters" in a small town with wild personalities (ie "goth", "fat one") but no jokes, because jokes need written.

You can tell looking back now that what they were looking for was the energy that Gogglebox captures, that they knew existed, but they hadn't found the generator for it yet.

[QDRPHNC]

No one is going to believe me, but Father Ted. I came around on it a bit since then and it's made me laugh, but by and large it's classic status absolutely mystifies me.

[Johnny Foreigner]

Well, my girl-friend hates Father Ted and has only ever watched the first episode. She is unaware of all that Linehan pother that is going on, so that cannot be the reason. She loves The IT Crowd, on the other hand, and made me watch all of it; I found it most enjoyable as well. In return, I showed her Black Books, and that she did like a lot. She just cannot stand Father Ted for some reason.

[JamesTC]

A Prince Among Men. Lasted less than five minutes of that shite. Unbelievably, they made a second series.

[Ignatius_S]

...'On the Buses' obviously.I was a yoof at the time, and it just creeped me out; two slimy middle aged blokes lusting after any young woman who appeared in it and leering and almost slobbering at them!...

That's less of a mainstay of the show than what's generally believed - the union-bashing, for instance, it a much more ubiquitous theme throughout the show but rarely gets commented upon.

It's also worth remembering that in the final series, Jack is presented as a most unattractive character and in some ways the villain of the show.