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

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I've changed my mind after seeing subsequent episodes, but People Just Do Nothing's first episode didn't make a good impression. It was less shit comedy, than not comedy, since I didn't actually see anything even attempting to be a joke in it.

[M-CORP]

Just seen this and 'Friends' springs to mind. Watched the first ep on Netflix last year out of curiosity, and ducked out in 2 mins. Can't remember exactly why, just the nature of comedy wasn't me. All 'Ohhh, you hair stinks!' type of jokes IIRC.

[canadagoose]

Mrs Brown's Boys again for me (but I'm kind of cheating because I think it was the second episode that I decided "it's crap" on)
Skins (although it wasn't helped by me being 18 when it came out and being jealous of the "cool kids". I just found it wanky)
How I Met Your Mother has just never appealed to me either. I kept trying to get into it but I just thought, this is dull, isn't it? I just couldn't engage with it at all, I didn't care about the characters and I didn't like the style.

I've changed my mind after seeing subsequent episodes, but People Just Do Nothing's first episode didn't make a good impression. It was less shit comedy, than not comedy, since I didn't actually see anything even attempting to be a joke in it.

You've got a point there - I wasn't impressed after the first episode but it does get funnier.

[H-O-W-L]

Derek. I was a Gervais fan (because of the XFM shows and podcasts) but then the pilot came on and I turned off halfway through and stopped paying attention to what he put out.

[SereneMackeral]

Lee Mack's "Not Going Out". Barely made it past the theme tune.

[QDRPHNC]

Taskmaster, tried it based on the thread here and didn't make it past the intros. I think it was a woman who was putting on a voice like she was thick but which obviously wasn't her real voice which turned me off.

[Twonty Gostelow]

Just seen this and 'Friends' springs to mind. Watched the first ep on Netflix last year out of curiosity, and ducked out in 2 mins. Can't remember exactly why, just the nature of comedy wasn't me. All 'Ohhh, you hair stinks!' type of jokes IIRC.

But three of the Friends are trichologists, two aromatherapists, and the other (Chandler) is a total zing merchant. I really think you should give it another go.

[Johnny Foreigner]

I gather one of them is even a waitress, who mysteriously manages to survive in a swish part of New York City.

[Dickie_Anders]

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It did nothing for me. Seems like a bunch of actor mates having a laugh, leading to the whole thing having this very self-indulgent and lazily written air to it

[jobotic]

Do things like Not Going Out or Mrs Browns Boys count? I mean you know they're going to be drivel before you see a minute of them.

[Harry Badger]

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.

Interesting, as most of those episodes were written by Bob Grant.

[madhair60]

The Good Place, when they said fork when they meant fuck and they kept doing it. OFF.

[Dickie_Anders]

Don't know if this counts but the first clip I ever saw of the American version of The Office was the bit where they're being taught how to do CRP with the dummy. Seems to be a pretty beloved bit among fans. Absolutely hated it. Decided to never watch it based on that clip.

Gareth cutting off the dummy's face and putting it on his own was enough, then Mindy starts dancing for no reason..... what a madcap cast of characters!

[dissolute ocelot]

Don't know if this counts but the first clip I ever saw of the American version of The Office was the bit where they're being taught how to do CRP with the dummy. Seems to be a pretty beloved bit among fans. Absolutely hated it. Decided to never watch it based on that clip.

Gareth cutting off the dummy's face and putting it on his own was enough, then Mindy starts dancing for no reason..... what a madcap cast of characters!

The American version of the Office belongs in a thread about shows with a terrible first series, not a terrible first episode.

As people have mentioned Lab Rats, I had a similar reaction to Hyperdrive, with "Kevin Eldon? Shure to be good... oh."

[Wayman C. McCreery]

I hated Man Down when I first saw it. I remember dismissing it as awful wacky shit.

I think I ended up giving it another go after Rik Mayall died and I saw some clips of him in it online. Now I reckon it's one of our best sitcoms of the last decade.

[HamishMacbeth]

I hated Man Down when I first saw it. I remember dismissing it as awful wacky shit.

I think I ended up giving it another go after Rik Mayall died and I saw some clips of him in it online. Now I reckon it's one of our best sitcoms of the last decade.

To be fair, I think a lot of the early episodes are properly not good. I don't think it really hits its stride until it starts to lean into the escalating catastrophe format. The very first episode definitely stacks up better when it becomes clearer that Dan's not just absurd and pathetic, but scathingly criticised and semi-autobiographical.

[SpiderChrist]

Extras - wasn't a fan of Gervais but was persuaded to give it a go by a mate. Still not a fan of Gervais. Never bothered with Derek or Life's Too Short.

Allo Allo - I get it now, but as a pretentious youth in thrall to the likes of Sayle and Mayall I absolutely hated it. Same with Hi-De-Hi!

Another vote each for Mrs Brown's Boys and The Big Bang Theory too.

[peanutbutter]

I remember watching a second episode of That 80s Show explicitly to verify it was as bad as I thought. Surprised it lasted its whole half season tbh.

[JesusAndYourBush]

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.

In South Park, Cartman once mentioned a female comedian who can't stop talking about her vagina, I can't remember her name but not too long after the South park episode (when I could still remember the name) I saw an episode of some comedy thing she was in.  Cartman's assessment was correct and I stopped watching after about 5 minutes.

[sutin]

I couldn't stand Nathan Barley when a bunch of mates stuck it on and i've never revisited it. I literally wanted to punch every character.

[up_the_hampipe]

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It did nothing for me. Seems like a bunch of actor mates having a laugh, leading to the whole thing having this very self-indulgent and lazily written air to it

[petril]

The American version of the Office belongs in a thread about shows with a terrible first series, not a terrible first episode.

As people have mentioned Lab Rats, I had a similar reaction to Hyperdrive, with "Kevin Eldon? Shure to be good... oh."

all I remember of Hyperdrive is Eldon's character's dreams just being a massive statue of him in a desolate landscape

[RHX]

Pretty Smart, on Netflix.

Actually, that made me go "what a load of shit" from the trailer, but the first episode confirmed it.

[derek stitt]

Found Gavin and Stacey terribly contrived when it first went out and still do. The Rob Brydon character and the Randy gran are the only characters with any depth to them.

[sutin]

Gavin & Stacey is indeed complete bullshit but i've only met one person under 50 who doesn't hate it.

[H-O-W-L]

Gavin and Stacey's first series worked alright as a slightly maudlin dramedy IMO but after that it needed to fuck off.

GAVLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

[Rich Uncle Skeleton]

Frankie Boyle's Tramadol Nights was abandoned at the first ad break and never returned to.

for a second I thought you meant channel 4 went "right, that's it!" and pulled the plug there and then

[Cloud]

A further vote for The Big Bang Theory.  People kept trying to convince me to watch it because they think I might identify with Leonard or something.  Not particularly and it's borderline insulting

Watched the first one where they're seemingly in a cringeflirt contest with some girl who moved in next door and I just found it painful

[Dayraven]

for a second I thought you meant channel 4 went "right, that's it!" and pulled the plug there and then

The show that really did happen to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia%27s_Naughtiest_Home_Videos

[keir]

It's not a comedy show as such, and I've never seen it, but I was put off The Graham Norton Show by the choice morsels the BBC selects for YouTube clips and the way they title them, it's all "John Actor talks about when his trousers fell down and people saw his bum", that's what they think will draw me in, I feel insulted.