A Brief History of the Sitcom

format and style seem familiar...watch zero punctuation much?

4/17/2009 7:23:16 PM

lovesponge

I suppose it's a fair trade. We get some random woman from an internet humour site, you get Pam Anderson, and the average IQ of the whole country goes up a few dozen points.

This video was funny though.

10/6/2008 2:18:29 PM

Tunikidya

Yes, there are intelligent people in America, although I completely understand why it would be difficult to tell, seeing as how said intelligent Americans pretty much try to shield their faces from the shame and are therefore grossly overlooked. It's a crying shame. I do plan to defect to Canada at some point for that very reason.

10/3/2008 7:42:27 AM

gallowsbait

Sigma: We ARE ashamed, retard. Been on the internet lately? Randomly insulting an entire country out of sheer malice is uncool. Also, we don't really care much about British sitcoms because we (mostly) never have and never will see them.

6/29/2008 9:46:26 AM

Beezelboss

Sigma... not to dispute your rant about yanks, but judging from your example Canadians have no ears. The narrator of this video is Australian.

6/13/2008 7:43:03 PM

johnnye87

If I hear the word "innate" one more time I'll kill him

2/12/2008 8:55:14 AM

f**k that voiceover guy

You see confusedUKer, Americans think they are alone on this planet. Don't punish them for their lack of knowledge/geography. They ride on the world's short bus, if you know what i mean.Hey America! Canada here, our dollar is better than yours you stupid hicks. You should be ashamed of your president!

1/30/2008 5:03:57 AM

Sigma

So... there haven't been any sitcoms except for American ones?

1/22/2008 11:09:44 AM

confused UKer

Sweet!A few days ago, I found many interesting things on pubspa by chance. I also got to know many frinds with sense of humor and enjoyed videos, music. All are free. Maybe you try it.

12/21/2007 12:27:59 AM

Andyli1004

SWEET!!

12/19/2007 12:35:42 PM

CHRISTALMIGHTY

someone please mention that british video game faggot again. please.

12/13/2007 7:26:26 AM

Honest Abe

Yatzee does this over at The Escapist Magazine; if you want to be funnier, you need more VISUAL humor. The visuals pretty-much match what you're saying (except Amos and Urkel, which was admittedly clever).

12/11/2007 1:04:37 PM

AJGold

Let me know when you organize the "Cut Off Dane Cook's c**k With a Dull Frisbee Fun Activity Day and BBQ." I'll be there.

12/10/2007 2:27:28 PM

wahsatchmo

I can see that, I guess. I feel the same way about Dane Cook; he has AMAZING delivery, but very tired subject matter(most of his first album is Louis C.K. verbatim). Plus he is the only person above Dave Chappelle on the list of people most responsible for s****y impersonations that thoughtless college kids try to imitate(Hey, that could be an article.) The Lil' Jon impressions Dave brought were bad, but if I hear the words "Chicken Sangwich" one more time I'm going to chop someone's c**k off with a dull frisbee.

12/10/2007 2:16:29 PM

Benny B

I appreciate your take, Benny. (Hey, a real conversation on the Internet!) Don't get me wrong, I like controversial subject matter. I like it better when a comedian can take a subject in which I would generally disagree with him/her and make me laugh about it specifically because of their take on it or presentation thereof. That to me is non-polarizing/making me forget my biases. It's not that they're avoiding controversial topics; it's that they are making me laugh whatever my personal bias may be. It's the difference between "George Bush is a big, dumb f**k" (Chevy Chase) and "...I was ambilavant." (George Bush on SNL, although the writers for that SNL season deserve credit for that line, not necessarily W.)

If I have to agree with a comedian's personal bias in order to find something funny, then I don't have as much respect for that comedian's ability to make me laugh.

We both have different takes on what we find funny, which is fine. I think we both would agree that going for the obvious joke or the banal observation is rarely funny. This is why I don't like Lewis Black much, and although David Cross occasionally hits one out the park, I find he runs with the "everybody knows that's stupid" theme on too many subjects. Lewis Black is more of a performance artist than a comedian, in my opinion.

12/10/2007 1:52:08 PM

wahsatchmo

I'm just saying I respect, and more often, find funnier the comedians who deliver their material regardless of the people who will be offended by it. Bill Hicks, David Cross, Lenny Bruce, George Carlin. These are people who unapologetically take on subjects of an inherently polarizing nature, and if you don't agree with them, then 'f**k off'. The funniest comedians ever rarely address the banal minutia of life, and instead opt for the cutting-edge subject matter(save for Mitch Hedberg, but he was a divine being of comedy, and not of this earth). Though some of their material is on subjects as tame as sitcoms, when they talk about those types of things, they do it in a new, hilarious manner. One of two things has to be new about your material, at least. If not the subject, then the way in which the subject is discussed, and vice-versa. And for the record; Lewis Black is the s**t.

12/10/2007 1:31:04 PM

Benny B

Benny -

I would call Carlin funny, because he makes me forget my own biases. Who doesn't know what Carlin's 7 dirty words you can't say on television are? I probably disagree with Jon Stewart on most subjects, but he plays more on the ridiculousness of politics and politicians, so I find him funny while forgetting my biases. So perhaps I should not have said "non-polarization" is the key to comedy, it is the ability to make me forget my biases. It's why Lewis Black isn't funny: socialism good, everything else bad. Shout at everybody until they either nod or leave. He reinforces biases for or against his opinions.

That's why I find Davis'/Binary's/Shamus' global warming article so damned funny. It's a hot political topic presented in such a ridiculous manner it can't help but make you laugh.

12/10/2007 1:09:49 PM

wahsatchmo

Shamus, I f*****g loved this video and will kill the s**t out of all the assholes who did not. Just say the word.

12/10/2007 12:28:42 AM

Deathwish Jones

I gotta say I like your written stuff much better. Accent and speed-of-delivery aside, the way in which we're presented with images very much resembles Croshaw's. Also you're doing something with your W's that makes you sound like the Bishop doing the marriage in The Princess Bride.

Also, tackling the subject of how sitcoms are bland and repetitive is about as fresh an idea as Michael Jackson pedophile jokes.


Also satchmo, if the mark of a true comedian is not polarizing people, what would you call George Carlin? He's pretty much a love-him-or-hate-him kind of comedian, particularly in his politics. Not daring to say something different or unpopular is what Shamus did, AND what the very sitcoms he pokes fun at did. Thats what makes 95% of both not funny.

12/9/2007 11:19:50 PM

Benny B

Left out M.A.S.H. and hospital humo(u)r.

12/9/2007 5:46:21 PM

George Myers