What is the funniest TV show ever?

[Bruiser Chong 0]

The fact that you don't find Seinfeld funny but appreciate Friends doesn't surprise me at all. Friends has to be one of the most overrated "comedies" of the 90's with a "humor" that smacks you over the head anytime you are supposed to laugh. Those who usually don't like Seinfeld are the same types who want their "comedy" laid out in front of them in an obvious form. After all, you shouldn't have to *gasp* think at all when you watch a comedy.

[Guest Smues]

My top 5 in no peticular order

1. Mst3k

2. The critic

3. Beavis and Butthead

4. Duckman

5. South Park

 

Duckman gets no love. You thrust your pelvis HUH, You thrust your pelvis HUH, You thrust your pelvis HUH, You thrust your pelvis HUH, You thrust your pelvis HUH, You thrust your pelvis HUH, You thrust your pelvis HUH, You thrust your pelvis HUH, You thrust your pelvis HUH, You thrust your pelvis HUH, You thrust your pelvis HUH, You thrust your pelvis HUH,You thrust your pelvis HUH.

[Guest stardust]

The fact that you don't find Seinfeld funny but appreciate Friends doesn't surprise me at all. Friends has to be one of the most overrated "comedies" of the 90's with a "humor" that smacks you over the head anytime you are supposed to laugh. Those who usually don't like Seinfeld are the same types who want their "comedy" laid out in front of them in an obvious form. After all, you shouldn't have to *gasp* think at all when you watch a comedy.

And yet one of my all-time favorite shows is Sports Night, which is a comedy that doesn't hit you upside the head, but that which makes you think. Just because I don't find Seinfeld to be funny at all doesn't mean I'm a lame-brained idiot who can't understand more subversive forms of humor. And I don't exactly find myself laughing so hard I'm gasping for air when I watch Friends, I just appreciate the show more now that I'm older. I think I probably laugh more at a Buffy or Angel episode than I do an episode of Friends.

[Nighthawk 0]

Seinfeld got way too wacky towards the end, which is why I don't like it more than I do (which is still a lot). Newman hallucinating Kramer's head on a chicken is a good example. That's just bullshit. I think it started when Larry David left.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

And yet one of my all-time favorite shows is Sports Night, which is a comedy that doesn't hit you upside the head, but that which makes you think. Just because I don't find Seinfeld to be funny at all doesn't mean I'm a lame-brained idiot who can't understand more subversive forms of humor. And I don't exactly find myself laughing so hard I'm gasping for air when I watch Friends, I just appreciate the show more now that I'm older. I think I probably laugh more at a Buffy or Angel episode than I do an episode of Friends.

 

I'm not saying you're an idiot, but I don't understand how anyone could appreacite Friends. I've given it many chances (and believe me, with it being on 72 times a day, I've had enough chances) and just don't find it to be funny, at all. I think I've laughed a handful of times during the many, many episodes I've made myself watch.

 

And Seinfeld did get a little more out there the last couple of seasons, but I thought a lot of the episodes were great. Even though they no longer dealt with "nothing," there's still tons of classic material to be found in those episodes.

[JHawk 0]

Red Dwarf (at least the first five or six series). Excellent show with lots of quotable material. Series seven and eight hurt it (they got too far away from the show's original premise), but it's still funny shit.

[The Amazing Rando 0]

The Simpsons, Sports Night, Family Guy, MST3K (duh), SNL, and Married With Children for the following quote:

 

Fat Woman: How dare you say that to my face!

Al Bundy: Well I'd say it behind your back but my car only has half a tank of gas!

 

 

...and thus I laughed for a good ten minutes straight....

[Slayer 0]

"Whyyyy do they call it 'taking a shit'? I mean.. you're not actually going in there and taking the shit out of the toilet... whyyyy don't they call it 'leaving a shit'?"

 

Someone's been watching too much Beavis and Butthead.

 

The hell? That doesn't make sense... though I did enjoy B&B and should include it on this list, if only out of spite... it's too bad the DVDs can only show the cartoons and not them MSTing on music videos (since the rights would be too much)

 

As far as funniest show ever, it begins and ends with Seinfeld.  The Simpsons is probably my favorite show, but I think Seinfeld was almost always consistent with each show.  I can't think of a single episode that I'd say I hate.  Every episode had at least a few things that made it redeemable. 

 

A lot of people don't "get it."  I guess that's just because it doesn't fit their idea of a funny show, but then again, that's what make the show so great.  It thought outside the box and did everything it could to avoid being like the rest of the comedy shows out there.  It was about nothing, but in a way, it was about everything.  Situation comedies are fun to watch (certain ones, anyway), but rarely are they relatable.  We know that in the real world, a lesson can't be learned at the end of 22-minutes of laughs and wacky misadventures, and Seinfeld thrived on this.  Every week, no real lesson was learned, no moral had been taught, but that's life.  We have laughs over the minutia of our everyday lives and Seinfeld took that reality and made it into the greatest comedy of all-time.  Simple as that.

 

As for Seinfeld, to me it was trying just a bit too hard to say "Hey, we're not like those other sitcoms. We're out here, past the edge, look at us!"

 

If it's any solace though, I despise Friends, whereas I'm just apathetic about Seinfeld

[Guest El Satanico]

When a show uses the standard format, some people shit on it for being the same old thing.

 

When a show uses a new or a seldom used format, some people shit on it for "trying too hard to be edgy".

 

oi...:shakes head:

[Bruiser Chong 0]

AoO, I don't recall who said that line about "taking a dump," but I do remember seeing an episode of Beavis and Butthead, where during one of the music videos, Beavis said the exact same line you used. I believe he was quoting someone, but he said the same thing, nevertheless, hence my comment.

 

I don't think Seinfeld had a "look at me" attitude. The buzz that was generated after a couple of seasons by the masses did that for them quite nicely.

 

And there's nothing wrong with using the same old format, if there's something interesting to offer along with it. It's just that it's a rarity to find a show that uses the same format and isn't a cookie-cutter show with the same trite lines found elsewhere.

 

I think most people crap on shows that are different because a lot of them just don't know how to respond to it, and thus, they go resort to mudslinging, something that's comfortable to them.

[Guest Smark-Raving Mad]

1)Seinfeld

2)Simpsons

3)South Park

4)Whose Line

5)Jackass

 

I bought into the hype for Mr. Show and got the Seasons 1 and 2 DVD set. Boy was I disappointed. Just not my type of humor at all.

[Guest Mindless_Aggression]

MST3K is a close runner up but the Simpsons was just so SICKENINGLY perfect at one point, the Season 3 DVD is over 20 episodes of just plain ol funny shit.

[NoCalMike 0]

I really didn't like Seinfeld AT ALL. I didn't think it was a bad show, but I never understood the hype. And no it's not because I don't "get it" I happen to think Curb Your Enthusiasm is the best comedy on TV today and their format is even more obscure then Seinfeld.

[Hogan Made Wrestling 0]

My favorites were probably Spin City and Newsradio.

[treble 0]

I enjoy watching Friends. Not so much to buy the DVDs or enough that I'd put it anywhere near the top of my list of funniest shows, but there are aspects of it I enjoy (Joey's facial expressions, for the most part, along with him just being a dumbass in general). I can usually only watch them once or twice, though, so I only watch the re-runs if there's nothing else on. On the other hand, I can watch shows like the Simpsons and Seinfeld over and over and still find things to laugh at. So, the me at least, replaybility plays a major factor in how funny I find a show. Hell, I can watch Frasier all day long.

 

A show like Andy Richter Controls the Universe was hilarious during the relatively short amount of time it was on the air, but since it was cancelled, we'll never know if it could have kept it up (I think it could have, personally).

 

I probably laugh more during Conan than any other show overall, though.

[Vern Gagne 0]

I'll get flamed by alot of people. But, I for the most part can't stand Married with Childeren. Ed O'Neill is the only remotely funny person on the show, and the Al Bundy character gets old fast. It's just too much low brow humor, for my liking.

[Guest Megatron]

Simpsons

King of the Hill

Seinfeld

 

In that order

[Mystery Eskimo 0]

WWE Raw

[Slayer 0]

When a show uses the standard format, some people shit on it for being the same old thing.

 

When a show uses a new or a seldom used format, some people shit on it for "trying too hard to be edgy".

 

oi...:shakes head:

 

Life is full of such paradoxes, my friend.

 

I made the same point in the music folder along those lines.

 

AoO, I don't recall who said that line about "taking a dump," but I do remember seeing an episode of Beavis and Butthead, where during one of the music videos, Beavis said the exact same line you used.  I believe he was quoting someone, but he said the same thing, nevertheless, hence my comment.

 

Well, for one, I'm not AoO, even if we have the same musical taste

 

I honestly don't ever remember that... I've been using that line myself for a couple years whenever I want to mock Seinfeld's "Whyyyy..." style

 

I think most people crap on shows that are different because a lot of them just don't know how to respond to it, and thus, they go resort to mudslinging, something that's comfortable to them.

 

Mudslinging is fun. Here, have some... <sling>

 

I just want a show that's funny (if you'll go back and look at my original post, you'll see I like both fairly straightforward and "acquired taste" shows), and Seinfeld to me never fit the bill in spite of all the hype I remember... of course, it probably didn't help that back in high school, on Friday mornings, I'd have classmates pretty much recite the entire episode over and over again to the point of extreme annoyance (they did the same with Austin Powers 1 too, as I remember.... lord I hated those people)

[Bruiser Chong 0]

My bad, mang, your sig/avatar combos and style are similar, so that was a mental lapse on my part.

 

I'd say Seinfeld is an acquired taste, and some people either just don't get it, or can't get into it. I can understand not liking it, but the people who refuse to acknowledge anything on the show being funny bother me, because it's just a sign that they're not even giving it a chance to be funny.

 

And Seinfeld is so quotable, so I guess you can't really be surprised that so many people were reciting lines from the show. Hell, I still do it in some situations where they apply.

[welshjerichomark 0]

There's a British show called Dinnerladies which is really funny. my other favorites are Friends, The Simpsons and South park.

[DrainYou42 0]

Jeez, no one's mentioned Roseanne yet? Those first few seasons were GOLD.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Many of the shows listed are great and all, but where is the NewsRadio love?!?!

[Guest El Satanico]

Newsradio was mentioned.

 

I say bah to it...and I say bah to Sports Night, I didn't care for either.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

There was a line on Family Guy that summed up Sports Night pretty well... I just don't remember it. The gist was it's not a funny show.

[Nighthawk 0]

There was a line on Family Guy that summed up Sports Night pretty well... I just don't remember it. The gist was it's not a funny show.

"It's a comedy that's too good to be funny."

 

And Roseanne is probably the saddest case in the history of television. Sinking so so far after such a great start.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Yeah, the later seasons most likely overshadow anything positive about the series (Roseanne) and thus, few people remember that there was a time when it looked to be on the track to become one of the best sitcoms ever.

[Guest El Satanico]

Yeah that was Sports Night in a nut shell to me.

 

I watched and thought "Well it's a good show, but it just isn't that funny". I'm a fan of low and high brow comedy, but I just couldn't find the humor in it. Other than football I'm not much of a sports fan, so that probably affected it.

[Art Sandusky 0]

Seinfeld got way too wacky towards the end, which is why I don't like it more than I do (which is still a lot). Newman hallucinating Kramer's head on a chicken is a good example. That's just bullshit. I think it started when Larry David left.

Oh yeah, no doubt. You can just tell there's a change in the tone of the episodes after the seventh season. Much wackier and more implausible. While I can still watch the season 8 and 9 episodes and laugh my ass off ("The Maid" is actually one of my favorites of the entire series), seasons 4-7 were just so well-crafted in each episode (especially seasons 5-7) that I have a hard time picking a true favorite.

 

But yeah, Larry David leaving hurt a lot. If you watch the last two seasons and then the finale sequentially, you could have told he came back for the Finale without even seeing the credits.

[justsoyouknow 0]

But yeah, Larry David leaving hurt a lot. If you watch the last two seasons and then the finale sequentially, you could have told he came back for the Finale without even seeing the credits.

Ah, yes, the finale, widely considered the most disappointing Seinfeld episode ever. But I'll give you this: Seinfeld was genius when it was at its peak.