Parks & Rec; The Best American Comedy of the past 10 years? If not, what is?

ixoy · 28-09-2014 10:41pm

don ramo wrote: »

just like you know IASIP would walk this, and anyone whos watches it would know this,

But I do watch it and I wouldn't have thought it'd win... It's not "The Wire" of the comedy world either - you'd give that to a smarter comedy like "Arrested Development" or "Community". IASIP is funny but it's generally a crude sort of funny.

don ramo · 28-09-2014 10:56pm

ixoy wrote: »

But I do watch it and I wouldn't have thought it'd win... It's not "The Wire" of the comedy world either - you'd give that to a smarter comedy like "Arrested Development" or "Community". IASIP is funny but it's generally a crude sort of funny.

i dont think the wire is the best either, but you can always get a kind of vibe of certain shows when it comes to things like this, IASIP, community and arrested development each have a huge fan base here on boards, but IASIP just has that wider audience appeal going for it, community is probably the most watched, but IASIP is the most loved, thats the feeling i get with im reading about the shows on here anyway,

and i voted for entourage, so ive no loyalty one way or the other,

ixoy · 28-09-2014 11:01pm

don ramo wrote: »

IASIP just has that wider audience appeal going for it, community is probably the most watched, but IASIP is the most loved,

I wonder if this is particular to the likes of Boards. I'd be surprised if we asked the general public at large if many of them had even heard of IASIP. Many probably don't know it exists, never mind vote for it (and same for 'Arrested Development' and 'Community', the latter of which doesn't even air here).
Left to the general public, I imagine 'The Big Bang Theory' would win just because it's the most aired.

28-09-2014 11:06pm

Surprised to see Modern Family included in the poll, the first series or two was good but the show quickly became another generic and dull sitcom where the writers replaced character development with cliches.

_Whimsical_ · 28-09-2014 11:10pm

SimonTemplar wrote: »

From that list, I have seen:
- The US Office (up until Carrel's departure anyway)
- Veep
- Two And A Half Men (a few episodes)
- 30 Rock
- The Big Bang Theory (about 10-15 episodes)

The Office and 30 Rock are pretty great but Veep is in a class of its own. A wonderful ensemble cast headlined by a career best performance by Julia Louis-Dreyfus with consistently hilarious scripts.

I SHOULD like The Big Bang Theory because I loved Friends and Frasier and it seems to be pitched as a mashup of the two. Sheldon could actually have been a decent character (a Niles Crane for the current generation) but he is a one dimensional character and the jokes based around his intelligence and/or social ineptitude get old very quick. Niles was much more interesting (and endearing). It tries so hard to be funny, witty and intelligent but ends up failing on all counts. It tries to market itself as a "sitcom about nerds" but it is actually very generic with a few random references to Star Trek and physics thrown in. I'm surprised it is so popular.

If you really want a funny and witty sitcom whose characters could be members of Mensa, see Frasier.

That's a brilliant idea! You've made me really want to see that Sheldon character fine tuned as a Niles type and planted in a brand new comedy now.:)

It's a shame really when there are so many interesting premises for comedies that the same old "a group of twenty somethings fall in and out of love blah blah blah" is rehashed over and over. I think Fraiser was brilliant too, it was intelligent without being exclusionary,an example of how genuinely smart and witty writing can transcend demographics of age and class and have really broad appeal. More than 10 years later it's aged very well and is as funny as ever too.

J. Marston · 28-09-2014 11:26pm

IASIP can be very clever. "The Gang Tries Desperately to Win an Award" was a great episode where they mixed their crudeness with blatantly taking the piss out of themselves, award shows and other sitcoms.

don ramo · 28-09-2014 11:36pm

ixoy wrote: »

I wonder if this is particular to the likes of Boards. I'd be surprised if we asked the general public at large if many of them had even heard of IASIP. Many probably don't know it exists, never mind vote for it (and same for 'Arrested Development' and 'Community', the latter of which doesn't even air here).
Left to the general public, I imagine 'The Big Bang Theory' would win just because it's the most aired.

and even if they did hear of them, would they even watch it, this place is a disaster, the amount of tv i now watch cause of this place is insane, i hear of people complaining that they dont have time to watch the sopranos boxset, when im off try to keep track of and watch 40+ series a year, i blame this place for taking away part of my life, but also thank it for some of the great tv shows i found cause of this place

:D:D:D:P

and yeah id say if you walked up to people on the street, big bang would win, and it is a good funny show, i watch it myself, but its far from one of the best shows available,

28-09-2014 11:40pm

Looking through the poll and is go do far as to say that animated series such as The Regular Show, SpongeBob Square Pants, Chowder and a dozen others are vastly superior to most. The Regular Show in particular is comedy genius and features some of the most inventive humour you're likely to find.

FunLover18 · 29-09-2014 1:06am

ixoy wrote: »

I wonder if this is particular to the likes of Boards. I'd be surprised if we asked the general public at large if many of them had even heard of IASIP. Many probably don't know it exists, never mind vote for it (and same for 'Arrested Development' and 'Community', the latter of which doesn't even air here).
Left to the general public, I imagine 'The Big Bang Theory' would win just because it's the most aired.

It airs on Sony TV but you need sky and it's way down the list of channels. TV3 had the first season which is where I discovered, then dropped it.

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

That's a brilliant idea! You've made me really want to see that Sheldon character fine tuned as a Niles type and planted in a brand new comedy now.:)

It's a shame really when there are so many interesting premises for comedies that the same old "a group of twenty somethings fall in and out of love blah blah blah" is rehashed over and over. I think Fraiser was brilliant too, it was intelligent without being exclusionary,an example of how genuinely smart and witty writing can transcend demographics of age and class and have really broad appeal. More than 10 years later it's aged very well and is as funny as ever too.

I love Frasier, I can't say that enough. But am I the only one who thinks Cheers was a much better show that didn't revolve around a bunch of twenty somethings falling in and out of love and in my opinion does a better job at transcending age and class.

Mr.Prodston · 02-10-2014 1:38am

I've been rewatching It's Always Sunny and it cracks me up. Just watched "The Gang tries desperately to win an award" and it's brilliant. The scene in Sudz bar is one of the greatest ever in my eyes it's just so perfect.

It probably only reinforces the divide but it's spot on. I'd suggest that everyone should watch it (season 9, ep 3)

IvaBigWun · 02-10-2014 6:41pm

don ramo wrote: »

this is like any of the greatest series ever thread, 2-3 battle it out, but in the end the wire always wins, just like you know IASIP would walk this, and anyone whos watches it would know this,

I thought initially that Arrested Development would have absolutely walked this.

IvaBigWun · 28-01-2015 12:13am

Well It's Always Sunny and Parks & Rec are both back recently on our TV screens and for me they are both neck and neck so far in terms of laughs.

Charlie been so

drunk he needed subtitles

in the first episode of Sunny and the bottle episode between Ron and Leslie, particularly when Leslie sang her version of

"We Didnt Start The Fire"

brought proper laugh out loud moments that no other show bar Community can do to me.

Looking forward to the conclusion of Parks & Rec this year. Still, for me, the best American Comedy show of the last ten years.

Anachrony · 28-01-2015 2:55am

1) Arrested Development
2) It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
3) Nathan For You
4) Community
5) Venture Bros.
6) Parks & Recreation
7) Rick and Morty
8) Archer
9) Eastbound & Down
10) South Park
11) Silicon Valley
12) Curb Your Enthusiasm

IvaBigWun wrote: »

Charlie been so
drunk he needed subtitles
in the first episode of Sunny and the bottle episode between Ron and Leslie, particularly when Leslie sang her version of
"We Didnt Start The Fire"
brought proper laugh out loud moments that no other show bar Community can do to me.

In terms of literally laughing out loud, no other show hits me as hard as Nathan For You. But it's so intensely uncomfortable at times that it can be hard to watch a whole episode in one sitting. Some shows are more often just clever and you appreciate and enjoy them without actually laughing much, and that's fine too.

IvaBigWun · 28-01-2015 10:09pm

Anachrony wrote: »

3) Nathan For You

Heard very good things about this, must give it a go. Doesnt seem to have ever made much of an impact in Ireland though.

Dutchess · 28-01-2015 11:33pm

Liam O wrote: »

There's 2 types of people in this thread. People who've voted for Always Sunny and people who haven't seen Always Sunny

Always Sunny makes me cringe.

I voted for the US Office. Jim and Pam's love, especially before they get together, was brilliant acting.

Anachrony · 29-01-2015 2:27am

IvaBigWun wrote: »

Heard very good things about this, must give it a go. Doesnt seem to have ever made much of an impact in Ireland though.

It's barely made an impact in the US either. It's a niche show that some people adore and most don't get or haven't heard of. Which in this case isn't entirely a bad thing.

The premise relies on him interacting with unsuspecting small business owners and customers, so you'd think it would fall apart now that they're on Season 3 with too many people recognizing him and his show. Kind of like "Da Ali G Show" after the character became too famous. But it's such an obscure program that he is rarely recognized and it still works.

IvaBigWun · 26-02-2015 11:16pm

A recent revisiting of Sunny made me think Id backed the wrong horse for this poll, the rewatchability of Sunny is fantastic. That is untill I watched last ever Parks last night

It is a very close run thing between them though. Two shows that have stood head and shoulders above all other sitcoms of the last decade.

K4t · 27-02-2015 4:33am

Curb. It's the only comedy that could mount a legitimate challenge for best tv show of the last 10 years imo alongside the Wire, Sopranos et al.

MakeEmLaugh · 02-05-2015 11:02pm

I was told that 'Parks and Recreation' didn't hit its stride until the second season, so I began watching it then.

I've watched four episodes

Pawnee Zoo (the one where Amy Poehler accidentally marries to male penguins)
The Stakeout (the one where she and Aziz Ansari wait in a van to see who's growing marijuana in a pit, while Nick Offerman, in a subplot, has a hernia)
Beauty Pageant (the one where she and Ansari judge a beauty pageant, in which Aubrey Plaza takes part)
Kaboom (in which Poehler tries to fill up the aforementioned pit, without getting clearance.

While I don't think this is a bad show, per se, it doesn't make me laugh very much.

I've been told now that it actually doesn't hit its stride until the third season.

Can anyone corroborate this?

phasers · 03-05-2015 9:17am

I dunno, I liked it pretty much from the word go. What do you think of the characters? All of the laughs really stem from having loving the characters

pickarooney · 03-05-2015 11:47am

I don't think a show will ever become funny if you're sitting there waiting for that magic moment when it starts to make you laugh.

Diabhal Beag · 03-05-2015 10:58pm

I think you should watch it and draw your own conclusion. For nearly everybody it seems to really turn the corner from the start of season two.

MakeEmLaugh · 04-05-2015 2:38am

phasers wrote: »

I dunno, I liked it pretty much from the word go. What do you think of the characters? All of the laughs really stem from having loving the characters

I think the characters are fine, but nothing special. I think all to often I can see the jokes coming a mile off. There are no surprises. And comedy needs surprise to work.

Take the Beauty Pageant episode. Leslie wants one of the more cerebral contestants to win, but Tom steamrollers her into choosing "the hot one", Trish, ostensibly the prettiest of the contestants.

Then, towards the end of the episode, Leslie is giving a speech in which she says

"Trish, I may not have voted for you, but now is a time for us to come together. I hope you honor this crown with dignity and a devotion to..."

which is suddenly cut off by a whip pan (one of most irritating tropes of comedy mockumentaries like Parks and Recreation, Modern Family and The Office: An American Workplace) to Trish and two other contestants downing shots.

That, to me, is no more sophisticated than the humour you'd find on an above average television advert. It's just weak, obvious comedy.

To return to the characters, they feel as though they've been written for the 'meme' age, where quotes can be taken and pasted onto images, and then shared on social media.

Look at Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman's character). At one point in another of the episodes I watched he is asked if he's ready to be helped out of the office after suffering a hernia. His response is "I was born ready. I'm Ron f-cking Swanson".

I've seen that quote on several different memes, shared on social media. I don't think it's an especially funny line. It's up there with the "I'm kind of big deal" or "I want to be on you" from Anchorman (another comedy cultural touchstone I find massively overpraised). It's made so that people will go out and quote it. There is no wit to it.

LizT · 04-05-2015 5:52pm

I find a lot of the humour is very sophisticated and there is great wit to it. But if you don't warm to the characters, you probably won't enjoy it.

I didn't warm to Chris or April til I rewatched all the seasons though. It is one of those shows that rewards you for sticking with it.

perfectisthe · 04-05-2015 6:04pm

It's got to be 30 Rock for me.

I think Parks and Rec is just ok. It's Always Sunny is great, but no other show makes me laugh out loud like 30 Rock. I re-watched it from start to finish recently and it was probably funnier the second time around.

Honourable mention must go to Community. The run that show had from around the mid point of season 2 through to the end of season 3 is one of the best and most consistent any show has ever had.

EDIT: Arrested Development was also amazing for the first two seasons.

FunLover18 · 04-05-2015 8:31pm

I started watching Parks & Rec recently; I don't find it hilarious but I do love the characters. I think Chris Pratt however is brilliant in it. This is one of my favourite moments from the series

Liam O · 04-05-2015 8:38pm

I have watched Parks and Rec recently and I think if this thread was based around my favourite character in a sitcom Andy might take it over Dennis, Charlie and Mac from Always Sunny and GOB in AD. Now Dennis and Andy couldn't be more different so I'd probably have them as my joint favourite characters.

Re-reading this thread and I actually found the Office got better after Carrell left, I was never a big fan of him and I think it allowed others to step up. He was never a patch on Gervais as the boss for me which I know shouldn't have an effect on me and you could say the same about Jim and Tim too tbh, all my favourite US office characters are the one that have no counterparts really in the UK one. Dwight and Gareth are so different that I can enjoy them both for instance and all the other side characters have their own funny quirks but all I could think with Krasinski and Carrell was that they were a worse rip off of Freeman and Gervais.

Liam O · 04-05-2015 8:43pm

FunLover18 wrote: »

I started watching Parks & Rec recently; I don't find it hilarious but I do love the characters. I think Chris Pratt however is brilliant in it. This is one of my favourite moments from the series

Literally(:p) spent about an hour just watching Chris Pratt videos on Youtube yesterday. Chris is also a great character, his personality is just hilarious.

The first joke in this blooper video gets me everytime.

Paddy2012 · 04-05-2015 9:49pm

I've seen and liked the first 3 seasons of its always sunny, enjoyed Entourage too and still need to see The Office and Parks and Rec but I've voted for Community. While maybe not as consistently funny as some of the others, the show always produce a genius episode every now and then that puts its above the rest for me.

rob316 · 17-08-2015 11:17am

I watch the first season of Parks and Rec and it was dreadful stuff altogether. I have however taken it back up again and I'm nearly through season 3 and its hilarious. If it continues like this it will pass out arrested development for me which I didn't think was possible.

maximoose · 17-08-2015 11:21am

I have huge affection for the Office, but there's no denying the quality went to crap after Michael Scott left. Have been rewatching on Netflix lately and while it's better than I remembered when it first aired, it's dreadful compared to the early seasons.

For me it has to be IASIP. Has been so consistent all the way through 10 seasons, this season might even have been one of the best.

Parks & Rec; The Best American Comedy of the past 10 years? If not, what is?

Comments