Poll: Who's better at comedy? Brits or Americans?

[PaganFury]

Canadians hands down. Most american comedians are actually canadian.

 

[TimeLord]

Britian have Michael McIntyre. America have Rich Hall.

I'd say it's a win for both sides.

 

[Last Hugh Alive]

America, only because it has produced some of my favourite stand-up comedians of all time. George Carlin, Louis CK, Mitch Hedberg, Eddie Murphy, etc.

Jimmy Carr and Ricky Gervais can only pull so much weight for the Brits.

 

[WickedSkin]

Brits, easily. For both quantity and quality.
But the Yanks have some good stuff to, like The Big Bang Theory. Very likeable.

 

[Mouse_Crouse]

While I do find Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean really funny, and did like the Black Adder series... overall I like American better. Just didn't find Monty Python funny, at all.

 

[AngryMongoose]

The Finns. The Finns are best at comedy. Followed by the Russians.

Anyway, I can't say I've enjoyed much of the American Standup that I've seen (Excepting the American-British standups. Rich Hall and Reginald D Hunter, for example. Rich Hall is brilliant), but then I've only seen the really really big American stand ups; I don't enjoy the really big British ones either (Michael Mcintyre? Russel Howard? Really?).

As for sitcoms, sketch shows as such, I have to go with British. I very rarely laugh even at American comedy I enjoy. Comparing News Wipe with The Daily Show for example is, for me, no contest.

 

[neoontime]

Well, I guess I'm just sore for saying American.

 

[WolfThomas]

Frasier, Friends, Cheers, The Big Band Theory, How I Met Your Mother, assorted progams stolen from the British.

Forgetting Arrested Developement and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. But yeah I'd agree on average British Comedy is better.

 

[Ultrajoe]

British comedy features people suffering for the stupid things they do.

American comedy consists of, and this is my opinion, morons subsisting on their idiocy.

I'll stay Imperial, personally.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

British comedy used to be the best no question. But i think its become more even these days. Though i still favor the brits.

 

[Gunner 51]

I'd say neither side has truly the best comedy as a one size fits all thing. I'd say Britain produces most of the humour that is compatible to me.

 

[thylasos]

There are cultural differences in the prevailing style of comedy in each country, each of which has its charm, if done well.

By and large, being British myself, I find British acts more amusing, due to their material being more attuned to my cultural context. That's not to say I don't enjoy US comics, but it's not with the same regularity.

 

[Timmons]

americans can do cartoon comedy (south park etc) but brits do way better stand up and sketch shows.
i don't really 'get' a lot of american comedy, it seems a bit petty, kind of.
and we brits have the inbetweeners

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

ehh idk, there are definite differences, especially depending on what kind of humor your looking for. i personally love both just as much as the other, but i have been exposed more to american i would say, so i guess i'll lean that way just a tad bit.

There are cultural differences in the prevailing style of comedy in each country, each of which has its charm, if done well.

By and large, being British myself, I find British acts more amusing, due to their material being more attuned to my cultural context. That's not to say I don't enjoy US comics, but it's not with the same regularity.

agree to this (just flipped since i'm american) i'm sure if we both watched the same comedian, we would both be laughing, but more than likely laughing at different things for different reasons. (this generally happens anyways no matter where your at, but probably more definitive from country to country)

 

[FamoFunk]

Love British and American comedy, alas, being a Brit I *get* British comedy more and can relate to it. So I'm gonna go with Brits.

[small]I did vote no sense of humor, though. [/small]

 

[MightyRabbit]

Americans make large amounts of broad comedy for very diverse audiences, so the humour is spread out over say, 24 episodes of a tv series and through the voices of dozens of different writers.

The Brits have one or two people concentrating all their efforts on much smaller scopes. Ergo they can make the few moments they do do both more differentiated through their comedy stylings and with the benefit of a lot more time to focus on the material.

It's like a quantity vs quality debate (but still totally subjective please don't flame me), and hand it to the Brits.

 

[darkmushroomm]

Brits have some great stand-up comedians, but I feel that their television comedies just don't measure up. 30 rock, parks and recreation and of course, Community are godsends. Can't forget about lowest-common-denominator humours like Entourage either, British Humor has what, the IT crowd and the inbetweeners? They approach greatness but just aren't consistent.

What about QI? That Mitchell and Web Look? Peep Show? Mock the Week? Have I got News for you? Nevermind the Buzzcocks? Do these not count?

 

[Samwise137]

My reasoning for selecting the Brits is this: I watch A TON of American comedies. This for the purpose that I WANT to laugh. British comedy delivers a significantly higher laugh per minute ratio than does American comedy. In the period of one twenty minute Britcom, I get let's say 12 good solid laughs. In a similar exposition of American comedy, I'm lucky to get one. Therefore I watch more of the American stuff to fulfill the same laughter quota. *hoping that makes sense*

 

[CardinalPiggles]

Frasier, Friends, Cheers, The Big Band Theory, How I Met Your Mother, assorted progams stolen from the British.

You forgot Scrubs. But yeah I totally agree, I prefer British comedy.