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

[Techno Squidgy]

Not comparable. Seriously.

Father Ted and Spike Milligan were Irish NOT British and Black Books was half Irish

Irishman detected.

back on topic:
There are so many various branches and forms of comedy that it's not even worth comparing them. Some Yanks are better at certain styles of comedy than Brits, and Brits are better at other kinds. And then let's not forget the fact that humour and comedy are completely subjective experiences that everyone experiences in a way unique to them.

For the most part however, I have a preference for British comedy. Bill Hicks (an american) happens to be one of my favourite comedians though.

 

[Boba Frag]

Come on,

Red Dwarf, Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead, Mr Bean, Johnny English, 'Allo 'Allo, This Is Not The Nine O Clock News, That Was The Week That Was, QI, The Full Monty, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Dad's Army, Blackadder, Only Fools and Horses, the original Whose Line Is It Anyway, Porridge, Father Ted, The Vicar of Dibley, The Inbetweeners, Ali G, Black Books, Shameless, Mock the Week, never Mind the Buzzcocks, Outnumbered, Spike Milligan, Benny Hill, Spaced, The Office, Extras

or

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

Not saying that the American shows aren't funny, or that I don't enjoy them, but for sheer quantity of classic and modern comedy, the British have exclipsed the Yanks for years.

Father Ted and Spike Milligan were Irish NOT British and Black Books was half Irish

Good man yourself, was just about to point that out.

To be fair, not many people know that Spike Milligan had Irish roots or that Fr. Ted while being on Channel 4, was written and produced in Ireland, by Irish writers and cast.

 

[solad_nathair]

Brits. Ross Noble, Frankie Boyle, Steven Fry, Russel Howard, Dara Ó Briain etc.


while its true there is a lot of British comedy and comedians that just arent funny the same is true for American comedy. It all depends on what your after. Personally I love Ross Noble.

Dara O Briain is IRISH can you not tell by the name

 

[zelda2fanboy]

10 years of The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live, and The Golden Girls. You can argue as much as you want that some shows "aren't as good as they used to be," but American shows have a tendency to run longer than three episodes.

 

[tehroc]

I'm surprised no one mentioned Mike Judge. Beavis and Butthead are just classic and King of the Hill should entertain even Brits with it's redneck caricatures. Americans are better at stupid comedy.

 

[Buizel91]

Tough choice as i like both =/

If this was asked 10-20 years ago, it would be Britain, however now a days American Comdey is quite good and Britain's is slowly sinking...

However Britain does have VERY good comedy panel shows, such as QI, and Have i Got News For You.

 

[Joshimodo]

American comedy is tragic, for the most part. There's a few genuinely brilliant comedians, and a TINY number of comedic shows. The rest is just droll.

 

[Death God]

Depends on what kind of humor your looking for. The British have a more subtle humor while Americans have this sort of blunt humor. For me, american because british humor is dry to me.

 

[xavi]

Top gear. Nothing cracks me up like the brittish one... I love Tanner Foust and the American one is amusing at times but Jeremy and James May have a direct line to my humor

 

[DracoSuave]

Canadians hands down. Most american comedians are actually canadian.

Correct statement is correct. OP's question is a trick.

Do not be fooled.

 

[solad_nathair]

The british do have some great comedy shows like Fawlty Towers, Red Dwarf and Blackaddar that are hard to beat. The Americans have shows like Friends and Scrubs that start out good but get pretty bad the longer they go on but they did have the brilliant Arrested Development which is just as good as any British or Irish show

 

[Irriduccibilli]

British comedians are funnier, because what i've seen from american comedians, it is nothing but talking about drugs and sex... and thats it, or at least the main focus

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

I dunno, I find the Pom comedy more to my taste as I'm an Australian so a good percentage of the humour crosses over easily.

However, the Americans excel at physical comedy: seriously, no one does a pie in the face gag like the Yanks. Given the really exuberant attitude I've come to expect from the the USA, when her comedians are on the mark, they are on the fucking mark. So much life and energy goes into thier acts you can't help but laugh at the uplifting feeling you get.

Conversely, never have I watched (so far) an American comedy that trades its barbs with the razor sharp wit of the British: although you need the right actors and the right scripts.

A great example is Yes, Minister. A comedy that I feel has not dated since its creation; but without Nigel Hawthorne, Paul Eddington and Derek Fowlds it may never have worked.


Comedy is like all things; when it fails, it really fails....but when it works, holy shit does work

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

Double post.

 

[twistedmic]

Deciding who is better at comedy usually comes down to what style of comedy a person prefers more than anything else.
Take me for example, I practically despise slapstick and I loathe the over-use of juvenile/idiotic sight gags (think Airplane! and the entire line of ___Movie) but I love dark comedies (Hot Fuzz, Snatch, Death to smoochy, Bad Santa etc.) and well-done satires and parodies (MP and the Holy Grail, Robin Hood: Men in Tights). Both countries are on equal ground when it comes to the styles that I like and the styles that I hate so I'd have to say that they are even.
Though I will say that I think America is better at blending comedy into different genres than other countries, most likely due to more experience.

 

[crudus]

Well considering comedy is completely subjective and their styles are vastly different, you really can't compare them. You also miss a lot of context if you are listening to a comedian/comedy from another country which means people are more likely to vote for a comedian from their country. And why does one need to be better than the other? Can't we just laugh at the funny jokes and ignore the unfunny ones no matter where they are from.