It's My First Picspam, ya'll!
Welcome to my first picspam: My 10 Favorite TV Comedies of the Decade!
I picked comedy specifically because I knew that if I just did a "Best TV Shows" list, it would be ALL dramas and hour-long shows (Lost, Mad Men, Battlestar, Dexter, The Wire, Deadwood, Everwood, Veronica Mars, Life on Mars, The Middleman etc.). Plus, I JUST finished finals and after the semester from hell, I needed to work on something cheerful.
Let me know what you think! And Happy Holidays, everyone!
Slight Disclaimer: I limited the field to half-hour comedies. No cartoons (otherwise Aqua Teen, Daria and Clone High would have been on the list), no panel or sketch shows (so no Nevermind the Buzzcocks), and no pop culture shows (so no Soup).
Plus, there are some shows I haven't had time to watch, like It's Always Sunny or Curb Your Enthusiasm, and I can't really include something I haven't seen; furthermore, I've only included shows I've seen in their entirety, so shows like How I Met Your Mother, which I've only seen 2 seasons of, are also not on the list. I would also highly recommend any of these shows to anyone.
My 10 Favorite TV Comedies of the Decade
List is in chronological order.
Spaced (1999-2001)
"They say that the family of the 21st century is made up of friends, not relatives.
Then again, maybe that’s just bollocks!"
"Do you think I should lose the waistcoat?" "I think you should burn it. Because if you lose it,
you might find it again."
"Skip to the end."
Favorite Episodes: 1x01 Beginnings, 1x03 Art, 1x04 Battles, 1x05 Chaos
This crazy little cult British show was short-lived at only 14 episodes, but it was sublime. Made for nerds, by nerds, it's stuffed to capacity with pop culture references, but also a lot of heart, absurdism and subversiveness. And Daisy Steiner manages to be a great, layered, flawed, hilarious female lead in what could have been purely a boy's club.
Black Books (2000-2004)
"Let's paaaar..." "Don't you dare use the word 'party' as a verb in this shop!"
"I'm a quitter. I come from a long line of quitters. It's amazing I'm here at all."
Favorite Eps: 1x01 Cooking the Books, 3x02 Elephants and Hens, 3x04 A Little Flutter, 3x06 Party
Oh look, another cult British show. If anything, Black Books is even more absurdist and sitcomy than Spaced, and takes the cliche of the drunken misanthrope to new comedic heights. This is one of the only shows in which I can guarantee anyone will laugh if it's on (this theory was actually tested at a party earlier this year with, I might add, resounding success) because, while it's a smart show, it excels at simple, almost universal humor--pratfalls, sight gags, etc.
The Office (UK) (2001-2003)
"There are limits to my comedy. There are things that I'll never laugh at. The handicapped. Because there's nothing funny about them. Or any deformity. It's like when you see someone look at a little handicapped and go 'Ooh, look at him, he's not able-bodied. I am, I'm prejudiced.' Yeah, well, at least the little handicapped fella is able-minded. Unless he's not, it's difficult to tell with the wheelchair ones. Just give generously to them all."
Favorite Eps: 1x03 The Quiz, 1x04 Training, Christmas Special
Best Musical Interlude: Free Love on the Free Love Freeway
Here's a slightly more mainstream British show that brought awkward comedy to what is undoubtedly its apex. As much as I love the US Office, Jim and Pam could never be as adorable as Tim and Dawn are. I do have to thank whatever celestial being might be up there for not yet giving me a boss like David Brent.
Arrested Development (2003-2006...)
"So this is the magic trick, huh?"
"Illusion, Michael. A trick is something a whore does for money...[sees children watching] or cocaine!"
"I've made a huge mistake."
Favorite Eps: 2x04 Good Grief, 2x13 Motherboy XXX, 1x09 Pier Pressure/3x08 Making a Stand (Lessons!), ...okay, all of them.
"Now the story of a wealthy family who lost everything, and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together. It's Arrested Development." So sayth Ron Howard to the gentle strums of a ukulele. This show is so layered, so rife with call-backs and in-jokes, and so wonderful that it's simply a comedic masterpiece. It will also make you appreciate the (hopefully) relative sanity of your own family. It also gave us a cavalcade of legendary tertiary characters, such as J. Walter Weatherman, STEVE HOLT!, Annyong, Carl Weathers, Lucille II, Barry Zuckercorn, Kitty, Bob Loblaw, Ann Veal (her?), and my personal favorite, Franklin Delano Bluth. Just remember, it ain't easy bein' white. Or brown.
The Office (US) (2005-)
"Abraham Lincoln once said that, 'If you're a racist, I will attack you with the North,' and those are the principles I carry with me in the workplace."
"Why are you the way that you are? I hate so much about the things that you choose to be."
"Sometimes, you just have to be the boss of dancing."
"That's what she said...or he said."
Favorite Eps: 1x02 Diversity Day, 2x01 The Dundies, 2x22 Casino Night, 3x12/13 The Salesman/The Return
That's a lot of quotes, but Michael Scott really does get some of the best lines in television today, despite his overall cringeworthiness. Whereas the UK version relies heavily on its leads, this incarnation's strength lies in its supporting players. Stanley, Oscar, Angela, Andy, Kelly, Creed and the others in the "background" give the show a richness and diversity of personality, which in turn gives the show more flexibility and scope.
30 Rock (2006-)
"Why are you wearing a tux?" "It's after six. What am I, a farmer? "
"This is untoward! This is not toward!"
"Affirmative action was designed to keep women and minorities in competition with each other to distract us while white dudes inject AIDS into our chicken nuggets. That's a metaphor."
Favorite Eps: 1x07 Tracy Does Conan, 2x04 Rosemary's Baby, 2x14 Sandwich Day, 3x16 Apollo, Apollo
I want to be Tina Fey when I grow up. No, really, I do. Except for the acting part. Her show is sharp, witty, goofy and adorable, with a supporting cast to die for. I'd like to take it out behind a middle school and get it pregnant.
The Big Bang Theory (2007-)
"I give up. He's impossible!"
"I can't be impossible; I exist! I think what you meant to say is, 'I give up; he's improbable.'"
Favorite Eps: 1x04 The Luminous Fish Effect, 2x11 The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis, 2x18 The Work Song Nanocluster, 3x08 The Adhesive Duck Deficiency
This show is super cute and geeky and hilarious. However, it can be very uneven and sometimes relies too heavily on tired sex jokes and repetitive sitcomy character tropes, but it is by the guy who made 2 1/2 Men, so I probably shouldn't expect miracles. But regardless, the cast is awesome and they bring it consistently.
Newer Entries:
Although these shows are brand new and haven't quite reached their full potential, they are so far showing tons of promise and I look forward to seeing what they come up with.
Modern Family (2009-)
"Excuse me, Meryl Streep could play Batman and be the right choice. She's perfection, whether she's divorcing Kramer, whether she's wearing Prada, don't even get me started with Sophie's Choice. I get emotional thinking about it. She couldn't forgive herself-*choked sob*"
Favorite Eps: 1x01 Pilot, 1x03 Come Fly With Me, 1x05 The Coal Digger
WTF: Why the face? This show is so freaking adorable, I can't even stand it. It's my favorite new show this year, and every single character will melt your heart and give you diabetes. Also, I want to adopt Manny.
Community (2009-)
"To me, religion is like Paul Rudd. I see the appeal and I would never take it away from anyone, but I would also never stand in line for it."
Favorite Eps: 1x03 Introduction to Film, 1x04 Social Psychology 1x12 Comparative Religion
I love The Soup, so I decided to give this show a try; it started out okay, but the episodes kept getting funnier and funnier and it seems to be finding its rhythm. Troy and Abed are officially the funniest duo on television right now.
Commentary:
Daily Show/Colbert Report (1999-) and (2005-)
Jon:"If you don't stick to your values when they're being tested, they're not values, they're hobbies."
"Please stop calling people 'Hitler' when you disagree with them. It demeans you, it demeans your opponent, and, to be honest, it demeans Hitler. That guy worked too many years, too hard, to be that evil, to have any Tom, Dick, and Harry come along and say, 'Hey, you're bein' Hitler.' No, you know who was Hitler? Hitler!"
Stephen: "Where does Congress get off saying that people have a right to Habeas Corpus? It's like they're holding these truths to be self-evident!"
"Now, I don't see color. People tell me I'm white and I believe them because police officers call me 'sir'".
Okay, so this is cheating a bit; there's two of them, and they're not technically sitcoms, but both shows have been consistently hilarious, biting and insightful over the years. They're just awesome; there's really nothing more to say.
*Please do not repost.
I picked comedy specifically because I knew that if I just did a "Best TV Shows" list, it would be ALL dramas and hour-long shows (Lost, Mad Men, Battlestar, Dexter, The Wire, Deadwood, Everwood, Veronica Mars, Life on Mars, The Middleman etc.). Plus, I JUST finished finals and after the semester from hell, I needed to work on something cheerful.
Let me know what you think! And Happy Holidays, everyone!
Slight Disclaimer: I limited the field to half-hour comedies. No cartoons (otherwise Aqua Teen, Daria and Clone High would have been on the list), no panel or sketch shows (so no Nevermind the Buzzcocks), and no pop culture shows (so no Soup).
Plus, there are some shows I haven't had time to watch, like It's Always Sunny or Curb Your Enthusiasm, and I can't really include something I haven't seen; furthermore, I've only included shows I've seen in their entirety, so shows like How I Met Your Mother, which I've only seen 2 seasons of, are also not on the list. I would also highly recommend any of these shows to anyone.
My 10 Favorite TV Comedies of the Decade
List is in chronological order.
Spaced (1999-2001)
"They say that the family of the 21st century is made up of friends, not relatives.
Then again, maybe that’s just bollocks!"
"Do you think I should lose the waistcoat?" "I think you should burn it. Because if you lose it,
you might find it again."
"Skip to the end."
Favorite Episodes: 1x01 Beginnings, 1x03 Art, 1x04 Battles, 1x05 Chaos
This crazy little cult British show was short-lived at only 14 episodes, but it was sublime. Made for nerds, by nerds, it's stuffed to capacity with pop culture references, but also a lot of heart, absurdism and subversiveness. And Daisy Steiner manages to be a great, layered, flawed, hilarious female lead in what could have been purely a boy's club.
Black Books (2000-2004)
"Let's paaaar..." "Don't you dare use the word 'party' as a verb in this shop!"
"I'm a quitter. I come from a long line of quitters. It's amazing I'm here at all."
Favorite Eps: 1x01 Cooking the Books, 3x02 Elephants and Hens, 3x04 A Little Flutter, 3x06 Party
Oh look, another cult British show. If anything, Black Books is even more absurdist and sitcomy than Spaced, and takes the cliche of the drunken misanthrope to new comedic heights. This is one of the only shows in which I can guarantee anyone will laugh if it's on (this theory was actually tested at a party earlier this year with, I might add, resounding success) because, while it's a smart show, it excels at simple, almost universal humor--pratfalls, sight gags, etc.
The Office (UK) (2001-2003)
"There are limits to my comedy. There are things that I'll never laugh at. The handicapped. Because there's nothing funny about them. Or any deformity. It's like when you see someone look at a little handicapped and go 'Ooh, look at him, he's not able-bodied. I am, I'm prejudiced.' Yeah, well, at least the little handicapped fella is able-minded. Unless he's not, it's difficult to tell with the wheelchair ones. Just give generously to them all."
Favorite Eps: 1x03 The Quiz, 1x04 Training, Christmas Special
Best Musical Interlude: Free Love on the Free Love Freeway
Here's a slightly more mainstream British show that brought awkward comedy to what is undoubtedly its apex. As much as I love the US Office, Jim and Pam could never be as adorable as Tim and Dawn are. I do have to thank whatever celestial being might be up there for not yet giving me a boss like David Brent.
Arrested Development (2003-2006...)
"So this is the magic trick, huh?"
"Illusion, Michael. A trick is something a whore does for money...[sees children watching] or cocaine!"
"I've made a huge mistake."
Favorite Eps: 2x04 Good Grief, 2x13 Motherboy XXX, 1x09 Pier Pressure/3x08 Making a Stand (Lessons!), ...okay, all of them.
"Now the story of a wealthy family who lost everything, and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together. It's Arrested Development." So sayth Ron Howard to the gentle strums of a ukulele. This show is so layered, so rife with call-backs and in-jokes, and so wonderful that it's simply a comedic masterpiece. It will also make you appreciate the (hopefully) relative sanity of your own family. It also gave us a cavalcade of legendary tertiary characters, such as J. Walter Weatherman, STEVE HOLT!, Annyong, Carl Weathers, Lucille II, Barry Zuckercorn, Kitty, Bob Loblaw, Ann Veal (her?), and my personal favorite, Franklin Delano Bluth. Just remember, it ain't easy bein' white. Or brown.
The Office (US) (2005-)
"Abraham Lincoln once said that, 'If you're a racist, I will attack you with the North,' and those are the principles I carry with me in the workplace."
"Why are you the way that you are? I hate so much about the things that you choose to be."
"Sometimes, you just have to be the boss of dancing."
"That's what she said...or he said."
Favorite Eps: 1x02 Diversity Day, 2x01 The Dundies, 2x22 Casino Night, 3x12/13 The Salesman/The Return
That's a lot of quotes, but Michael Scott really does get some of the best lines in television today, despite his overall cringeworthiness. Whereas the UK version relies heavily on its leads, this incarnation's strength lies in its supporting players. Stanley, Oscar, Angela, Andy, Kelly, Creed and the others in the "background" give the show a richness and diversity of personality, which in turn gives the show more flexibility and scope.
30 Rock (2006-)
"Why are you wearing a tux?" "It's after six. What am I, a farmer? "
"This is untoward! This is not toward!"
"Affirmative action was designed to keep women and minorities in competition with each other to distract us while white dudes inject AIDS into our chicken nuggets. That's a metaphor."
Favorite Eps: 1x07 Tracy Does Conan, 2x04 Rosemary's Baby, 2x14 Sandwich Day, 3x16 Apollo, Apollo
I want to be Tina Fey when I grow up. No, really, I do. Except for the acting part. Her show is sharp, witty, goofy and adorable, with a supporting cast to die for. I'd like to take it out behind a middle school and get it pregnant.
The Big Bang Theory (2007-)
"I give up. He's impossible!"
"I can't be impossible; I exist! I think what you meant to say is, 'I give up; he's improbable.'"
Favorite Eps: 1x04 The Luminous Fish Effect, 2x11 The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis, 2x18 The Work Song Nanocluster, 3x08 The Adhesive Duck Deficiency
This show is super cute and geeky and hilarious. However, it can be very uneven and sometimes relies too heavily on tired sex jokes and repetitive sitcomy character tropes, but it is by the guy who made 2 1/2 Men, so I probably shouldn't expect miracles. But regardless, the cast is awesome and they bring it consistently.
Newer Entries:
Although these shows are brand new and haven't quite reached their full potential, they are so far showing tons of promise and I look forward to seeing what they come up with.
Modern Family (2009-)
"Excuse me, Meryl Streep could play Batman and be the right choice. She's perfection, whether she's divorcing Kramer, whether she's wearing Prada, don't even get me started with Sophie's Choice. I get emotional thinking about it. She couldn't forgive herself-*choked sob*"
Favorite Eps: 1x01 Pilot, 1x03 Come Fly With Me, 1x05 The Coal Digger
WTF: Why the face? This show is so freaking adorable, I can't even stand it. It's my favorite new show this year, and every single character will melt your heart and give you diabetes. Also, I want to adopt Manny.
Community (2009-)
"To me, religion is like Paul Rudd. I see the appeal and I would never take it away from anyone, but I would also never stand in line for it."
Favorite Eps: 1x03 Introduction to Film, 1x04 Social Psychology 1x12 Comparative Religion
I love The Soup, so I decided to give this show a try; it started out okay, but the episodes kept getting funnier and funnier and it seems to be finding its rhythm. Troy and Abed are officially the funniest duo on television right now.
Commentary:
Daily Show/Colbert Report (1999-) and (2005-)
Jon:"If you don't stick to your values when they're being tested, they're not values, they're hobbies."
"Please stop calling people 'Hitler' when you disagree with them. It demeans you, it demeans your opponent, and, to be honest, it demeans Hitler. That guy worked too many years, too hard, to be that evil, to have any Tom, Dick, and Harry come along and say, 'Hey, you're bein' Hitler.' No, you know who was Hitler? Hitler!"
Stephen: "Where does Congress get off saying that people have a right to Habeas Corpus? It's like they're holding these truths to be self-evident!"
"Now, I don't see color. People tell me I'm white and I believe them because police officers call me 'sir'".
Okay, so this is cheating a bit; there's two of them, and they're not technically sitcoms, but both shows have been consistently hilarious, biting and insightful over the years. They're just awesome; there's really nothing more to say.
*Please do not repost.