UKC

I love stumbling onto something by accident, loving it and binge watching every episode I can find. I did it with Alan Partridge years ago (long after it had aired. I just missed it). Rik and Morty, F is for Family... 

But on the opposite side of the coin you get recommended something as Fantastic and it fails to hit the mark.

Archer. Friends rave about it... But I just don't get it. I also struggled with Bojack Horseman too (although I did laugh a teeny bit at it).

I really want something new and funny to watch. Maybe I'm getting old. I still piss myself at family guy and South Park though.

Suggestions please? 

Sorry it's not new but I thought 'Friday Night Dinner' was very funny.

This Country.

Ladhood.

I don't not get The Big Bang Theory. Its just shite.

My daughter recommended that. I tried it but.... Meh

This country... Now I didn't initially like it but it grew on me. Is Big Mandy the most terrifying psycho or what? Is she crying or for a spin off series? She's amazing! 

Derry girls is probably the best thing I’ve watched in a long time. 

I shall give that a punt! Seen the trailers but not heard feedback either way. Cheers

youtube.com/watch?v=NjIBZIz0qiY&

Best bits of big Mand... 

Tempted by one of her tattoos? 

Haha. Maybe the wolf howling at the moon? Terrifying. 

Given what you’ve declared, you could try “Final Space”.  It might hit the spot.

Depending on what it is about Rick & Morty you like, you might try The Midnight Gospels. I'll say nothing more other than give it more than a single episode before passing judgement. It's funny, but takes a bit to see just how.

What's it on? 

Father Ted.

Netflix

True to the title of the thread, anything with Ricky Gervais in it and Father Ted. Loads of other stuff (mentioned in this thread) I don’t find funny and am not bothered about.

 15 storeys high is one you'll either binge watch or not get at all.

Totally agree about Gervais. Ted on the other hand well, that would be an ecumenical matter.

If Rick and Morty is your thing then Solar Opposites should fill the brief.

Very little modern comedy makes me breathless with laughter, or even laugh. Motherland I find painfully embrassing for instance. Fleabag I enjoyed, What we do in the shadows I actually laugh out loud at, and for something old and retro The Young ones is Mayell & Edmonson at their early finest.

Book wise "Bigot Hall" by Steve Aylett had me helpless with laughter on a packed train... and that was on the second time of reading it. More a series of bizarre viginettes than a novel with a plot

I have the opposite,  comedy series I don't want to like but find quite funny, eg friends, big bang theory, although I've only ever watched a few episodes.

I currently enjoy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It's basically horrible people being horrible to each other. A bit like Archer really. If you like it,  there's a lot of episodes. 

People just do nothing?

 It’s a mockumentary about a west London garage pirate radio station. It’s up there for me with the Office and the Inbetweeners.

 Another strong vote for “this country” too

I’ve been enjoying ‘The I.T crowd’. Passed me by when launched but have now binged it twice. The alternate world created by Graham Linnehan is superb. Great script, brilliant characters and perfectly cast.

I hear you're a racist now .... or is that money just resting in your account?

Trailer Park Boys is another great one and has been going for 20yrs. It’s a Canadian institution that I thought would have limited or niche appeal over here but my 70+yr old Cumbrian dad recently stumbled over it with no input from me and has been binge watching it for the last couple of months. 

Detectorists is a veeery slow burn. I went from " is this even comedy?" To 30 minutes of Big Stupid Grin over the course of the first series

Happy!  on netflix 

it's pretty mental, there were times i couldn't breathe for laughing

I can probably quote the entire series of father Ted word for word. It's perfect and I'll always re watch it if it's on 😁

Yeah, I agree. I think the only Gervais thing I've not got round to watching yet is life's too short

Sean Locke? Seen it, liked it! 

Yup, loved it. Absolutely pissed myself at the "disabled.... Leg disabled" bit. And of course... The countdown bit

Yeah! It was actually a nice thing to watch just for itself as well. Not sure what I mean by that. But I enjoyed it.

How about a song about a lovely horse? 

its got coccaine in it.... oh sorry I mean rasins

Gwan Gwan Gwan Gwan GWAN! 

I get that. I actually took real pleasure and comfort that the programme was conceived, pitched, commissioned and made. I gave me a little faith in the world and lots of whimsical laughs.

Quite odd seeing mackenzie crook playing a role where he's not a complete bellend. Total difference to Gareth from the office

I thought it was the best thing in years, some true original stuff and edgy as hell. But eventually it became a parody of itself I feel, and got dull fast once it went to Swear Net (and probably a season before).

First few seasons though were gold.

Reno 911 in a similar vein from the same era.

Another old one but a stone cold classic is ‘The thick of it’. Utterly priceless. Sadly events have overtaken fiction but Malcolm Tucker remains a wonderful creation.

As a fan of Alan Partridge, particularly the “I’m Alan Partridge” phase of his life, I wanted to like This Time with Alan Partridge, but it just hasn’t worked for me. It possibly that what it is partly satirising is beyond satire.

Best bit with Mandy was the 'cock womble' incident 

Tucker is an absolute demon. Hilarious and I've rewatched it loads. 

Or telling how she'd once joined a cult, but they sent her out to the shops and when she got back they'd all killed themselves

Answering the question in the thread title rather than the request in your post.

Rik and Morty. On paper I should love it but when I watch it I just sit stony-faced. It simply does not feel funny, it is all obvious lazy predictable dialogue and “story”, and the voices are OTT. Yet lots of perfectly intelligent people with good taste, seem to love it. 

It was sparked after watching a couple of episodes of Archer.  Wanted to like it.  Thought I should like it.  Didn't.  I've plodded on with it for a little bit and although I'm warming to it a little bit...it's still not hitting the mark

...on the other hand Just seems to have really hit the mark!  Some nice ideas in there and think it's really well done.  Wubba lubba dub dub!

Uncle is a nice watch. Funny and generally heartwarming. 

I own three seasons of Archer and three seasons of Rik and Morty on good old fashioned DVD. I love Archer; I gave up on Rik and Morty after about four episodes.

The BBC have quite a few old series available on iPlayer at the moment, 'Pulling' is excellent. It passed me by in the noughties and I watched it recently and is right up there with the best I've seen. Three unhinged 20-30 something female housemates with plenty of lol surreal moments like Paul Kaye trying to convince the parachute instructor to let him on the plane while tripping his nuts off on mushrooms. In fact anything with Sharon Horgan in has been good so would include Catastrophe on All4.

'Cuckoo' was pretty funny too. And the early episodes of The Kumar's at no. 42 are good.

On right now which I am enjoying is 'We are Ladyparts' on Channel 4, about a female muslim punk band.

Also Motherland. 

Flight of the Conchords I'm not sure is available anywhere but an all time fave.

For context the things I like are Father Ted, It Crowd, early Partridge, League of Gentlemen, Ricky Gervais, Spaced that kind of thing.

I'm almost the opposite with regards to Ricky Gervais. I don't really get any of his stuff. I thought The Office was entertaining at times, but not any really laugh out loud moments. Having said that, I did binge watch AfterLife. I thought that was a work of genius, especially the first series.

Obviously Father Ted is an absolute classic, and not finding that funny would be heresy!

If you l like League of Gentleman I'm wondering if you've seen Inside no 9?  Pemberton and Sheersmith, It's so good. Wonderfully dark and funny in equal measures.  I found out that season 5 and 6 had suddenly appeared without me knowing last month (so there's a good couple of hours of my life gone )

I think I'm on season 3 at the moment (He's just recovered from cancer?) and I'm sensing a wee change in it, and I'm warming to it eeeevvvveeeeerrrr so slightly . (Or maybe I'm just getting used to the humour)

Yes absolutely, love those too. Such brilliant writers.

PhoneShop on all 4 is f*cking genius...loved it

I'm with you, on Gervais.

I thought The Office was a brilliant piece of work, an all time classic.  The rest of his stuff is a bit of a mixed bag. 

His stand-up is awful, he's got no aptitude for that at all.  "Animals" is basically him bringing up slides of same sex animals engaging in intercourse whilst at the same time screaming in a high pitched voice "LOOOOK, LOOK AT THE ANIMALS, THEY'RE GAY!!!!" whilst giggling to himself.  

As for recommendations They've mostly been mentioned but another votes for Derry Girls, Reno 911, Arrested Development, Modern Family, Flight Of The Concords, Anything that Armando Ianucci has been involved in (The Thick of it and Veep etc), anything Chris Morris has been involved in. 

I thought Derek was quite sweet and funny (so of the outtakes are very funny)

I know that the series wasn’t aimed at mocking people with learning disabilities, and that it was apparently a very sweet and thoughtful show…

But at the same time seeing Gervais portraying a man with learning disabilities by combing his hair badly, wearing a bad cardigan talking oddly and holding his head at a funny angle just isn’t something I could stomach, whatever the intent of the show…

I know what you mean. There's something slightly unsettling about a man who takes the piss out of everyone, is deliberately controversial and has openly used words like 'mong' portraying a man with learning difficulties. A bit like if Jim Davidson was cast as a Pakistani immigrant in a heartwarming ITV drama.

I did watch Derek (and thought it was alright) and I think if you went into it without any preconceptions or prior knowledge on Gervais then I don't think it would feel uncomfortable. Derek has a beautiful soul and the laughs came at the extent of the other characters rather than him. As much as I hate him, Gervais has a way of getting his claws into me and has been responsible for more than a tear or two (which is extra distressing because that's exactly what he's trying to do). Extras and Afterlife were both genius. 

I know what you mean.  I'd read about the show before it was on and was a bit offended without having seen it (then realised how stupid that was).  So I watched it.  I personally think it fell on the right side of things - not taking the piss at all (which was how the critics sold it) but instead almost showing how Derek is the most normal one of everyone around him. 

But I appreciate what you mean about the hair and dodgy cardigan.

David Earl, who plays Kev is a bit of an odd one (in a good way).  

If you were expecting laugh out loud moments, you really don't get The Office at all.

That's good - I was going to write a long and opinionated reply about why you should stick with it, but hopefully that's not necessary now. I'd say you're coming into the best chunk; much as I love it, I'd admit the later 'Coma' seasons lack a certain something. 

Otherwise, if it's not already been mentioned, Big Mouth is definitely worth a go. If you've tried Fleabag, Feel Good might also appeal. And I've just been introduced to Community on Netflix - seems enjoyable so far

Yes I think if I were to watch it I'd really enjoy it and it would absolutely tug at the heart strings, in a way in which Gervais' previous shows have achieved too, but I've kind of shied away from it.

Give it a whirl!  I think Karl Pilkington plays a good part in it.  He grates on my slightly Moaning of Life, but he's quite good in Derek (I forget the name of the character he plays)

As I said earlier, try and check out some of the outtakes too.  Very funny.  I wish I had a job like this.

youtube.com/watch?v=PEOVJystrJk&

Can't get into Fleabag. I should give it another go but I struggle with unlikeable characters.

Love AP Bio, available on Sky/Now TV. 

Seinfeld. Just never really did it for me.

One of the finest television creations of the century...

...but I could never get on with either of those.

Love curb your enthusiasm... Didn't get seinfeld.

I love Curb but you do have to ration it out or it gets depressing!

I "got" Seinfeld, I just didn't thing it was much good. Charmless mugging, predictable stories and dialogue. 

Incidentally if you like Curb, check out The Comeback, a single-season show from around 2006 (so not new, but probably new to you) co-created by and starring Lisa Kudrow. But be warned, as it goes on, you gradually realise it's not really comedy at all but tragedy It's a little masterpice. They just did a single season of 13 episodes, but there was a second season in 2014 which I have yet to see. 

One of the funniest shows I've really enjoyed recently is Norsemen.

Series 1-3 on Netflix.

Parks & Recreation. Unusual in that it's nice, warm comedy

Oh that's another that I wanted to like but couldn't. I like the cast a lot in many other things they've done and went into this fully positive, and watched the entire first series totally stony faced!  

Yes! Loved it. And quite funny to watch it after a series of vikings! 

No mention of the Mighty Boosh?!!!

Awful, awful stuff! 

Yeah there was a weird time while I was in college that everyone was obsessed with it. Really don't get that daft obscure-for-the-sake-of-it comedy. It's the same on that Big Fat Quiz that they do every year. Noel Fielding and Richard Ayoade kind of ruin it for me.

I'm off to re-watch Peep Show. 

yes yes yes!

I think Super Hans might be another one of my favourite comedy characters

Just been introduced to The Let Down by a member of our antenatal class and totally surprised that it's turned out pretty good! Think I was overly wary after Motherland left me totally cold after getting praised to the rafters.

Not the topic as such but seeing as lots of recommendations happening, 15 Storeys High is an overlooked classic. A Sean Locke brilliant miserablist farce.

I don't deal well with unlikeable characters either but utterly loved Fleabag. I don't think most of the main characters are unlikeable. Flawed or traumatised in many cases, certainly, but on the whole not unpleasant or hard to sympathise with.

I think you have to persevere with it until you realise that though. I loved it but I do have a distinct memory of thinking most of the characters were pricks for the first half of the first series. 

Knitting like an electric nan

Too many great lines and bits to quote. when he's tied to the bed trying to go cold turkey from all drugs, and he's trying to skin up a joint using his feet...

"Thing about crack is, it's very moreish..."

non-Hans-related but the canal boat stag trip where they end up eating massively undercooked dog leg. "Slutty Mummy" 

I don’t really get most US sit coms like Everybody loves Raymond or King of Queens. Big Bang Theory though… am I the only one who knew folk like that at uni?

Father Ted has some great caricatures who can carry the show along wonderfully well but it’s a bit too self consciously “daring” in its Catholic Church gags at times.

Oh nobody has said Master Of None yet.

Series 1 & 2 of that are I think one of the best, most well crafted 'comedy' shows I've ever seen.  I put the comedy in quotes as it's not a laugh out loud wisecrack-a-minute show, it's much more gentle than that.

Series 3 I've only seen the first episode of so far, and it's essentially a completely different show, different focus, location, feel.  No longer a comedy, just a very, very good drama.

Strongly recommended.

Agree wholeheartedly on Master of None.

Just finished series 3 and is essentially a really tender drama which builds to a rewarding and heartwarming ending. Denise is naturally very funny so there are still laughs dotted amongst the drama.

Therein lies the problem 

Try cringing out loud.

I'd argue that Father Ted really was daring for its time and place. 

There are bits of that I still find difficult to watch.  When he's doing the intro / standup routine to the Swindon lot and it's falling flat on it's arse.  I think I had to climb behind the settee when I first watched it.  "I DON'T AGREE WITH THAT IN THE WORKPLACE!!"

Yes. Bits are almost unwatchable. More than one episode at a time can be excruciating.

Don’t forget Gareth’s fantasy during the training workshop session 

I remember when it first went out, my mate who I was living with at the time always had to go and do some washing up or ironing a shirt or something mid-episode... Just couldn't take the awkwardness!