Humour

Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it.

-- E. B. White

Funny Shows

American Drama and Humour

Room 222:
- I grew up watching Room 222 on a small black and white television in the early 70's when I still in elementary school
- the first 2 seasons (out of a total of 5) are now finally available on DVD in full colour
- the video quality is strictly 1970's (with scratches and dust plainly visible) because, unfortunately, no one seems to have preserved copies of the original film stock and the surviving video tape transfers are not in the best of shape
- but the stories and characters are still so good that I would highly recommend getting the DVDs
- and it just reminds me of how young we once were and how just about anything seemed possible
- following after Room 222 were other high school shows such as Welcome Back Kotter, Degrassi, Saved by the Bell, and Boston Public
The Wonder Years:
- another wonderful show that also reminded me (and a lot of other people) of their childhood years
- even though it was set in the late 1960's and early 1970's, the issues and humour from this show are timeless
- unfortunately, it appears that due to music copyright issues, this show is unlikely to be appearing on DVD anytime soon
- so for the time being, the one and only "Best of the Wonder Years" DVD will just have to do
- but I would be one of the first in line if they ever do release a complete set of DVDs
King of the Hill:
- this popular animated T.V. show was co-created by Austinite Mike Judge (who also does the voices for Hank Hill and Boomhauer)
- there's quite a bit of tongue-in-cheek Texas humour here
Bob Newhart:
- one of my favourite American comics
- remember "Hi, I'm Larry, this is my brother Darryl, and this is my other brother Darryl." from the Newhart show? (Season 1 now available on DVD)
Saturday Night Live:
- and to be honest, I still think the 70's and early 80's were the best years with performers like Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Dan Ackroyd, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, and John Belushi
- but the more recent shows with Chris Farley and Mike Meyers also had some very funny moments
WKRP in Cincinnati:
- another crazy show with a very good cast and some classic episodes
- like the "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!" episode (Season 1, Episode 7, "Turkeys Away")
- Season 1 is now available on DVD but with an altered music track (darn those pesky music copyrights again)
The Big Bang Theory:
- a show for all us nerds
- underneath the humour, it is really a show about friendships and relationships
- but if only a couple of nerds could afford to rent such a large apartment in real life
and go check out the Humorlinks site for more information about American comics and other funny T.V. shows

Australian Humour

here's the grand ol lady herself, Dame Edna
and here's another good Aussie line: oh yes, the water's fine for a swim, we removed all the crocodiles last month ... [Kakadu National Park tour guide]
even though the natives think he's gone just a bit over the top, Steve Irwin, otherwise known as the Crocodile Hunter, has a large worldwide following (and he's made crikey! a household term outside of Australia)
finally, let's not forget Clive James, the man who was "encouraged" to leave Australia after writing that the newly constructed Sydney Opera House looked like "a typewriter full of oyster shells"
however, after moving to England and somehow convincing the BBC to give him a job, he has gone on to produce some very funny and witty books, essays, and T.V. shows (I especially enjoyed his "Postcards from ..." series of shows)

British Imports

Red Dwarf is wacky, full of laughs, and now all 8 seasons are available on DVD! The feature length Back to Earth movie is now also available on DVD.
whereas Star Trek introduced lots of fancy technology, Red Dwarf introduced "smeghead " into the English language (though to be fair, Star Trek did bring the miniskirt as well as big breasted blonde females into the 24th century ...)
Monty Python is another hilarious British import (and both John Cleese and Michael Palin had careers before A Fish Called Wanda)

and speaking of John Cleese, anyone remember Fawlty Towers??

I'm also a big fan of Rowan Atkinson, known to most people as Mr. Bean
but he's also been in several other good shows such as The Thin Blue Line and the infamous Black Adder series (remember the episode with the "Black Russian" codpiece!?!?)
and there is, of course, Yes Minister, French and Saunders, Absolutely Fabulous, The Vicar of Dibly, Father Ted, Are You Being Served? and a whole host of other hilarious shows

Canadian Humour, Eh!

the classic has got to be SCTV with John Candy and the rest of the gang (including Bob and Doug Mackenzie)
but the Royal Canadian Air Farce has been on radio and T.V. for decades now (they've also produced six "yearbook" videos to date) and they've got some very funny skits, especially the "Chicken Cannon" and their imitations of Canadian Prime Ministers and provincial premiers
my current favourite is Corner Gas, a TV show about a small group of people in Dog River, Saskatchewan
This Hour Has 22 Minutes is a darker show with lots of political satire
then there's the Red Green Show with its famous line, "If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy." and if you ever need ideas on the recreational uses of duct tape ...
Rick Mercer's show Made in Canada is a satirical look at the modern day television entertainment industry (though the fact that they renamed the show to "The Industry" in the U.S. should say something as well ... Canada? What's Canada?)
and don't forget The Kids in the Hall which was produced by Lorne Michaels (of Saturday Night Live fame) and starred Dave Foley (of News Radio fame)
it's no longer in production, but due South, a show about a Canadian Mountie exiled to Chicago along with his wolf Diefenbaker, also had its moments
but the good news is that the entire series is now available on DVD!! (including both parts of the excellent "Victoria's Secret" episode with Melina Kanakaredes)
also on the first season DVDs of Due South are both parts of "Chicago Holiday" (with a Mountie in leather!?!?), "They Eat Horses Don't They" with Al Waxman and Richard Moll, and "An Invitation to Romance" with Jane Krakowski (long before her Ally McBeal days)
finally, don't forget Leslie Nielson who starred in all those Naked Gun movies (and a few great due South episodes as well) ...
and we certainly can't leave out our national treasure, Pamela Anderson, of Baywatch and VIP fame

Live Shows

if you get the chance, go see the annual "Just pour rire" (Just for Laughs) comedy festival in Montreal, Canada (usually held in the second week of July)
Ester's Follies at 525 E. 6th Street in Austin, Texas is also highly recommended

Last Update: October 28, 2012.