4 ms·

I can't speak for everyone but the main difference between American popular comedy and European comedy is that the European comedy is drier requiring more thoug

I can't speak for everyone but the main difference between American popular comedy and European comedy is that the European comedy is drier requiring more thought and understanding. Thus making it more attractive to me as I enjoy that level of effort. Disclaimer: I run a comedy group and am a software developer.

eru 10y ago
You should try German comedy. English is too full of puns, so makes humour too easy.
- diminoten 10y ago
  Only a German would think that comedy being easy is a problem!
  - eru 10y ago
    "We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, [...]"
- rhizome 10y ago
  "Dying is easy; comedy is hard."
  - conistonwater 10y ago
    Bloody hell that quote is ambiguous. "Dying" refers to playing tragic roles in Shakespeare (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Kean https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Kean), not WW{1,2}.
    - beaconstudios 10y ago
      dying is also a euphemism for performing badly on-stage. It works on many levels!
- ashark 10y ago
  Puns are the highest form of comedy, surely.
- labster 10y ago
  If you think English has too many puns, I suggest you try Japanese. So many words with the same or similar pronunciations, it's just beautiful. True story: Larry Wall went into an Indian restaurant in Tokyo. He pointed to the bread and asked the waiter, "Naan desu ka?"
  - khedoros1 10y ago
    Was there a convenient picture of a panda for the waiter to point to in reply?
    - labster 10y ago
      ^_^ Not sure, I wasn't there. Larry told the story to me at a YAPC::NA when we were having a conversation about multilingual puns.
      - seanp2k2 10y ago
        If you're into Japanese puns, bread, and anime, Yakitate Japan will be right up your alley, and the whole series is legitimately available to watch free on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Tyb7ri8EcOo?list=PLrrh84y760v8QyC5bDENLId-PNqNDpOgG https://youtu.be/Tyb7ri8EcOo?list=PLrrh84y760v8QyC5bDENLId-P...
        DanBC 10y ago
        Sadly not available everywhere: http://imgur.com/a/oxIgt http://imgur.com/a/oxIgt (UK).
  - eru 10y ago
    Yes. Though just complaining about puns was perhaps a bit lazy of me. Given the prevalence of zero derivations the grammar is rife with ambiguities. As an example, try to create a German version of "Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana."
- alexkavon 10y ago
  And how!
open-source-ux 10y ago
European comedy is drier requiring more thought and understanding I can only speak of British comedy, but I wouldn't say it requires more thought and understanding (well, maybe sometimes). It can be quite dry. I think one thing British comedy does well is the absurd and stupid but played with deadpan seriousness. Here's an example: Philomena Cunk, a fictitious character from Charlie Brooker's TV show. Not sure if her humour travels outside the UK, but here's a flavour... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EZMkNSWdxo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EZMkNSWdxo
- DanBC 10y ago
  For another example: Falconhoof https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKD5pKzzXvU&list=PLc8-P2ITJEddRCzI9tNqEkI5bEvBOAvI6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKD5pKzzXvU&list=PLc8-P2ITJE... It's from Limmy, and it's an excellent example of how dark UK humour can be.
- conistonwater 10y ago
  > I wouldn't say it requires more thought and understanding Hear, hear! http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qnwb http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qnwb
- beaconstudios 10y ago
  I think British comedy has a much broader base to work from - it goes from the absurdist Monty Python or Spike Milligan stuff to the situational (the office, IT crowd) to the dark and cutting (In Bruges, The League of Gentlemen) to the clever and witty (Spaced, The Thick Of It, Red Dwarf). There's a huge variety of British comedy which I think is what makes it appeal to a lot of different audiences.
  - mastazi 10y ago
    I was surprised no one mentioned The Thick Of It yet, definitely one of the best UK comedy series in recent years.

eru 10y ago

You should try German comedy. English is too full of puns, so makes humour too easy.

diminoten 10y ago
Only a German would think that comedy being easy is a problem!
- eru 10y ago
  "We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, [...]"
rhizome 10y ago
"Dying is easy; comedy is hard."
- conistonwater 10y ago
  Bloody hell that quote is ambiguous. "Dying" refers to playing tragic roles in Shakespeare (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Kean https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Kean), not WW{1,2}.
  - beaconstudios 10y ago
    dying is also a euphemism for performing badly on-stage. It works on many levels!
ashark 10y ago
Puns are the highest form of comedy, surely.
labster 10y ago
If you think English has too many puns, I suggest you try Japanese. So many words with the same or similar pronunciations, it's just beautiful. True story: Larry Wall went into an Indian restaurant in Tokyo. He pointed to the bread and asked the waiter, "Naan desu ka?"
- khedoros1 10y ago
  Was there a convenient picture of a panda for the waiter to point to in reply?
  - labster 10y ago
    ^_^ Not sure, I wasn't there. Larry told the story to me at a YAPC::NA when we were having a conversation about multilingual puns.
    - seanp2k2 10y ago
      If you're into Japanese puns, bread, and anime, Yakitate Japan will be right up your alley, and the whole series is legitimately available to watch free on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Tyb7ri8EcOo?list=PLrrh84y760v8QyC5bDENLId-PNqNDpOgG https://youtu.be/Tyb7ri8EcOo?list=PLrrh84y760v8QyC5bDENLId-P...
      - DanBC 10y ago
        Sadly not available everywhere: http://imgur.com/a/oxIgt http://imgur.com/a/oxIgt (UK).
- eru 10y ago
  Yes. Though just complaining about puns was perhaps a bit lazy of me. Given the prevalence of zero derivations the grammar is rife with ambiguities. As an example, try to create a German version of "Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana."
alexkavon 10y ago
And how!

open-source-ux 10y ago

European comedy is drier requiring more thought and understanding I can only speak of British comedy, but I wouldn't say it requires more thought and understanding (well, maybe sometimes). It can be quite dry. I think one thing British comedy does well is the absurd and stupid but played with deadpan seriousness. Here's an example: Philomena Cunk, a fictitious character from Charlie Brooker's TV show. Not sure if her humour travels outside the UK, but here's a flavour... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EZMkNSWdxo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EZMkNSWdxo

DanBC 10y ago
For another example: Falconhoof https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKD5pKzzXvU&list=PLc8-P2ITJEddRCzI9tNqEkI5bEvBOAvI6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKD5pKzzXvU&list=PLc8-P2ITJE... It's from Limmy, and it's an excellent example of how dark UK humour can be.
conistonwater 10y ago
> I wouldn't say it requires more thought and understanding Hear, hear! http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qnwb http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qnwb
beaconstudios 10y ago
I think British comedy has a much broader base to work from - it goes from the absurdist Monty Python or Spike Milligan stuff to the situational (the office, IT crowd) to the dark and cutting (In Bruges, The League of Gentlemen) to the clever and witty (Spaced, The Thick Of It, Red Dwarf). There's a huge variety of British comedy which I think is what makes it appeal to a lot of different audiences.
- mastazi 10y ago
  I was surprised no one mentioned The Thick Of It yet, definitely one of the best UK comedy series in recent years.