The State vs. Mr. Show

The State is awesome and Mr. Show sucks.

The State is worth the watch and can fully be appreciated for one reason and that's potential. Don't go into The State thinking it's another Mr. Show because it's not. It's got really great humor but it suffers from being a product of MTV and therefore limited in scope. But you must watch it, it's funny and some of the sketches have stuck with me in my mind to a 'T', even though it's been 10 or 11 years since I've seen them. I've noticed some trying to order sketch comedy shows and you've forgot one thing, there is no thing a sketch comedy without Python. They are the forever kings of the sketch comedy show, and will never ever lose their #1 spot for many many important reasons. I think the order is somewhat like 1. Monty Python 2.(3.)Kids In the Hall 3.(2.)Mr. Show 4. UCB 5. The State 100,000,000. Saturday Night Live. If anyone still finds Saturday Night Live funny, then they have no sense of funny. The show has been living off the talents of one or two actors at a time, with Phil Hartman being honestly the last brilliant comedian to have been on the show and Will Ferrell being probably the last funny man to be on the Show. There have been minor funny characters in and out of Saturday Night Live, but I've never laughed (even a little) at Jimmy Fallon, Chris Katan, Tina Fey, Ratchel Dratch, Horatio Sans, and all the other no talent hacks that have been gleaming fame from the long dead show. The Show lacks in substance but delivers in expense account and that's just a shame.

I look at sketch comedy shows like this: Sketch by sketch. Or even, line by line.

Even my favorite comedy movies have dumb parts, or predictable jokes, or jokes that fall flat. But then they have really memorable lines, or jokes that enter your lexicon, or jokes that make you laugh every time.

Mr. Show, The State, SNL, Python, KITH, Ben Stiller Show, etc. all had sketches that--admit it--you fast forward through. Ones that weren't that funny.

But these shows are in our memory because the *good* sketches or the *good* lines are sort of historic. You'll never forget them. You and your friends will always quote them. There are unfunny dumb sketches in all of the above shows. But there are historically great moments in each of them, too.

So I like to rate sketch comedy on a sketch-by-sketch basis, or even a line by line basis, because even in one of my favorite sketches there might be boring parts.

-Katy
thecitychicken-at-yahoo-dot-com

UCB beats both. Mr. Show and the State had better skits, but they were hit or miss. UCB never had a bad skit. They had 3 seasons. state had 2, mr show had four. so UCB had just as much time to mess it up, too bad they didnt.

I watch so much sceth comedy and study it.

1) UCB
They are perfect. Funny, smart, and can tie anything together using the Harold strategies they have mastered. Perfect intelligent game work. I can not wait for other seasons to come out on DVD.

2) Python
These guys broke ground. Their concepts are still mimicked. They set the bar UCB broke.

3) K.I.T.H.
Great writing and gameplaying. A lot of sketch classes use the Kids as models for teaching.

3) Mr. Show
They missed often, but when they hit, you can feel it. They, like UCB, use theories from long form improv to tie the sketches together.

5) SNL
Don't forget, the show is put together in just a few days, with a cast that is always changing. No other sketch group does that. They usually start off as friends who put a show together. SNL has ups and down, but these guys and girls are our top comedians. The writers however, need a lot of work the last couple of years.

Now, The State were very funny, as is Stella. They love the low brow childish humor and they have mastered it. I feel they do not compare to the groups that can do both. They also have great lines.

I also like Hollow Men for similar reasons. I think we can all agree that MadTV is sad (but I like Stewert) and Blue Collar TV is depressing.

This is fun to talk about though huh?

[deleted]

mr. show is brilliant but it has a few key advantages that make it unfair to compare it to the state:

1. more seasoned comedians. the state members were kids right out of NYU when they started up. as it is, david cross is 6 years older than most state members and he's doing his thing 10 years after they did their's.
2. HBO versus Mtv. a good chunk of mr. show's lol success is its sardonic vulgarity, something censors wouldn't allow on regular cable. mr. show's absurdism is of the more biting farcical type, suited to HBO. the state relied more on stoner deconstructionist humor. that is just about all you could get away with on Mtv.
3. the state came first. it was a pioneer, born out of the KITH bloodline. good comedy is like technology, it advances based on the sucesses and failures of earlier models. mr. show has a good decade of hind sight to fine tune its comedic sense.

Personal taste, I think The State is funnier. I quote their skits all the time. Despite having cheap and busybody mtv as their employer, they made me laugh with really weird sketches. "Porcupine racetrack " is an awesome mix of the modern musical. "The Inbred Brothers" and fabric softener commercials...

Mr. Show is great, love Bob Lamonta and other sketches, and hbo gave them complete freedom to say and do anything, but for me The State is overall funnier.

Both are worth watching.