Help out a Yank: Starving for more Britcoms - Coupling (2001) Discussion

[–] WaAnNiTe 16 years ago

Same here! Not American, though. But German TV is utter crap ;-)

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you could try:

- The office
- Blackadder
- Little Brittain
- The Royle Family
- Spaced
- extra's (new show with Ricky Gervais, main character from the office, also has some nice sketches on youtube)

these are the ones I really enjoy, and I'm a big coupling fan aswell, combined with monty python. Hopefully you'll like one of these aswell, otherwise it's out of my hands :)

"it's bouncing around the web like a beachball at a nickleback-concert"

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[–] ManlyStump 16 years ago

Yeah, I'd recommend Blackadder, and maybe I'm Alan Partridge. It's hard to suggest shows similar to Coupling because it has a very unusual style for britcoms.

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[–] Kunimitsu 16 years ago

Absolutely Fabulous is a must watch!

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[–] RockOtter 15 years ago

i'm not actually british...i'm american too. but i see that no one has mentioned The Young Ones. you MUST see it.

i also quite enjoy A Bit of Fry and Laurie (that's more of a sketch comedy series, rather than a sitcom....still funny, though!)

"I need my 1987 DG20 Casio Electric guitar set to...mandolin."

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[–] Snoopety 15 years ago

I'm a HUGE fan of Britcoms, although not British either (I'm Australian). I would recommend the following:

Only Fools & Horses - the first few eps I didn't think much of it, but I absolutely fell in love with it and now it is hands down my favourite EVER!

Blackadder - again, first season isn't great, but the other three and the specials are hillarious.

Vicar of Dibley - fantastic from the moment it begins!

Thin Blue Line - Rowan Atkinson at his second best (Blackadder definitely his best)

------------------------------
Jo

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[–] ladynexus 15 years ago

Britcoms within the last 10 years

My Family
Mighty Boosh*
Green Wing
After You've Gone
Absolutely Fabulous
Gavin and Stacey*
Grown Ups

A good friend tells me on many an occasion to be good play nice and dont bite.

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[–] Steve Crook 15 years ago

ladynexus, why the asterisks for the Mighty Boosh and for Gavin & Stacey?

I'd agree with any and all of the above suggestions, except maybe for My Family. It's been dragging on for so long now, it ceased to show any sign of humour ages ago. I think the worst thing about it is that the leads are capable of so much more than this. I think they're only doing it as a pension or to set up a retirement fund

Steve

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[–] ladynexus 15 years ago

Sorry, just realise that I'd put the asterrisks but forgotten to say what they were for. The asterisks are by the Britcoms that I am a big fan of.

I totally agree with with My Family. It was good at the beginning but now it has lost its spark. To some extent, Coupling suffered the same problem. One character was championed by viewers (Jeff in Coupling and Nick from My Family), creating a problem when the characters left the show. However, with Coupling, it changed course, leading to a satisfacturory conclusion whears My Family is still stuck at that point. IMO the only way for My Family to improve is for the actors to jump ship.

A good friend tells me on many an occasion to be good play nice and dont bite.

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[–] belovedDamozel 15 years ago

Definitely Gavin and Stacey! I love that one! :]

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[–] Dr_Rheinhardt_Flaps_III 15 years ago

Also check out "Black Books" - lesser known, but the actors and the characters they play are brilliant. It's hard to explain, but to sum up it has a bitter Irish sociopath, a clueless but lovable hippie, and a crazily erratic woman. Search for it. NOW!

"I am the snake of truth and I will not be silenced!"

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[–] YoSafBridge 15 years ago

Spaced, Spaced and more Spaced!

I love it, you'll love it, everyone loves it! Spaced is just about the funniest thing I've ever seen and therefore you should check it out.

BTW: I'm an American as well...our comedies just aren't as funny...well, 'cept for How I Met Your Mother, that ones pretty good, and Scrubs.

The world is a mess and I just...need to rule it.

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[–] RockOtter 15 years ago

i have been completely foiled in my quest for spaced. it only recently came out on region 1 DVDs (and i had been looking for it even before i knew it wasn't available yet). i was so depressed when i realized that it wasn't available on region 1, but then extremely happy when it was released. so i appealled to my public library, to see if they would buy it but i got a letter saying "sorry, we're not going to buy this series". so i checked my two other alternative libraries and neither of them have it! so i checked on half.com and amazon to find it used for a good price, but the cheapest is like $35. and even though i'm sure i will love it when i eventually get my hands on it, i don't really like buying things before i've watched them (exceptions: High Fidelity and Death at a Funeral [to date]). so pretty much i've had to watch it on youtube, but i hate watching it on such a small screen. it just doesn't do it (or anything for that matter) justice.

anyway, uh... sorry for the rant...

"I need my 1987 DG20 Casio Electric guitar set to...mandolin."

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[–] YoSafBridge 15 years ago

How about you watch the Pilot on YouTube and if you like it buy the rest of the series?

If you liked Death at a Funeral (which funnily enough was my first ever blind buy as well) you'll like Spaced (well, actually, if you like movies in general you'll probably enjoy Spaced)

The world is a mess and I just...need to rule it.

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[–] RockOtter 15 years ago

I've watched the first five or so episodes on YouTube...

i think that once i get my next paycheck, i'm going to buy it.

funny about Death at a Funeral...did you like it?

"I need my 1987 DG20 Casio Electric guitar set to...mandolin."

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[–] Steve Crook 15 years ago

Check the prices of "region free" DVD players. DVD region controls are of dubious legality anyway. They are just there as a barrier to free trade which goes against many international conventions.

Most DVD players in PCs are able to play DVDs from any region. It's up to the software in the player whether it respects them or not, and the Micro$oft Media Player is one of the few that does. Try another player like the VLC media player even if the Micro$oft player has said that it's locked things to just one region.

Many other DVD players will also let you play DVDs from any region, but gthey don't always advertise the fact. Google for the make and model of your player along with a phrase like "region free" and you'll often find that you can let it play DVDs from other regions

Steve

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[–] kizzy1 15 years ago

A must-see is "League of Gentlemen" - tho the later series get a bit TOO dark for me.

"Black Books" is also fantast.

A newish one is "The IT Crowd" which I think had the same writers as Black Books.

A funny kiwi sitcom (but made in the US by HBO) is "Flight of the Conchords".

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[–] lizzo13 15 years ago

I was just going to say The IT Crowd... Hilarious!

Who am I, Roy? I'm a ghost! I'm a shadow! I'm gone! Poof!

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[–] Steve Crook 15 years ago

A newish one is "The IT Crowd" which I think had the same writers as Black Books.

Yes, Graham Linehan. Also a writer of "Father Ted" and "Big Train" amongst others.

BTW to our American friends, make sure you get the original British version of "The IT Crowd", not its poor American remake

Steve

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[–] RockOtter 15 years ago

speaking of Father Ted and horrible American remakes, have you heard that they're re-making Father Ted? and John Michael Higgins is to play Ted.

"I need my 1987 DG20 Casio Electric guitar set to...mandolin."

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[–] Steve Crook 15 years ago

I hadn't heard that, and I wish I hadn't.

They (film and TV people) really do seem starved of new ideas. But I think a lot of it is the way that producers and commissioners are afraid to take risks. It's the accountants that are in charge. They see that something was popular in the past and they know that if they get it made again, no matter ho badly, if they throw enough advertising hype at it then it'll do well enough to make a profit. And the tragedy is that it usually does make a profit, so they keep on doing it

Steve

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[–] kizzy1 15 years ago

BTW to our American friends, make sure you get the original British version of "The IT Crowd", not its poor American remake

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Oh God - they remade that too??

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[–] Juggler_of_Geese 15 years ago

The British version is only available for download if you have a UK domain. I tried on several times and couldn't.

Edit: I stand corrected, I found it on tvshack.net

Kaylee, get the kid having a dirt nap with jesus. We're gonna need a hood ornament.

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[–] Ronet 15 years ago

My favs (including Coupling):

The Vicar of Dibley
Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister
My Family
Extras
How Not To Live Your Life
Black Books
The IT Crowd
The Inbetweeners

hm.. that's from the top of my head.

_______________________________
"Drop the coffee!" - Jack Bauer

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[–] done_holding_back 15 years ago

The Office (UK). Incredibly funny. If you watch it and enjoy it, watch Extras next. Both Ricky Gervais creations of a similar format: two seasons + a special finale. Both very funny but very different so it's definitely worth watching them both :)

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[–] melissa2701 15 years ago

I would suggest you give Green Wing another go ;-) I thought it was too weird when I saw it the first time, but it is brilliant once you get "to know" the characters.

My other favourites include:

Blackadder (only bits of the first series though)
Black Books
Flight of the conchords (not proper British but in same vein)
Peep Show (deliciously dark and extremely funny)
Young Ones
Bottom
Vicar of Dibley
Worst week of my life
Red Dwarf
Max and Paddy's road to nowhere ("How dare you?")

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[–] Steve Crook 15 years ago

Especially as Green Wing and The Worst Week of My Life both feature the gorgeous Sarah Alexander (Susan in Coupling)

Make sure you get the British version of The Worst Week of My Life, not the short lived American remake

Steve

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[–] Mexiward 15 years ago

In no order:

Black Books
Spaced
Bottom
Red Dwarf
Only Fools and Horses (maybe some of the dialogue will be a bit slangy for you)
Knowing Me, Knowing you and anything Alan Partridge
Father Ted
The Young Ones
Yes, Minister. Yes, Prime Minister (absolute classics)
The New Statesman

That should keep you going for a while

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[–] olliereed 15 years ago

Check out Nighty Night, weird and wonderful.

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[–] 15 years ago

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