Funniest TV shows and films that you know.

Just located it. It could be posted tomorrow, if you like. You'll have to send me you address again, though ... (& don't worry about a refund.)

Two television series that I consider to be comic masterpieces:

"Arrested Development": each episode is a gem, but you get an entirely different level of comedy by watching the entire series all the way through. Some of the jokes are slowly marinated, making an appearance in one episode only to have the payoff three or four episodes later. Watching it is a constant delight.

"The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin": This just became available on DVD in the US (don't know about Oz). It's about a man who, dissatisfied with his life, fakes his suicide, and then, under a new identity, ends up reassuming nearly every aspect of his old life. Many of the situations are the same, so it's a show of subtle nuances and small changes -- sorta' like if Philip Glass wrote a sitcom. Somewhat like "Arrested Development," the jokes gradually accumulate, like a snowball rolling downhill, so that they become funnier as the series progresses.

It's actually a "100 funniest movies" url, not Mel Brooks specifically.

It sounds like you've never seen "The Princess Bride"? It's more Catskills than you might think, between Mandy Patinkin and Wallace Shawn and Billy Crystal.

Sooo many great lines . . .

check out laurie as bertie wooster in jeeves and wooster, stephen fry also from blackadder plays his gentleman's gentleman jeeves

loved shaun of the dead, also hot fuzz by the same guys

Yes, I've seen some of that series.
They're a great pair.

Those would be on my list also.

Here's a couple more:
Dr. Strangelove (can't believe nobody mentioned it yet)
Hot Fuzz

"The Office" and "Office Space" are different animals. Both make fun of office envirnonments, of course.

I keep coming up with kid stuff -- reflects my viewing habits in the last 8 years I guess. But "Spongebob" is on now and reminds me that the early stuff -- and only the early stuff, the later stuff sucks -- is genuinely funny.

Well, i tried to see if anyone had mentioned these, but i'm not gonna read for pages. I found What's Up Doc? and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World to be laugh myself sick funny.

What's Up Doc? at the Internet Movie Data Base

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World at IMDB.

These first two are classic Hollywood comedies, with plenty of slapstick and sigh gags.

There's also a cute little John Candy film, Canadian Bacon, which makes flings at Americans and Canadians. Canadian Bacon at IMDB. The movie was directed by Michael Moore, no less.

"Inconceivable!"

"You keep using that word. I do not think that it means what you think it means."

Donald Sutherland and Gene Wilder in "Start the Revolution Without Me" were hilarious. The movie is a spoof of costume dramas and came out in 1970 (nine years before "Airplane" started a trend of movie genre spoofs).

I hate it when someone touches my igneous rocks . . .

Noises Off! was hysterically funny in the theater. Couldn't hear parts of the movie from everyone laughing so much.

It's available on Netflix's "Watch Instantly" or via DVD.

I liked that show as well - however, I've found that the show has gone down hill and I don't watch it too much - it is almost a repeat of all the same jokes with little twists to them and it gets old with Charlie's antics and the brother being such a geek - then they've tried to go overboard to get the laughs and it just doesn't work any more.

The only slapstick type comedy I laughed my a$$ off was Something about Mary. I don't typically go for that sort of comedy, but it was just clever enough to get me.

You have some good ones -

The gods must be crazy is definately one of those understated types. Loved sideways but that was also a bit of a different comedy too.

Groundhog day annoyed me for some reason.

Life of Brian
Show of Shows with Sid Caesar et al.

I'm still laughing at reruns of "Frasier."

David Hyde Pierce cracks me up.

drewdad, I agree that Noises Off in the theater was hilarious. Didn't see the film, so I don't know how it translated to a different genre.

linkat, Groundhog Day kinda annoyed me too.

Caught It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World again on late-night TV. It makes me laugh every time.