We’re all a little wary of the American sense of humour (yes, that’s humour with a ‘u’) this side of the water. It’s just a bit…well, obvious (see my previous humour joke). Sometimes it’s painfully forced or exaggerated. The most mundane, unappealing characters are played by former beauty queens. Characters played by Charlie Sheen are irresistible to women. There are breaks between episodes within a series for months on end with no explanation. Imagine if Doctor Who had a six month gap between episodes of the same series… oh wait.
Nevertheless, here are five examples of American sitcoms that are probably worth a watch if you find yourself endlessly channel flicking.
5. The Big Bang Theory
I’m just going to come out with this one first because you’re probably sick of hearing about it by now. The endless repeats have admittedly kind of killed it. The Big Bang Theory follows the hilarious exploits of four super smart, super geeky physicists and their ordinary next-door neighbor. It’s a teeny bit like the IT crowd but American. It certainly has its fair share of amusing moments, usually courtesy of Jim Parsons as Sheldon – and perhaps the show’s greatest achievement is getting these four rather quite odd characters to appeal to a mainstream audience.
Oh, and the show is just returning to its run of Series 7 on E4 tomorrow (the American run decided to take a break halfway through, leaving confused British viewers wondering if they had watched the least spectacular season finale ever). Series 7 airs on E4 on Thursdays from 6pm.
4. Girls
It’s got Lena Dunham in it, as my flatmate says, therefore you should be watching it. A more logical argument would be it’s a pretty good show. The series follows aspiring writer Hannah, played by Dunham, after she is financially cut off by her parents two years after graduating. How horrific, you’re saying, whilst rolling your eyes. It does get better. Stranded in the big bad city with no money coming in from mummy and daddy, Hannah must navigate her twenties in the city with her friends. Have you ever been in your twenties? It means for a whole lot of hilarious mistakes.
Girls in that stage of their life will love it. Girls who can remember and look fondly upon that stage of their life will love it. Blokes might be a little bored, but they should watch it anyway because the show’s been applauded for representing a realistic portrayal of young women and who doesn’t want to see that?
Girls Series 3 currently airs on Sky Atlantic on Mondays from 10pm.
3. Mike and Molly
I was sceptical at first too – honest! But this is pretty good, especially for the talents of Bridesmaids’ Melissa McCarthy. Billy Gardell’s not half bad either. It follows a couple called – you guessed it – Mike and Molly, who meet at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting. No, the plots aren’t all about food. Mike is a policeman and Molly is an aspiring writer (and a few things in between). The show has a pretty strong cast that knows how to deliver comedy moments. It’s without a doubt one of the funnier American imports that Comedy Central has brought us here in the UK (some of which have me scraping my eyes out in boredom, I’m looking at you The Middle).
Series 4 of Mike and Molly airs on Comedy Central on Fridays at 7pm (and, if you fancy a repeat, just about any time Friends isn’t on).
2. Community
Should the exploits of students at a local community college be quite this funny? I’m not sure. The series begins when lawyer Jeff Winger (played by Joe McHale) is kicked out of his law firm for not actually having a law degree. Sounds like they’re pretty lenient with their initial background checks over in the States. He enrolls in the local community college in an attempt to get the qualifications nobody cared about when he was offered the job. He gets there – and meets a wonderful assortment of bonkers students, and really this is a show that the cast absolutely makes.
Community’s got a bit of a cult following , largely because it makes references to pop culture all over the place – so if you’re up to date on your pop culture awareness this is a nice one to sit in on.
Series 5 begins from the 10th April on Sony Entertainment Television at 10pm (in the meantime, it’s repeated fairly regularly on Sony Entertainment Television).
1. Modern Family
Underappreciated on this side of the water (likely because of its availability only on a subscription channel) Modern Family is probably THE American sitcom of the last five years. The show features a mockumentary format, which – although funny – is something that takes a while to warm up to. It follows the daily lives of very extended modern family of the Pritchet-Delgado, Pritchet-Tucker and Dunphy households. The acting and writing is pretty top notch. If you don’t believe me, ask someone who works for the Emmys (or any other awards show Stateside). They’ll probably rename the Emmy comedy awards to the ‘Modern Family’ awards sometime soon. I’m not sure if the academy watches anything else.
Series 5 of Modern Family is currently airing on Mondays on Sky1 from 8pm.