2006: An Average Year?

This morning I was trying to think of comedy highlights of 2006, and I really couldn't think of any. It seems to have been a spectacularly mediocre year, with no shows really grabbing me by the throat. Extras made me laugh a lot, but in future years we'll look back on it as the point Ricky Gervais started to lose it. Mitchell and Webb's sketch show was hit and miss, and nowhere near as good as the radio version. Saxondale disapointed. Jam and Jerusalem proved once and for all that French and Saunders are a busted flush. Man To Man With Dean Lerner was pedestrian. And even the normally strong American shows seemed conspicuous by their absence...

Can anybody think of any real standout shows or was it all very ho-hum?

A below average year for British comedy. Extras had some funny moments and I liked Saxondale and Lead Balloon but that's about it. There have also been a lot of unspeakably bad shows - e.g. Dogtown, Tittybangbang, Star Stories, Blunder and Jam and Jerusalem.

IMHO, the best shows have come from the States - The Office, Arrested Development, Scrubs and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Nothing that we've produced comes close to any of those.

A poor year for British Comedy...Extras was lackluster, pointless celebrity cameos, not using Maggie in the storylines apart when she makes ridiculously stupid mistakes and it's trying to follow the Seinfeld storyline. The Charlotte Church Show, Friday Night Project, Whatever, Man To Man With Dean Learner and The Catherine Tate Show are a prime example of how awful comedy is in the current Great Britian. Lead Balloon had its moments but it was ripping off Curb so much that watching it at times became unbearable...same with Anually Retentive which ripped off Larry Sanders Show. Tittybangbang, Star Stories, Blunder, Jam & Jerusalem again more prime examples of how bad British Comedy has become.

Highlights of the year mainly came from across the pond with Reno 911! and Trailer Park Boys. Peep Show series 3 (think that was this year) and the repeats of The Thick Of It on BBC2 are the best British Comedy that was on TV this year. The Russell Brand BBC6 Music/Radio 2 Shows have also been very good. Thats all.

I thought there was brilliant comedy this year.
Saxondale, Extras 2, Green Wing 2 and Peep Show 3 were amazing, and Man to Man with Dean Learner was quite good. Also, The IT Crowd was excellent. A lot of great episodes of The Office (U.S.) also played this year. Many of those, especially the first few, rank among my favorite shows. I have nothing to complain about for this year, although I'm sure there was plenty of bad comedy as well.

A mixed bag like every other year I guess.

I've enjoyed Peep Show, Extras, Annually Retentive, The Thick of It, Royle Family, Worst Week of My Life etc.

Lots of good panel shows too with HIGNFY, Buzzcocks, Q.I., 8 Out Of 10 etc.

Also some go0d comedy chat shows.

There have been plenty of bad shows but there always have been and always will be.

I'm already losing track of what was this year. If Peep Show and The Thick of It were on, then they were two of the gems. Mitchell and Webb was very funny too.

Extras was funny but not as good as Series 1. Lead Balloon was funny but not a classic. The IT Crowd was hit and miss as was Saxondale. Dean Leaner was just a miss full stop.

Out of 10, from what I actually saw, I would give this year a 6.

I'm not 100% sure if it was this year but 'My Name is Earl' was brilliant. Saxondale was great too.

And I liked a few others already mentioned.

Certainly, the American comedies I saw were very good. My Name is Earl, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Arrested Development were all top notch.

The It CROWD, PEEP SHOW, EXTRAS, CURB, MY NAME IS EARL, LEAD BALLOON, SAXONDALE, MITCHELL AND WEBB, GREEN WING, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, THE AMERICAN OFFICE; ENJOYED ALL THESE SHOWS TO VARYING DEGREES. Biggest dissapointment would be Time Trumpet, too unfocussed and, at the end of the day, not funny enough.