# Shows with emphasis on banter **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 2, 2019, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-emphasis-on-banter/827108 "2019-01-02T19:15:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2019, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-emphasis-on-banter/827108/1 "2019-01-02T19:15:30Z")
We just finished the initial season of the Kominsky Method on Netflix. I found myself enjoying the witty banter (usually in the form of putdowns) that ensued between Alan Arkin’s character and Michael Douglas’ and frequently other characters. It caused me to reflect on other shows where a banter style dialogue figured prominently. One that comes immediately to mind was West Wing. I particularly liked how the camera would sometimes seamlessly transition between banter between two characters walking down the hall and segue immediately into banter occurring between two other characters as they pass by. Aaron Sorkin’s screenplays seemed to have done this best. But what other shows have famously featured great banter? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2019, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-emphasis-on-banter/827108/2 "2019-01-02T19:17:28Z")
Gilmore Girls Bunheads Pretty much anything by Amy Sherman-Palladino ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2019, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-emphasis-on-banter/827108/3 "2019-01-02T19:21:51Z")
I submit: Pushing Daisies The Good Place ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2019, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-emphasis-on-banter/827108/4 "2019-01-02T19:33:13Z")
I you’re open to the idea of following an audio podcast, I suggest you check out [Black Jack Justice](https://decoderringtheatre.com/shows/black-jack-justice/). It’s a modern take on the classic film noir private detective featuring our square-jawed hero and his long suffering partner, Trixie Dixon - Girl Detective. Some of the shows are written as relatively straight drama ([The Albatross](http://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/6/2/d/62def1c2f5754cc8/Black_Jack_Justice_40_-_The_Albatross.mp3?c_id=2962569&cs_id=2962569&expiration=1546459951&hwt=bbfd08b43dd62be5dc4c1961f39daf25)), most have at least some element of parody and a few are downright silly ([Man’s Best Friend](http://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/5/0/4/5041fb1332e4ca08/Black_Jack_Justice_41_-_Mans_Best_Friend.mp3?c_id=2985968&cs_id=2985968&expiration=1546459573&hwt=4c358fafbdceef11247cc01608070fab)). I enjoy the show. Do with that what you will. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2019, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-emphasis-on-banter/827108/5 "2019-01-02T19:40:02Z")
Seinfeld is basically a show about banter. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2019, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-emphasis-on-banter/827108/6 "2019-01-02T19:47:13Z")
Hijack warning (and apology): What’s the difference between this newfangled banter thing and old fashioned cracking wise? I mean, would banter encompass: _You know how to whistle, don’t you Steve? You just put your lips together and blow_. If that counts, there's an awful lot of Noir that qualifies. As I said, apologies for this diversion. j ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2019, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-emphasis-on-banter/827108/7 "2019-01-02T20:43:02Z")
_[Vicious](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2582590/)_ ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2019, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-emphasis-on-banter/827108/8 "2019-01-02T20:52:16Z")
Thick of It Peep Show Kath & Kim [Australian original show only, not the shite US remake] Also Seinfeld - the best bits for me were always little carefully-sculpted bits of dialogue between characters. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2019, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-emphasis-on-banter/827108/9 "2019-01-02T21:18:11Z")
Red Dwarf and Blackadder would probably suit you. Many of the US sitcoms would also seem to fit. Especially the ethnically themed ones. Heck, even the old 70s era Fat Albert cartoon series. . ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2019, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-emphasis-on-banter/827108/10 "2019-01-02T21:32:51Z")
Dr. Bashir and Garak on DS9. (Also Kira and Dax to a lesser degree) ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2019, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-emphasis-on-banter/827108/11 "2019-01-02T21:37:37Z")
M_A_S\*H I would define banter as lots of witty back-and-forth, not just an occasional _bon mot_. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2019, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-emphasis-on-banter/827108/12 "2019-01-02T22:12:01Z")
Arrested Development…and the further into the series you get, the further back the banter references go. By the 3rd season, pretty much the entire show is one inside joke after another. ---
**Author:** ![HyacinthBucket](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hyacinthbucket/32/3063_2.png) [@HyacinthBucket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HyacinthBucket)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2019, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-emphasis-on-banter/827108/13 "2019-01-04T05:22:22Z")
**Frasier** Niles and Roz were both masters (master and mistress?) of the art. The rest of the regular cast weren’t bad either. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2019, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-emphasis-on-banter/827108/14 "2019-01-04T05:39:07Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Arrested Development…and the further into the series you get, the further back the banter references go. By the 3rd season, pretty much the entire show is one inside joke after another. Seriously. Just watched the third season ep with references to live shows, and 3-d and “The important thing is we kept our dignity” ---
**Author:** ![Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8baadc/32.png) [@Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nicest_of_the_Damned)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2019, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-emphasis-on-banter/827108/15 "2019-01-04T05:46:05Z")
Moonlighting with Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis. > **[Moonlighting (TV series)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonlighting_(TV_series))** > > Moonlighting is an American comedy drama television series that aired on ABC from March 3, 1985, to May 14, 1989. The network aired a total of 67 episodes. Starring Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis as private detectives, and Allyce Beasley as their quirky receptionist, the show was a mixture of drama, comedy, mystery, and romance, and was considered to be one of the first successful and influential examples of comedy drama, or "dramedy", emerging as a distinct television genre. > The show's t The s... ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2019, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-emphasis-on-banter/827108/16 "2019-01-04T06:47:24Z")
> [@HyacinthBucket](#): > > **Frasier** > > Niles and Roz were both masters (master and mistress?) of the art. The rest of the regular cast weren’t bad either. 😃 > [@Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](#): > > Moonlighting with Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis. > > [Moonlighting (TV series) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonlighting_(TV_series)) Two excellent nominees! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2019, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-emphasis-on-banter/827108/17 "2019-01-04T06:50:34Z")
_Friends_, at least to some extent. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2019, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-emphasis-on-banter/827108/18 "2019-01-04T08:02:35Z")
VEEP over on H.B.O. was a good example. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2019, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-emphasis-on-banter/827108/19 "2019-01-04T14:47:12Z")
The Big bang Theory. Over half of every show is talk, talk, talk. Real life nerds. The banter between Finch and Munch in Law & Order SVU is priceless. And House. Lots of House. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2019, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-emphasis-on-banter/827108/20 "2019-01-04T16:09:01Z")
Happy Endings and Cougar Town. Both ensemble shows with great casts, not as good as Seinfeld but they evoke a Seinfeld group dynamic feeling from me. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-with-emphasis-on-banter/827108.md?page=2)