# Smart Comedies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [September 26, 2022, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-comedies/972239 "2022-09-26T05:30:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-comedies/972239/42 "2022-09-26T19:53:50Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > Alcoholic starting a new life in a new city. I distinctly remember John attending AA meetings at a bar. And David Crosby played his sponsor. As I recall, the show is very much in the same vein as “Night Court”. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-comedies/972239/43 "2022-09-26T19:54:21Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > **30 Rock** was wonderfully smart. Tracy and Jenna may qualify for some as stupid, but they were basically narcissistic and narrow, focused about their own wants and needs. This is an interesting one to compare to the OP. It’s a house full of aliens who don’t (necessarily) understand our society. They are all smart characters that do dumb things. As an anti- OP, I give you Married, With Children. They are all dumb, egotistical; not a redeeming quality in the cast. I absolutely hated that show. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-comedies/972239/44 "2022-09-26T19:58:41Z")
No love for **Soap**? Granted, it was a mix of smart and stupid, but I thought it blended all that together nicely to be smart overall. Chuck and Bob, the Major, Benson watching them all with his condescending snark, and Jessica looking at her boyfriend El Puerco and sighing “oh, El”. Invisible Burt! Damn, I need to go back and rewatch that whole thing. Doubtless a lot of the schtick about Jody being gay will seem dated and lame and offensive, but it was pretty groundbreaking for that time. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-comedies/972239/45 "2022-09-26T20:01:18Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > > > **30 Rock** was wonderfully smart. Tracy and Jenna may qualify for some as stupid, but they were basically narcissistic and narrow, focused about their own wants and needs. > > This is an interesting one to compare to the OP. It’s a house full of aliens who don’t (necessarily) understand our society. They are all smart characters that do dumb things. Are you perhaps confusing 30 Rock with Third Rock from the Sun? ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-comedies/972239/46 "2022-09-26T20:01:21Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > > > **30 Rock** was wonderfully smart. Tracy and Jenna may qualify for some as stupid, but they were basically narcissistic and narrow, focused about their own wants and needs. > > This is an interesting one to compare to the OP. It’s a house full of aliens who don’t (necessarily) understand our society. They are all smart characters that do dumb things. ninja’d! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-comedies/972239/47 "2022-09-26T20:02:36Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > **Murphy Brown** … except for the **Murphy Brown** reboot, which had dumb written all over it with a permanent marker. Right! I don’t know why but mentioning Murphy reminded me of “Just Shoot Me!” But that might have too many misunderstandings for the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-comedies/972239/48 "2022-09-26T20:02:41Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > As an anti- OP, I give you Married, With Children. They are all dumb, egotistical; not a redeeming quality in the cast. I absolutely hated that show. My anti-OP example would be **It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia** , though the writing on that show can be surprisingly smart. ---
**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:** [September 26, 2022, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-comedies/972239/49 "2022-09-26T20:03:24Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > No love for **Soap**? Granted, it was a mix of smart and stupid, but I thought it blended all that together nicely to be smart overall. Chuck and Bob, the Major, Benson watching them all with his condescending snark, and Jessica looking at her boyfriend El Puerco and sighing “oh, El”. Invisible Burt! A couple of years ago, I found (and bought) the complete series on DVD, from Amazon, at a great price (I think they were clearing it out). I’ve been meaning to start watching it, and just haven’t yet. I agree, some of it probably doesn’t hold up well anymore, but I always thought that it was very smartly-written. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-comedies/972239/50 "2022-09-26T20:06:23Z")
@kenobi_65 I went so far as to videotape every episode when Comedy Central (maybe it was Ha! back then) ran a marathon. I’ve still got 'em somewhere. Now I just need a VCR that works! ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-comedies/972239/51 "2022-09-26T20:09:45Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Doubtless a lot of the schtick about Jody being gay will seem dated and lame and offensive, but it was pretty groundbreaking for that time. You hit the nail on the head. Remember the good ol’ days? Remember when that show was on and people were picketing because THERE WAS A HOMOSEXUAL CHARACTER? AND THEY TREATED HIM LIKE A PERSON? And the rest of us were going “Yeah, he’s a human. He’s one of the saner characters in the show!” Re-watched the entire series within the last couple of years (METV showed the episodes, so I recorded. Can’t find them streaming anywhere). What was the first storyline with Jody? He was in a dress so he could get a sex change operation so he could be with his professional QB boyfriend openly. Um, “gay” \<\> “transgender”. My son (29 at the time) was talking about the blatant sexism and homophobia shown in the show, and I still don’t think he appreciates my response of “for the time, this was groundbreaking!” Think about it - later on, the courts agreed that a woman who abandoned her child, had no means of support, spent the first couple of years of the child’s life wandering the country, would be a better parent than a homosexual with a high-paying regular job. Chuck and Bob were great. I still use one of The Major’s lines: “I’m as sane as can be, knock on wood.” (character knocks on wood himself) “Come in!” ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-comedies/972239/52 "2022-09-26T20:11:01Z")
Depending on your definition of “smart” - **Corner Gas** - Hank was lazy, not stupid. Oscar was just old. **Little Mosque on the Prairie** - Another Saskatchewan sitcom nobody in this country has ever heard of. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-comedies/972239/53 "2022-09-26T20:11:56Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Are you perhaps confusing 30 Rock with Third Rock from the Sun? D’oh! (grumble, grumble, DuMas!) Sorry 'bout that. You’re right. My statements still fit for 3rd Rock. Hell, 30 Rock is all the entertainment business - what the heck do they know about actual American society? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-comedies/972239/54 "2022-09-26T20:24:42Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > The Larry Sanders Show Quite possibly the best comedy series ever written and cast. The humor was fresh and genuinely funny in a mature way, and the characters (who were written from life) were very real. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-comedies/972239/55 "2022-09-26T20:40:00Z")
From Great Britain, _Next of Kin_ with Penelope Keith. The grandparents/godparents find they must take over care for their grandchildren. An acerbic antidote to all of the “cute kids” series. _To the Manor Born_ also with Penelope Keith. A look into the British class system turned upside down - or at least sideways. And on this side of the Atlantic: _Perfect Strangers_ with Mark Linn-Baker and Bronson Pinchot. More common than smart, but well worth it if you can find the episodes where they parody other series or actors (_The Honeymooners_, Laurel & Hardy…) ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-comedies/972239/56 "2022-09-26T20:51:56Z")
I’m watching Soap now for the first time (on Roku, I think?) and I’m really surprised at how it holds up for a show of its era. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-comedies/972239/57 "2022-09-26T21:00:09Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > Remember the good ol’ days? Remember when that show was on and people were picketing because THERE WAS A HOMOSEXUAL CHARACTER? AND THEY TREATED HIM LIKE A PERSON? And the rest of us were going “Yeah, he’s a human. He’s one of the saner characters in the show!” I caught this Matt Baume youtube video about Soap a few months ago. It’s worth a watch. Actually a lot of his videos are worth watching. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/juZthbF1Rw8/maxresdefault.jpg "Soap vs Censors: The Fight Over TV's Most Controversial Sitcom") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juZthbF1Rw8) ---
**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:** [September 26, 2022, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-comedies/972239/58 "2022-09-26T21:00:38Z")
A few more from the UK. _Staged_ was a lockdown sitcom, made when making TV was …difficult. It’s all done by Zoom. David Tennant and Michael Sheen - what’s not to like? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/EpdCVAmt5C8/maxresdefault.jpg "Judi Dench puts David Tennant and Michael Sheen in their place | Staged - BBC") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpdCVAmt5C8) There isn’t much of it, though. The Thick Of It is about the British Political Establishment - so may not be what you’re looking for. But written by Armando Iannucci, so smart comedy guaranteed. With a spectacularly foul-mouthed Peter Capaldi at it’s core. Lastly, the Brian Pern - uh - things. A Mockumentary following ageing prog rocker Brian Pern (strangely similar to Peter Gabriel…) with Michael Kitchen as his hideous manager John Farrow. Beloved of musicians - you couldn’t keep (the real) Gabriel out of it (he loved it); and you can amuse yourself by playing spot the musician in later episodes. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/t-j7iOAUABU/maxresdefault.jpg "Brian Pern Highlights") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-j7iOAUABU) Again, there isn’t much of it. j ---
**Author:** ![Powers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Powers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-comedies/972239/59 "2022-09-26T21:10:11Z")
- _M\*A\*S\*H_? - _A Different World_? - _Black-ish_? - _Speechless_ Powers &8^] ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-comedies/972239/60 "2022-09-26T21:18:33Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > No love for **Soap**? **Soap** was absolutely wonderful…until the end of Season Two, when Burt was abducted by aliens and replaced by an alien double in Season Three. It went rapidly downhill in Seasons 3 and 4. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-comedies/972239/61 "2022-09-26T21:23:06Z")
A few that I don’t think have been mentioned. - _Kim’s Convenience_ available on Netflix. A 22-30 minute show that is a modern style sitcom, not a traditional 4-camera live audience style. - _The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel_ on Amazon. A 50-60 minute show, so probably not a sitcom, but lots of comedy. From some of the same people who did _Gilmour Girls_, so a similar type of banter style dialogue. - _Ghosts_ on CBS or Paramount+. Not a 4-camera live audience sitcom, but the writing is more of a traditional sitcom style. The first episode is pretty weak, but after that it is much better than I expected. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-comedies/972239.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-comedies/972239.md?page=4)