I dont think there’s anything funnier on TV than New Rules by Bill Maher.
Lewis Black on the Daly show. Then Stewart.
I’ll cast my vote for Craig Ferguson.
I don’t think Black writes his own Daily Show bits anymore. And his delivery is still funny, but its the same schtick he’s been doing since Kilborne was the host.
Charlie Brooker. I have followed him for years at the Guardian and his TV work is as funny as his writing.
I was sure someone would mention Louis C.K. by now.
He was who popped into my head right off the bat, but to be honest I think I’ve laughed more at the clips of his comedy routines on YouTube than at what I’ve actually seen him do on TV.
Jon Stewart
Wanda Sykes
Karl Pilkington.
Damn, Musky. You beat me to it.
Ninja’d by Musky too.
Really? The clips are more a jumping off point for Tosh’s own jokes than anything else. Dude is really funny and pretty quick.
Alec Baldwin and Jon Stewart.
Still Tim Conway, who guests on Hot In Cleveland.
Lots of good choices here, but I have to go with Colbert after thinking about it. Stewart is funny, but also has pretty limited range – The Daily Show always gets awkward when he tries to break out of his straight-man role. Colbert, on the other hand, can be mock-serious, mock-sad and mock-angry as good as anyone, and I’m always struck when watching him by how he’s clearly having the time of his life every time he’s out there. Plus, he’s got a knack for absurdist and toilet humor that’s often missing on The Daily Show.
Donald Glover and Joel McHale are runners-up here. I know they both do stand-up, but I’ve never seen or heard their material. Still, Community and The Soup are must-watch-TV in our house. Glover’s also a fairly creative rapper!
I’ve seen Glover’s special and it’s pretty good. He’s new at stand-up (his background is sketch and writing) and you can tell he’s still finding his way as far as transitions. He had some really good stuff though.
Has anyone here seen Glover’s movie with Derrick Comedy “Mystery Team”? We watched is a couple of weeks ago and it’s funny as hell.
Colbert, Ferguson, McHale, and Glover.
If I have to choose one, I guess I’ll go with Colbert.
Stewart is way too preachy. That 9/11 responder stuff was cringeworthy. Colbert is closer to the mark, but I feel like he’s already past his prime. His best stuff was when he could do sit down interviews with true believers, in character, and they would go along with him. Then word got around, and now he’s reduced to doing stuff like Tut’s missing penis or the Olympics or the NASA thing. Just not the same. He’s getting pretty preachy nowadays too.
Tosh.
Funniest writer or funniest performer? Most of the people mentioned in this thread are supported by a team of writers, and I think that muddies the waters in terms of discerning joke-writing ability. In terms of ability to execute a comedic script, I’m gonna say Donald Glover hands-down. He absolutely nails every line on Community.
I know there’s a lot of hate for Daniel Tosh on this board, but dammit, I watch his show all the time and it’s always funny. His stand up is really funny too.