Five Favourite Television Comedies

I love comedy, but not really on film, although this summer i have woken up to the idea of film comedies this summer as you can see, however i have always loved comedies on television, and comedy is one of the few genres at which network actually excels over cable. Whereas very few of the films i watch are comedies, i would say a majority of the television series' i watch are comedy series. TV has produced some truly iconic comedies, from the highs of Seinfeld and I Love Lucy, in fact cable TV has yet to produce a truly iconic comedy series, and many cable shows fall more into the 'dramedy' category. For this list i am selecting pure comedies only, so more drama oriented shows like Girls or Sex And The City, while great, will not be included here.

•  Absolutely Fabulous

One of my absolute favourite comedy series, this show is delightfully camp,written by Jennifer Saunders and starring Saunders herself and Joana Lumley, the series revolves around Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone, over the hill career women hanging on to youth and trying to stay fresh and trendy, the pair are looked after by Edinas daughter Saffy, who has become bitter and tortured by her mothers antics. The pairs toxic relationship provides much of the comedy for the show, and the way the characters are penned and executed is spot on, the backdrop of the series is specific and hilarious, and even more than twenty years on, the show hasn't aged a day.

• Parks And Recreation

I love Amy Poehler, and this show is a fantastic vehicle for her, Poehler plays Leslie Knope, a mid level government employee working in the parks department of a small town in indiana, the show commenced as a spin off of The Office, but later grew beyond it's spiritual predecessor, and while the show does take it's mise en scene from the mockumentary style of The Office, Parks has grown beyond it with it's use of current issues, and it's charismatic cast, the show also stars Nick Offerman who is superb as Ron Swanson, the shows breakout character, Chris Pratt plays Andy Dwyer, an amiable albeit dim slacker, who is married to Aubrey Plaza's character, April Ludgate, a lazy and possibly psychopathic intern. The show succeeds mainly because it is really really side-splitting, and because the characters and the town of Pawnee in which it is set are all really well defined, and because it's cast are talented and appealing.

• Arrested Development

I have often spoke of my love for this show, in fact about a year ago i named it the greatest TVshow of all time, a statement i still stand by, Arrested Development tells the story of the Bluth family, a group of feisty and eclectic misfits, who previously survived off their fathers money, and who now have to support themselves, all told through the eyes of their brother, Michael. The show was, and still remains a cult classic, the whole affair is kitsch and full of inside gags, only discernible to  longtime fans of the show. The cast of the show is also great, from the overbearing matriarch played by Jessica Walter to the irresponsible patriarch played by Jeffrey Tambour, to the group of children played by Jason Bateman, Portia DeRossi, Will Arnett and Tony Hale, the show was funny, self referential and is now iconic, good work for a sitcom less than a decade old.

• 30 Rock

Another iconic show, built around her experiences as head writer on Saturday Night Live, Tina Fey plays Liz Lemon, writer on a small sketch comedy show, who is confronted with a new boss and a new star. Fey created and wrote the show, which also stars Alec Baldwin and Jane Krakowski, in addition to Fey's SNL alum Tracy Morgan and Jack McBrayer. The show is hysterically funny, and is a loose satire of the network television system, the show not only shows behind the scenes of a sketch comedy show, but also behind the scenes of the running of a network. The show lampoons the network system and the idiocy of a TV channel being owned by an electrical company. Walking a fine line between polite farce and genuine criticism, 30 Rock remains one of the greatest TV shows of the modern era.

• The Vicar of Dibley

Another favourite,  The Vicar of Dibley catapulted it's lead actress, Dawn French to stardom when it launched in 1994. The show stars French as a female vicar who is assigned to a small town in Oxfordshire. The show is a pastiche of life in a small town, making fun of such events as the town council, songs of praise, town fetes and the entire religious institute. The film had a cast of typical buffoons, centered by a surprisingly level headed Gerry Granger, the town reverend. Written and produced by Richard Curtis, the show is now iconic, like many on this list, and although it contains many of the same hi-jinks as the other shows on this list, the whole show has a calmer, quieter feel, much like the village in which it is set.

The Puppy Episode

Back in 1997, Ellen DeGeneres had a sitcom, initially called These Friends of Mine, the series was quickly retitled Ellen. While floundering a little in early seasons, struggling to find a reason to exist, the show garnered ratings success and sparked national debate and controversy during the fourth season upon airing The Puppy Episode, an episode in which DeGeneres' character Ellen Morgan and DeGeneres herself came out of the closet, the title refers to the fact that the producers wanted to air an episode in which Morgan adopts a puppy. The episode was a huge success, drawing 42 million viewers.

The episode, which is a two-parter, revolves around Ellen Morgan, meeting a lesbian woman named Susan, whom she instantly clicks with, not bring honest with herself or her friends about her sexuality, Susan, and her therapist encourage her to open up about her sexuality to herself and to her friends. The episode featured numerous cameos and guest appearances. Laura Dern appears as Susan, a love interest for Ellen, whom Ellen becomes romantically attached to, and who is later revealed to be in a relationship. Oprah Winfrey also starred as Ellen's therapist, and DeGeneres also came out of the closet on The Oprah Winfrey Show, the same day as the airing of the episode. K.D. Lang, Jenny Shimzu, Demi Moore and Melissa Etheridge all have cameo's.

The show was a huge success, becoming Ellen's highest rated show drawing 42 million viewers, the show also spurned numerous cultural phrases and puns, in the episode, when Ellen accuses Susan of trying to recruite her, to which Susan replies, 'one more and i would have got the toaster oven', since the airing of the episode, coming out has often been ironically referred to as 'getting the toaster oven'. The episode also makes light fun of people who refer to an organised gay movement or a gay mafia, at the end of the episode, Susan takes Ellen to see Melissa Etheridge, who after filling out the necessary paperwork, congratulates Ellen on being gay and hands Susan a toaster oven.

The episode led to the show getting renewed for a second season, and has been referred to as one of the most significant LGBT television moments, and one of the first high profile coming-outs. Although the episode managed to give the show focus, however not in the direction that ABC wanted, the show became highly gay-centric, and whole episodes became focused around niche gay topics which were uncommon or alienating to heterosexual viewers. What saddens me somewhat is that few people of my generation have seen this episode, and although Ellen DeGeneres is still a public figure, and is still on TV every day, few people really know what a trailblazer DeGeneres was, and how brave it was of her to come out at a time when society was so unforgiving, The Puppy Episode remains a fantastic sitcom episode, and fortunately for those who have not seen it, both episodes are available on YouTube.

Susan: Damn, now I have to call headquarters and let them know I lost you. Just one more and I would have gotten that toaster oven.