I think the hardest I’ve ever laughed at tv comedies has always been British tv. There are two that stand out to me. First is in The It Crowd
They’re in the basement of Reynold industries and Moss accidentally sets a bunch of stuff on fire. He has to call the fire department, but the government changed the emergency phone line to some insanely long numeric jingle. It is hilarious.
Second would be Black Adder. Back in a Medieval ages sniveling Black Adder is trying to impress people by donning the biggest codpiece. The scene where he’s dressed up and there’s a large formal gathering line is uproarious.
Black Adder is a good pull. Monty Python Twit Olympics always has been a favorite.
Are you only talking scripted comedy? If so then Brits would dominate mine. But unscripted, i would probably have to throw in Whose Line is it Anyway’s Scenes from a hat portions.
I like to hear of both! If you’re up on British comedy, then you’re probably familiar with Lee Mack? That guy is like lightning with comebacks on Would I Lie to You. He is hilarious. The banter between him and David Mitchell is priceless.
The episode where Frasier and Niles open a French bistro. I died laughing the moment Niles freaks out about killing the eels and a at-the-end-of-her-ropes Daphne grabs an eel and slams it against the countertop.
I can tell you with all honesty that I’m pretty sure the hardest I have ever laughed at a TV show was the introduction of Bob Loblaw on Arrested Development. I just kept hearing the words “Bob Loblaw” and was gripped with, I don’t know, like an illness, I couldn’t stop laughing. My wife thought I was losing it. It may not catch everyone the same way, but here it is:
This is such a strong format for a panel show. If anyone needs cheering up for a solid hour or so, there are youtube compilations of Bob Mortimer’s appearances on the show I would highly recommend watching.
The Niles dinner scene from Frasier is cited pretty frequently, I think, as some of the best physical comedy in modern sitcoms (well, “modern”). I think there’s no debating that David Hyde Pierce is an incredibly talented physical comedian:
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Not a single scene, but there’s a sequence from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia that absolutely slayed me, basically the entire second / third acts from “The Gang Finds a Dumpster Baby”. It just has a delightful escalation from scene to scene.
I love Black Adder to pieces, but one of the scenes that really got me was the restaurant scene in Mr Bean. I don’t know how much you need to know about Mr Bean’s character to enjoy it at the level I did, but here goes:
There is so much good comedy that it’s hard to pin down anyone scene. Still, if forced to I would have to go with something from Monty Python. Perhaps the classic Norwegian Blue, The Cheese Shop or the hyperventilating funny How Not to be Seen. Of course I could run with the Ministry of Silly Walks but then who couldn’t. Its hilarious. And while I cant list a specific scene, Who’s Line is it Anyway, withDrew Carey, Ryan Stiles, Colin Mochrie and Wayne Brady routinely left me in laughter pain. The episode where Robin Williams guest starred was insane.
