Greatest of the Satirical Sketch Comedy Shows
930543
I'm a fan of Monty Python's Flying Circus, Saturday Night Live's beter stuff (including the great period in the late 80's/early 90's when Mr. Show's Bob Odenkirk was on the writing staff), SCTV, and Kids In The Hall.  Great shows all.  But this one's even better than those.

If you like intelligent comedy you have to check this show out.  It's not perfect - like all of the above-mentioned shows there are some dull or effete patches.  But it's chock full of genius.  It's a tad edgier and more cutting than most of the above (believe it or not).  It creates its own smart, funny universe and it's a treasure.
3800135
This is British comedy at its best.
The antics  of Hyacinth Bouquet and "Dicky" (e.g., when Hyacinth is said to want Onslo's body or Dicky is made to have gout) are among the funniest moments in the history of British television. I highly recommend buying the "full bouquet" if you are a fan of British comedy.
1219733
Harry Shearer needs no introduction for those who like to laugh-- for more than 20 years he's been familiar in Spinal Tap and SNL and The Simpsons and all over the place providing trenchant satire at every turn.  These clip from his radio show are not just funny (though they are VERY funny)-- they're incisive in ways that comedy usually isn't.  It's biting parody of radio genres and topics that have never been skewered before.  Listen to "Honey, I Slept With The Kids" for an example.  And as an instance of brilliant improv, the lengthy interview with a confused and bitter gender-reassignment recipient may be the most inspired you'll ever hear.  Shearer richly deserves the success he's found as the voice of Charles Montgomery Burns and Wayland Smithers and Ned Flanders, but after listening to this, you'll have a much better notion of his comedic instincts.  They're dead on.
3851535
The Chappelle show is one of those shows where you laugh your butt off. But it brings a good commentary on current issues (during the show's airing) it's the perfect satire of today's issues.
2407448
Amazing hilarious show. Twenty times better than Friends (a show it really bares little comparison to). I've watched it for the second time seven years later and it's just as funny.
4069451
Fawlty Towers remains one of my most cherished shows from Great Britian and for good reason.  There's never really been anything else quite like it on the tube, in either the UK or US.  John Cleese's adept comic skills and physical slapstick really take the show to the next level.  A wonderful supporting cast of characters (and actors) make the entire thing one uproarious set to own.  Even at its slowest it is still somewhat closer to 'manic' than 'metered' and is all the better for it.
490580
Tremendously humorous collection, this is the funniest series of shows I've ever seen. Lou Costello , Bud Abbott, and Stanley Fields exhibit pure genius in writing, planning, performing - the timing shown here is simply an art form, a lesson in perfect comedy.

These episodes take me back to my childhood, and even though these shows go back 60 years, due to the remastering techniques, they look like they're brand new... kudos, and highly recommended!
Chris Gregory, Tekoa WA
Author of Tekoa Tomes
4621295
Never before in the history of t.v comedy since the first five years of SNL, has comedy been so good, and so funny. SCTV with people like John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andra Martin, Harold Ramis(who appeared in one season, but appeared in a couple of scenes in the set, he is still funny)Rick Moranis, Cathrine O Hara, and Dave Thomas it can't be beat. The wealth of characters is staggering: Guy Caballero, Count Floyd Robertson,Sammy Maudlin, Big Jim McBob(Flaherty) Johnny LaRue,D.R Tongue,Billy Sol Hurok,Yosh Schmenge, William B.Williams, Yosh Schmenge(Candy)Bobby Bittman, Earl Camembert,Bruno, Wayne Tambias, Yosh Schmenge, Sid Dithers(Levy)Edith Prickly, Connie Franklyn, Mrs. Falbo,Edna Boil(Martin) Lola Heatherton(O'Hara)Gerry Todd, Bob MacKenzie(Moranis)Bill Needle,Doug MacKenzie,Lin Ye Tang(Thomas) Also the impersonations are great, Thomas's Bob Hope, Flaherty's Kurt Douglas, Martin's Barbra Stresand, Moranis's Woody Allen, and Levy's Perry Como. This cast is just the greatest. The show is tremendous as well. One great episode is called Polynesiantown, a spoof of Chinatown. It was an "SCTV Movie Of The Week" which starred Johnny LaRue as the owner of a Polynesian resturant. This scene is very famous for the craine shot at the beginning and end of the film, which made the actual SCTV episode go over budget and the episode was slammed by critics. This too would happen in the makebelieve town of Mullionvillie and SCTV, and a whole other episode would devote time to the problem of the craine shot. That scene is other noted for the appearence of musical guest Dr. John, a big rock star at the time who actually played a part in the scene. Through out SCTV's run on NBC, musical guest actually played a part in the story line, giving them alot to do. The scene was very and the whole show was as a whole. The show that could compare to this is the orginal SNL where the cast were power hungry and become stars to early. The cast of SCTV(except John Candy) didn't become major stars during there stint. But they would all become household names for years to come. Very one knows Eugene Levy in movies like Splash A Mighty Wind, Waiting For Guffman, Best In Show, Bringing Down The House and teens will regonize him in all three of the American Pie movies. Catherine O'Hara would be popular in the first two Home Alone movies, Beetlejuice, and both A Mighy Wind, Waiting For Guffman, and Best In Show, appearing with Levy.  Dave Thomas was a regular on Grace Under Fire. And Rick Moranis was the star of all three Honey I Shrunk The Kids films. Martin is a Broadway star, Ramis is a big time comedy director, and Flaherty was on Freaks and Geeks. This was a powerhouse cast that lit up t.v with this classic show, and these dvds is a must for any comedy lover's collection to treasure.
38609
The last disc of Excel Saga is by far the best in terms of both generic comedy and dead-on parodies. There is no limit to what this show can accomplish.
Episode 22 (A+): Excel and Hyatt go on a mission with a bunch of PuuChuus to finally destroy F-City. Lots of parodies here.
Parodies: Space Battleship Yamato, Harlock Saga, Queen Emerledas, Mobile Suit Gundam The Movie 3, Power Rangers.
Episode 23 (A-): After destroying F-City, the inhabitants of that area are now in a violent post-apocalyptic war zone. And Excel has been seperated from ACROSS.
Parodies: Fist of the North Star, Digi Charrot, Sailor Moon.
Episode 24 (C+): I only hate this episode because there are 96% less gags in this episode. Ultra serious plot was too much for me.
Parodies: Evangelion, DBZ, Power Rangers.
Episode 25 (B): Slightly better than the last episode, but still a pretty serious one. About 50% less gags.
Parodies: King of Fighters, Giant Robo, Power Rangers, DBZ.
Episode 26 (A+++): Without a doubt the most insane episode in both Excel Saga and anime in general. Since this was an episode not shown on Japanese television, it's anything goes. Completely insane. More violence, more adult situations and more hilarious stuff thats too hot for TV.
Parodies: Black Jack, Lupin The Third, Speed Racer, Getter Robo, Victor Animation.
Overall, both the first and last episodes on this disc are worth the price. I never seen anything so bizzare and I probably won't see anything else that can top it. With sci-fi parodies, ultra violence, cute characters, illegal situations, giant mecha and enough content to be offensive to anyone, Excel Saga has it all. Highly recommended.
745766
I bought this collection for my folks and for the price you cant beat it. Over 10 hours of the best comedy skits from the golden age of television. Milton Berle, Sid Ceasar, Jack Benny, Lucille Ball, Abbott and Costello, Jackie Gleason and Carol Burnett are just some of the great comedians that appear in this collection.  Also some of the funniest skits from the Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, Allin the Family, the Carol Burnett Show, Soap, and Taxi just to name a few. There are also some really early comedy appearances of George Carlin, Jerry Seinfeld and Gary Sanders. A must buy for fans of comedy.  My only criticism is that the picture quality isn't the best which probably is due to the age of alot of these shows and some duplicate material which is why I gave it 4 stars.
627310
I would place this show up there with the Seinfeld's of the comedy world. It's a smart comedy that is best watched in order; however, each episode holds up on its own. I am very happy to own this and will enjoy it for years to come.
4663460
I LOVE Monty Python. They are the funniest comedy team EVER
3259469
This is one of the best comedy shows of all times!  It's funny, sweet and heartwarming.  Writing is great.  Acting is superb.  The show is wonderful!
4049839
This show is still very funny even now. Classic gags like "A hunch won't stand up in court Frank", "No sax before a fight" and "Cigarette?" "Yes I know" are complimented well by a wealth of background jokes that you may not spot on a first or second viewing. My favourite episode is the one with the mime, but these are all good. Only one complaint and that is that because so many of the gags are good they were used again in The Naked Gun movies so they might seem a little old to someone watching this for the first time. All good fun though.
1619582
This may be the greatest sitcom of all time.  The humor is fast, and hilarious.  This dvd, along with seasons 1 and 2 should be in everyone's home.
3541741
Little Britain to me is the funniest show Ive seen in a very long time. It takes a lot to make me laugh, and these guys make an art out of it. Non stop hilarity!
19411
I saw this show for the first on a Saturday night right after Saturday Night Live. The SNL had Pearl Jam as the musical guests and ran a week or two after Kurt Cobain had killed himself.  I was so sad over that loss and then this came on.  I laughed so hard. I quickly sought it out on video and saw for the first time the sketch about the rollcall at a high school.  I couldn't believe that this man was using such vulgar and hilarious language.  I have watched the show at least ten times and my affection for it has never diminished.  Stand outs: No One Called Jones, With Friends Like These, and Pink Tights And Plenty of Props.  I give copies of this show to people to see their reactions.  If they don't think this is funny, then I find it hard to believe they would find anything humourous.