American Humour

Joan Rivers is the only American stand-up comic I ever found funny.
Rarely watch tv now so can't comment on comedy shows like Friends which I've never watched.

That was maybe me but I'd forgot about Joan.
Apart from LB (I used to watch I Love Lucy) none of the rest do it for me.

From Elsewhere :

"Madeline Kahn was supposed to have appeared in Mame with Lucille Ball, but was fired for giving a poor performance. Lucille Ball always thought Kahn had deliberately blown her role so she could work on Blazing Saddles instead."

Not so much stand ups but american comedy shows are often brilliant.
I watch many of them.

Ain't seen Blazing Saddles -- !

Not my cup of tea. Now Zulu! There was a movie.
Saw that in the cinema, was awesome.

I don`t like the modern Yankee comedy but there were some brilliantly funny shows years ago. The Odd Couple and Lucy like aka mentioned, and Bilko, Car54, Dick van **** Show, MASH, All In The Family, The Munsters, Adams Family, Honeymooners, Jack Benny Show, Beverly Hill Billies, Rhoda, Hogans Heroes, Bewitched, I Dream Of Jeannie, Taxi all classic comedy viewing, then also the animated series like Flinstones, Top Cat and The Simpsons, etc

I forgot Bilco. Great show mac.

Well blazing saddles is a parody of that sort of think aka.
That horn swaggling varmit velasquez will agree!

I think Call Me a Taxi had a part in Blazing Saddles. Wasn't he the look-out for the sheriff's approach? 

"Springtime For Hitler In Germany"

Mel Brooks was a funny guy.

Not sure if AKA's mentioned it, but he doesn't watch much TV.

This might have been on here before but ...

(Native) American humour

Red Indian goes into restaurant dressed in feathered headgear etc and asks waiter for a table.

Waiter says "do you have a reservation?"

Who says they aren't funny?

Other than curb your enthusiasm I've never seen a genuinely brilliant US sitcom.

Frasier sums it up.  An absolutely atrocious sitcom that is massively popular.  Not just with the gimps but with the critics too.

Modern Family is quality.

Other than curb your enthusiasm I've never seen a genuinely brilliant US sitcom.

Aka seems to watch more tv than RD.

I generally stick up for the yanks humour wise.  Had a few half decent stand ups. some hilarious films (dumb and dumber, spinal tap etc) and the yanks I've met have been a good laugh.  They just don't get sitcoms.  Think people laugh because everyone else laughs, but they are not actually any good - emperor's new clothes and all that.  Regards canned laughter they all have that, It is sh1t and I hate it but even "I'm Alan Partridge" had canned laughter and that is the best sitcom ever.

Modern Yank sitcoms are awful (same as most Britsh ones) with a few exceptions - Frasier is brilliantly written and genuinely funny, though not in a belly-ache inducing way. For that impact, you have Curb Your Enthusiasm - some of the funniest comedy moments of all time are in that show.

Not all 30 min comedy shows as sitcoms though?. I like a lot of the US stuff as I've said. The stuff on he E4 channel for example. There's a reason their good stuff is broadcast across the world, big bang for example is dubbed into god knows how many languages and the stars are absolutely loaded, it's not because everyone in the world is wrong.
No, I think maybe at one point we led the US in comedy in some ways but they've listened and learned, they're good at the surreal and wacky stuff as well now. I laughed a lot at Kick-Ass a week or two ago, I didn't expect to.