Best tv shows like Blackadder
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Blackadder is the name that encompassed four series of a BBC 1 period British sitcom, along with several one-off instalments. All television episodes starred Rowan Atkinson as anti-hero Edmund Blackadder and Tony Robinson as Blackadder's dogsbody, Baldrick. Each series was set in a different historical period with the two protagonists accompanied by different characters, though several reappear in one series or another, for example Melchett and Lord Flashheart. The first series titled The Black Adder was written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson, while subsequent episodes were written by Curtis and Ben Elton. The shows were produced by John Lloyd. In 2000 the fourth series, Blackadder Goes Forth, ranked at 16 in the "100 Greatest British Television Programmes", a list created by the British Film Institute. Also in the 2004 TV poll to find "Britain's Best Sitcom", Blackadder was voted the second-best British sitcom of all time, topped by Only Fools and Horses. It was also ranked as the 20th-best TV show of all time by Empire magazine.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 40000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK, Australia
Duration: 195 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, not serious, witty, hilarious, sentimental, controversial, dark comedy, costume drama, relaxing
Best tv shows and movies like Blackadder (1982):
Similar in 84%
The Legend of Awesomest Maximus (2011)
Plot Summary:
Spoof of sword-and-sandal flicks such as “Gladiator,” “300″ and “Troy.” Following in the long tradition of National Lampoon, this ballsy comedy takes aim at “sword and sandal” movies of every era, with s special nod of the feathered helmet to historical epics such as 300, Gladiator, Troy, and Braveheart.
IMDB Rating: 4.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: parody, spoof, humorous, not serious, entertaining, sex comedy, homoerotic, offbeat, independent film, campy
Similar in 78%
Black Adder the Third (1987)
Plot Summary:
During the Regency period, the insane King George III's stark raving mad son, George, is the Prince Regent of Wales. Vulgar and staggeringly slow-and-dim-witted, George exhausts the country's money and would surely be dead by know were it not for his dry, angry, bitter, arrogant and cynical butler, Edmund Blackadder, Esq. Blackadder is an ex-aristocrat who has lost his family fortune and been reduced to servant-hood, and full of loathing knowing he should have a better position then serving a lunatic. Sod-Off Baldrick is his dirty, smelly peasant servant, and Mrs. Miggins is an annoying cheerful coffee-shoppe owner who is too stupid to understand most of Mr. Blackadder's insults.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 46000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: humorous, sitcom, funny, controversial, costume drama, hilarious, offbeat, witty, not serious, black comedy
Similar in 85%
Smack the Pony (1999)
Plot Summary:
Smack the Pony is a British sketch comedy show that ran from 1999 until 2003 on Channel 4. The main performers on the show were Fiona Allen, Doon Mackichan, and Sally Phillips. There were also regular appearances from Sarah Alexander, Darren Boyd, and Cavan Clerkin. The show's popular theme tune was Dusty Springfield's song In the Middle of Nowhere, sung by Jackie Clune. As well as the three principal cast members, the show was written by a large number of writers, the core of which went on to write Green Wing and Campus. In Germany, the first transmission of the show aired on ProSieben, where the theme tune was changed to Texas' 2001 version of I Don't Want a Lover, and featured a different title sequence. Among the show's regular themes were unsuccessful relationships, competition in the workplace and latent lesbianism, but sketches would also dip into the surreal; such as two women jumping from their car as they neared a parking space, and brushing in front of the path of their car to help it move further forward, as in curling. Two regular strands involved a series of different women making dating agency videos about their general likes and dislikes, and a musical parody that would close the show.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, atmospheric, hilarious, offbeat, humorous, realistic, witty, cynical, not serious, fun
Similar in 80%
Blandings (2013)
Plot Summary:
Blandings is a British comedy television series adapted by Guy Andrews from the Blandings Castle stories of P.G. Wodehouse. It was first broadcast on BBC One from 13 January 2013, and stars Timothy Spall, Jennifer Saunders and Mark Williams. The series was produced with the partial financial assistance of the European Regional Development Fund.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, not serious, sitcom, feel good, captivating, light, offbeat, witty, hilarious, clever
Similar in 80%
Fawlty Towers (1975)
Plot Summary:
Fawlty Towers is a British sitcom produced by BBC Television that was first broadcast on BBC2 in 1975 and 1979. Twelve episodes were made. The show was written by John Cleese and his then wife Connie Booth, both of whom also starred in the show. The series is set in Fawlty Towers, a fictional hotel in the seaside town of Torquay, on the "English Riviera". The plots centre around tense, rude and put-upon owner Basil Fawlty, his bossy wife Sybil, a comparatively normal chambermaid Polly, and hapless Spanish waiter Manuel and their attempts to run the hotel amidst farcical situations and an array of demanding and eccentric guests. In a list drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted by industry professionals, Fawlty Towers was named the best British television series of all time.
IMDB Rating: 8.8
IMDB Votes: 99000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, hilarious, feel good, witty, not serious, funny, atmospheric, sweet, entertaining
Similar in 82%
Friday Night Dinner (2011)
Plot Summary:
Two siblings share their Friday night dinners at their parents home and, somehow, something always goes wrong.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, not serious, realistic, captivating, light hearted, nostalgic
Similar in 82%
Come Fly with Me (2010)
Plot Summary:
Comedy series set in a busy airport and on the departing and arriving flights, featuring characters played by Matt Lucas and David Walliams.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 29 min
Plot tags: mockumentary, parody, humorous, captivating, sitcom, light, feel good, entertaining, funny, controversial
Similar in 81%
Brass Eye (1997)
Plot Summary:
Controversial spoof of current-affairs TV and the role of celebrity in the UK.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: parody, controversial, humorous, sitcom, political, absurd, spoof, sketch comedy, surreal, dark comedy
Similar in 76%
French and Saunders (1987)
Plot Summary:
French and Saunders is a British sketch comedy television series written by and starring comic duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. It is also the name by which the performers are known on the occasions when they appear elsewhere as a double act.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, sitcom, parody, mockumentary, clever, humorous, realistic, witty, cynical, not serious
Similar in 77%
The Day Today (1994)
Plot Summary:
The Day Today is a surreal British parody of television current affairs programmes, broadcast in 1994, and created by the comedians Armando Iannucci and Chris Morris. It is an adaptation of the radio programme On the Hour, which was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 1991 and 1992. On the Hour was written by Morris, Iannucci, Steven Wells, Andrew Glover, Stewart Lee, Richard Herring, David Quantick, and the cast. For The Day Today, Peter Baynham joined the writing team, and Lee and Herring were replaced by Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews. The principal cast of On the Hour was retained for The Day Today. The Day Today is composed of six half-hour episodes and a selection of shorter, five-minute slots recorded as promotion trailers for the longer segments. The six half-hour episodes were originally broadcast from 19 January to 23 February 1994 on BBC2. The Day Today has won many awards, including Morris winning the 1994 British Comedy Award for Best Newcomer. All six episodes are available on BBC DVD, having previously been issued on VHS.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: parody, humorous, political, sketch comedy, sitcom, surreal, offbeat, realistic, cynical, not serious
Similar in 90%
Black-Adder II (1986)
Plot Summary:
Sixty years after the demise of Prince Edmund Plantagenet, Queen Elizabeth I, who's as insane as her ancestors, is England's current leader. Seductive, easy-to-impress, spoiled, and always seeking a husband, "Queenie" has a leading courtier: Lord Edmund Blackaddder, great-grandson of the original. Now, however, he is dryly cynical and intelligent, but still trying to become king; this time by marrying the queen. However, her right-hand-man, Lord Melchett, will always serve as fair competition for her hand. Blackadder is again assisted by the clueless but fashionable Lord Percy Percy and dung-eating, "cunning" peasant Baldrick.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 49000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 176 min
Plot tags: humorous, sitcom, funny, controversial, costume drama, hilarious, witty, not serious, black comedy, dark comedy
Similar in 85%
Absolutely Fabulous (1992)
Plot Summary:
Set in the world of fashion and PR, immature fun-loving mother Edina Monsoon and her best friend Patsy drive Eddie's sensible daughter, Saffron, up the wall with their constant drug abuse and outrageous selfishness. Numerous in-jokes and heavy doses of cruel humour have made this series a cult hit in the UK and abroad.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: sitcom, funny, hilarious, offbeat, humorous, realistic, witty, not serious, biting, game show
Similar in 78%
The Two Ronnies (1971)
Plot Summary:
The Two Ronnies is a British sketch show which aired on BBC1 from 1971 to 1987. It featured the double act of Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett, the "Two Ronnies" of the title.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration:
Plot tags: sketch comedy, humorous, witty, sitcom, realistic, not serious
Similar in 85%
Rising Damp (1974)
Plot Summary:
Rising Damp is a British sitcom produced by Yorkshire Television for ITV. ITV originally broadcast the programme from 1974 through 1978. It was adapted for television by Eric Chappell from his well-received 1971 stage play The Banana Box The series was the highest-ranking ITV sitcom on the 100 Best Sitcoms poll run in 2004 by the BBC.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, not serious, realistic, witty
Similar in 77%
Spitting Image (1984)
Plot Summary:
Spitting Image is an award winning British satirical puppet show, created by Peter Fluck, Roger Law and Martin Lambie-Nairn. The series was produced by Spitting Image Productions for Central Independent Television over 18 series which aired on the ITV from 1984 to 1996. The series was nominated and won numerous awards during its run including 10 BAFTA Awards, including one for editing in 1989, and even won two Emmy Awards in 1985 and 1986 in the Popular Arts Category. The series featured puppet caricatures of celebrities famous during the 1980s and 1990s, including British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and fellow Tory politicians, American president Ronald Reagan, and the British Royal Family. The Series was the first to caricature the Queen mother.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, humorous, sitcom, political, absurd, controversial, surreal, parody, clever, realistic
Similar in 83%
The Fast Show (1994)
Plot Summary:
The Fast Show is a multi BAFTA award winning sketch comedy show written and produced by Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, sitcom, hilarious, humorous, realistic, witty, cynical, not serious, fast, offbeat
Similar in 89%
Bottom (1991)
Plot Summary:
Bottom is a British anarchic sitcom that originally aired on BBC2 between 1991 and 1995. It was written by and starring comic duo Adrian Edmondson and Rik Mayall as Richie and Eddie, two flatmates who live on the dole in Hammersmith, London. The programme ran for three series, and was followed by five stage show tours across the United Kingdom between 1993 and 2003, and a feature film Guest House Paradiso. The show is noted for its chaotic, nihilistic humour and violent comedy slapstick. In 2008, Bottom came in at number 45 in a poll to determine "Britain's Best Sitcom" by the BBC. The show continues to be shown in the UK on Gold and Dave, and has been dubbed in other languages. In Spain the show is known as La pareja basura which aired on Canal+. The theme music was provided by The Bum Notes, a band that once featured Edmondson, and is a cover of "Last Night" by The Mar-Keys. Plans were made in 2012 for a BBC spin-off series, Hooligan's Island, featuring the Richie and Eddie characters from Bottom. However, that project was cancelled that October prior to production as Edmondson explained that he wished to pursue other interests.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, dark comedy, hilarious, humorous, realistic, witty, not serious, offbeat, sadistic, black comedy
Similar in 85%
A Bit of Fry and Laurie (1987)
Plot Summary:
A Bit of Fry & Laurie is a British sketch comedy television series written by and starring former Cambridge Footlights members Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, broadcast on both BBC1 and BBC2 between 1989 and 1995. It ran for four series and totalled 26 episodes, including a 35 minute pilot episode in 1987. As in The Two Ronnies, elaborate wordplay and innuendo were staples of its material. It frequently broke the fourth wall; characters would revert into their real-life actors mid-sketch, or the camera would often pan off set into the studio. In addition, the show was punctuated with non-sequitur vox pops in a similar style to those of Monty Python's Flying Circus, often making irrelevant statements, heavily based on wordplay. Laurie was also seen playing piano and a wide variety of other instruments and singing comical numbers.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, sketch comedy, clever, witty, funny, multicultural, hilarious, mind blowing, realistic, not serious
Similar in 78%
The Benny Hill Show (1969)
Plot Summary:
The Benny Hill Show is a British comedy television show that starred Benny Hill and aired in various incarnations between 15 January 1955 and 30 May 1991 in over 140 countries. The show focused on sketches that were full of slapstick, mime, parody, and double-entendre. Thames Television cancelled production of the show in 1989 due to declining ratings and large production costs at £450,000 per show.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: parody, sketch comedy, sitcom, offbeat, controversial, slapstick, double entendre, naughty, sexy, humorous
Similar in 89%
Da Ali G Show (2000)
Plot Summary:
BAFTA Award-winning Da Ali G Show is back, and this time Ali G gets to take on America. Ali G In Da USAiii, nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys, stars Sacha Baron-Cohen. The series, filmed in the USA for HBO and Channel 4, brings to life three unique characters: Ali G; Borat, the naive television reporter from Kazakhstan; and Bruno, a camp Austrian fashion reporter.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, witty, cynical, not serious, sitcom, funny, parody, controversial, sketch comedy, political
Similar in 78%
Big Train (1998)
Plot Summary:
Big Train is a surreal British television comedy sketch show created by Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan, writers of the successful sitcom Father Ted. The first series was broadcast on BBC Two in 1998, while the second, in which Linehan was not involved, aired in 2002.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, sitcom, surreal, absurd, clever, offbeat, humorous, realistic, witty, not serious
Similar in 86%
Harry Enfield and Chums (1994)
Plot Summary:
BBC sketch show that while continuing to show the misadventures of a series of popular characters now also introduces a slew of new oddballs and misfits for us to enjoy including Tory Boy and The Lovely Wobbly Randy Old Ladies.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 40 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, political, humorous, realistic, witty, not serious, alternative comedy
Similar in 76%
Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969)
Plot Summary:
Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a British sketch comedy series created by the comedy group Monty Python and broadcast by the BBC from 1969 to 1974. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines. It also featured animations by Terry Gilliam, often sequenced or merged with live action. The first episode was recorded on 7 September and broadcast on 5 October 1969 on BBC One, with 45 episodes airing over four series from 1969 to 1974, plus two episodes for German TV. The show often targets the idiosyncrasies of British life, especially that of professionals, and is at times politically charged. The members of Monty Python were highly educated. Terry Jones and Michael Palin are Oxford University graduates; Eric Idle, John Cleese, and Graham Chapman attended Cambridge University; and American-born member Terry Gilliam is an Occidental College graduate. Their comedy is often pointedly intellectual, with numerous erudite references to philosophers and literary figures. The series followed and elaborated upon the style used by Spike Milligan in his ground breaking series Q5, rather than the traditional sketch show format. The team intended their humour to be impossible to categorise, and succeeded so completely that the adjective "Pythonesque" was invented to define it and, later, similar material.
IMDB Rating: 8.8
IMDB Votes: 78000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, surreal, sitcom, humorous, parody, funny, psychedelic, political, absurd, avant garde
Similar in 82%
The Thin Blue Line (1995)
Plot Summary:
The Thin Blue Line is a British sitcom starring Rowan Atkinson set in a police station that ran for two series on the BBC from 1995 to 1996. It was written by Ben Elton.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Comedy, Crime
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, sitcom, detective, not serious, realistic, witty, hilarious, atmospheric, double entendre, alternative comedy
Similar in 78%
Mr. Bean (1990)
Plot Summary:
Mr Bean turns simple everyday tasks into chaotic situations and will leave you in stitches as he creates havoc wherever he goes.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 130000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: UK
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: humorous, sitcom, not serious, realistic, feel good, light, funny, retro, game show, hilarious
Similar in 76%
The Catherine Tate Show (2004)
Plot Summary:
The Catherine Tate Show is a British television sketch comedy written by Catherine Tate and Aschlin Ditta. Tate also stars in all but one of the show's sketches, which feature a wide range of characters. The Catherine Tate Show airs on BBC Two and is shown worldwide through the BBC. Collectively, the show has been nominated for six BAFTA Awards, two British Comedy Awards and an Emmy Award, and it has won two Royal Television Society Awards, two British Comedy Awards and a National Television Award since its debut in 2004.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, witty, not serious, realistic, sketch comedy, sitcom, offbeat, cynical, slapstick, game show
Similar in 79%
Life's Too Short (2011)
Plot Summary:
Life's Too Short is a British sitcom mockumentary created and written by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant from an idea by Warwick Davis, and is as described by Gervais, about "the life of a showbiz dwarf".
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, mockumentary, funny, humorous, witty, cynical, not serious, light, feel good, captivating
Similar in 90%
I'm Alan Partridge (1997)
Plot Summary:
I'm Alan Partridge is a BBC situation comedy starring Steve Coogan, of which two series of six episodes each were produced — the first in 1997 and the second in 2002. The series followed the titular Alan Partridge, a failed television presenter whose previous exploits had featured in the chat-show parody Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge, and who is now presenting a programme on local radio in Norwich. Both series were written by Peter Baynham, Coogan and Armando Iannucci; supporting Coogan were Felicity Montagu as his faithful, mouse-like personal assistant, Lynn Benfield; Simon Greenall as Geordie Travel Tavern handyman/BP garage attendant Michael; and Phil Cornwell as disc jockey Dave Clifton. It has been well received by both critics and fans, and was nominated for three BAFTAs, two British Comedy Award, and a Royal Television Society award.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 29 min
Plot tags: sitcom, hilarious, clever, offbeat, humorous, realistic, witty, talky, cynical, not serious
Similar in 87%
Black Books (2000)
Plot Summary:
Black Books centres around the foul tempered and wildly eccentric bookshop owner Bernard Black. Bernard’s devotion to the twin pleasures of drunkenness and wilful antagonism deepens and enriches both his life and that of Manny, his assistant. Bearded, sweet and good, Manny is everything that Bernard isn’t and is punished by Bernard relentlessly just for the crime of existing. They depend on each other for meaning as Fran, their oldest friend, depends on them for distraction. Black Books is a haven of books, wine and conversation, the only threat to the group’s peace and prosperity is their own limitless stupidity.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 61000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: humorous, sitcom, talky, not serious, offbeat, witty, surreal, realistic, funny, hilarious
Similar in 80%
The Young Ones (1982)
Plot Summary:
The Young Ones is a British sitcom, broadcast in Great Britain from 1982 to 1984 in two six-part series. Shown on BBC2, it featured anarchic, offbeat humour which helped bring alternative comedy to television in the 1980s and made household names of its writers and performers. In 1985, it was shown on MTV, one of the first non-music television shows on the fledgling channel.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 35 min
Plot tags: sitcom, funny, psychedelic, absurd, dark comedy, hilarious, offbeat, humorous, realistic, witty