Best tv shows like You Can't Do That on Television
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
You Can't Do That on Television is a Canadian television program that first aired locally in 1979 before airing internationally in 1981. It featured pre-teen and teenaged actors in a sketch comedy format. Each episode had a theme. The show was notable for launching the careers of many performers, including Alanis Morissette, and writer Bill Prady, who would write and produce shows like The Big Bang Theory, Gilmore Girls and Dharma and Greg. The show was produced by and aired on Ottawa's CTV station CJOH-TV. After production ended in 1990, the show continued in reruns on Nickelodeon through 1994, when it was replaced with the similar All That. The show is synonymous with Nick, and was at that time extremely popular, with the highest ratings overall on the channel. The show is also well known for introducing the network's iconic slime. The program is the subject of the 2004 feature-length documentary, You Can't Do That on Film, directed by David Dillehunt.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Family, Comedy
Country: Canada
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, humorous, realistic, witty, talky, not serious
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Blue Collar TV (2004)
Plot Summary:
Blue Collar TV is a television program that aired on The WB Television Network with lead actors Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall and Larry the Cable Guy. The show's humor dealt principally with contemporary American society, and especially hillbilly, redneck, and Southern stereotypes. The show was greenlighted on the heels of the success of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, which the series' three lead actors toured with in the early-mid-2000s. It was created by Fax Bahr and Adam Small, in addition to J.P. Williams and Jeff Foxworthy. Blue collar is a US phrase used to describe manual laborers, as opposed to white collar for office or professional workers. Fellow Blue Collar Comedy Tour costar Ron White declined to star on Blue Collar TV due to a fear of being typecast as "blue collar." However, he guest-starred on many episodes of the show. On his 2006 comedy album, You Can't Fix Stupid, White jokingly cited his own lack of work ethic as a reason for not participating more on the show. Unlike most sketch comedy programs, each episode of Blue Collar TV was generally centered around a theme, which Foxworthy revealed at the start of each episode. Themes included "Food", "Kids", and "Stupidity", among others, with Foxworthy generally performing a short comedic monologue based on the theme. Most sketches in each episode featured at least one of the three Blue Collar Comedy Tour veterans in an acting role, but the second season saw more sketches featuring the 6 other cast members exclusively.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 847
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, humorous, realistic, not serious, parody
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Country Corn (1969)
Plot Summary:
Hee Haw is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with fictional rural Kornfield Kounty as a backdrop. It aired on CBS-TV from 1969–1971 before a 20-year run in local syndication. The show was inspired by Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In,[1] the major difference being that Hee Haw was far less topical, and was centered on country music. Initially co-hosted by musicians Buck Owens and Roy Clark, the show was equally well-known for its voluptuous, scantily-clad women in stereotypical farmer's daughter outfits, male stars Jim and Jon Hager and its cornpone humor.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, game show, sexy, humorous, realistic, not serious
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Bizarre (1979)
Plot Summary:
A half hour sketch comedy show that is not politically correct. It showcased the talents of veteran performers John Byner (the host) and Bob Einstein as Super Dave Osbourne.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 646
Genere: Comedy
Country: Canada
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: parody, clever, humorous, realistic, witty, not serious, spoof, sketch comedy
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The Ron James Show (2009)
Plot Summary:
The Ron James Show is a Canadian television comedy show, which debuted on CBC Television on September 25, 2009. Starring comedian Ron James, the show intersperses filmed and stage sketches with clips of James performing his stand-up routine. One of the show's more noted features is L'il Ronnie James, an animated recurring sketch which depicts James as a young child growing up in Cape Breton in the vein of Terry Gilliam's animation style.
IMDB Rating: 3.8
IMDB Votes: 271
Genere: Comedy
Country: Canada
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, witty, talky, cynical, not serious, biting, parody, spoof, sketch comedy
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Little Britain USA (2008)
Plot Summary:
Little Britain USA is an American spin-off-continuation of British sketch show, Little Britain, produced and aired by HBO. As in the British series, Matt Lucas and David Walliams play the majority of the characters: originals such as Lou and Andy, Daffyd Thomas, Sebastian Love, Marjorie Dawes and Vicky Pollard, as well as new characters not previously seen in the British series. The first series started filming in March 2008 in Wilmington, North Carolina. HBO showed the first episode of the season in the United States on September 28, 2008; The Movie Network broadcast it in Canada the same day, followed by BBC One on October 3 in the UK. New guest-stars include Rachael Harris, Bob Stephenson, Paul Rudd, Hilarie Burton, Vivica A. Fox, and Sting. Michael Patrick Jann served as executive producer of the series and directed the majority of the shows. David Schwimmer directed studio-based segments of the show. Rosie O'Donnell also makes an appearance in a "Fat Fighters" segment. The series was released on DVD in the UK by 2entertain in August 2009.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, humorous, not serious, light, captivating, entertaining, offbeat, realistic, witty, slapstick
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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
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Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979)
Plot Summary:
Attention, comedy fans: NOT THE NINE O'CLOCK NEWS is the real thing. This is scathing, no-holds-barred Brit humor at its best. Rapid-fire skits starring Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) are as politically incorrect as they are side-bustingly funny, sparing no one as they take on the British Royal Family, Margaret Thatcher, Scotland Yard, country music, Christianity, devil worship, punk rock and bathroom etiquette. NOT THE NINE O'CLOCK NEWS is so irreverent that when the pilot was due to air in April 1979, the BBC cancelled it due to its incendiary political content. When at last it aired, the greatest comedy group to hit England since Monty Python's Flying Circus stormed the airwaves and revolutionized British and American television alike. Discover the show that set the standard for the anarchic cynicism that defined the alternative comedy of the 80's.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, humorous, political, sitcom, parody, realistic, witty, not serious, spoof, vintage
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Benson (1979)
Plot Summary:
Benson is an American television sitcom which aired from September 13, 1979, to April 19, 1986, on ABC. The series was a spin-off from the soap opera parody Soap; however, Benson discarded the soap opera format of its parent show in favor of a more conventional sitcom structure. The series was created by Susan Harris, and produced by Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, political, humorous, realistic, witty, not serious
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All That (1994)
Plot Summary:
A combination sketch comedy/musical performance show in the tradition of "Saturday Night Live," this program starred a teenage cast and was targeted at younger viewers.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Comedy, Family, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, sitcom, humorous, realistic, not serious, parody, spoof
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The Amanda Show (1999)
Plot Summary:
The Amanda Show is an American live action sketch comedy and variety show that aired on Nickelodeon from October 16, 1999 to September 21, 2002. It starred Amanda Bynes, Drake Bell, and Nancy Sullivan, along with several performing artists who came and left at different points, such as John Kassir, Raquel Lee, and Josh Peck. The show was a spin-off from All That, in which Bynes had co-starred for several years. The show was unexpectedly cancelled at the end of 2002, according to creator Dan Schneider's blog. Writers for the show included John Hoberg, Steven Molaro, Andrew Hill Newman, and Dan Schneider. Two years after the end of The Amanda Show, Dan Schneider created a new series, called Drake & Josh, featuring Drake Bell, Josh Peck and Nancy Sullivan.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, sitcom, spoof, parody
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The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968)
Plot Summary:
The Morecambe & Wise Show is the third TV series by English comedy double-act Morecambe and Wise. It began airing in 1968 on BBC 2, specifically because it was then the only channel broadcasting in colour, following the duo's move to the BBC from ATV, where they had made Two of a Kind since 1961. The Morecambe & Wise Show was popular enough to be moved to BBC 1, with its Christmas specials garnering prime-time audiences in excess of 20 million, some of the largest in British television history. After their 1977 Christmas show, Morecambe and Wise returned to ITV, keeping the title The Morecambe & Wise Show.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration:
Plot tags: sketch comedy, humorous, realistic, witty, not serious, spoof, parody
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Tracey Takes On... (1996)
Plot Summary:
Tracey Takes On... is a sketch comedy series starring comedienne Tracey Ullman. The show ran for four seasons on HBO and was commissioned after the success of the 1993 comedy special "Tracey Ullman Takes on New York." Each episode focuses on specific subject in which Ullman and her cast characters comment on or experience through a series of sketches and monologues.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 649
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: parody, clever, offbeat, humorous, realistic, witty, not serious
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Goodness Gracious Me (1998)
Plot Summary:
Goodness Gracious Me is a BBC English language sketch comedy show originally aired on BBC Radio 4 from 1996 to 1998 and later televised on BBC Two from 1998 to 2001. The ensemble cast were four British Indian actors, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Syal and Nina Wadia. The show explored the conflict and integration between traditional Indian culture and modern British life. Some sketches reversed the roles to view the British from an Indian perspective, and others poked fun at Indian stereotypes. In the television series most of the white characters were played by Dave Lamb and Fiona Allen; in the radio series those parts were played by the cast themselves. The show's title and theme tune is a bhangra rearrangement of a hit comedy song of the same name. The original was performed by Peter Sellers and Sophia Loren reprising their characters from the 1960 film The Millionairess. The show's original working title was "Peter Sellers is Dead", but was changed because the cast generally liked Peter Sellers. In her 1996 novel Anita and Me, Syal had referred to British parodies of Asian speech as "a goodness-gracious-me accent". One of the more famous sketches featured the cast "going out for an English" after a few lassis. They mispronounce the waiter's name, order the blandest thing on the menu and ask for twenty-four plates of chips. The sketch parodies often-drunk English people "going out for an Indian", ordering chicken phall and too many papadums. This sketch was voted the 6th Greatest Comedy Sketch on a Channel 4 list show.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, parody, offbeat, humorous, realistic, witty, cynical, not serious, campy
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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
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Incredible Crew (2012)
Plot Summary:
Incredible Crew is an American sketch comedy television series, created by Nick Cannon for Cartoon Network. Cannon created the series in early 2012, and the series aired as a preview on December 31, 2012, while the series run premiered on January 24, 2013, featuring a 22-minute run time. The series is rated TV-PG for suggestive humor. On July 29, 2013, Incredible Crew was cancelled by Cartoon Network.
IMDB Rating: 4.1
IMDB Votes: 787
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: parody, humorous, realistic, not serious, sketch comedy, captivating, surreal, fast
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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
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The Richard Pryor Show (1977)
Plot Summary:
The Richard Pryor Show is an American comedy variety series starring Richard Pryor. It premiered on NBC on Tuesday, September 13, 1977 at 8 p.m. opposite ABC's popular television shows Laverne & Shirley and Happy Days. The show was produced by Rocco Urbisci for Burt Sugarman Productions. It was conceived out of a special that Pryor did for NBC in May 1977. Because the special was a major hit, both critically and commercially, Pryor was given a chance to host and star in his own television show. TV Guide included the series in their 2013 list of 60 shows that were "Cancelled Too Soon".
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 446
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, exciting, humorous, realistic, witty, not serious, biting, parody, spoof, black comedy
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Important Things with Demetri Martin (2009)
Plot Summary:
Important Things with Demetri Martin is a sketch-variety show that aired on Comedy Central starring comedian Demetri Martin. Each episode examined a single theme, the "important thing", such as timing, power, control and money. All sketches, short vignettes, animated segments and stand-up comedy were loosely related to the theme of the episode. The show was produced by Jon Stewart's Busboy Productions, and contains stand-up, prop comedy and musical comedy by Martin, as well as taped sketches. Jon Stewart took an active role in editing the first few episodes.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration:
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, witty, clever, not serious, sketch comedy, parody, offbeat, talky, independent film
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The Red Green Show (1991)
Plot Summary:
The Red Green Show is a Canadian television comedy that aired on various channels in Canada, with its ultimate home at CBC Television, and on Public Broadcasting Service stations in the United States, from 1991 until the series finale April 7, 2006, on CBC. The Red Green Show is essentially a cross between a sitcom and a sketch comedy series, and is a parody of home improvement, do-it-yourself, fishing, and other outdoors shows. Reruns currently air on CBC Television, The Comedy Network, and various PBS stations. It was produced by S&S Productions, which is owned by Steve and Morag Smith, and directed by William G. Elliott.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: Canada
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: parody, spoof, sketch comedy, offbeat, feel good, humorous, realistic, witty, not serious, sitcom
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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
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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
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Archie Bunker's Place (1979)
Plot Summary:
Archie Bunker's Place is an American sitcom originally broadcast on the CBS network, conceived in 1979 as a spin-off and continuation of All in the Family. While not as popular as its predecessor, the show maintained a large enough audience to last for four seasons, until its cancellation in 1983. In its first season, the show performed so well that it knocked Mork & Mindy out of its new Sunday night time slot.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, clever, humorous, realistic, witty, not serious
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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
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Dead Ringers (2002)
Plot Summary:
Dead Ringers is a United Kingdom radio and television comedy impressions show broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and later BBC Two. The programme was devised by producer Bill Dare and developed with Jon Holmes, Andy Hurst and Simon Blackwell. It starred Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Phil Cornwell, Kevin Connelly and Mark Perry. The main writers for season 1-3 on Radio were Jon Holmes and Andy Hurst with Tom Jamieson and Nev Fountain coming on board in Series 4. Other writers have included Simon Blackwell, Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, John Finnemore, David Mitchell, Richard Ward, Terry Newman, Jonathan Morris, Colin Birch, Carl Carter and Tony Cooke. It was revealed by star Jan Ravens that the BBC quietly cancelled the television run in 2007 after five years of broadcast.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 403
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, witty, talky, cynical, not serious, political, sketch comedy, spoof, clever, realistic
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Mr. Belvedere (1985)
Plot Summary:
Mr. Belvedere is an American sitcom that originally aired on ABC from March 15, 1985, until July 8, 1990. The series is based on the Lynn Aloysius Belvedere character created by Gwen Davenport for her 1947 novel Belvedere, which was later adapted into the 1948 film Sitting Pretty. The sitcom stars Christopher Hewett in the title role, who takes a job as a housekeeper with an American family headed by George Owens, played by Bob Uecker.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, touching, humorous, realistic, witty, semi serious
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Student Bodies (1997)
Plot Summary:
Student Bodies is a syndicated television comedy program that was produced in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from 1997 to the end of 1999. While a live-action series, animations are used throughout as thoughts and imaginations. The segments are usually dark and comical. Though the show enjoyed much bigger success in Canada, the show was originally made for the American market under the distribution of 20th Television and aired on many Fox affiliated stations for one year. The show aired in Canada on Global and YTV. It has been called "an imitation of Saved by the Bell" by critics, and featured an ensemble cast of high school students at Thomas A. Edison High School.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 895
Genere: Comedy, Family
Country: Canada
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, light, entertaining, sitcom, realistic