The TV IV:IVy Awards/2006/Best Comedy Series

Candidates to be considered the Best Comedy Series which first aired one or more episodes in the United States between June 1, 2005 and May 31, 2006. Please read carefully the Definitions and Guidelines before putting a candidate up for nomination.

Definitions

comedy

Any live-action (non-animated), scripted (non-documentary, talk or news), non-sketch or variety, episodic (airing on a recurring basis), non-limited series categorized as a Comedy on the TV IV. In the case of shows which are categorized as both Comedy and Drama (and only in those cases), the show will be categorized on the basis of runtime: Less than 40 minutes should be considered a Comedy, 40 minutes or more should be considered a Drama.

Guidelines

Please feel free to propose as many or as few candidates as you like in each category. If you change your mind or wish to retract a candidate, don't worry about editing the page, as it could cause some confusion down the road. (If you propose one unworthy enough, it will most likely not make it past the nominating process, anyway.) Feel free to discuss yours or others' proposals as much or as little as you choose. Tell us why you feel a candidate should be considered, or why someone else's candidate is a horrible choice and should not be considered. (Just remember to follow standard TV IV discussion rules regarding civility.)

Please mark all proposed candidates in bold, and link the show titles, even if the linked articles are empty or stubs. Try to avoid using bold elsewhere in the discussion. (To mark a candidate in bold, surround the name with two sets of three apostrophes, and use double brackets for linking, '''[[like this]]'''.)

Candidates Discussion

• Arrested Development: Well somebody has to be the first to propose it. In its third season, Arrested Development leaves with a bang (She Bang She Bang She Bang) and solidifies its spot as a future comedy classic.

I thought it was the weakest season and so I can not support it for best comedy. The role of GOB was somewhat diminished this season and his persona a little played out. Althought it was still funny at times, there were also more rough patches than normal. --MateoP 00:36, 8 June 2006 (EDT)

• Extras: Ricky Gervais follows up The Office with a series at least equally funny, sharp, and cutting, and in my opinion, even better. (That may be a personal bias, however, as I have more immediate contact with film and TV wannabes than white collar office workers in industrial towns.) Still, it's hard not to like a series which features Kate Winslet talking dirty talk and Patrick Stewart obsessing over seeing women naked.
• It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: In a period in television history in which comedies are, in general, suffering from an overdose of cliché and banality, it's refreshing to find three kids from Philly who can make one of the most outrageous, inventive and hilarious comedies on a Camcorder. Imagine a series which can be hysterical light-hearted comedy, even as it tackles the subjects of abortion, cancer and Nazis. (That is, a series since Seinfeld which can do that.)
• My Name Is Earl: NBC may be the only network left which is still willing to take a risk on smart, funny comedies, and this is proof. What could have been a cruel, elitist joke on "White trash" proves, instead, to be a witty, searing satire with a deep philosophical bent and more profound commentary on Judeo-Christian and Eastern theology in one episode than in an entire run of 7th Heaven.
• The Office: In its first season, it was a good attempt that still fell short of being anything but a pale imitation of the original British classic. In this, its second season, it has at last grown into its own as a satire miles ahead of Dilbert in skewering corporate culture, yet with a real human heart beating beneath the more intellectual exterior.

JCaesar 03:16, 2 June 2006 (EDT)

• Entourage - Season 2 of this HBO comedy kept the show close to it's core of four life long friends living it up in Hollywood but added a nice arc about the balance actors must make between money making projects and more artistic projects closer to their hearts. With Jeremy Piven's brilliant portrayal of super agent Ari Gold and the great commraderie between the four stars the show is non-stop laughs. The second season also started to develop the foursome into two distinct groups of two that really allowed the characters to develop and shine on their own.

• Weeds - A mother will go to extreme lengths to provide for her family and this show drives that home. Mary-Louise Parker portrays a mother forced to start dealing pot after her husband dies in order to continue her family's suburban lifestyle. The show toes the line between drama and comedy more than most half hour shows and this really sets it apart from the others. It manages to juxtapose hilarious moments with moments of intense drama all within it's short running length and not have it seemed forced. The show has a very realistic portrayal of drugs, teen sex, the hidden lives of suburban residents and really anything it chooses to depict allowing the humor to seem much more real than on most other shows.--The-jam 12:21, 2 June 2006 (EDT)

Sorry for moving your signature up, i didn't know a better way to avoid confusion on who said what. But I completely agree on this nomination. This show will probably be forgotten because it has been so long since it aired. But this is the perfect kind of comedy because it doesn't try hard to be a comedy. It lets the comedy flow from real life situations. This show also utilizes discomfort (on the part of the audience) as a comedic tool. Definitely deserves a nomination, as does Parker's spectacular performance. --MateoP 00:36, 8 June 2006 (EDT)

The only ones in this section so far I can't second are Extras and The Office because I haven't seen them yet. I love Arrested Development, It's Always Sunny, My Name is Earl, Entourage, and Weeds. It's going to be a very difficult choice in this category.

Okay going back over my list of shows I've seen I found a few more awesome shows to add:

• Sons & Daughters - Really funny, with a heart too. So many realistic family member characters, all of which had a certain edge to them that created especially humorous sequences.

--Boco_T 02:35, 4 June 2006 (EDT)

Upon review, it appears Wonder Showzen is eligible in the Best Talk, Variety or Sketch Series category, and has been moved. JCaesar 22:17, 5 June 2006 (EDT)

• How I Met Your Mother - This is another show that is probably half romance/drama half comedy, but I think the comedy shines through. All the hype about Neil Patrick Harris is completely well deserved, but the rest of the cast also works great together and the show is very hilarious, and easily the best multi-camera type comedy to come along in a long, long time.

• The Thick of It: A great British comedy. It has been described as a cross between The Office and The West Wing. Recently started airing on BBC America. DCEdwards1966 | Talk 16:38, 5 June 2006 (EDT)

• Scrubs: Now in it's fifth season, the much underappreciated Scrubs continues with its tradition of combining humor with drama in an extremely effective and fresh blend. Stabbey 15:52, 6 June 2006 (EDT)