I'm writing a paper on the differences between English and American situation comedies, and would be interested in opinions that anyone on the list might have about the following (or anything related). I perceive the principal differences to be that:- (i) English sitcoms are more likely to opt for a slapstick-influenced laugh (eg: the comic violence in "Fawlty Towers", or the tooth-extraction scene of "Men Behaving Badly (GB)", whereas American shows like "Friends" and "Cheers" have much less of this; their humour is in the main verbal or visual, and almost exclusively non-violent. (ii) American sitcoms have more emotional resolution at the end - in the style of "I guess I never realised how much I hurt you, Frasier" - whereas the English situation comedies are much less concerned with the emotional well-being of their characters (imagine Blackadder apologising for belittling Baldrick's feelings, for example). This might be due to US sitcoms being more "real-life", and hence their makers having a greater responsibility towards the audience; or perhaps British humour is less politically correct, and can be more offensive and irresponsible. Any opinions? Thanks in advance, Dan Carroll ---- To signoff SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]