6. Max And Paddy's Road To Nowhere
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEU94_qS3co Like Peep Show, Phoenix Nights was an extremely intelligent sitcom, that made you work out the jokes for yourself. The Office opened the floodgates, and a whole new wave of British sitcoms like this followed; these were shows that didn't scatter a canned audience through the episodes to prompt you when to laugh, or signpost the jokes with obvious punchlines. These were shows that focussed on the comedy of everyday life. Spin-off Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere looked like a similar venture to Phoenix Nights. Though it was more mainstream, more outlandish, and it capitalised on the duo's huge popularity, it still prided itself on its parent show's dry humour, making as many subtle jokes as obvious ones, and playing on the nuances of the chemistry between Peter Kay and Paddy McGuinness. Where the Phoenix Nights theme tune was twinkly and mysterious though, Max and Paddy had a brash, over-the-top singalong that tried far too hard. The lyrics laid out the show's synopsis, containing a quabble over the characters' order of billing and making a poor joke about not paying council tax; it was a lacklustre and a particularly easy direction to take for a comedian who was proving how clever his comedy could be. The show was alright, but if you ever watch it, skip the cringey titles.