1/5 Really not funny
  by B. Machado (Portland, OR)
Based on all the reviews here I went ahead and netflixed Season 1 of The IT Crowd and 5 of the 6 episodes were completely unfunny, some even painfully so. One episode was kinda funny, but the rest were simply terrible, the 3 main actors are really bad actors, no comic timing, relying on yelling to try and make things funny, which does not work. I am a British humor kind of guy but this was not good, maybe if you are an IT nerd or something, but for Brit humor I'd stick with The Office or The Mighty Boosh.

1/5 Achingly unfunny!!
  by Big Cat Bob (Cleveland, Ohio USA)

Where to start?? If you judged this show by the 5 star reviews you would think this show would be fantastically humorous and tremendously funny. You would be 100% wrong on both counts.

The dialog is bland, stilted and wooden. The stereotypes are very one dimensional. The attempts at humor are more than not funny, they are painful!

Just for some background, I am a huge fan of the British version of The Office and of Extras. I absolutely get and enjoy well done British humor.

But folks....this stuff is just not funny. The abundance of 5 star ratings for this show are unbelievable!! Do not waste your time with this trash. I viewed this garbage as a library borrowed item. Even free, this stuff is overpriced!!

Oh....the laughtrack!!! AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

If only there was a "negative star rating system" I would give this show a "negative 5 star"

If you must view this program, please spend no money, go to your local library,check this out and view at your own risk. I was able to get through the Pilot and 5 minutes of the second episode before I gave up!!

Good Luck and my condolences to the people who truly believe this is humor as high art!!

5/5 DVD is so funny and the DVD menus are some of the best I've even seen...
  by N. Graabe (San Diego, CA)
I started watching this on a friend's recommendation on IFC and I am glad I did. It involves people from two shows I love, Black Books and Look Around You and I can say if you like that type of humor, you will like the IT Crowd. If you work in IT, you will love it more. I mean, critics say oh the "have you turned it on and off" line isn't funny...but have any of those people worked in IT? Probably not. Most computer problems can be solved by turning the computer on and off or plugging it in.

The actors are so funny. Moss, Roy, Jen, the ignorant bosses and the goth guy Richmond, who is locked away in the IT's dungeon. I find it witty and original. Whoever said the laughter is canned, it isn't. They show it being filmed in front of an audience, it's real sound. They truly jump into their character roles without being too cliche. The jokes come at you a mile a minute too. Even the minor characters are great. There is also a lot of Mighty Boosh crossovers here, namely Noel Fielding and Richard Ayoade...so fans of that would find this show worthwhile too. It's got about the same vibe, though the IT Crowd is a lot less surreal.

But what I like most in the work put into the DVD. All the graphic scenes are well done and run for a really long time. You can get a chuckle out of the graphics as well as the episodes. The Venture Brothers used the video thing for their 3rd season, but it wasn't as well done as this, don't know which came out first, but I feel this series is a labor of love from start to finish. The commentary is missing off the American first season (I think, unless there is some way to get to it) so the director commentary on the Season Two that keep referring to Season One, that is lost on me. Not sure why that was not done. I think the commentary is really insightful about what the writer/director is trying to achieve and not him just going on about what he ate for breakfast or trying to be irrelevant and funny just being kooky without talking about the show, so that is a plus.

4/5 British Comedy at its Funniest
  by Donavon Koker (Richland, WA USA)
So being in IT for the better part of 2 decades and customer service this show hit home with me. Its obviously a British comedy in every aspect from the laugh track to the way its taped and the humor. Nerd humor at its finest. If your not a fan of the British then I would probably avoid it, but if you can get past that, its definitely worth the price!

Have you tried turning it on and off mam? No its not a cupholder

5/5 Brilliant, with visible effort spent on the DVD menus
  by Mang
This show is amazing. While the laugh track can get a bit tiresome, I find that the humour is quite enjoyable in spite of it. Hopefully, they'll release a version including an audio track sans laughter (regardless of whether it was live).

The DVD menus are actually enjoyable, and incredibly nostalgic for any long-term computer user. References to video games and computer culture abound. Not all the jokes are IT-related, though. Don't worry about your S.O. missing the jokes, as there are enough to enjoy yourself without the technical background. It's far better than the majority of drivel on the airwaves today.

There are a few things missing that were on the UK DVDs, but it was still entirely worth the price paid (~$15).