Ha! Let the Comedy Debate Begin

What’s the funniest city in the U.S.? We evaluate the Big Three, then go roaming for small-town humor (though we might be pulling your leg).

By Gary Rudoren for MSN City Guides

Boston had “Cheers.” Chicago had “The Bob Newhart Show.” Hooterville had “Green Acres.” Scranton and Stamford have “The Office” (had, in Stamford’s case). Springfield has “The Simpsons”. Milwaukee had “Laverne & Shirley”—until they moved to L.A., which also had “Joey.” I’m not sure who has “Two and a Half Men”; I’ve never seen it. And New York has/had it all: “Saturday Night Live”; “The Odd Couple”; “Friends”; “30 Rock”; “Seinfeld”; “The King of Queens”; “Welcome Back, Kotter”; “Cosby”; “All in the Family”; “Everybody Loves Raymond”; “Everybody Hates Chris”; “Sex & The City”; and many more.

Lots of laughs in lots of places, but what’s the “Funniest City in America”?

It is a title that comes with no recognition, or even a matching grant from the Gates Foundation, but comedy-loving people want to know where to live—or at least visit.

In terms of TV sitcoms, New York seems to be the go-to city for funny people and situations. Maybe it’s the melting pot of stereotypes available. Maybe the universal fear and loathing of New Yorkers plays well in the hinterlands. Maybe it’s just that a lot of comedy writers grew up in New York.

Comedy has its many outlets—television, film, theater, improv, the Internet—and preconceptions abound. L.A. is the place for TV and film. New York is where it’s at for theater. Chicago is the improv capital. There’s also the infamous non/every-place called “the road” (the place for stand-up). And now cyberspace is the place for short-form comedy bits for the average person done by the average person and viewed by their MySpace friends.

Those places seem to divide up the entertainment world. But is there a ground zero for comedy? A place where people start developing their “funny” and then get assigned by a higher power to the spot where they can best serve humanity? There’s no disputing that Chicago is the birthplace of improvisation. Well, there is disputing, but I’ll leave that to the higher minds in the blogosphere and the East Coast/West Coast ventriloquism wars (sly “Mr. Show” reference for you comedy nerds). Of course, there are always exceptions, but a good percentage of the funny people bringing the laughs into your home started in or went through—or studied with people who started in or went through—Chicago.