Over the summer I watched three comedy shows that approached the genre in distinct ways. The 2006 NBC sitcom '30 Rock', the adult cartoon phenomenon 'Rick and Morty' and the cringe-fest unscripted reality series 'Nathan For You'. After watching all three, I realized that I loved them all but for different reasons. I thought it could be insightful to take a closer look, to examine what makes each of these shows good, and how the different approaches allow them to flourish.

30 Rock

I am a huge fan of single-camera sitcoms and this summer I finally gave 30 Rock a try. The main thing that stood out to me was the writing. Every episode is very carefully crafted, with jokes that fly at you so fast you might miss them. It does a really good job at establishing its different storylines and intertwining them as the episode goes on. Most episodes end in an immensely satisfying payoff where everything comes together.

The sitcom style allowed 30 Rock to have the best story arcs and character development of the three shows I watched. It also had the most relatable characters. My main complaint with 30 Rock is that the episode quality was disappointingly inconsistent. Some episodes blew me away with their cleverness but a lot more ended up being pretty forgettable. This is a problem that sitcoms have had since their inception. The truth is that when a show has over 100 episodes, not all of them can be masterpieces.

Rick and Morty

As a big Dan Harmon fan, I had a lot of anticipation before starting Rick and Morty. The hype around this show was unignorable and sometimes borderline annoying. But I have to say, I loved it. I would describe the jokes as 'amusing' more so than 'hilarious' but the driving force of the show isn't from the comedy, it's from the mind-blowing cinematic adventures

That is the advantage Rick and Morty has being a cartoon. The writers have complete creative freedom to come up with any episode imaginable. Not a single episode feels like filler, in fact, most of the time the episodes have so much going on they could easily stand alone. Frequently the plot will be centred around an overused trope in TV and film, poking satirical fun at how ridiculous it is. Rick and Morty is a breath of fresh air in a world with a lot of 'safe' TV shows that are afraid to push the status quo.

Nathan For You

Nathan For You might be the funniest show I've ever seen. The show follows comedian Nathan Fielder as he provides absurd business ideas to real-life struggling businesses. The owners of the businesses are always comically aloof and Nathan never fails to extract the cringe out of any situation.

If you even slightly enjoy cringe comedy, I promise you will laugh out loud at every episode you watch. The show's genius formula is addicting. It always starts with a pledge from Nathan: his idea will solve all the companies problems. And the next 20 minutes is a rollercoaster of improvised decisions that somehow pull it together against all odds. In the best episodes, the rollercoaster completely derails when Nathan gets caught in a wild goose chase of logistics.

Overall though, Nathan For You was my favourite and is a show I'll recommend till the day I die. It came down to which show provided the purest entertainment. 30 Rock was impressively witty and Rick and Morty was a ton of fun but I have zero complaints for Nathan Fielder.