Some people would argue but for me it's Seinfeld and David. Not so much that Seinfeld isn't talented but it just seems now like the show was 95% David, which I had no idea was true until Curb.

Seinfeld still walks around like he invented comedy.

From the way comedians crawl up his asshole you would think he did.

Seinfeld hit the money lotto by doing his comedy. Most all comedians want that success in some way. Maybe Not Doug Stanhope, but most.

Those last seasons without David were weird.

Jerry never hid the fact the Seinfeld show was all, if not then mostly, David. Anyone who knew anything about the show knew the show was LD.

Scott and Todd

Bam and Lynsi

Chappelle/Brennan

Good point. I don't think Neil has made me laugh much.

What have either of them done since the split? This might come across wrong because it's text but I am genuinely asking here, links would be nice.

Brennan has a terrible pretentious talk show/game show thing on Sundance where a bunch of media wonks sit around talking about ~pop culture~

I heard Chappelle has come back to comedy recently but haven't had the chance to check it out. Is it good?

He sold out a ton of dates at Radio City in like 24 hours or something crazy. No idea if he's any good anymore, but Ronnie B was talking about him recently and said there will always be interest because you never know what kind of show you'll get. He could kill or walk off or start shit with the audience etc. Allure, drama, mystery, intrigue, etc.

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Wayne's World

lol :)

Bonnie and what's that jewish guys name?

Simon and Garfunkel.

Some people say Gervais and Merchant as Stevens career has been poor in comparison to Ricky's lately. His stand up show wasn't great, but his tv show was actually pretty funny even though it was cancelled pronto.

I'm of the opinion that Merchant is the funnier of the two, he just doesn't feel the need to sell everything with a huge laugh. I mean, unless you think louder and higher pitched = funnier.

I absolutely agree, I just didn't enjoy his standup.The XFM shows that they did together are hilarious and he's clearly the funnier of the two.

Exactly, I think Ricky can be funny, but not on his own. He needs Steve writing with him, or Karl to make fun of.

I say Gervais & Merchant because I think Gervais is the one that isn't funny anymore. Derek doesn't have any of the humour of the other shows he wrote with Stephen, and sometimes is just sentimental crap. You can tell Steve had nothing to do with the show.

Agreed. I don't even chuckle watching Derek but howled on Extras. It's almost unfair to say one is funnier than the other. You need both.

I have loved both of them for a long time, but Stephen's show displayed that he doesn't have any ability to relate to normal people. Remember Merchant was like 22 and Gervais was 35 when they started working together. Gervais worked in an office for a long time, and brought his experiences to their projects so people could relate, and that's the only reason their shows are popular. In Stephen's show he is very rich, but all we know is he does something with computers in his home office. He rents out the guest house to an extremely attractive girl, but they are only friends, maybe one day she will realize he is what she needs. If you thought "Meet the Parents" with Ben Stiller was hilarious, then you're in luck, because that is exactly what all the comedy is. This clumsy and awkward rich guy is trying to pick up models, and go to the clubs, but no matter how hard he tries he just can't fit it.

At least he's trying to be funny.

I think Derek is a good show. The quality is at the same level as their other shows, but I agree it's not as funny. Saying, "at least he's trying to be funny" is silly. Stephen's show was not good, it wasn't a case of a quality show being unfairly cancelled.

is Derek even intending to be funny though?

It's 50/50 on Comedy/Sad moments.

Fuck if I know, I don't know what that show is supposed to be. Is he making fun of semi-retarded people? Or is it sentimental? Or what?

Honestly, the show is like the fake show he was in on Extras. I just don't get it. I didn't bother with season 2, the first one was torture to get through.

Season 2 was terrible IMO.

I think this was a partnership of equals. They have very different skills but they are best when they work together.

Ron & Fez

but Fez changed and it affected the show, Opie was always a hack when it came to being funny.

Recently, Gervais & Merchant.

Derek is okay, but it isn't funny.

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Gregg "Ringo" Hughes.

no one thought Ringo was ultra talented or a creative force.

Hitler and Goebbels

The Jerky Boys

We knew Johnny Brennen carried them from the start.

Amos and Andy

Gregg Garfunkel

Jim Norton has a great show on Vice and is writing columns for Time. Also has his stand-up act.

Cumia has his own show that's taking off. Sometimes a pundit on the side as well on Fox news.

Opie has a deal with viral spiral so it looks like everyone is doing well outside of the original O&A show.

Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty

Jannetty dove through that window like a coward.

Otto & George... Haven't heard shit from that George guy lately, have ya?

Martin & Lewis

Which one are you proposing was unfunny without the other? Lewis made his iconic comedies after they spllit and Dean was killing it in Vegas and on his variety show.

It all depends who you are asking. If you are in France after all...

i was confused as well.

You don't understand how BIG Martin and Lewis were, before they split. They were a juggernaut. Sure, Lewis had his Vegas gig through the brat pack, but nothing he did ever came close to his M&L days. They were HUGE stars. Even Lewis never got back to the heights they had, but he came close, especially in France.

You don't understand how BIG Martin and Lewis were, before they split.

Yes I do. I am a big fan of that era of entertainment and have read a lot of bios on everyone of that period. The question was about one person carrying another and while the argument can certainly be made that Jerry did ALL the heavy lifting with their duo neither of them flopped without the other. They may not have been as big but they were both still genuinely funny guys. And since Dean wasn't playing the straight guy anymore he arguably got to be MORE funny as Dino. Anyway, I'm not trying to argue. OP posed a specific question about a duo where it became "brutally apparent" one guy was carrying the other and i don't know that it applies with this team is all.

How the hell am I the first to mention Chris Farley and David Spade?

"each continued to work"

That's why

Thanks for the contribution literal Jim...

Anytime

Did you not suggest them literally?

Steve Dahl and Garry Meier. (And Roe Conn and Garry Meier too.) Like O and A, they just had this energy together that neither has been able to recapture.

The show was shit for 6 months prior. Who carried whom? These guys expected to be treated like they were at WNEW without pulling in nearly those numbers.

but Ant was still great though.

Ant hasn't cared for a long time.

Chip and Dip. Dip just isn't as funny.

Stalin and Beria.

Gary Busey

Martin and Lewis.

Abbot and Costello

Cheech and Chong

Its' not surprising, a comedy duo is usually the straight man and the comic, the comic can go on, the straight man has a harder time.

In a bigger group context, all of the Pythons went on to great things, except Eric Idle.

Edited to add a few more:

Ricky and Lucy

Tenacious D

Smothers Brothers

Burns and Allen

This is an entirely false premise. No one thought Opie was the driving comedic force of the show. That was never a debate while they were together. Or did I hallucinate all those "Opie isn't funny/You don't understand, that's not his role on the show" arguments over the past 20 years?

Walter White and Jesse Pinkman

Barry and Barbra.

do you really think that ant is that funny on his new show that its really that apparent? I think its apparent that ant was definitely an integral part of the funny on the O and A show , but I also think its pretty apparent that they all needed each other. The anthony cumia show is simply not funny its an opinionated right wing show with racist undertones (overtones?) but it certainly isnt laugh out loud funny for the most part. Ant was a skillful counterpuncher but he is not comfortable enough with the random guests that come in for 1 day to counterpunch with them, and aside from that hes on his own , being not funny . I think jim is carrying the O and J show far more than anthony is carrying his own show currently.

If you agree with anthony's political views your obviously going to say im wrong, maybe hes funnier if you agree with him politically but it certainly isnt an across the board funny like it used to be.

You don't agree with Ant's political views, so you don't like him or find him funny. Fine, but you're a fucking retard if you think Jimmy is "carrying" the O&J show

I don't agree with any of Ant's political nonsense, but he's a funny dude. Go troll somewhere else

don't know if Ant is even doing a "comedy" show or even promoting it as such.

Dude Anthony is a funny dude. If you don't see that what are you doing here?

Well Anthony always sounded like a rudderless ship without Opie there.

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no, they're both still awesome and amazing.

no, they're both still awesome and amazing.

Ant hasn't cared for a long time.