Monty Python's Flying Circus (PBS)

Created in the 1960s and beloved as a cult classic ever since, MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS stars the titular British sketch comedy troupe -- John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, and Terry Jones. Creativity runs wild in skits like "A Man with a Tape Recorder Up His Brother's Nose," "Gorilla Librarian," and "Exploding Penguin on the TV Set." But there's more to the show than sheer absurd silliness. Many members of the troupe attended Oxford and Cambridge, and their smarts show up in most skits. (A very brief list of Python skit subjects: Queen Victoria, Richard Nixon, Proust, Picasso, Attila the Hun, the Spanish Inquisition, Hamlet, Wuthering Heights).

The Pythons are an amazingly talented comedy bunch -- their humor is a mix of downright silliness, brilliant intellectualism, and over-the-top exaggeration. But with its sexual themes and innuendo (more on that below), cartoonish violence, and cerebral humor, this show is best for teens. What's more, some skits poke fun at the mentally and physically challenged, homosexuals, and people of other races and ethnicities (particularly the French). It's all in the name of humor/good fun, but younger kids won't be able to put it in context. Violence is exaggerated but all in fun -- a man is crushed by a 16-ton weight, dowdy matrons mix it up in a rugby-like brawl, a bloke reminisces about the time a gangster nailed his head to the floor, and a crazy self-defense instructor shoots his students when they attack him with fruit.

Overall, Monty Python's Flying Circus is a great example of what creative minds can accomplish when they work together. Anyone with an appreciation of comedy will see that these mates are masters of comedic timing, clever writing, character creation, and the art of physical comedy. Teens interested in acting and theater arts may be inspired by the show -- even though it originally aired in the late 1960s and '70s, it remains a grand example of talent and creativity and, frankly, is still hilarious.