Okay, this is one of those fun survey things I like to do from time to time. I did this originally about three years ago -- asked you readers “What’s your favorite all-time sitcom?” Got a wide range of answers. Some very unexpected. So now I thought I’d open it up again. I’ll be interested to see if most of your favorites are recent, vintage, multi or single camera.
One rule: Do not feel compelled (not that you would) to name shows I’ve worked on. You don’t get extra credit for listing JOE & SONS.
I imagine we’ll have some foreign sitcoms listed too. That’s great. Some will be from shows I’ve never heard of and I will make a concerted effort to find and watch them. I did that a couple of years ago when someone recommended the British version of COUPLING and it is now in my top 5.
For us Americans, I’m sure there are some undiscovered gems out there. And for people in Europe, if you’ve never seen MAMA’S FAMILY are you in for a treat!
I'll tell you mine in a future post. But for today -- what’s YOUR favorite sitcom?
371 comments :
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 371 of 371Fawlty Towers, M*A*S*H, Everybody Loves Raymond, All in the Family, Home Improvement and though not a sit-com, Carol Burnett Show. How I miss them.
Fawlty Towers
The dialogue might not always be as witty and crisp as in other sitcoms, but this show proves that interesting characters can more than carry a show. Fast-paced, cynical and lots of well-placed physical comedy.
Friends
Not always great, but mostly excellent writing and well-acted.
Plus the best line ever written for a sitcom:
"Hey, just so you know: it's not that common, it doesn't happen to every guy, and it is a big deal!"
Ken, I read on here you don't like "Will & Grace," is that true?[For what it is worth I didn't like it. Debra Messing drove me nuts.] I know no one mentioned "Grace Under Fire," which I thought was good, but I know how you feel about BB.
I also noticed that only one person mentioned "Coach." My husband and I loved that show. Did you like it or is it so sports oriented [not really, but...] or are we just a misguided duo? And will we be forever banned from your site for suggesting it?
I want to thank the person who mentioned "Evening Shade." I so enjoyed that show and had forgotten about it completely. Thanks.
Keeping Up Appearances.
@thegreenchain
I am a closet Tick fan! Both the animated version, and the short lived live action one.. Sigh...or should I say... SPOOONN!
Made In Canada. A (perhaps obviously) Canadian sitcom that ran on the CBC in the late 1990s, about a production company whose most popular productions were called "Sword of Damocles" and "Beaver Creek". Starred the great Rick Mercer, in his time off from This Hours Has 22 Minutes.
I would try to inject a little more Canadiana into this list, but we have trouble with sitcoms. Now, if you were asking about best/favourite SKETCH shows...
Cheers
Favorite of all time: The Dick Van Dyke Show.
Favorite "current", and favorite that has apparently not yet been mentioned: The IT Crowd (UK).
So many to chose from....
I have to say despite loving Designing Women, Roseanne (except for the final season, accepting the final episode), MTM, All in the Family....
The Dick Van Dyke Show. Just can't be beat.
Pam aka SisterZip
Arrested Development, hands down. Newsradio is my Number Two.
Beverly Hillbillies, Seinfeld, The Larry Sanders Show.
Faulty Towers. It had the luxury of an extremely funny actor writing for himself without the pressure of producing 30 shows a year.
Absolutely Married with Children! Al Bundy is the last big american hero!
Apart from that, I like How I met your mother pretty much.
Have to add that I love every single Sitcom, no matter how crappy it is.
They are kind of my hobby.
Cheers.
"Dick Van Dyke" edges out "Barney Miller".
I wish I'd seen more "Mr. Peepers", however- I have a feeling I'd have liked it a lot.
It would have to be M*A*S*H*, because lines from that show pop up in my head on a regular basis. I can't say that about any other sitcom. Watching Ken Burns' prohibition show last night reminded me that Hawkeye will even Carrie Nation but he will NOT carry a gun.
The first eight seasons of "The Simpsons". Never did a show hit home run after home run as it did those great (now early) years. And I would still take the show now over 85% of the comedies on TV.
There's so many other shows I could name though. Narrowing it down to one is just impossible.
Frasier without a doubt is my favourite. One of the few shows I made sure to watch each weeks new epsisode. I do that with Modern Family now.
And WKRP. It's Canadian Thanksgiving this week so we will be saying "my god they're turkeys" around my house.
No one has mentioned "Soap", and that is a crime. That incredible cast was funny and could drop right into drama when needed. The writing was top-notch. The characters were well written. The story line tackled homosexuality decades before most people thought it was "ok".
Admittedly, the later episodes were farce-like, but hey, it was supposed to be a mockery anyway!
All-time favorites: Arrested Development, Golden Girls, MASH (excluding the very early eps), Designing Women (seasons 1-5 only)
Currently airing favorites: 30 Rock, Parks & Rec
Other shows I never miss: Cougar Town, Big Bang Theory, Community, It's always sunny...
Shows I always watch if I see that they are on: Frasier, Scrubs, the Office, HIMYM, Modern Family
(I hate "The Honeymooners." How is it funny for a man to threaten his wife with physical violence every time she says something smart/insightful/correct/articulate?)
I Love Lucy is a classic and always watchable and Modern Family.
M*A*S*H
Any list would then have a huge gap before #2.
Arrested Development.
@Matt - you might want to read back. A few people did mention "Soap".
It was a great sitcom.
Hands down:
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Dick Van Dyke Show is #1. Honorable mentions (in no particular order) are Mary Tyler Moore, The Simpsons, Seinfeld, The Honeymooners, Larry Sanders Show, Fawlty Towers, Arrested Development, Bob Newhart (psychologist version), WKRP, Cheers, the Odd Couple.
This list is for shows that made me laugh. For influential (if not necessarily side-splitting, at least for me), I Love Lucy and, in my TV-watching lifetime, the Show That Changed Everything: All in the Family.
Cheers
Mary Tyler Moore
Frasier
Dick Van Dyke
The Andy Griffith Show
I'm Canadian. So my list:
1) Made in Canada
2) Corner Gas, especially seasons 1 & 2
3) Red Green
4) The Newsroom
5) The Vicar of Dibley
That esoteric enough for you?
Oh, and Dick Van Dyke and Hogan's Heros, too. But I was young then.
I know this sounds like sucking up, but MASH. An amazingly high joke-per-minute ratio, a superb cast that seemed only to get better with each replacement (very rare) and it was actually about something. On the BBC, without the laugh-track, it's matchless.
Seinfeld (except the last 2 seasons)
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Barney Miller
Faulty Towers
Frasier--the only sitcom I enjoy watching repeats via TIVO. In fact, the only TV show that I've ever enjoyed watching reruns.
From the US
1 Soap
2 Frasier
3 Cheers
From the UK (like me)
1 Porridge
2 Father Ted
3 Drop the dead donkey
4 The IT crowed
5 Outnumberd
I know that cable channel are hungry for content, but I am amazed by the number of UK shows named by your readers, most of whom
I assume are American.
All in the Family, Seinfeld, Married with Children and, most recently, even if it's not a sitcom per-se, Men of a Certain Age was one of the best shows I've seen in years.
I've also started watching The Unusuals, very refreshing mix of serious and comedy in a procedural series.
Archer. Bestest show ever.
For live action sitcom, going by re-watchability, All in The Family. Brilliant show, always funny and filled with heart.
Mary Tyler Moore / Bob Newhart. The originals
THE JACK BENNY SHOW, which kinda veered in and out of the formula; it occasionally veered into being a variety show. Both were good; some sitcom "historians" (authors) vary on whether it qualifies.
If it doesn't... I go with MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY, just ahead of THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW. I loved the Williams family. They were glib, impulsive, talented and surrounded by an incredibly fun group of friends. Who wouldn't want to grow up in that household - and have Terri Jackson and Angela Cartwright for sisters?
1) Fawlty Towers
2) Yes Minister (prime minister),
Black adder
I think these 3 shows are the only ones which never failed to have me laughing insanely.
and ...
MASH (initial seasons)
The cosby show
Everybody Loves Raymond
Friends ( initial seasons.. i guess till about season 5)
1. Friends
2. M*A*S*H
3. Arrested Development
4. Frasier
5. How I Met Your Mother
Oh, and one more: The Odd Couple.
sure, there's been lots of great series, but "i love lucy" did it first, had no one to copy and it still is good.
Seinfeld. It's the only sitcom that I own completely on DVD and watch and re-watch regularly.
Cheers, without question!
CHEERS
The Simpsons. I suppose I should make the disclaimer that I stopped watching a few years back, but the first dozen or so seasons were the funniest TV ever made.
It ran for eight years, was up and down in the ratings, and was expensive as hell to produce, but my favorite sitcom of all time is The Presidency of George W. Bush. Always makes me laugh.
Second place: The Larry Sanders Show.
Peep Show (BBC)
Seinfeld.
Cheers.
30 Rock.
Dick Van Dyke.
Mary Tyler Moore, the Bob Newhart Show, M*A*S*H, and Barney Miller. And Night Court, for most of its run. If you make me pick one, it would be Barney Miller, which had the greatest cast ever. Plus TV's best theme song.
Sitcoms I really like:
Parker Lewis Can't Lose - quirky early Fox sitcom.
Duets - another early Fox show with a great cast
Wings - I still think of events in terms of whether or not they merit a "big sandwich", plus I don't think a show has been more perfectly cast top to bottom
The Cosby Show - what can I say, I'm a proud child of the 80's
How I Met Your Mother has been great to follow, though some of the story lines are now getting repetitive
Perfect Strangers - one of only a few shows I made sure not to miss when I was younger
WKRP - I've always wondered if you find that show funnier or less funny because of your radio experience
Cheers/Frazier - I really enjoyed them, but I didn't relate to the characters like I did in other shows. I felt like I was watching funny people in a box (which, technically I was, but I hope you can see what I'm getting at) as opposed to looking through a 4th wall at people I "knew".
Gomer Pyle/Beverly Hillbillies - I was a kid when I watched these on TBS reruns right after we first got cable and I am a sucker for funny voices.
--------------
All time favorite - Night Court. A great mix of serious and funny, awesome chemistry between both actors and their characters, and brilliant little touches with the bit parts played by the various defendants. I think it says a lot that I could root for both Markie Post and John Larroquette in the same episode - sometimes even on the same case.
Dick Van Dyke Show
Bob Newhart Show (70's)
Modern Family
Soap
All In The Family
Night Court
Newsradio (w/Phil Hartman)
Mad About You (pre Mabel)
How I Met Your Mother
Everybody Love Raymond
Dick Van Dyke is #1 the rest are tied for second place.
Barney Miller
Arrested Development
Fawlty Towers
Ken, where you serious about MAMA'S FAMILY? I'm not sure if it's a joke for Americans or a genuine recommendation. If it's the latter, I think I'll hunt it down!
The Simpsons
(And I consider this a sitcom. Just because it's animated doesn't mean i can't be compared to normal sitcoms. The writing needs to be strong, animated or not, and in it's prime, no one could beat The Simpsons writing.)
That 70's Show. I know, I know. I must be smoking something funny.
Honeymooners, Bilko, Dick Van Dyke Show, He and She, Taxi, Frasier, Seinfeld and, although it's not a pure sitcom, Sports Night.
Only Fools and Horses.... - the best characters, jokes, set-up/pay-offs in town.
The classic years for the show, mind you, are the 1980s IMO. And within that, the half-hour episodes - they're comedy gold.
"The Dick Van Dyke Show" Perfect storm of brilliant writing and uber-talented cast.
Just the one? Among Friends, Murphy Brown, The Cosby Show, Community, and The IT Crowd, I have to choose just one?
Okay, I'll give it to The Cosby Show.
Hands down: MASH for the win!!!
On tier two:
Honeymooners
Frasier
The Simpsons (up until Maude died)
Roseanne (sorry Ken)
LOST rule: I cannot make judgements about running shows until the final episode* (see below) - but my current fave sitcoms:
Cougartown
Community
The Office
*Even though The Simpsons is technically still on the air, I gave up on it long ago.
Monty Python & SCTV might have been up there with MASH but neither are sitcoms.
My vote goes to BARNEY MILLER. Which, allow me to remind everyone, will be released in its entirety on DVD in three weeks. I have my order in.
Another vote for Cheers.
Reading thru other comments compels me to create an addendum to my original comment:
Catagory: Brilliant sitcoms ruined by tinkering, cancelled too soon and/or were on the air too long ago (and never rerun) for me to trust my judgement at the time:
The John Larroquette Show (sigh)
Better Off Ted
Grand
Breaking Away (I THINK it was a sitcom)
Aliens in America
As per your comment about Mama's Family: I thought it played better as a skit on the Carol Burnett show because it had a darker edge - I think the 'sitcom' was played more as vaudeville.
"The Simpsons" seasons 2-8. Nothing else compares, including all the "Simpsons" seasons ever since.
A few years ago I would have said "Seinfeld," but it really doesn't hold up as well as it should.
The British version of "The Office," of course -- but that's kind of cheating, since they made fewer than 20 episodes altogether.
"The Jack Benny Show." I've only seen a few of these, but he really was just about the greatest comedian ever -- and his loyal writers were pretty great, too. Plus, it was a satire of Benny interacting with his celebrity friends -- it was "Curb Your Enthusiasm" 40 years early.
"Arrested Development" and now "Community." Both are uneven, both aren't for everybody -- but when they're cooking, they're incredibly inventive and hilarious.
Dick Van Dyke Show for straight sitcom. Among the B&W reruns of my youth the only shows that I thought stood out from the rest were Dick Van Dyke Show and Maverick. Could watch them over and over again. For some reason I never found the same affection or admiration for I Love Lucy and Honeymooners, classics that they are.
Among more modern shows, although it's hard to call it a sitcom, but I think of it as a comedy - Slings and Arrows, a Canadian show about the trials and tribulations of putting on a Shakespeare festival in Toronto I think. More comedy than drama and an exceptional cast for each of its 3 seasons.
WKRP
Love Love Love Coupling and was thrilled to see the pic in your post. It's undoubtedly one of the best show's I've ever seen! British version of course, the American version was a terrible mess.
Seinfeld eh.
Spaced. Movie jokes, nerd jokes, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. And character, character, character.
Malcolm in the Middle & Get a Life
ChicagoJohn, if you like shows that deal with loneliness (in a positive way), then may I recommend Buffy the Vampire Slayer? It's not strictly to do with dating, obviously, but it covers a lot of heavy stuff in a very light and entertaining way.
If you're anything like me, you may balk at the recommendation. I thought I knew what Buffy was about, but when my friends finally convinced me to watch it, I was stunned. There's some AMAZING writing in those episodes.
Note: The first series is TERRIBLE. If you do watch it, and wonder what the hype is about, keep going until at least halfway through the second season. Or you may already be familiar with the show, or you may not be interested. But I thought it was touching that you mentioned loneliness, and I know Buffy has certainly made me feel better in days past.
#1. Seinfeld
#2. Cheers
#3. MASH
#4. Curb Your Enthusiasm
"Sports Night." Without a doubt, it's "Sports Night". It was my first experience with Aaron Sorkin's writing. The first time I saw Felicity Huffman, Peter Krause, William H Macy or Joshua Malina, plus the return of Robert Guillaume. I'm not a sports fan, but the show was a about passionate underdogs who stuck to their beliefs & principles, who talked like I WISH I could talk.
Hard choice but I'd have to say (believe it or not) a Canadian sitcom called "The Newsroom"
Cheers, and (1) there's not even a close second, and (2) I'm not just saying that because this is your blog.
In no particular order
Sports Night
Taxi
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Extras
On the heels of the news that Arrested Development is making a comeback, EW got Joshua Malina to write this about a Sports Night comeback...it's pretty funny.
http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/10/03/joshua-malina-sports-night-movie/
My favorite is Sanders, the rest in no particular order:
Larry Sanders Show (not really a sitcom but it's funny)
Seinfeld
I love Lucy
Honeymooners
Arrested Developement
Cheers
There are sitcoms I used to really like and at one point would've put on the list, but they really took a dive straight into the shitter:
The Office
30 Rock (what the f*ck happened? Maybe it was never that good to begin with and I only liked Alec Baldwin)
The Simpsons
Last week I was having drinks with a friend visiting from out of town who asked me to name my Top 5 favorite movies. After some haggling, I was allowed to name 10 films and I was still having trouble narrowing my choices down to that number. I think I’m facing the same problem here. So, with apologies, here’s my Top 5, in no particular order except alphabetical -
Blackadder – Rowan Atkinson is brilliant as the various scions of the Blackadder family down through the centuries of British history. It made jokes about the time period each season was set in the way some sitcoms reference current events, so you need to be a bit up on your British history, but that’s fine. The first season is a bit shaky, but the second through the fourth is just fantastic.
Buffalo Bill – The perfect sitcom vehicle for Dabney Colman and a great place for Max Wright to hone the character he would basically play on Alf and for Gina Davis to launch her career.
Drop The Dead Donkey – A brilliantly funny series about the goings-on in the news room of a struggling British all news network. The show taped on the afternoon of the day it aired in order to make their topical jokes as fresh as possible. Unfortunately, it is little known here in the US, outside of the one airing its 4th season got on Comedy Central when they were trying to find another British show to replicate the success Absolutely Fabulous had for them. I had to import the DVDs to see the rest of the series. (Its co-creator, Andy Hamilton, would later team with BUFFALO BILL creator Jay Tarses to create the American Revolution comedy REVOLTING PEOPLE for BBC Radio.)
SportsNight – Smart, snappy and funny and can stay that way even when making a point.
WKRP In Cincinnati – What I really wanted radio to be like when I started studying it in college. Sadly, it wasn’t, but not for my lack of trying at my college radio station.
Hmmm... Interesting that four out of my five top choices are media workplace comedies.
Honorable Mentions – Blacks Books, Cheers, Coupling, Drew Carey Show, The IT Crowd, MASH, Night Court, Red Dwarf, The Young Ones, That’s My Bush
By the way, the funniest failed sitcom I can think of is "That's my Bush!" More of a send-up of the sitcom genre itself than of the president that was the main character, I have rarely laughed as much as I did when watching that show. It couldn't sustain itself really over more than a few episodes, but damn, those were funny.
"That's My Bush!" was designed to be a limited-edition series, a send-up of sitcom conventions (not political satire) -- and it did so brilliantly. Thankfully, its run ended a few weeks before 9/11; otherwise, it wouldn't have felt so funny.
With that out of the way, my five favorite sitcoms:
1. "Seinfeld"
2. "Frasier"
3. "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"
4. "The Bob Newhart Show"
5. "The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis" (the first sitcom I can recall watching regularly; loved its pace and quirky characters)
I'd like to throw out a vote for the brilliant Aussie sitcom 'THE GAMES'. Aside from some of the best use of the mockumentary format, it was an extremely biting but good natured satire on the organization of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, written by and starring the great John Clarke.
Both series are available on DVD. 26 eps in total and still holds up great, despite it's topicality.
Here's a clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teoL6FKEtCY
Ken! What about your All-Time Favorite Sitcom? It's time to tell us!
1. Freeks and Geeks.
2. Arrested Development.
3. Taxi.
4. Dick Van Dyke Show.
"Fawlty Towers" packed more comedy, plot, character and great story construction into twelve episodes than many sitcoms could in five years.
Well, I have lots of favorites, but I own all 11 seasons of Frasier on DVD, so I guess that means it's my favorite.
-Ralphie
"The Dick Van Dyke Show". Plain and simple, the best show ever. Most shows have bad seasons or kind of run out of steam in their later years. Not this show. First season or fifth season. It's good. And generally you can watch a first season episode next to a fifth season episode and not even tell the difference. How many shows manage to keep their continuity and tone as well? None. Most shows have bad seasons. "The Dick Van Dyke Show" barely had bad episodes.
Andy Griffith Show, black and white, written by Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum.
Here are my top five of all time
1. Cheers
2. Everybody Loves Raymond
3. Happy Days (the first 4 seasons)
4. The Odd Couple
5. M*A*S*H
Difficult, but I'll give it to THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW. If I could only watch one for the rest of my life, that would be it.
WKRP I worked commercial radio while I was in college and all the strange charactors in the show existed in real life at stations I have worked at.
Arrested Development
Off the Air -
I Love Lucy
They did it first, and it's still funny.
Current -
Peep Show (British)
It takes the traditional buddy sitcom to a place we haven't seen before, in a good way.
MTM.
Definitely YES, MINISTER and YES, PRIME MINISTER (same show, different seasons as the protagonist got promoted).
Blackadder Goes Forth. The best of the four Blackadder series. A few old friends return, and quite possibly the finest final episode ever.
Besides, you can watch Hugh Laurie in his pre-House glory.
Slap Maxwell
Without a doubt, MASH. Specifically from the time Winchester arrived until Radar left. Those episodes, in my opinion represent the finest television ever.
Frasier. No contest.
1. Faulty Towers
2. Bob Newhart - The original
3. Dick Van Dyke Show
4. Fernwood Tonight
5. Barney Miller
My #1 would be Arrested Development. I watched this show after it already ended and watched its dvds back to back to back so this show really blew me away, the way the story is constructed and presented are just amazing.
And here are some notables as well:
Frasier (Niles rocks! I hope David Hyde Fierce will return to TV or be a guest start on some show)
Will & Grace
How I Met Your Mother
The Office
Sports Night
Friends
The Nanny
Futurama
Modern Family
Just Shoot Me!
The Monkees
so anyway my prediction is that ken made this post bc of the 50th anniversary of the dick van dyke show (which is airing all this week on tv land) and that is what he'll announce as his favorite show.
he's expressed his love for the show on here before, so that's what i'm predicting. i also recall that in one post he discussed how his favorite DvD episodes were written by garry marshall/jerry belson, who went on to create the odd couple, so i hope that he at least gives an honorable mention to that marvelously funny show as well.
I think this very much depends on your age. For me, the top years for sitcoms were 70s/80s/90s. So, I can't narrow it to one- but here's my top ten, not in any particular order:
I Love Lucy/ Three's Company/ All in the Family / M*A*S*H / Cheers / Taxi / Friends / Frasier / Seinfeld / Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Royle Family (UK sitcom)
Seinfeld.
The Honeymooners.
Barney Miller.
Early Simpsons.
South Park.
~~~~Thanks for asking.
1. Cheers
2. Frasier
3. Wings
4. All in the family
selection7: I loved NewsRadio, too, or a lot of it. I still think the NewsRadio pilot is one of the best sitcom episodes ever - the First Day of Work From Hell.
Going back to my original choices (how could I forget The Honeymooners? Laura on DVD independent? *Sally* was independent. Laura was a housewife with talents going to waste):
the thing that's *so* impressive to me, thinking again about Yes, Minister/Yes, Prime Minister is that it wasn't just "silly" comedy. It's a brilliantly funny show that also exposed a lot that the general public in Britain at the time did not know about the workings of their own government. Even today, more than 30 years later, every would-be activist in the UK has to study it for tips.
wg
Pat Quinn: I love John Cleese too, but it's only fair to give co-credit for the writing on Fawlty Towers to his writing partner and then-wife, Connie Booth (who played the long-suffering Polly).
wg
Arrested Development, Soap, Seinfeld, Frasier
Coupling (I only know the british version)
IT Crowd
Mr. Bean
Home Improvement
Futurama (not sure if that counts)
All these series have good german synchronizations (which is not hard for Mr. Bean, I know ;-) so you get two versions on DVD but pay only once.
Larry Sanders Show or Newsradio.
I can't stop at just one.
- Cheers (while Diane was there)
- Mary Tyler Moore
- Big Bang Theory
- Yes, Minister
1. The Simpsons
2. Frasier
3. Seinfeld
Top 5: Frasier, How I Met Your Mother, Just Good Friends, Dear John (UK), Allo Allo, Men Behaving Badly, A Bit Of A Do.
Okay that's 7.
Cheers, without question. More specifically, the ridiculously brilliant Diane years, but it's all good.
My top runner up is Arrested Development, and I'm thrilled to see that's getting a second chance.
Frasier is the show that I return to time and time again. I love that it always assumed the audience were in on the jokes, even the highbrow ones.
The character of Joey in the later few series of Friends is an example of what happens when writers stop trying.
After writing half-hour comedy for nearly thirty years, I'm now a university professor. Among my courses are several on the History of TV and the Sitcom as a Cultural Influence. I've had the joy of exposing students to the extra-ordinary wealth of half-hour comedy over the past six decades and, though much of it is richly enjoyed and appreciated, without fail the number one favorite is always "I Love Lucy."
It is pure comedy genius and set the standard for the powerful influence entertainment can have on society. It's sharp wit and perfectly executed physical comedy in a time of McCarthyism, fear and conservative values jollied us into accepting female equality, human rights, and interracial marriage, all the while making us laugh out loud at Lucy and ultimately ourselves.
Mash
The Simpsons
Honeymooners
Scrubs
How to answer a seemingly rehetorical question with a tangible response?
I suppose if I had to name one out my favorites (I LOVE LUCY, THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW, MARY TYLER MOORE, ALL IN THE FAMILY, HAPPY DAYS, WKRP IN CINCINNATI, CHEERS, SEINFELD, FRIENDS and FRASIER), I'd probably go with:
THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW
It's the show that taught me that comedy can come out of real-life situations, and you don't have to resort to absurdity or excessive exaggeration to make somethng funny.
But they all were about equal in their quality and level of entertainment.
BTW, was glad to see a few votes for MAD ABOUT YOU. As the person who was responsible for hauling the audiences in to see the show filming every Friday night the last three seasons it was on the air, I'd like to think that the enthusiasm of the audiences and their laughter contributed to the ambience and helped make the show as popular as it was... :-)
Second try at this:
Night Court. Barney Miller. 1A and 1B, order dependent on my whim at the moment.
Closely following: Dick Van Dyke. Also (and I am not going for brown-nose points) Cheers, especially the early episodes before Coach died and Shelly Long left. Soap. (I left that off the first time. But I didn't think of it as a true sit-com, more of a soap parody.) The Jack Benny Show. (I left this off the first time, too, but I saw another commenter mention it and, though it wasn't a sit-com either, the radio program was in many ways the ancestor of every sit-com on these lists.)
I love John Cleese. I couldn't stand Fawlty Towers.
The best single episode of any sitcom ever was the last episode of Newhart.
So many pop up immediately...MASH, Barney Miller, Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart, Cheers, Taxi & Golden Girls are all favorites. But the question is: all time favorite sitcom and that would be the Dick Van Dyke Show.
Becky said
The Golden Girls. Classic, beautifully developed and timeless.
Friends (some seasons more than others).
The Simpsons (not exactly sitcom, but still, 23 awesome seasons).
And also Modern Family and The Office.
(Wow, great response ... Are you still tallying, Ken??)
Top 10, in no particular order ...
* MODERN FAMILY
* EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND
* 30 ROCK
* THE OFFICE
* FRIENDS
* THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW
* THE BOB NEWHART SHOW ("original recipe" Bob)
* MURPHY BROWN
* SOAP
* MAD ABOUT YOU (Pre- baby-making years)
The Odd Couple!
December Bride
The People's Choice
Car 54 Where Are You?
Make Room for Daddy
Private Secretary
Our Miss Brooks
Life of Riley
It's so hard to choose one. I've been racking my brain for the past few days. So here is my input:
1. Seinfeld
2. The IT Crowd (UK)
3. Cheers
If I were to be stuck on an island and had to choose three...
"The Dick Van Dyke Show." Someone mentioned that the "Let's put on a show" episodes were the worst, and I agree. Still, I'd rather watch them than "Whitney." Or "2 Broke Girls." Or "Two and a Half Men." For my money the single funniest episode on Van Dyke was "Coast to Coast Big Mouth." It deservedly won the writing Emmy that year and is still funnier than almost all of the nominees in that same category this year.
Wow! This post has become a BOOK!
Also, I'm not exactly sure where the not-really-a-sitcom/not-really-a-drama NORTHERN EXPOSURE and MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE fall - dramedies? - but they are two of my all-time favorite shows.
TBS' recent cancellation of MOAACA was *very* disappointing; if you haven't watched it, I believe that the entire series is still up on On Demand.
The original The Office. Since it had a clear, finite run, Gervais & co. were able to keep a consistent, unique voice and produce a satisfying ending to the series. It also spearheaded the docu-style shows and had some incredible cringe-worthy comedy gold moments.
Coach
Almost Perfect
Murphy Brown
Evening Shade
Best of the West
This is a tough one, but the first one to pop into my mind was Family Ties. To this day I quote from episodes I watched when it was on. Ah, Alex P Keaton, they don't write them like you anymore.
More recently, as in well now, How I Met Your Mother is funny as hell, but that could be that I have a serious crush on Neil Patrick Harris.
All in the Family
No doubt about it: Soap. Best show ever. Beneath the crazy jokes, there was also a legitimate warmth. As a wildcard, I'd say seasons 3-5 of Roseanne. Too bad the rest of the run was mediocre at best
4-Camera: Mary Tyler Moore, Fraiser, Golden Girls
Single Cam: Arrested Development!
I still think Friends was innovative and fresh for its time. It has also added more phrases to the American lexicon that any show I can think of.
For nostaglia's sake, I'd have to list Happy Days. Cheers goes without saying, because I enjoyed it with my dad.
But my all time favorite show, even though I don't consider it a sitcom, truly is MASH, your involvement aside. Touching and hilarious, real and ridiculous, all at the same time. It has no match.
1.Seinfeld
2.Cheers
3.All in the Family
4.M*A*S*H (before Winchester, Potter, and Honeycutt ruined it)
5. Taxi
Seinfeld and Frasier for their consistency, Arrested Development for their perfect three seasons.
King of the Hill if we're including animation, Frasier if we're not.
If I had to pick one, it would be Cheers. I still love that show.
Runners-up would be The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Seinfeld, One Foot in the Grave, Are You Being Served, WKRP, Better Off Ted, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
I also want to give special mention to 2 that were woefully treated by their broadcasters:
Campus Ladies and Remember WENN. The first is absolutely hilarious and the second managed to be boisteriously funny and poigniant at the same time. Both deserved better.
The Andy Griffth Show. Has there ever been another character like Barney Fife?
Fave British - Porridge, The Liver Birds, Yes Minister.
US - Home Improvement, Roseanne (early seasons) and Kate & Allie
If Simpsons and LArry Sanders count as "sitcoms", they win. If not, 'Seinfeld' wins. Newhart is a close second.
So says I.
If I had to chose one, my favorite would be MAD ABOUT YOU.
And these are the ones I loved and enjoyed the most.
Mad About You
Frasier
Home Improvement
Newsradio
Just Shoot Me
Seinfeld
The first three seasons of MASH. No offense intended, but I feel as if the show lost something when Henry, Trapper and Frank left the show. Charles just wasn't as good a foil and Col. Potter wasn't funny.
Aside from those, Newsradio, Frasier and 3rd Rock from the Sun.
What an incredible list. I love many of the shows mentioned (and tempted to claim ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT or MARY TYLER MOORE as my #1), but I'm going to have to go way off the board here and say THREE'S COMPANY, and that's all about loving John Ritter's over-the-top performance, week after week.
(I think that watching the 9 a.m. reruns on ABC during childhood summers probably also has something to do with this selection.)
Honestly, my favorite is Frasier. The only other show that made me laugh so hard (so consistently) is Arrested Development. Frasier gets the nod from me because of its longer run, and because its characters are easier to identify with.
I'd give honorable mentions to the Simpsons (at least for the first handful of seasons. I stopped watching it around 2000) and Futurama.
LAprGuy - EVERYONE loves Three's Company (it's one of the 3 or 4 shows that actually sold WELL on DVD), but precious few will admit it.:)
I loved Wings. I adored the relationship between Joe and Helen. The only show I loved as much (or more) was cheers. I'm sad they don't have as much sitcoms on tv as the did when I was a kid in the 80s. There were so many! Too many to watch!
Friends, Frasier and Cheers. It's a tie.
I think it should be related to eras: "Dick van Dyke Show" is a game-changer for its time. "Mary Tyler Moore" show just because, but I can't say I think of it often.
"Frasier" is just such a great combination of character and script.
"Seinfeld" for the balance of an ensemble cast and modern absurdist.
"King of the Hill" because of the characters first, the dialogs and observations, and finally how much more believable than most sitcoms (which are bad cartoons often)
"Absolutley Fabulous" is one of the U.K. contributions I would add.
Mary Tyler Moore
Being an old radio guy my sentimental favorite will always be WKRP, just because I've met real life versions of all those guys.
But, the one show that I watch over and over, is one that I had to search out on Dvd, because we didn't get it in the States until late in its run was 'Corner Gas'.
The best description I ever read on it put it best. "If 'Seinfeld' is a show about nothing, then 'Corner Gas' is a show about nowhere."
Two others on my list are, Red Dwarf, and Spaced.
Has everyone had Car 54, Where Are You? erased from their memories?
No, Honestly.
1. Cheers
2. Frasier
3. Seinfeld
4. Arrested Development
5. The Cosby Show
6. Parks and Recreation
7. Coach
8. The Simpsons
9. The Dick Van Dyke Show
10. Mary Tyler Moore
11. The Bob Newhart Show
12. Taxi
13. Newsradio
14. The Office (US)
15. Friends
The sitcoms I go back to over and over again are:
WKRP in Cincinnati
Barney Miller
Doctor, Doctor
I love MASH and Frazier but I don't revisit them like I do these.
Taxi.
- Frasier
- Seinfeld
- Becker
- Cheers
i guess i would say mamas family thats a real good show i love to watch it vicki can really make me laugh and i hope some one would put it back on tv land are some other channel
Didn't read every post but these should be mentioned.
The Real McCoys
Love That Bob
Our Miss Brooks
Ozzie & Harriet
and
Dobie Gillis
A more recent sitcom: Mork & Mindy.
Currently I watch The Big Bang Theory.
Only Fools and Horses
The Odd Couple
Fawlty Towers
Spaced
All-time: Sgt. Bilko
Runner-up: Bob (Hartley) Newhart
Import: Yes Minister
Runner-up: Fawlty Towers
Honorable mention, because it had such a short run: Police Squad! (in color)
Just off the top of my head my favorite episode would be Friends where Ross whitened his teeth too white. Show was hilarious. I loved Mama's Family, The Beverly Hillibilies, Seinfield (muffin top), Fraiser, Fresh Prince, Martin, I Love Lucy... too many to name.
I just started my own Favorite Episode blog at www.favoriteepisode.com I'm glad I saw this posting.
I was glad to see Doctor Doctor listed, even if only twice. It's still my fave "lost" comedy - unknown and forgotten by most. Brilliant mix of highly intelligent writing and outright slapstick humor. Matt Frewer and Julius Carrey played beautifully off each other, good supporting cast, and even ahead of the curve on inclusiveness. (Matt Frewer's character's brother was matter-of-factly gay - quite casual, no big deal.)
It's the show that most makes me miss my old video tapes.
(And, yes, Ken - we read the archives)
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