Best sitcoms ever?

What are the best sitcoms ever?

My picks: Seinfeld Cheers Get Smart I Love Lucy

I know there are probably more.... Anyway, Seinfeld is still my favorite.

One would have to add "The Dick Van Dyke Show," which was a suburban "Seinfeld." Think about it: it was a show about a guy and his friends who wrote a comedy show and his family life in New Rochelle. Most of the plots were truly about "nothing": dinner with the new in-laws, Rob buying Laura an ugly necklace and not realizing how much she hates it, Laura accidentally revealing on national television that Alan Brady was bald, etc.

For fine ensemble comedy and great writing, also add "Taxi" to the list. It was a pre-"Cheers" "Cheers," taking place inside a taxi garage in NYC instead of a bar in Boston. Note the similarity of the characters played by Danny DeVito and Rhea Pearlman, real-life soulmates.

Good thinking! Dick Van Dyke is defenetly up there. How about Hogan's Horoes?

Lest we forget...

"All in the Family"

Like Seinfeld, a true original.

• Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
• Sienfeld
• Simpsons
• Cosby

This probably won't be a popular choice, but I would also add "Married...With Children," from 1989-1992. It has degenerated into an absolutely putrid and painful show to watch, but, in it's "middle" seasons, it featured some incredibly funny episodes that truly skewered the traditional family sitcom idea. Ed O'Neill should've won at least one Emmy during that time period for creating a character of striking originality and depth.

I would also throw "The Simpons" on the list, but the show has been too up and down for the past two, three years and some of this year's scripts have been agitprop straight out of Mao's Little Red Book (or Homer's Little Yellow Book).

Finally, a nomination for a show that was a shooting star across the comedy firmament: the incredibly quirky, whacky, brilliant Chris Elliot classic, "Get A Life." I remember, in 1991, looking forward to Sunday nights on Fox the way I now look forward Thursday nights on NBC at 9 PM...an incredible 90 minutes of comedy, beginning with "In Living Color" (when it was good) at 8; "Get A Life" at 8:30; and "Married...With Children" at 9. :-)

I agree.

Also, Murphy Brown - seasons 2, 3, 4......

Lee, we have VERY similar tastes. First of all, I agree with your assessment of Married with Children. The show was very funny when it was constructed with a somewhat normal plot. But it became UNWATCHABLE when it turned into UNREALISTIC NONSENSE.

I was glad to see you mention " Get A Life" I still believe that if they had put it on at a decent time or had it on one of the 3 big networks, It would have been a gigantic hit. I still can't decide between Seinfeld and Get A Life as to which is my favorite sitcom of all time.

Regards, Terry

Lee Salem wrote:

I agree with you on In Living Color. It was excellent.

Lee Salem wrote:

The Simpson's are in a class by themselves when it comes to sitcoms.

You forgot one that was on in this same lineup: "Flying Blind". Starred Tia Leone and some guy whose name I forget. He was this sort of boring nebbish guy and she was a drop-dead gorgeous New York party girl. It lasted only one or two seasons, but was imho hilarious! The writing was superb.

That one had Michael Tucci, also, who had been on Tracey Ullman.

Don't forget "Herman's Head" which had a very funny premise.

:

Yes, the beginnings of Fox brought two other ground-breaking shows. One was Tracey Ullman (where we first saw the Simpsons, and whose cast members still do the Simpsons' voices). The plots were incredibly original, the acting superb. It was a total mixed bag. Kudos to Fox for giving it a shot.

Also, Garry Shandling's show was a big departure from the norm. You never knew what he was going to come up with.

Those were Fox's original two shows, a spark of creativity like we haven't seen since.

[email] (Joe) wrote:

Those were not Fox's original two shows. The first season had four sitcoms: Married with Children, Duet, Tracy Ullman, and one more that was not Garry Shandling. MWC, which is the longest-running sitcom still on TV, premiered in April 1987. Shandling came to Fox much later.

Wasn't "21 Jump Street a Fox first season show???

Anyone know?

JC

John Coyne wrote:

OK, I just researched the unofficial Fox web site. It is chocked full of information on almost all of Fox's shows, by the way. Here is the way they premiered in the first month:

4/5/87:   Married with Children; Tracey Ullman Show
4/12/87:  added 21 Jump Street
4/19/87:  added Duet
5/3/87:    added Mr. President

Other information I got from this site:

3/6/88: It's Garry Shandling's Show premiered 4/10/88: America's Most Wanted premiered 3/11/89: Cops premiered 8/27/89: Duet turned into Open House

Guess I better say something about Seinfeld, too:

According to the NBC web site, the rerun of "the Wait Out" will be shown on Thursday, August 29. Wasn't that the last show before the season finale? That should give us an idea of when the finale will be rerun.

I distinctly remeber Garry Shandling going back to the beginning, if not the very first season, at least the second one, in the NYC market.

Joe

[email] (Joe) wrote:

Close. The first two shows premiered on 4/5/87. Two more were added in the next few weeks. These four original shows were: Married With Children, Tracy Ullman Show, Duet, Mr. President. I researched the unofficial Fox web site last weekend. It shows Garry Shandling showing up for the first time in 1988. That's pretty close to the beginning, I guess that makes it the second season.

(I posted the results of my research last weekend, but I can't find my outbox copy right now to check the 1988 date.)

---------------------------Reply Separator-------------------------------
On 8/8/96 9:47PM, in message
, Lee Salem
 wrote:

    > This probably won't be a popular choice, but I would also add
    > "Married...With Children," from 1989-1992.  It has degenerated into an
    > absolutely putrid and painful show to watch, but, in it's "middle"
    > seasons, it featured some incredibly funny episodes that truly
    > skewered
    > the traditional family sitcom idea.  Ed O'Neill should've won at least
    > one Emmy during that time period for creating a character of striking
    > originality and depth.
    >
    > I would also throw "The Simpons" on the list, but the show has been
    > too
    > up and down for the past two, three years and some of this year's
    > scripts
    > have been agitprop straight out of Mao's Little Red Book (or Homer's
    > Little Yellow Book).
    >
    > Finally, a nomination for a show that was a shooting star across the
    > comedy firmament:  the incredibly quirky, whacky, brilliant Chris Elliot
    > classic, "Get A Life."  I remember, in 1991, looking forward to Sunday
    > nights on Fox the way I now look forward Thursday nights on NBC at 9
    > PM...an incredible 90 minutes of comedy, beginning with "In Living
    > Color"
    > (when it was good) at 8; "Get A Life" at 8:30; and "Married...With
    > Children" at 9.  :-)
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >

On 8/12/96 12:55PM, in message , Joe wrote:

    > That one had Michael Tucci, also, who had been on Tracey Ullman.
    >
    > Don't forget "Herman's Head" which had a very funny premise.
    >
    >
Incidentally, two of the actors from Herman's Head are the voices for the
Simpsons: Yeardsley Smith (?) does Lisa Simpson and Hank Azaria does several,
one of them is Apu the convenience store clerk.  Not that this has anything to do
with Seinfeld.

"He's not sponge-worthy!" - Elaine

Dick van Dyke Show Mary Tyler Moore Show

MASH and Cheers had their moments but both got *very* lame towards the end...

I'll always like Laverne & Shirley, the Jeffersons, and Bewitched even though they're all second rate shows -- my years with the electronic babysitter ;)

How about Barney Miller?

> > What are the best sitcoms ever?

I know I am all alone here..but I just adore Green Acres.

hearing the laughter...

Lisa

yes you are probably alone as am I in my adoration of "SLEDGEHAMMER!"

jacob

yes you are probably alone as am I in my adoration of "SLEDGEHAMMER!"

jacob

My choices (with no advance thought):

Seinfeld Bakersfield P.D. Roseanne Andy Griffith Show I Love Lucy Cheers Dick Van Dyke

And two with the potential to make it: NewsRadio Friends

Yes, dahling.

I can't say this is the best sitcom ever, but my personal favorite is probably The Monkees.

-Jen

Another second-rate classic: "Sanford and Son"

"Looks like the big one 'lizabeth"

[email] (Justin Tribble) wrote:

How about the original "Bob Newhart" show? Bob's deadpanning is perfect. Howard is classic too.

You also forgot "Taxi" and "Mary Tyler Moore." Both had superb casts and writers. How could you live without knowing the Jim and Latka characters from "Taxi" and Ted Baxter ("Mary, Murr, LOUUUUU.") from "MTM."

Thank God for Nick at Night.

Dave

[email] wrote:

My choices:

              Cheers
              Barney Miller
              Seinfeld
              Newhart
              Taxi
              M*A*S*H
              Frazier (So far, SO good)

Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, Seinfeld

Best all time:

Soap Mash Cheers MTM All in the Family

Excellent -- potential for all time list

Seinfeld Frazier Murphy Brown

How about "The Cosby Show"?

Geoffrey

In Geoffrey writes:

What about THE SIMPSONS? *Nat*

Subject: Re: Best sitcoms ever? From: [email](Nat Mastick) Date: 13 Aug 1996 00:11:36 GMT Message-ID:

In Geoffrey writes:

Has anyone mentioned I Love Lucy

Personal Favs.. in no particular Order

I Love Lucy Mary Tyler Moore Barney Miller Green Acres Get Smart Mash Cheers Seinfeld Frasier That Girl ( sentimental...always wanted to be That Girl and get Don Hollinger ) and probably a lot of them I am leaving out due to CRS Cant Remember Sh*t.

Lisa

For a funny situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, you'd have to go back to the show in which he was a phys. ed. teach named Chet Kinkaid. Maybe it was called "The Bill Cosby Show." His variety show with Lola Falana and Billy Saluka (Now you can cally me Ray, or you can call me Jay, ...) also had its moments.

WKRP in Cincinatti

On 8/11/96 12:33PM, in message , debbie wrote:

    > Best all time:
    >
    > Soap
    > Mash
    > Cheers
    > MTM
    > All in the Family
    >
    >
    > Excellent -- potential for all time list
    >
    > Seinfeld
    > Frazier
    > Murphy Brown
    >
    > _________________________________________________________________
    > Elaine: "I don't know how you guys walk around with those things"
    >
Barney Miller?

Good choices, but:

Fawlty Towers The Bob Newhart Show And Police Squad--the basis for all the subsquent movies.

It's not a coincidence that both POlice and Fawlty are now available on videotape.

I think that the two best sitcoms EVER are Seinfeld and The Simpsons. The Nanny and Murphy brown are pretty good too. Peace, alysha

It's a dog-eat-dog world out there, and I happen to be wearing Alpo underwear.

For a funny situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, you'd have to go back to the show in which he was a phys. ed. teach named Chet Kinkaid. Maybe it was called "The Bill Cosby Show." His variety show with Lola Falana and Billy Saluka (Now you can cally me Ray, or you can call me Jay, ...) also had its moments.

The only good TV show ever that had Bill Cosby was Fat Albert, in my opinion.