Top 5 Sitcoms of All-Time

Caravan Ray · Post by **Caravan Ray** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 9:53 pm

I'm quite surprised to see American posters nominating exclusively American shows (then again - I suppose it's not that surprising)

While the British have their problems (ie. they don't bathe very often, they complain a lot and they can't play cricket etc. etc

) - I must conceed that they do lead the world in the production of sitcoms.

Don't you get to see the likes of Fawlty Towers, Ab Fab, Yes Minister, Men Behaving Badly, Blackadder, The Office etc. in the USA? Even those who cited All in the Family - do you realise that was a direct copy of Tll Death Us Do Part?

Unfortunatly for me, most American shows suffer from the "final scene hug" syndrome. US Sitcoms seem to be small 30 minute morality plays that always have a happy ending and the characters all try to be likeable. Of course there are exceptions - the most notable probably being Seinfeld - it has unlikable characters who never hug in the final scene.

I'm curious though - do Americans not know of, say, Fawlty Towers - or do you just find it not funny?

Just for the record, here in Aust. we have a great history of wonderful satirical variety/sketch-type television shows (Norman Gunston, Roy & HG, D-Generation, The Chaser) - but our sitcoms are bloody awful. Only
two, Mother and Son from the 80's and Kath & Kim, now in its 3rd series could be described as being in any way funny.

fodroy · Post by **fodroy** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 9:56 pm

Caravan Ray wrote:I'm quite surprised to see American posters nominating exclusively American shows (then again - I suppose it's not that surprising)

there are televisions in other parts of the world? do you have color tv yet?

Caravan Ray · Post by **Caravan Ray** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 10:04 pm

fodroy wrote:
Caravan Ray wrote:I'm quite surprised to see American posters nominating exclusively American shows (then again - I suppose it's not that surprising)
there are televisions in other parts of the world? do you have color tv yet?

We not only have TV - we also have the SBS Network which shows foreign language shows from all around the world. It's a great place to watch gratuitous nudity without looking like a pervert!

Poor June · Post by **Poor June** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 10:04 pm

1. That 70's Show
2. Everybody Loves Raymond
3. South Park
4. Seinfeld
5. Wayan Brothers

the Jazz · Post by **the Jazz** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 11:15 pm

No particular order:
Roseanne
The Cosby Show
3rd Rock From The Sun
Family Guy
Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law

Caravan Ray · Post by **Caravan Ray** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 11:55 pm

15-16 puzzle wrote:
Jim of Seattle wrote: 3. The Wonder Years, why isn't that on anyone else's list?????
because it's a dramedy

it's not on my list because in my opinion it is the televisual equivalent of a steaming pile of dogshit

erik · Post by **erik** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 7:15 am

Caravan Ray wrote:I'm curious though - do Americans not know of, say, Fawlty Towers - or do you just find it not funny?

Personally speaking, it's not that easy to find free sources of British (or English or whatever I'm supposed to say) sitcoms, and when I do find them and see them, I sit there and don't laugh at all.

HeuristicsInc · Post by **HeuristicsInc** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 7:44 am

New list. I haven't seen Blackadder in ages, but when I did I really liked it.

Simpsons, Cheers, Soap, MASH, Blackadder.

There you have it. Fawlty Towers is good but I wouldn't put it in the Top 5.
Yes, Ray, many sitcoms are like after-school specials

-bill

Jim of Seattle · Post by **Jim of Seattle** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 8:47 am

Caravan Ray wrote:
I'm curious though - do Americans not know of, say, Fawlty Towers - or do you just find it not funny?

First off, as someone already said, British sitcoms are hard to find over here. Public stations have some of them, but no one watches those stations much. Fawlty Towers is probably the most well-known and well-loved of British sitcoms, but frankly there were so few of them made that for me it never really gathered enough momentum to be considered truly "great". Plus, watching it now I find that it repeats itself a lot, and relies to heavily on Cleese's barely contained fuming. It almost made my list though.

"The Office" recently came out on DVD and I loved it, but again, I found its humor ultimately repetitive. I've never seen it on regular TV, though. Most of the others I've never heard of.

As far as comparing British and American sitcoms, it's apples and oranges. There is enough difference in tastes between the two countries that a lot of things that are uproarious in one country fall flat in another. So what if "All in the Family" was first a British series? Did the British series change the face of the culture and resonate with the country for almost a decade? Did the main character become a cultural icon? Carroll O'Connor didn't steal the British character, he adapted it to his own culture, as did Norman Lear with the entire show.

Notice I didn't compare one of your favorite shows to dog excrement. And I thought the Brits were all genteel and stuff...

j$ · Post by j$ » Tue Nov 09, 2004 8:58 am

15-16 puzzle wrote:
Caravan Ray wrote:I'm curious though - do Americans not know of, say, Fawlty Towers - or do you just find it not funny?
Personally speaking, it's not that easy to find free sources of British (or English or whatever I'm supposed to say) sitcoms, and when I do find them and see them, I sit there and don't laugh at all.

Half of your statement applies in reverse. Unfortunately it's not the first half.

j$

Leaf · Post by **Leaf** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 9:30 am

And there in lies the beauty of being Canadian, as we find both American and English Situational Comedies amusing...

c hack · Post by **c hack** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 9:53 am

Caravan Ray wrote:I'm quite surprised to see American posters nominating exclusively American shows (then again - I suppose it's not that surprising)

I almost put Father Ted up there -- it's frickin' hilarious.

Caravan Ray wrote:Don't you get to see the likes of Fawlty Towers, Ab Fab, Yes Minister, Men Behaving Badly, Blackadder, The Office etc. in the USA? Even those who cited All in the Family - do you realise that was a direct copy of Tll Death Us Do Part?

The couple eps of Ab Fab I saw I thought were stupid. MBB is on comedy central but it never sparked my interest, Fawlty Towers is on public access sometimes but I never get around to watching it, and I don't know where to get the others (except the Office, which is on DVD). I thought "Till Death Do Us Part" was a play for some reason. It's a British sitcom? Well, in its defence, what made AITF great was its handling of American issues.

the Jazz wrote: 3rd Rock From The Sun

The one where they all get sick for the first time is one of the funniest things I've ever seeen, and genius.

j$ wrote:
15-16 puzzle wrote: Personally speaking, it's not that easy to find free sources of British (or English or whatever I'm supposed to say) sitcoms, and when I do find them and see them, I sit there and don't laugh at all.
Half of your statement applies in reverse. Unfortunately it's not the first half.

Ow. You made me do math to understand that post.

tonetripper · Post by **tonetripper** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 10:17 am

1) Seinfeld - cuz situation comedy is at it's funniest when misunderstanding is at the root of it all.... this show probably exemplifies it best, atleast from a North American Standpoint. And Kramer and Newman are possibly two of the funniest characters ever to hit television.

2) Black Adder - cuz the Brits and Rowan really knew how to exploit, once again, the situation comedy of misunderstanding. Atkinson is possibly one of the funniest men in the world.

3) Malcolm in the Middle - No laugh track and still makes me laugh out loud. Great characters in the family and anyone with a family probably can chuckle pretty hard at the way those parents deal with their kids.

4) Friends - cuz the 30 something characters can relate to me in ways that I find humourous. My only problem with it is it's cliquey but has some pretty funny episodes at times. I've laughed out loud at the goofy characters and interplay.

5) WKRP in Cincinatti - Cuz the funniest episode of all time on any sitcom ever was on this show. The one with the fire in the building and Venus holding the hose for safety and Johnny and him fighting over it. Hilarious. Was crying with laughter over it. Venus and Johnny with Les and Herb were some of the funniest offsets to characters on any show. This should probably be higher on the list. I'd still watch it.

- Pablo

JonPorobil · Post by **JonPorobil** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 10:42 am

Newsradio is worth a mention, I think. Dave Foley, Phil Hartman, and Andy Dick all in one show. What more could you ask for?

tonetripper · Post by **tonetripper** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 10:59 am

Generic wrote:Newsradio is worth a mention, I think. Dave Foley, Phil Hartman, and Andy Dick all in one show. What more could you ask for?

Too true about it. Was a faithful watcher, mostly cuz of Dave Foley being in KITH (a Canadian troupe), but the one guy (not sure of his name) with the blonde curly hair made me roll on the floor with laughter. Too bad it had such a short run, cuz it was definitely one of the funnier shows on TV. Good one Generic.

Post by jb » Tue Nov 09, 2004 11:06 am

tonetripper wrote:
Generic wrote:Newsradio is worth a mention, I think. Dave Foley, Phil Hartman, and Andy Dick all in one show. What more could you ask for?
Too true about it. Was a faithful watcher, mostly cuz of Dave Foley being in KITH (a Canadian troupe), but the one guy (not sure of his name) with the blonde curly hair made me roll on the floor with laughter. Too bad it had such a short run, cuz it was definitely one of the funnier shows on TV. Good one Generic.

Newsradio ran from 1995-1999. Not *really* a short run, as TV shows go. After Phil Hartman died it went downhill somewhat.

Jim of Seattle · Post by **Jim of Seattle** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 11:25 am

You know, as I'm reading this thread I'm starting to see that there are two camps of sitcoms. There are all the sitcoms of the past 20 years or so, and then there's everything before it. About the early 80's, sitcoms settled into a very predictable formula for the most part. The same sets, same characters, same kinds of humor, same tempo... Before that there was more variety from show to show it seems. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, because there are certainly plenty of great shows that fall into that pattern, but praising a show like "Newsradio" vs. a show like "Mary Tyler Moore" isn't a fair comparison. Newsradio worked very well within the insanely narrow confines of the genre's overworked formula, while MTM was still helping define the genre, and was more known for the chances it took. Most every sitcom from 1985 to 2004 look roughly the same, with a few notable exceptions.

Anyway, it's interesting.

Leaf · Post by **Leaf** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 11:29 am

Newsradio was definitely a fantastic show... great ensemble. Great writing.

Obviously Malcom in the Middle....

Rosanne had it's moments, I dunno...it's hard to pick five, cause I'm more of a "situational Watcher"...after a while, I lose interest in a show simply cause I get all the jokes...however, to rate my favs when I was a teenager:

Family Ties
cheers
Three's Company
Cosby show

Are all that stand out to memory.

Right this minute??? Right Now??

Malcolm in the Middle...(spbitch)
uhh...
Lizzie McGuire ( I have an 8year old daughter!!she rules the set man!)

Yeah.

Phil. Redmon. · Post by **Phil. Redmon.** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 11:51 am

1.Diff'rent Strokes
2.Sabrina The Teenage Witch
3.Murphy Brown
4.Designing Women
5.Mork & Mindy

Yep.

erik · Post by **erik** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 12:51 pm

Jim of Seattle wrote:...praising a show like "Newsradio" vs. a show like "Mary Tyler Moore" isn't a fair comparison. Newsradio worked very well within the insanely narrow confines of the genre's overworked formula, while MTM was still helping define the genre, and was more known for the chances it took. Most every sitcom from 1985 to 2004 look roughly the same, with a few notable exceptions.

Alright, school me, because MTM is before my time, and I've only seen a handful of episodes. I thought it was funny, but it didn't blow me away. Why is it so much better than News Radio?

Phil. Redmon. · Post by **Phil. Redmon.** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 1:10 pm

Ted Baxter > Bill McNeil

jack · Post by **jack** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 1:10 pm

15-16 puzzle wrote:
Jim of Seattle wrote:...praising a show like "Newsradio" vs. a show like "Mary Tyler Moore" isn't a fair comparison. Newsradio worked very well within the insanely narrow confines of the genre's overworked formula, while MTM was still helping define the genre, and was more known for the chances it took. Most every sitcom from 1985 to 2004 look roughly the same, with a few notable exceptions.
Alright, school me, because MTM is before my time, and I've only seen a handful of episodes. I thought it was funny, but it didn't blow me away. Why is it so much better than News Radio?

i agree with Jim. the MTM show in many ways revolutionized the sitcom. it spun off a couple successful shows (like all in the family did) great writing, great ensemble cast. shows like cheers owe much to the MTM show in terms of making the writing more important than having one big star. It didn't hurt that the producer of this show, James L. Brooks would later go on to become the executive producer of arguably the greatest sitcom of them all (the simpsons).