OT: Rolling Stone’s List of Best Sitcoms

[LionJim]

A good enough list. Simpsons at 1, Cheers 2, Seinfeld 3, Lucy 4, AITF 5.

100 Best Sitcoms of All Time

From family stories to band-of-misfits hangouts, classic rom-coms to workplace mockumentaries, cringe comedies to antihero showcases, and some shows that defy definition, these are the hundred seri…

www.rollingstone.com

 

[MacNit07]

A good enough list. Simpsons at 1, Cheers 2, Seinfeld 3, Lucy 4, AITF 5.

100 Best Sitcoms of All Time

From family stories to band-of-misfits hangouts, classic rom-coms to workplace mockumentaries, cringe comedies to antihero showcases, and some shows that defy definition, these are the hundred seri…

www.rollingstone.com

AITF is #1...and there is the rest.

 

[Woodpecker]

Pretty good list. I might have downgraded some (e.g., Sex and the City) and boosted a few more (e.g., Barney Miller) but overall, not too bad. I had never even heard of Review; should I check it out?

 

[BobPSU92]

 

[rotzc]

I'm 51 so remember most of these shows. Modern family is a lot low and I didn't see Beavis and butthead. Seemed heavy on the newer shows but it's this person's opinion..

 

[lionville]

Friends at #38? NFW.

 

[PSURAHJ]

I clicked on that list just to see where my personal favorite Married With Children landed but surprisingly it didn't make the list. Complete disrespect to the guy who once scored four touchdowns in the high school championship game!

 

[4INSBU]

I clicked on that list just to see where my personal favorite Married With Children landed but surprisingly it didn't make the list. Complete disrespect to the guy who once scored four touchdowns in the high school championship game!

List is very suspect.

 

[Obliviax]

A good enough list. Simpsons at 1, Cheers 2, Seinfeld 3, Lucy 4, AITF 5.

100 Best Sitcoms of All Time

From family stories to band-of-misfits hangouts, classic rom-coms to workplace mockumentaries, cringe comedies to antihero showcases, and some shows that defy definition, these are the hundred seri…

www.rollingstone.com

Good list except I can't wrap my head around a cartoon being a "sitcom".

I'd go:

• All in the Family in terms of entertainment and social impact
• Seinfeld in the way they crafted each episode and created a whole genre around the recognition of unwritten rules and the human condition
• I Love Lucy for an incredible statement of being a woman in that time. She is one of my favorite women of all time. She really broke glass ceilings for her time.
• Frazier for their kind exploration of what it is like to be a single person who is no longer a child.
• Friends which I didn't really "get" but people of that group think generation certainly do.

I never really liked the characters of "Cheers" other than the secondary ones (customers). I thought the MASH doctors were simply bullies and by today's standards, pretty chauvinistic. I also can't associate with the honeymooners as they seemed pretty rough around the edges. I never considered Any Griffith a sitcom, I guess, but I watch reruns from time to time and still find their messaging relevant. If I was a producer with tons of money, I'd look into buying the rights to take each episode and bring it up to date with modern terms and feels. I can certainly see a show with a youngish single father teaching their inner city kid how to mature to be not only an entertaining big hit but a massive way to help shape the human condition today in 2021.

 

[LionJim]

I too questioned the appropriateness of cartoons being included.

I was glad to see “Roseanne” up there (38th?). Its honesty keeps the show fresh. It may have faded in its last years but its first five or so years were brilliant. The money issues they had, their childrens’ problems, they never felt forced. At times it was Cheers-level funny, but it tried hard to be in moment and it worked.

Dan: Ah man, we're screwed.
Roseanne: No, Dan. We are so far beyond screwed that the light from screwed will take one billion years to reach the earth.

 

[sss]

Friends at #38? NFW.

Agreed. Shocked it made the list.

 

[doublehaul]

Taxi, Reverand Jim taking his driver's test, one of the all time comedy scenes.

 

[Obliviax]

I too questioned the appropriateness of cartoons being included.

I was glad to see “Roseanne” up there (38th?). Its honesty keeps the show fresh. It may have faded in its last years but its first five or so years were brilliant. The money issues they had, their childrens’ problems, they never felt forced. At times it was Cheers-level funny, but it tried hard to be in moment and it worked.

Dan: Ah man, we're screwed.
Roseanne: No, Dan. We are so far beyond screwed that the light from screwed will take one billion years to reach the earth.

Agreed. Way too many shows are about relatively wealthy people. People that take cabs, eat out, take vacations, etc. The majority of American, or at least a ton of them, really struggle to make it paycheck to paycheck. Even a show like "Two Broke Girls" wasn't close to realistic.

 

[LionJim]

Taxi, Reverand Jim taking his driver's test, one of the all time comedy scenes.

Alex dancing the can-can while wearing a green shirt and a catcher’s mask.

 

[LionJim]

Agreed. Way too many shows are about relatively wealthy people. People that take cabs, eat out, take vacations, etc. The majority of American, or at least a ton of them, really struggle to make it paycheck to paycheck. Even a show like "Two Broke Girls" wasn't close to realistic.

Think about “The Cosby Show.” I always enjoyed that show but they had zero money problems and the worst grade any of their kids got was a D. They did try some level of Roseanne-type honesty in their dealings with Denise, but you never had any doubt that things would be resolved without too much problem. Money fixes problems, we all know that, but it doesn’t make for great TV when characters never really have anything to worry about.

 

[cvilleelkscoach]

Soap at 87 is way too low. This was a groundbreaking sitcom and funny as hell.

 

[Op2]

There must be 10 cartoons on the list. That's silly. Cartoons aren't sitcoms.

I'm surprised Married With Children wasn't on there somewhere.

I like Cheers a lot but I'd have to put Seinfeld ahead of it.

I'll ETA instead of replying to the other person...yes, I agree, SOAP was too low. That was a great show.

 

[Nitwit]

I would rate Curb Your Enthusiasm in my top 10.

 

[BBrown]

I'm 51 so remember most of these shows. Modern family is a lot low and I didn't see Beavis and butthead. Seemed heavy on the newer shows but it's this person's opinion..

+1 on Modern Family. It should probably be in the top 15.

 

[PSU2UNC]

There must be 10 cartoons on the list. That's silly. Cartoons aren't sitcoms.

I'm surprised Married With Children wasn't on there somewhere.

I like Cheers a lot but I'd have to put Seinfeld ahead of it.

I'll ETA instead of replying to the other person...yes, I agree, SOAP was too low. That was a great show.

Why aren't cartoons sitcoms?

Not all cartoons are sitcom, obviously.

"Sitcom" = situation comedy. The comedy derives from, or is at least adjacent to, whatever odd situations happen in that episode. The Simpsons, Family Guy, Rick and Morty are all absolutely sitcoms.

 

[BBrown]

Soap at 87 is way too low. This was a groundbreaking sitcom and funny as hell.

+100. Probably the first program with an openly gay man (Billy Crystal).
My favorites were Chuck and Bob.

 

[Obliviax]

Think about “The Cosby Show.” I always enjoyed that show but they had zero money problems and the worst grade any of their kids got was a D. They did try some level of Roseanne-type honesty in their dealings with Denise, but you never had any doubt that things would be resolved without too much problem. Money fixes problems, we all know that, but it doesn’t make for great TV when characters never really have anything to worry about.

good points. To me, Cosby was great because they really played up the intact black family and tried to create some level of aspiration. Sadly, both mom and dad were really well off so it kind of came off as unrealistic for most Americans (not just minorities). As a kid, I loved and hated The Brady Bunch as being way to idealistic (

I would rate Curb Your Enthusiasm in my top 10.

Great show....Seinfeld without the network sensors. I listened to Prince Harry and Princess Megan talk about the struggles of their bi-racial marriage along with the struggles of their royal handlers and could only think of Larry David asking similar questions of his friend who was about to have a biracial child.

 

[PSU2UNC]

A good enough list. Simpsons at 1, Cheers 2, Seinfeld 3, Lucy 4, AITF 5.

100 Best Sitcoms of All Time

From family stories to band-of-misfits hangouts, classic rom-coms to workplace mockumentaries, cringe comedies to antihero showcases, and some shows that defy definition, these are the hundred seri…

www.rollingstone.com

I'm glad they left stuff on the list that involved people have been "cancelled."

 

[BBrown]

Why are cartoons sitcoms?

Not all cartoons are sitcom, obviously.

"Sitcom" = situation comedy. The comedy derives from, or is at least adjacent to, whatever odd situations happen in that episode. The Simpsons, Family Guy, Rick and Morty are all absolutely sitcoms.

Agree about The Simpsons, Family guy and maybe Southpark but Sponge Bob? Nahhh I don't think so and especially not ranked that high.

 

[PSU2UNC]

Agree about The Simpsons, Family guy and maybe Southpark but Sponge Bob? Nahhh I don't think so and especially not ranked that high.

I'm not a huge Sponge Bob fan but the situational part is the same. E.g. (and I just pulled this from a google episode guide), "Mr. Krabs gets ready for a hot date, but SpongeBob and Patrick give him a little more help than he needs" You could easily substitute in George/Jerry/Elaine or Chandler/Joey/Ross for those names and it would fit.

 

[Lattner]

Amos n Andy brought to you by Blatz beer.
A true classic.

 

[PSUSignore]

Roseanne still holds up quite well. It's on TVLand on the weekends and I've caught quite a few episodes and was surprised at how much I still enjoyed it. I wasn't very old when it came out so a lot of the more adult plotlines didn't resonate with me at the time, but they do now. The writing on that show was quite good.

As for others, I think The Simpsons is too high. Futurama and South Park too low. I agree that Married with Children and Beavis & Butthead are glaring omissions. Seinfeld is much higher than Friends, as it should be. Surprised to see Bob's Burgers up as high as it is but I do like the show so no major complaints. The UK Office should be higher than the US Office. In general I think the US Office is way overrated so I'd move it way down my list. Happy to see Parks & Rec up high, I feel like it often is overshadowed by The Office and I think P&R is a much better show.

 

[Connorpozlee]

Seinfeld is the clear number 1 in my book. Not even close. Unlike sitcoms like MASH and All in the Family, it never tried to be anything more than a comedy.

 

[PSU2UNC]

I think Veep should be higher. The writing and acting on that show is amazing.

I remember watching MASH a little bit when I was younger but after I saw the original movie, I though the TV show pedestrian. The movie is absolute genius.

 

[BBrown]

Roseanne still holds up quite well. It's on TVLand on the weekends and I've caught quite a few episodes and was surprised at how much I still enjoyed it. I wasn't very old when it came out so a lot of the more adult plotlines didn't resonate with me at the time, but they do now. The writing on that show was quite good.

As for others, I think The Simpsons is too high. Futurama and South Park too low. I agree that Married with Children and Beavis & Butthead are glaring omissions. Seinfeld is much higher than Friends, as it should be. Surprised to see Bob's Burgers up as high as it is but I do like the show so no major complaints. The UK Office should be higher than the US Office. In general I think the US Office is way overrated so I'd move it way down my list. Happy to see Parks & Rec up high, I feel like it often is overshadowed by The Office and I think P&R is a much better show.

Agree about Roseanne. The first years (Pre the whack job that is Tom Arnold) were very funny.
Not so much the later years and I've never even seen the reboot.
I am not an Office fan and have never seen the UK version.

 

[Obliviax]

I think Veep should be higher. The writing and acting on that show is amazing.

I remember watching MASH a little bit when I was younger but after I saw the original movie, I though the TV show pedestrian. The movie is absolute genius.

totally agree. The movie showed the horrific conditions with which these people had to perform. The TV showed two obnoxious guys who lived in horrific conditions but made everyone else's conditions even worse. I really hated those two guys. They just seemed like guys I didn't want to know.

 

[Obliviax]

Agree about Roseanne. The first years (Pre the whack job that is Tom Arnold) were very funny.
Not so much the later years and I've never even seen the reboot.
I am not an Office fan and have never seen the UK version.

Steve Carell was genius on that show. When he left, it was pedestrian at best.

 

[Fac]

What? No ALF.

 

[psu1969a]

A good enough list. Simpsons at 1, Cheers 2, Seinfeld 3, Lucy 4, AITF 5.

100 Best Sitcoms of All Time

From family stories to band-of-misfits hangouts, classic rom-coms to workplace mockumentaries, cringe comedies to antihero showcases, and some shows that defy definition, these are the hundred seri…

www.rollingstone.com

Simpson's - no way Jose; it is cartoon.

 

[Lionguy32]

I think Family Ties should have made the list. Some of the first few episodes with Nick were hysterical.

Once Larry David left Seinfeld, the show really went downhill unlike Cheers and Frasier which were consistent through their entire runs.

Friends followed a similar path. The first few seasons were very funny. Then it was almost all down hill.

 

[wbcincy]

Two huge omissions for me:

Married with Children
Home Improvement

Can’t take it seriously as a result.

 

[Op2]

+100. Probably the first program with an openly gay man (Billy Crystal).
My favorites were Chuck and Bob.

I liked when Danny (Burt's son, who wasn't the brightest bulb in the box), would get into arguments with the ventriliquist dummy (and I can't remember if it was Chuck or Bob that was the dummy).

 

[Op2]

I think Family Ties should have made the list. Some of the first few episodes with Nick were hysterical.

Once Larry David left Seinfeld, the show really went downhill unlike Cheers and Frasier which were consistent through their entire runs.

Friends followed a similar path. The first few seasons were very funny. Then it was almost all down hill.

I remember a good Alex line from the episode where they had Nick over for family dinner. Nick was a rebel guy from a broken home or something and not used to nice family dinners. So they're sitting around eating and Nick says "Hey, this is nice, do you always eat like this?" And Alex said "You mean with utensils?"

 

[Ranger Dan]

A good enough list. Simpsons at 1, Cheers 2, Seinfeld 3, Lucy 4, AITF 5.

100 Best Sitcoms of All Time

From family stories to band-of-misfits hangouts, classic rom-coms to workplace mockumentaries, cringe comedies to antihero showcases, and some shows that defy definition, these are the hundred seri…

www.rollingstone.com

It’s hard to argue with that top five...

 

[Connorpozlee]

I think Family Ties should have made the list. Some of the first few episodes with Nick were hysterical.

Once Larry David left Seinfeld, the show really went downhill unlike Cheers and Frasier which were consistent through their entire runs.

Friends followed a similar path. The first few seasons were very funny. Then it was almost all down hill.

I would agree with you to a degree about David-less Seinfeld. I thought it was still great but s little more farcical. Disagree about Cheers. There was a definite drop off once Diane Chambers left the show. Though, replacing Coach with Woody was the rare accurate of replacing a main character and not declining.