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OT: Rolling Stone’s List of Best Sitcoms

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?"
I remember an episode where he picked up his little brother from preschool and he had a sticker saying something like “I like to share with others”. He brought him to preschool the next day with a sticker he made saying, “I know what’s mine”.
 
I remember an episode where he picked up his little brother from preschool and he had a sticker saying something like “I like to share with others”. He brought him to preschool the next day with a sticker he made saying, “I know what’s mine”.
Alex is sitting with his parents and Andy runs into the room and yells joyfully, “Come on, Alex, Wall Street Week is on!” Alex, to his parents: “Thank you for having him.”
 
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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).
There was the time when Jodie (the Billy Crystal character) hid Bob (the dummy) in the refrigeration to try to get Chuck to talk with out him. At one point Chuck uses an English muffin to talk--with a British accent!

 
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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.
Why is the movie NEVER shown on TV? Saw it in State College in 1970. Gotta put in a vote here for Last Man Standing, although the without the original Mandy it really loses a lot.
 
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These lists are always going to be subject to personal tastes, personal senses of humor... no real right or wrong. Even with agreement of the whole, the order will be argued.

One of my absolute all-time faves is 3d Rock From the Sun, and it was not included that I noticed. I was glad to see News Radio was included, and I always think of those two shows together because they were out at the same time.

A couple from my youth that I can still quote and crack up over were not in there that I noticed - F Troop and Hogan's Heroes.

Another one I really liked but was canceled after just two seasons was Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, with Denis Leary. And a few purty wimmins in the cast, too. That will never make a list of all-time bests, but I would watch reruns if they are on.

Any time a show centers on the proverbial 'fish out of water', like 3rd Rock, or Schitt's Creek, or many other great examples, the 'situation' aspect of the sitcom has endless possibilities.
 
These lists are always going to be subject to personal tastes, personal senses of humor... no real right or wrong. Even with agreement of the whole, the order will be argued.

One of my absolute all-time faves is 3d Rock From the Sun, and it was not included that I noticed. I was glad to see News Radio was included, and I always think of those two shows together because they were out at the same time.

A couple from my youth that I can still quote and crack up over were not in there that I noticed - F Troop and Hogan's Heroes.

Another one I really liked but was canceled after just two seasons was Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, with Denis Leary. And a few purty wimmins in the cast, too. That will never make a list of all-time bests, but I would watch reruns if they are on.

Any time a show centers on the proverbial 'fish out of water', like 3rd Rock, or Schitt's Creek, or many other great examples, the 'situation' aspect of the sitcom has endless possibilities.
I loved F Troop.
And Green Acres
 
It's a travesty that MWC is not on this list. Also, how about these:

Three's Company
Family Ties
Newhart (The Bob Newhart Show from the 70's made it but not Newhart)
Beverly Hillbillies
Gilligan's Island
Bewitched
I Dream of Jeanne

Sheesh I'm showing my age....
 
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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.
Family Ties was my favorite show in high school and Alex Keaton was my favorite character. I always said if I ever had a son I would name him Alex....and I did.
 
Alex is sitting with his parents and Andy runs into the room and yells joyfully, “Come on, Alex, Wall Street Week is on!” Alex, to his parents: “Thank you for having him.”
There was a flashback episode to 1972 and little Alex runs in after watching the election results and yelled, “Four more years!”
 
Two huge omissions for me:

Married with Children
Home Improvement

Can’t take it seriously as a result.
Totally agree. I think both shows were kept out because of political reasons. In particular, it was always apparent how much the elites hated MwC.
 
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Totally agree. I think both shows were kept out because of political reasons. In particular, it was always apparent how much the elites hated MwC.
i enjoyed MWC but it was pretty trashy. Not a lot of great enlightenment there but was funny as hell (at least to me). Watching it today is pretty cringe-worthy.

I have to add Malcome in the Middle. Bryan Cranston was great and really shows his range between MitM and Breaking Bad. More recently, the Goldbergs is pretty good.
 
I was bummed to see that they left Six Feet Under out... Surprised they left out the Sopranos too
But I wouldn't consider either one of those a "Sitcom". Six Feet under was fantastic and I still think it has one of the best series finales I've seen, even though I really didn't like the last few seasons that much.
 
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Ranking anything like this is so totally subjective but when it's the top 100 how do you leave out Married with Children and Home Improvement. I can't conceive of any fair criteria that would leave those out completely.

Everybody has different taste but staying power should give some indication that a lot of people thought those were good sitcoms. Married for 11 seasons and HI for 8.
 
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Ranking anything like this is so totally subjective but when it's the top 100 how do you leave out Married with Children and Home Improvement. I can't conceive of any fair criteria that would leave those out completely.

Everybody has different taste but staying power should give some indication that a lot of people thought those were good sitcoms. Married for 11 seasons and HI for 8.
And the Good Place was in the top 50....give me a break.
 
i enjoyed MWC but it was pretty trashy. Not a lot of great enlightenment there but was funny as hell (at least to me). Watching it today is pretty cringe-worthy.

I have to add Malcome in the Middle. Bryan Cranston was great and really shows his range between MitM and Breaking Bad. More recently, the Goldbergs is pretty good.

MWC was ground breaking. Now one can argue that it was ground that did not need breaking, but there is no denying it changed television. It was the first huge show for Fox. People forget there were only 3 networks until Fox broke the mold. MWC was also one of the first shows to really capture the desperation that some people feel stuck in a job they hate and in a family which dissapoints. Very similar to the Honeymooners, but cruder. Definitely reflective of where we have gone as a society.
 
It's a travesty that MWC is not on this list. Also, how about these:

Three's Company
Family Ties
Newhart (The Bob Newhart Show from the 70's made it but not Newhart)
Beverly Hillbillies
Gilligan's Island
Bewitched
I Dream of Jeanne

Sheesh I'm showing my age....
I agree with all adds on your list above.
One addition if cartoons are included has to be the Flintstones. Breakthrough at its time...primetime on Friday night's if my memory is correct.
 
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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.
Which exactly why it is begging AITF...no show made a greater impact...and no show was funnier.
 
Gilligan's Island and Green Acres. Both shows were stupid but as a teenage youngster in the mid 60s there was no way I was missing Eva Gabor and especially Dawn Wells !!
 
Which exactly why it is begging AITF...no show made a greater impact...and no show was funnier.
But when it was bad it was really bad. It was funny as hell at the start but that didn’t last nearly as long as Seinfeld.
 
But when it was bad it was really bad. It was funny as hell at the start but that didn’t last nearly as long as Seinfeld.
Yeah, Seinfeld never got bad and never jumped the shark. Even after Larry David left, the quality never dropped an inch. It may be the only show that didn’t have a bad season or a dumb story line throughout its entire run.
 
MWC was also one of the first shows to really capture the desperation that some people feel stuck in a job they hate and in a family which dissapoints.

This is an interesting observation.

It is interesting that each of the Bundy family members disappointed each of the others, except for Peggy, who as the mother just seemed to love her kids - in her own way. Each was so self-absorbed, that they couldn't help but be disappointed in the rest. That's a solid sitcom premise (see Seinfeld).

MWC was never one of my favorites, and I have not watched the entire series as I lost some interest after a couple seasons. But aside from Bud, I think the 3 other main actors are outstanding in everything they do, including MWC. Those 3 Bundys were certainly memorable characters.
 
It tried to go too big, which is not Seinfeld was about. That series should have ended with just another episode.

Good point about going too big. I agree - they tried to wrap up the perils of being so over-the-top with caring only about oneself in one big bow.

The trial was funny, as the flashbacks and returning characters were fun to see. But the extreme jail sentence was almost Josh Shapiro/PA OAG-esque, and left a lot to be desired. Whatever lessons they wanted to pass on could have come via other story lines, imo.
 
I find that Ed O'Neil is basically playing the same character in MWC and Modern Family, just older and more successful.. I think Modern Family pushed the envelope with stereotypes and politically incorrect things, in my opinion, that is the formula for a successful sitcom..
 
MWC was ground breaking. Now one can argue that it was ground that did not need breaking, but there is no denying it changed television. It was the first huge show for Fox. People forget there were only 3 networks until Fox broke the mold. MWC was also one of the first shows to really capture the desperation that some people feel stuck in a job they hate and in a family which dissapoints. Very similar to the Honeymooners, but cruder. Definitely reflective of where we have gone as a society.

Was it the first true 'mismatch' married couple? I mean, Al Bundy way outkicked his coverage (and continues to do so)....

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103e927753e6b9a318090b05080800f2.jpg
 
A good enough list. Simpsons at 1, Cheers 2, Seinfeld 3, Lucy 4, AITF 5.

Not a bad list but rating a cartoon show as number 1 is ridiculous. It shouldn't even be on the list. I would rate the Honeymooners as 1, Cheers 2, Lucy 3, MASH 4, Happy Days 5, Mary Tyler Moore 6, and AITF 7.
 
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It's a travesty that MWC is not on this list. Also, how about these:

Three's Company
Family Ties
Newhart (The Bob Newhart Show from the 70's made it but not Newhart)
Beverly Hillbillies
Gilligan's Island
Bewitched
I Dream of Jeanne

Sheesh I'm showing my age....
Was thinking the same thing:

I didn't see:

Night Court
Munsters
Addams Family
McHale's Navy
Hogan's Heroes
Happy Days
Laverne & Shirley

I was happy to see some shows from oversears made it like Falwty Towers and Derry Girls. But there was a show I found absolutely hilarious called Coupling that could be on this list.

Definitely a generational list but who am I to judge. I have my favorites, they have their favorites. However, Simpons at #1? I just don't get it.
 
Another one I really liked but was canceled after just two seasons was Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, with Denis Leary. And a few purty wimmins in the cast, too. That will never make a list of all-time bests, but I would watch reruns if they are on.

speaking of another good series with Leary, I thought Rescue Me was great

i enjoyed MWC but it was pretty trashy. Not a lot of great enlightenment there but was funny as hell (at least to me). Watching it today is pretty cringe-worthy.

I have to add Malcome in the Middle. Bryan Cranston was great and really shows his range between MitM and Breaking Bad. More recently, the Goldbergs is pretty good.
#28. very good show though. Cranston was GREAT in that one
 
Was it the first true 'mismatch' married couple? I mean, Al Bundy way outkicked his coverage (and continues to do so)....

6jZr.gif


103e927753e6b9a318090b05080800f2.jpg

That is an interesting thought. The first mismatched TV couple? I think Ralph Kramden was definitely less attractive than Alice. That is really the only other one I can think of before MWC. Afterwards I can think of a bunch.
 
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Good point about going too big. I agree - they tried to wrap up the perils of being so over-the-top with caring only about oneself in one big bow.

The trial was funny, as the flashbacks and returning characters were fun to see. But the extreme jail sentence was almost Josh Shapiro/PA OAG-esque, and left a lot to be desired. Whatever lessons they wanted to pass on could have come via other story lines, imo.
That’s the point about Seinfeld though. There was never a message to pass on. It was just supposed to be funny.
 
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