My Top-10 Sitcoms of The Last 50 Years

Reaganite Republican ^ | 22 October 2015 | Reaganite Republican

[Reaganite Republican]

Newhart (1982-1990) -Please forgive me but I actually like Bob Newhart's second major sitcom series -at the Stratford Inn in Vermont- more than the first 'shrink' series with Mary Tyler Moore, as good as that one was. In fact I think the 80s series Newhart is one of the most underrated comedy shows ever- watched it every week with friends when they were new, too funny.

Interestingly, all 184 shows are -here- on this YouTube playlist.

Cheers -This would probably make everybody's list, but honestly I never go back and watch them anymore... too much saturation I guess, and it just doesn't seem quite as clever as it did at the time. Still, too substantial to leave off... I watched every single episode for years for a reason, and it launched a few careers.

Taxi  -This or Sanford & Son really might be my very all-time favorites... pretty much the best entertainment on 70s television, imo. The characters are simply superb, Danny DeVito an absolute comedy genius supported by a top-notch cast. The writing was clever and kept you riveted to every episode, I love this show. I think my favorite is when Jim burned Louie's apartment to a blackened crisp lol.

Hogan's Heroes  -Kind of silly but I just grew up with it since I was five and loved the characters. They represented pretty much what American Baby Boom kids thought of the Germans in the 1960s... until later in the 70s when we saw what kind of cars they could put together. Was in the same room as Werner Klemperer once, somebody I worked with knew him well... seemed like a nice-enough guy.

Married with Children  -Still funny if you watch it now, and was truly something fresh and revolutionary at the time... really seemed pretty radical when it was new and the casting was brilliant. Met Katey Sagal briefly once. It's funny how not that long ago this show seemed 'naughty', when it's sexual innuendo and mini-skirted babes are nothing compared to the garbage they put on TV now.

Gilligan's Island  -I know it's pretty goofy but I watched it all the time when I was a little kid and think Mary Anne was my first crush ever when I was about 8 lol... great show.

Addams Family  -these are fantastic, what can you say. Show had a cool look and feel too. You're either Munsters or AF and I was always a bit more of an AF kid/guy, the characters were more polished and hilariously complex/eccentric, I love it. I think I got interested in investment by watching Gomez at the stock ticker.

Sanford and Son  -this is close to my favorite sitcom of all time, every character is a laugh riot, including Michelle Obama lookalike Aunt Esther (SHUT UP Fred, you heathen!). And for some reason I get a kick out of 'Grady'.

All in the Family  -this one again pertinent... listen to Archie rail against the libs, I'll be damned if he wasn't right about everything!!!

Fawlty Towers -not quite as nutty as Monty Python shows but pretty comical nonetheless: these were also shown on PBS in The States back then, with John Cleese at his finest as aspiring-yet-bumbling innkeep. I think my favorite one is where he bumps his head and goes into 'Nazi' mode, deeply insulting his German guests.

I left out cartoons like Simpsons and some other good shows lose points with me for grating political message, i.e. M*A*S*H. For some reason I was never much of a Seinfeld fan, although his standup stage act was great in the 80s. 

Then some others just didn't age all that well, like perhaps The Jeffersons or Good Times. Happy Days is pretty corny too if you go back and watch one of those these days... creating ageless comedy is an elusive art.

Green Acres, Bewitched, Brady Bunch, Andy Griffith,, and Get Smart might also get Honorable Mentions, fwiw- what say you?

[waterhill]

Addams Family
Burns and Allen
F Troop
Raymond
Two and a Half Men
Sanford and Son
Married With Children
Scrubs
Barney Miller
Futurama

[TexasCajun]

And who didn't watch the Waltons?

[iowamark]

Burns and Allen was a great show. It’s on Antenna TV at 4am Central Time. I have been getting up early to watch.

[LiveFree99]

I enjoyed Gilligan’s Island as a kid but it seems very weak to me now. Certainly, Seinfeld and many others are way above it.

[waterhill]

Oh and yeah, Bewitched is a fave. I still have a crush on Liz Montgomery.

[TexasCajun]

Remember Chico and The Man ?

[catman67]

Nobody mentioned “Mork and Mindy” - Robin Williams was brilliant,

but my favorite was SCTV - had to look hard for it, but it was worthwhile and launched the careers of several comedians - John Candy, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O’Hara, Joe Flaherty, Dave Thomas, Rick Moranis and Harold Ramis.

[notdownwidems]

I really liked Rules of Engagement...Patrick Warburton's deadpan comedy was hilarious, and Bianca, well...Bianca! was! gorgeous!

[chasio649]

British show “ Are you being Served?” also another cult british show “Good Neighbors” What great shows!!!

Red Dwarf trumps them all.

[TexasCajun]

[TomGuy]

I think “The IT Crowd” is probably the best sit come made in the last decade, but it was a British show.

I have watched the series and have it on a hard drive. It still puts me in stitches when I watch some of the episodes. It is a 'geeky' humor that computer types understand.

They did develop a US pilot of the series. The original Moss character was the same (Richard Ayoade), but the Roy part was a different actor. It was okay but never got picked up by the networks.

[waterhill]

Rules of Engagement is good. The gal who plays Audrey is gorgeous and used to be in a pretty good show with the dude who is in Gotham as Gordon’s pal....cannot place the names or the show.

[Mad Dawgg]

WKRP in Cincinnati has THE Funniest Episode ever shown on TV of any show ever in the world.

WKRP Funniest Episode youtube

[rfreedom4u]

I don’t see any mention of Operation Petticoat.

[TomGuy]

the Carol Burnett Show

The original Harvey Korman-Tim Conway dentist script (spring 1969) was one of the funniest in TV history.

They repeated the skit in the revised Carol Burnett program, but it wasn't quite as funny. They took out some of the lines to make it fit, and that ruined it -- for those who remember the original.

[TexasCajun]

[rawcatslyentist]

Grady was the best straight man in all of tv history.

[Phlap]

Cornbread Maxwell.

[Alas Babylon!]

You could even say it jumped the shark...

[Trillian]

I wish they would put out seasons 2 and beyond on dvd. I miss watching it.