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?

[Feckless]

Oh, yeah. Ground breaking. Sick, I like that.

[tsowellfan]

Great list!

I was a Munsters fan but just started watching the AF series. Sanford and Son was good also. About 2 years ago I started watching Steptoe and Son (the British sitcom on which Sandford & Son was based)Give it a few episodes-—> https://youtu.be/p8a40OZtH0M

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Have no

[MoochPooch]

Hey, what about I DREAM OF JEANNIE?
Loved the special effects whenever she blinked.

People mention ALL IN THE FAMILY. I kinda outgrew that. I can’t take any of Lear’s comedies now — too sanctimonious. However, MAUDE, a spinoff of AITF, was a great satire on liberals.

GILLIGAN’S ISLAND, MUNSTERS were silly, but I can laugh at the gags & characters. These older comedies had heart.

I LOVE LUCY — classic!
MARRIED WITH CHILDREN — I knew a couple just like the TV one, so this is especially funny to me.

[luvie]

[CrimsonTidegirl]

LOL:)

[Reaganite Republican]

I LOVE the Louie DePalma at Bobby’s HS reunion... what a classic

[Reaganite Republican]

That’s why I made it ‘last 50 years’, to leave out pre 1960 shows

I wanted to do shows I grew up with and leave Honeymooners and I Love Lucie out because that’s one notch before my time. If not I would have to think about Little Rascals and even the Stooges- they are kind of a sitcom too. For a list of ‘Top 10’ I had to make it 1960s and 70s-80s

As an adult I learned to love olders 1950s shows but I did not grow up with them so not in my heart quite so much as the color-era shows

[Reaganite Republican]

It’s like some pop music, doesn’t age well but seemed so great when new.

Some shows stand the test of time, some don’t- it’s illuminating to see which ones do.

[ops33]

Bingo!!

[Yorlik803]

No mary Tyler Moore? No Barney miller.This list sucks. All in the family is as funny as a busted blister. Cheers was inane, Sanford and Son was funny. Hogan Heros was stupid.

[Oztrich Boy]

No mary Tyler Moore? No Barney miller

Both are on my list. (Never saw Cheers, and I do not recognise US remakes of better shows)

Best 12(At least) Sitcoms of the last 50 years.

OK must be a sitcom, characters confined by location or circumstances. So a comedy based on a character not so confined eg Mr Bean is excluded.
Also excluding "the comedy stylings of ____", so shows named after the star eg Cosby or are also excluded.

Last 50 years, no show with a first episode broadcast prior to 1965 qualifies, so The Addams Family (1964) just misses the cut

Finally, the personal, shows I watched back then and I consider survived the test of time. I never saw My Mother the Car,so that's out.

• 'Allo 'Allo I recently tried to watch a DVD of the WW2 drama Secret Army couldn't get through one episode. 'A'A totes took it apart and put it back together, but funny.
• Barney Miller Back in the days when cops tried to help people.
• Dad's Army The UK's last line of defence against Mr Hitler's little game.
• Family Ties Still the best family sitcom (And if it had been called the Meredith Baxter-Birney Show, the Rulz would have still excluded it).
• Fawlty Towers Nothing needs to be said.
• Get Smart More grounded in the real world than The Man from UNCLE
• The Good Life Suburban life with a quarter acre and a goat.
• How I Met Your Mother Sixty years of How to Make a Sitcom convention cheerfully ignored.
• Mary Tyler Moore Show Rule is: Shows named after the star are excluded: One (only) is allowed.
• Police Squad If you weren't paying attention, you missed the funny.
• Porridge Life in the slammer.
• Top Gear A show about cars, as it would be done by The Three Stooges.
• Yes Minister Not to sure if this was a sitcom, or a documentary/reality show.

[dfwgator]

Any of the “Black Adder” series.

[Oztrich Boy]

Rule one: not a sitcom, but a group of characters placed in different situations. (OK arbitary, but I had to pare the list ruthlessly)

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

The Carol Bernett Show.

I agree with you about Newhart.

[riri]

The Office. Best.show.ever.

[Cowman]

Have you ever noticed that Andy's typical way of dealing with a problem is to lie to somebody?

Well, the author did say he was dropping points for being political and Griffith was VERY political. (He was a Communist after all)

[daler]

I know this goes way back...but, I recently watched an old "Car 54 Where Are You?" on Chromecast and laughed so hard I was in tears.

Maybe I just stumbled upon one of the best episodes.

"Ooh...ooh..."

[Cowman]

OK maybe not a sitcom per se but Red Green needs to be on this list

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mix30CtipD4

[cyclotic]

I was actually a card carrying member of the Red Green Fan Club and live by the man’s code.

I’m a man, I can change, if I have to, I guess.

When all else fails, switch to Power Tools

And of course, the Handyman’s Secret Weapon, Duct Tape.

Keep your stick on the ice.

[Yorlik803]

The British Office was way better than the US. There should be a rule that no Sitcom goes beyond 4 seasons. After 4, it starts to become stale and boring.