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?

[stanne]

WKRP was very good

[V_TWIN]

That was classic. Also when Les got a date with Jennifer. When asked how it went she said “good, until Les’s knees gave out on the way up the stairs to my apt.” LOL!

[fatnotlazy]

Frasier was a spinoff from Cheers and while I liked Cheers, Frasier turned out to be funnier, IMHO. Great cast and excellent writing.

Loved Mary Tyler Moore Show too, especially Ted Knight as the idiotic Ted Baxter. Favorite episode was the funeral for Chuckles the Clown.

I’ll agree with you on the others.

[TMA62]

I would include “The Munsters”

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

What about the current;y Hitlery Clinton testimony about Benghazi?

[Reaganite Republican]

I just watched an episode with the three brothers lol

[Still Thinking]

Better Off Ted is like The Office except good.

[VanDeKoik]

#1 Seinfeld

Nothing comes close in any category. The sheer number of classic episodes and memorable lines is far higher than any show before or since.

[stanne]

Frasier can be sleazy but when it’s not it’s very good

[Reaganite Republican]

Odd Couple, yes...

[Rio]

Home Improvement.

I never really got into Cheers. Taxi was too strange for me somehow.
I did like All in the Family. I almost feel guilty for enjoying Married With Children.

[Drew68]

Married with Children -Still funny if you watch it now, and was truly something fresh and revolutionary at the time.

I'm surprised they still run MWC these days. That show would never get green-lit today. Way too offensive.

Sure loved it though! There was no one hotter on TV than Kelly Bundy.

[stayathomemom]

Leave it to Beaver may just fit within your time frame. My husband and I watched a lot of them recently. Loved them! My husband, who used to be a little boy, thought they were spot on.

[dware]

My wife and I recently finished watching seasons 1 & 2 of Petticoat Junction. Not a GREAT show by any means, but funny, and wholesome.

[Reaganite Republican]

You mean when the Japanese buy the whole town?

I watched that Newhart finale when it was on new, about died laughing!!!

[lacrew]

Archie Bunker was a caricature the way Jane Lynch is on Glee these days.

He was a somewhat loveable but deeply flawed character - his flaw being he wasn’t a liberal. The whole show was about how they ‘educated’ Archie, and he was just human enough to occasionally be teachable and deviate from his racist, homophobic, thisphobic/thatphobic self.

No thanks.

[stanne]

Mary Hartman had an allegorical thread. It was great. Not everybody liked it

[Flick Lives]

We never get tired of “Frasier” reruns. Probably my fave.

Agree. Smart dialog.

[Tareli]

Everybody Loves Raymond, Mad About You, Friends, The Golden Girls, Designing Women, Frasier.

[DoodleDawg]

“Barney Miller”.