Greatest TV Sitcom of All Time

[Dookus]

Yes, I know it's hard to pick 10. I've excluded my favorite, The Simpsons, because it's not a traditional Sitcom. Here's my choices....

[ComerPerro]

1. I was so close to flaming you

Then I read your explaination for not listing The Simpsons. You are forgiven, and I have voted.

[Dookus]

4. heheh....

yes, the Simpsons is the best comedy show ever.

I voted for Mary Tyler Moore, but it's SOOOO hard. I'd put The Honeymooners and I Love Lucy up there with it.

[ComerPerro]

10. I am more of a Dick Van Dyke person,

But those are good shows. I like Lucy too.

[7th_Sephiroth]

17. other

THE SIMPSONS

[Dookus]

18. read the poll...

I specifically excluded the Simpsons because it's not a traditional sitcom.

But I agree it's the best comedy ever.

[VolcanoJen]

2. Bob Newhart, baby!!!

What an excellent tradition of sardonic comedy this show set. It continues in shows today, especially in Larry David's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" on HBO.

For my money, the original "Bob Newhart Show" is as good as it gets on television.

"Hi, Bob!!"

[Birthmark]

3. The Simpsons

[JitterbugPerfume]

9. All in The Family

True ground breaking comedy

but my all time favorite is Northern Exposure when Rob Morrow was on it----after he left, not so much

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

if Simpsons isn't an option, then definitely All in the Family

loved that show

[terrya]

61. "The Simpsons" is one of the best television shows PERIOD.

An absolute classic. And a show that makes me laugh, regardless of how many times I've seen the episodes.

Brilliant writing and some of the most memorable characters ever created.

[nostamj]

5. w/o I LOVE LUCY

there would be no sit-coms

nuff said

[chefgirl]

39. Too right!

Lucy was, is and will always be, simply the best.
:thumbsup: notamj!

-chef-

[Aristus]

6. M*A*S*H.

How could it be anything else?

One of the funniest shows ever, and made by some true liberals.

[Dookus]

7. I adored MASH

when it was originally running. But I don't like it now.... it just doesn't seem to hold up.

But I can still watch most of the other shows listed and still enjoy them thorougly.

[hlthe2b]

22. I never tire of MASH...

I don't really see what you mean about it not standing up.


I think many of the messages it conveyed then are equally applicable now.

[Dookus]

29. shrug...

It's all personal, I guess. I never missed the show when it ran originally, and watched reruns for years. But now when I see it, I don't find it very funny, it seems preachy and annoying.

But again, it's all about personal taste.

[bif]

68. I can still watch it

And get a chuckle out of it. A real classic. It's especially good late at night when you're half in the bag. And since I only saw a few of them when they originally ran, they're almost all new to me.

[supernova]

12. MASH Rules!

I wish it were on today as a counterbalance to shrub and his ilk. It wasn't always funny, but it was always poignant. I want every single epidsode.

[Orthodox Heathen]

8. Seinfeld belongs in the 10 worst Sitcom's poll

:puke:

on edit: Mash is #1.

[newyawker99]

71. Ho Orthodox Heathen!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

11. all

Really without I Love Lucy, as someone else said would the others exist?

That said I vote for All in the Family because it really pushed the envelope in attitude. I'll bet Groening puts it way high in his pantheon.

[mlawson]

13. Of American, classic sitcoms: Dick van Dyke!!

It was 'smart', funny and avant garde for its time. I have seen them all, over and over. My favorites:
--- Kulac from Twylo (the walnuts and the glass of air thing)
--- The haunted cabin (Sneaky Camera)
--- Unny Oops (last living cell in the dead building
--- Home alone (Lora and Millie panic in the house alone overnight)

I would also list the Addams Family, for that time period, as well.

But as for BBC sitcoms, "Fawlty Towers" and "Absolutely Fabulous" totally rule.

[ironflange]

16. What about the "switched babies" episode?

I thought I read somewhere that that ep had the longest live audience laugh on record.

[mlawson]

21. Yeah, I have seen that.

Maybe it hits too close to home for me. I am such a worrier that it made perfect sense to me, so it wasn't as funny.

Soem episodes were annoying though. I didn't like the two with his brother in them, and especially the two when he and Lora got remarried.

[blondeatlast]

25. That's the one--best "take" ever. Ever.

[blondeatlast]

23. My favorite is "The Wrong Baby."

The best double take EVER. Period. Trusting I don't need to explain further?

Not to mention, way, way before its time. You think "All In the Family" broke ground???

Both in a single episode.

[radwriter0555]

14. When I gave birth, I arranged my C-section around Seinfeld..

those were the days.

I told the doc to go ahead and get it done early so I could be back in my room in time for Seinfeld.

Priorities and all.

[trogdor]

62. Seinfeld RULEZ!

I mean, in what other series is NEARLY EVERY EPISODE a classic? We could argue for years which one was the best, although my favorite (today) is the George is Gay episode. Tomorrow it might be the Soup Nazi episode - who knows?

Most of the episodes are immediately identifiable by keywords - how many shows can claim that?

Examples:

Master of My Domain
Jujufruits
calzone
she-Jerry
the "swirl"
Summer of George
Frogger
No soup for you!
Poppy seeds
Ziggy
puffy shirt
trench coat
Bubble Boy

[ironflange]

15. All in the Family

Until the day Mike and Gloria left.

[MissMillie]

65. My favorite too

Edith was the berries.

[Dookus]

19. sigh...

I'm the only vote for MTM?

What a CLASSIC ensemble comedy - MTM, Ed Asner, Ted Knight, Valerie Harper, Cloris Leachman, Betty White......

Chuckles the Clown HAS to be the funniest half hour of television ever filmed.

[blondeatlast]

26. Would be number 3 on my list.

[blondeatlast]

20. WKRP in Cincinnati,

although Dick Van Dyke runs a very tight second. VERY.

[hlthe2b]

24. WKRP: loved the turkey episode...

hilarious!

[blondeatlast]

28. "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly . . ."

Somebody stop me from laughing, PLEASE! Just thinking about it . . .

[WoodrowFan]

70. Not since the Hindenberg!! LOL (NT)

[mac56]

63. Another vote for WKRP.

I think many of us who like WKRP may pick the Dick Van Dyke show second.

[SOteric]

27. Sports Night.

*sigh*

[supernova]

31. I loved Sports Night

I'm sorry it didn't last. Pits. Hardly anything good every lasts on network TV anymore. :-(

[welshTerrier2]

33. Great Show

how could it have gone so wrong so quickly?

[supernova]

40. It didn't. SN just didn't find an audience

quickly enough. Plus they moved it around the schedule so much at the end, after Robert Guillaume had his stroke. Tough luck that.

[Skip Intro]

30. Oh man, am I the only "Andy Griffith Show" fan?

I mean, I love DVD and MTM, Cheers and AITF too. And I'd throw in Bewitched and a few others - Cosby should be on the list I think. But that Mayberry crowd, the old black and white episodes with Barney - hillarious, imho.

'course, the proper state of mind helps
:smoke:
"Nip it in the bud!"

[Rowdyboy]

49. Awww, ya beat me by about 5 hours...

I missed your post the first time I checked out the thread. Andy Griffith HAS to be the greatest sitcom ever.

[Search Party]

53. AndyBarneyOtisErnestT.BassRafeHollister

FloydEllieGooberGomerMr.McBeeveyAuntBeefOpieHelenTheFunGirlsThelmaLouJuanita.....

the best ever!

[welshTerrier2]

32. Barney Miller

i voted for M.A.S.H. because, while it wasn't necessarily my #1, it was a great show and also had longevity ...

but I think the best sitcom of all time was Barney Miller ... the show had great characters ... especially Wojo, Dietrich and Harris ... and they often dealt with real life issues ...

when you get really well-developed characters, the humor is much more natural ...

[maveric]

45. My all time fave too.

great characters and writing.

One of my favorite episodes was when they had a guy in the cage that claimed he was a werewolf. When he started going through his "transformation", Yemana, played by Jack Soo, asked Barney if he should put some newspapers down on the floor in the cell.

And the one when Barney had do time for contempt for not revealing an informant,the guys threw him a little going to jail party and Wojo gave him a soap on a rope for a gift.

Many great episodes with that one.

[VOX]

34. "The Honeymooners." Simple characters, simple sets...

Simple story lines. All about life, Ralph vs. the world, etc.

Many successful sitcoms have since realized the importance of having a basic, central set where most of the interchanges can take place:

"Taxi" -the garage
"Cheers" - the bar
"MTM - the newsroom
etc.

[mlawson]

35. That theme song

brings the Fifties back to me. I was three when that show was current; didn't really understand what the characters were doing, but I enjoyed the theme song immensely. Still do.

[Kahuna]

36. Married With Children... followed by Beverly Hillbillies...

[SmileyBoy]

37. YES. Married With Children is the BEST.

Followed by Cheers, All In The Family and Coach for me.

[mitchum]

38. Seinfeld "No hugs, No lessons"

[LTR]

41. Police Squad!!!

The greatest comedy of all time!

Sure, it lasted roughly 6 or so episodes, but there was never a bad moment.

Of course, the people that typically watch TV wnat something that they can get up in the middle of, pee, and raid the fridge, and not miss anything. This was not that type of show.

It was good enough to inspire three movies (the "Naked Gun" series). Nobody will ever come close to creating something this inspired, or even close. Even the "Scary Movie" flicks are just plain crude and amateurish. This is Leslie Nielsen in his prime.

[Socialist Christian]

42. What a travesty, you left out the greatest show of all time SOUTH PARK

Ok i know that seems ubsurd, but for all the punctilious viewers its obviously the greatest social satire sitcom ever. True its animated but its still a situational comedy with various burlesque components (Jesus Christ, saddam and the devil in a homosexual relationship,)
I also have the feeling that its gotten to be condesending, with the pseudo soliloqy towards the end. I will stop before i get verbose and let you castigate me anent it

[Myra]

51. It's really funny

I wish it wasn't so right wing.

[onebigbadwulf]

43. As a 22 year old...

I can safely say that MASH is an awful depressing and unwatchable sitcom for my generation. We don't understand the humor at all in something as horrible as the Korean and Vietnam wars. The theme song itself makes us cringe with the depressing failures of the American government and countless loss of lives.

[DerekG]

44. As a 21 year old...

I would say MASH is the second greatest program in the history of television (behind All In the Family).

The sardonic humor of Hawkeye/Trapper/B.J was the only way they could hope to leave Korea with their sanity intact. Interestingly, much of the comedy of the earlier years was eschewed by the time Reagan got in office. Who knows...perhaps American audiences had to have been beaten over the head with anti-war diatribes at the time the right wing ascended.

[Blitz]

56. Perhaps you should refrain

from trying to speak for your entire generation. It's quite an undertaking and I fear than neither you nor anybody else, in all likelihood, are up to it.

[henslee]

46. Hello Larry... with Gavin McCloud and whats her name.

[Rowdyboy]

47. How could you leave off the Andy Griffith Show?

To me, it is hands down, the greatest sit-com of all time-beyond compare!

[skibunny4dean]

48. MASH was the best

... and still is, baby!

Alan Alda was so sexy back in the 70s

[lpbk2713]

50. Get Smart

Absurdity made it funny.

[Exultant Democracy]

52. M.A.S.H. vs. Seinfield feels like Sophie’s choice n/t

[Sting]

54. I vote..

the simpsons. I consider them a sitcom. :D

[CandyCrim21]

55. Friends!!!!!!!!!

I loved Cheers, and I really liked Mash and all and I give props to all the Married With Children Fans BUT..........I m sorry. None of these hold a candle to Friends as far as I'm concerned. I just love it!!!:shrug:

[Blitz]

57. Taxi

At least deserves to be on the list. I think I'd put it ahead of Cheers. Honorable mention:

The Odd Couple (maybe that makes the list too ... hmmm ... )
Happy Days (before it literally jumped the shark)
Laverne and Shirley
3rd Rock From the Sun
Golden Girls (they got away so much because it was 4 old ladies)
Three's Company

I voted for I Love Lucy. Ask me in an hour and I may vote for The Honeymooners or MASH.

[Booberdawg]

58. Out of your list I've got to say All in the Family

but I've enjoyed so many back in the years when I used to watch the sitcom scene.

BTW, Hi Dookie!! :hi: I'm still in San Diego!

[Wolfman 11]

59. ALF!

if not ALF, then definitely the Simpsons.

[Loonman]

60. Tie between Seinfeld and The Honeymooners

n/t

[Zolok]

64. "It's About Time"

starring Joe E. Ross as a caveman with Imogene Coca as his hapless wife.
Funniest thing in this quantum frequency....
And
NO
I AM NOT BEING IRONIC!!!!!!!!!
WHY DON'T YOU BELIEVE ME???
ARRRGGHH!
:)

[Richardo]

66. HA! I haven't thought about that show in years!

Sort of the grandfather of "Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer"


Theme song:

"It's about time
It's about space
mmmm mmmm mm m (can't remember the rest)"

[Richardo]

67. Get Smart

"Larrabee, confiscate that plant."
"I can't do that, Chief, I'm not a priest."

[chaska]

69. Beverly Hillbillies

[pnb]

72. Married With Children

Greatest parodies of all time...ripped on everyone in society in a funny way but was very clever at the same time.

Followed by:

Night Court - I love bad puns...need I say more?

The Odd Couple - no bones? How did it walk?!?

Seinfeld - all the good reasons have already been mentioned.