Thought this would be a good conversation starter! Everyone has their personal favorite comedy shows (sitcoms), but have you ever ranked them? I sat down and tried ranking my top 10 recently, and actually listed the top four very quickly, as to me, they stand out from the rest. I found the 5th-10th spots a little tougher to place. Coming up with the shows wasn't a problem, but ranking them was a bit difficult. Again, these are my favorite shows, not what I necessarily consider the best. Here's what I eventually came up with:
1. I Love Lucy- To me, this is the show that started sitcoms as we know it. And it still holds it own. Love the California and Europe trips! Always thought Desi Arnaz was underrated as a sitcom actor. You never hear his name when the all-time best sitcom actors are mentioned. He was hilarious, and a vital piece to the success of I Love Lucy.
2. Seinfeld- A close second. For most sitcoms, a single episode will usually feature one memorable storyline. But it wasn't unusual for a single Seinfeld episode to feature two or three unforgettable storylines. And it consistently did this for nine seasons! That's what you call great writing.
3. Get Smart- I'm probably in the minority here, but this is still one of most hilarious shows ever on TV. James Bond meets Inspector Clouseau. Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner and Buck Henry were a great writing team. And I particularly liked Hymie the robot!
4. All in the Family- Ground breaking, brave comedy. Very well written. There weren't very many sitcoms where I laughed and was moved to the point of tears in the same episode. Happened more than once in All in the Family.
5. The Larry Sanders Show- Very funny, well written parody of late night television (in front of and behind the camera), particularly in the early to late 90's when the show was on and the Carson/Letterman/Leno drama was at it's peak. The casting was dead on, in particular with Garry Shandling, Jeffrey Tambor and Rip Torn. .
6. Barney Miller- Hilarious spoof on every day life in a New York police precinct, sprinkled with some pretty decent drama. Hal Linden makes the whole thing work as the Captain of the station. As the "straight man" of the group, Linden frequently sets the table for all of the humor in the show.
7. The Odd Couple- Terrific small screen version of the Broadway play. The chemistry between Jack Klugman and Tony Randall is as good as it gets. Their banter plus the great writing makes for episode after episode of laughs.
8. Arrested Development- This show wins the award for the darkest comedy on my list! Only lasting three seasons, this Ron Howard-created (and narrarated) show about a disfunctional family is quite different than the other comedies listed as you'll either love it or hate it. There's no inbetween!
9. M*A*S*H- Not much to say about this all-time classic. It's probably lower on my list then other lists, but it has to be on it. The most impressive thing about this show to me is how it survived not one, but three major casting changes in it's first five years without skipping a beat. Great casting, great writing, great acting!
10. Friends- Probably a contraversial inclusion, but I can't help by laugh whenever I catch an episode. The show was on almost 10 years, with the quality of the writing remaining strong nearly the entire time. There are other long running comedies where they can't be said.
Next 10 (no particular order): Cheers, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Mary Tyler Moore Show, Happy Days, The Munsters, Frasier, The Office (BBC), The Monkees, Green Acres (yes, Green Acres!).
So those are my 10 all-time sitcoms. Feel free to chime in with yours and why you chose them!
JW
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