Here on this planet I watch tons of TV. Here are my top 10 favorite Earth sitcoms of all time. Here was my guidelines while picking these. A) No animation or sketch. B) Had to be on at least 1 full season (or else The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfiefer would have been on there....which I never actually saw but I wish I had!), C) The show must have made me laugh on multiple occasions. Well here we go.
10. All in the Family
One word describes this show, "Groundbreaking". Only in 1971 could you get away with the politically incorrect dialogue of All in the Family. Archie Bunker was the all-time greatest racist-homophobe, i always laughed when he called Edith "Dingbat". My only gripe is that much too often the show took a serious turn, it always made me feel uncomfortable because I can't deal with real life situations, even on TV.
UPS: Racist, Sexist, Homophobic...ARCHIE!!
DOWNS: Too Serious, annoying daughter
BEST SECONDARY CHARACTER: Edith
BEST EPISODE: Archie gets black neighbors
9. Fresh Prince of Bell Aire
This show took a rather lame concept and used good writting with solid acting to make it one of the best sitcoms ever. Sure Will Smith hasn't always been the best movie actor, but let me tell you, he was excellent on TV. Love him or hate him, you can't deny he's a talented dude. The writers really developed each character very well, from Uncle Phil (James Avery) to the unforgettable Carleton (Alphonso Ribiero) this show is TIGHT!
UPS: Writing, character devolpment, Carleton dancing
DOWNS: They changed moms after the first season, that annoyed me.
BEST SECONDARY CHARACTER: Carleton
BEST EPISODE: Will and Carleton become male strippers.
8. Seinfeld
The Show About Nothing. What can you say, it was a great idea, and it worked. Every episode seems to have a new character which keeps the show fresh. Larry David and Seinfeld really created something special here. How many classic guest characters can a show have??? Puddy, Newman, J. Pederman, George's Parents!! I mean come on!! Jason Alexander was also fabulous as George Costanza.
UPS: Original concepts, writting
DOWNS: Seinfelds bad acting
BEST SECONDARY CHARACTER: Kramer
BEST EPISODE: Kramer hides from the cable guy.
7. Third Rock from the Sun
A suprisingly good sitcom. John Lithgow was the friggin' man on this show! He's truly one of the most underrated actors ever. I even liked Jane Curtain....and I HATE Jane Curtain! For some reason I found that sister alien Sally sexy as hell and French Stewart wasn't really all that annoying. Also William Shatner had an awesome guest appearance. I simply loved this show.
UPS: John Lithgow
DOWNS: Didn't last long enough
BEST SECONDARY CHARACTER: Wayne Knights character
BEST EPISODE: William Shatner appears as the alien Leader.
6. Roseanne
The way a family really is. Great "tell-it-like-it-is" sitcom, not sugar coated at all. I don't like Roseanne as a comedian and I don't really like her on this show, but I respect her for writing a superb comedy and her acting was rather good. "Roseanne" was serious while still being funny and witty, and come on, how can you not like Dan Conner (John Goodman).
UPS: a real family, Goodman
DOWNS: The horrible final season (which was all a dream!!)
BEST SECONDARY CHARACTER: David
BEST EPISODE: Roseanne PMS/Dan's Birthday episode
5. Golden Girls
I recently said that I didn't find women on TV funny. I failed to realize that I have been watching The Golden Girls every night for like 10 years now. Who the hell would have thought a show starring Betty White, Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty would be funny AT ALL! Well it is, consistently for 8 seasons too! All 4 characters are classic: Rose (the dumb one), Dorothy (the witty one), Blanche (the slut) and Sofia (the fisety one). So I guess it turns out that I find old ladies hilarious.
UPS: excellent crop of actresses, rather edgey jokes for the time
DOWNS: picturing Blanche having sex
BEST SECONDARY CHARACTER: Stan
BEST EPISODE: Blanche's gay brother.
4. NewsRadio
Never a dull moment. Tons of hysterical characters, not one person lags on this show. Granted the concept has been used in WKRP in Cincinatti, but NewsRadio took the idea to a new level. It's so hard to pick a favorite character: Dave, Jimmy James, Joe, Bill, Matthew....man what a great show.
UPS: almost never serious...which is a good thing.
DOWNS: Phil Hartman shit the bed.
BEST SECONDARY CHARACTER: Bill (Phil Hatman)
BEST EPISODE: Jimmy James pretends to circle the globe in a hot air balloon.
3. Married w/ Children
Al "Icky" Bundy. Need I say more? Alright then i will. Broke new ground in the world of sitcoms. Insane, sexist, rediculous, Married with Children pushed the limits of censorship. Ask my dad who his hero's are, he will say "Al Bundy and Homer Simpson"....seriously thats not a joke. Remember No MA'AM and Psycho Dad....hahaha...memories.
UPS: hot chicks, cutting edge comedy, cheesy in a good way
DOWNS: not many
BEST SECONDARY CHARACTER: Jefferson
BEST EPISODE: Al cries like the Indian in that anti-pollution commercial.
2. Three's Company
Based on the British show Man About the House....which i'm sure sucked. Why? Because that dude was no John Ritter. Great physical comedy, excellent sexual enuendo, best use of misinterpetation of situations ever. Firley rules, Jack rules, Roper rules, Janet was solid, Chrissy/Cindy/Terry were all good. I can always watch this show, anytime, anyday. It was yet another groundbreaking show for it's time and I always wanted to be Jack Tripper when I grew up.
UPS: sexual enuendo, misinterpetation of situations, controversial for the time
DOWNS: Ropers spin-off attempt
BEST SECONDARY CHARACTER: Firley/Larry Dallas
BEST EPISODE: Jack and Larry serenade a women Cyrano de Bergerac style.
1. Three Stooges
The best comedy ever. Fuck you if you disagree...FUCK YOU! They hit each other with frying pans....did you hear me?? I said FRYING PANS. FRYYYYIIIING PAAAAAANS!!! I usually hate old black and white tv shows, but come on The Three Stooges was original. You probably couldn't even do half this shit on TV anymore. Black servants, Hitler, horrible violence, sexy chicks in black and white, and one horrible Nintendo game....this show had it all. Moe, Larry and Curly were comedy geniuses.
UPDATE: It has been suggested to me that The Three Stooges was NOT a Sitcom. True, it technically wasn't, originally. But I remember it as a Comedy Show on TV, with Episodes and Not Sketch Comedy....so hey i'm calling that a sitcom.
UPS: violent comedy
DOWNS: Curly Joe
BEST SECONDARY CHARACTER: Shemp
BEST EPISODE: Moe as Hitler
The Rest: I had a hard time keeping these out of the top 10.
The Odd Couple - best sitcom about an asshole and a closeted homosexual.
The Munsters - Herman was such a pussy.
Mr. Bean - Original concept.
King of Queens - I like Kevin James
Fawlty Towers - "Mauel!! Manuel!"! ...."Yes, Mr. Fawlty" .........hahahaha...whatever
Honeymooners - Best comedy about spousal abuse...EVER!
Red Dwarf - Don't know what they're saying half the time, but i still dig it.
The Cosby Show - Unrealistic, but I give Bill respect for creating a very entertaining show.
Newhart - "Hi, I'm Daryl...this is my brother Daryl and this is my other brother Daryl" why was that funny?
Cheers - Cliff and Norm really made the show
Wings - Lots of people knock this show, but I thought it was really funny.
Get A Life - Underrated
Gary Shandling Show - Also much forgotten.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Well that could be argued...originally I guess it wasn't. But the 3 Stooges that I grew up with WAS a comedy TV show. So thats why I used it.
You know what Captain Naps?? FUCK YOU! I don't give a shit...the Stooges was a sitcom...i'll say it is till the day I die!! THE DAY I DIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!!!!
*cough* *cough* ....that hurt my throat.
No Benson or Mister Belvedere?!
Benson was good...i forgot about that. Belvedere, I don't know if I would still think it was funny....but I always loved the theme song by Leon Redbone (who also does a great cover of Pollywolly Doodle)
Post a Comment