Best / Worst Sitcoms

[CajunCenturion]

Comments anyone?


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[DTSMAN]

To many bad ones to mention(I hate the overuse of that canned laughter). The ones I like are:

Current:
My Name is Earl
Two and Half Men

Classics:
MASH
Night Court

Never watched Reality shows till last year and now hooked on Big Brother and Hells Kitchen.

Bo

Kentucky phone support-
"Mash the Kentrol key and hit scape."

 

[tsdragon]

Considering how many "best" votes Seinfield got, I was surprised to see that someone else agress with me. I absolutely HATED the show. I despised it so much that I would go into another room when my rommmates were watching it. I just can't laugh at a show about rude, obnoxious, self-centered stupid people. If the various Lucille Ball sitcoms weren't so flat-out stupid I'd vote for Seinfield as the all-time worst sitcom ever.

Most of my favorite sitcoms are British, for example Fawlty Towers or BlackAdder.

There are a few American ones I like now and then, such as My Name is Earl or The Bob Newhart Show.

I guess my sense of humor just doesn't tend toward situation comedies.


Tracy Dryden

Meddle not in the affairs of dragons,
For you are crunchy, and good with mustard.

 

[Turkbear]

Hi,
You won't watch rude,selfish people but like
'Fawlty Towers' ????
Basil makes Jerry look like Mother Theresa..





To Paraphrase:"The Help you get is proportional to the Help you give.."

 

[Lunatic]

I guess my sense of humor just doesn't tend toward situation comedies.

Agreed. Outside of Scrubs, which I changed channels when it gets too boiler-plate, I despise nearly all situational sitcoms.

I often find myself laughing more during dramas like West Wing or sometimes even Law & Order (not the junk spin-offs) and usually then about 5 seconds before everyone else.

I do like the dry, understated comedies.

***

For those of the English (nationality) variety... The sitcom 'The Office'... is the manager in the English version over-the-top-idiotic? I love USA version except for him and that is enough to cause me not to watch it. I simply cannot stand his character.

 

[AlexCuse]

I'd have to say that the American Office is quite a disappointment. I watch it, because it beats all the 'Reality' garbage on other networks, but Ricky Gervais does a much better job playing the boss than Steve Carell (or perhaps it is the writers?)

I must say that the American Office is great, because it helped start Steve Carell's movie career which I enjoy very much thus far.

Best - Seinfeld
Ones I watch now: My Name is Earl, Simpsons, All the other cartoon 'sitcoms' people mentioned, Entourage (despite horrible acting)

Worst - Everybody Loves Raymond, Hope & Faith, 'whatever the name is of the next (live-action) sitcom Fox comes out with'

Sbud - I will follow up with your vote for 'Sex and the City' with a vote for worst show ever. The example that those women set makes 'lucy' look like Mother Theresa. Even my fiance has grown tired of it (thank goodness).

Not sure about the Seinfeld haters, but I guess maybe it is a bit too sarcastic for some people's tastes. I must admit that the lowest opinion of it that anyone I know has of it is "I like it, but I don't quite love it".

It's a magical time of year in Philadelphia. Eagles training camp marks the end of another brutal season of complaining about the Phillies.

 

[DTSMAN]

I agree that Hope and Faith is horrible and so is the American version of 'The Office'. I thought for sure I was going to like that show since I am such an 'Office Space' fan, but agree with others the acting is way to dry. I'd rather watch 'Office Space' for the 200th time for my office humor.

Bo

Kentucky phone support-
"Mash the Kentrol key and hit scape."

 

[AlexCuse]

My complaint with the office is the opposite, I don't find it dry enough. This may be because a friend in college got me hooked on the british version long before it was out here. If anyone is interested in seeing what it's all about, I believe they are showing the english version on PBS on Sunday evenings (at least in my part of the country)

Another bad one - 'Stacked'



It's a magical time of year in Philadelphia. Eagles training camp marks the end of another brutal season of complaining about the Phillies.

 

[Lunatic]

I've never seen the origional English version of The Office only a few trailers and the boss from the trailers alone is far more humerous than the American one. The American one is too in-your-face and not subtle enough me to really relate to. Too much like every Ben Stiller movie (except Keeping the Faith).

Office Space... One of the best comedies ever.

***

Entourage - does that count as a sitcom? If so it does belong on the list.

***

Seinfeld - It has nothing to do with the sarcasm, it has everything to do with it just being blah. It seems to contrived. Kramer is great because he is so unique but the rest of it, well its like watching Saved By the Bell the College Years.

***

I can't believe it hasn't been mentioned (and I'm very ashamed I had forgotten about it)...

Married with Children

Its one of those dumb shows that you just seem to love (Like The Mummy with Brendan Fraser, it is a stupid movie but I love it and I can't explain why).

 

[AnotherHiggins]

What consitutes a sitcom? Basically any snydicated comedy, or is it more inclusive than that?

I think it is more [attn]ex[/attn]clusive than that.

I'm pretty sure that Monty Python and other sketch comedy shows are not categorized as sitcoms. I'm a big fan of Monty Python (and Kids in the Hall and Mr. Show [not to be confused with the Man Show]), but they are sketch comedy shows, not sitcoms.

I think M*A*S*H* is probably the all-time best sitcom. I was a bit young when it was out - it went off the air when I was in 5th or 6th grade (about 11 years old) - but I can still enjoy watching it. Brilliant writing, great acting and a good group dynamic that continued to be good after changing a couple of key characters. That's quite a feat.

Newsradio is right up there with M*A*S*H*, IMHO (before the death of Phil Hartman, of course). A great showcase of Dave Foley of Kids in the Hall fame, it is another great ensemble piece with amazing writing. If you never really saw it, I strongly recommend renting a seasons' worth. If you have a pulse, you should like it. Also, it is the last time I saw Andy Dick be funny.

I enjoyed Seinfeld, but at the stage in my life when it was popular I was generally out on the town when it aired. And a note to the kids here - we didn't always have TIVO!

I'll be the first to stand up for the American version of The Office. I was a fan of the British series before the American version came out, and I definitely had my reservations.... But I feel like they hit a stride at about the 3rd or 4th episode. I'm also a fan of Rainn Wilson (AKA Dwight Schrute) from Six Feet Under (another great show - but not a sitcom).

[tab]Animated sitcoms:
The Simpsons. I can't beleive they still make it funny after all these years.

I have to mention Dr. Katz and pretty much all things Squigle Vision, including Home Movies (which is currently on the Adult Swim lineup on Cartoon Central Sunday nights). Family Guy and South Park are also really good.

[tab]Some older shows I used to watch in syndication:
The Odd Couple, Soap and the spinoff, Benson.

I'm from NC, so I'd be remiss if I didn't mention
The Andy Griffith Show

[tab]Then there are some shows I used to watch as a kid during their first run:
The Cosby Show, Cheers and its spin-off, Frasier. WKRP in Cincinnati, The Wonder Years and Doogie Howser, M.D. (I'm really happy to see that Neil Patrick Harris was able to shake that typecasting in his new show).

[tab]Current shows I'm also a fan of include:
Scrubs and My Name Is Earl. How I Met Your Mother has surprised me. I didn't expect much from it, but it is actually really entertaining. Also, it has a grown up Doogie Howser behaving badly. That's fun.
Also, Psych looks promising.

[tab]Worst:
Man, there are so, so many. A few that come to mind are Full House, Small Wonder (Here is a site with pictures to help the nauseating memories return) and Family matters.

Wow - time to go home already!

[tt]_____
[blue]-John[/blue][/tt]
[tab][red]The plural of anecdote is not data[/red]

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[tsdragon]

You won't watch rude,selfish people but like
'Fawlty Towers' ????
Basil makes Jerry look like Mother Theresa..

I think that's the whole point - he's a caricature or rudeness and selfishness. He's so over-the-top with it. He also has a style that the Seinfield actors lack - he's actually funny.

maybe it is a bit too sarcastic for some people's tastes

That is part of it. Some sarcasm can be funny, constant sarcasm isn't. Especially when the actors aren't funny to begin with.

I'm surprised Golden Girls hasn't been mentioned yet. I used to love that one.


Tracy Dryden

Meddle not in the affairs of dragons,
For you are crunchy, and good with mustard.

 

[Dagon]

I've mostly watched British sitcoms and my favourites are:

Red Dwarf
Father Ted
Blackadder

The only US one I watched regularly was Frasier.

 

[Turkbear]

Hi,
The Brits do seem to do it better:

Keeping Up Appearances
As Time Goes By
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin

and one of my favorites:

Good Neighbors ( actually anything with Felicity Kendall)


Of course here in the States we only see those that are exported..maybe they have their share of crap as well...






To Paraphrase:"The Help you get is proportional to the Help you give.."

 

[RCorrigan]

Only bettered by the dross turned out by Australia !!!!!

<Do I need A Signature or will an X do?>

 

[AnotherHiggins]

Oh! A Britich sitcom that folks here might enjoy: The IT Crowd. Bloody hilarious. I think you can stream the episodes from that site if you are in the UK. Elsewhere, you can find them on YouTube.

When I first found these a few months ago, I wasted an entire evening watching them back-to-back. Unfortunately no new episodes have been released in quite some time, and I'm not sure if any new ones are in the works.

Red Dwarf was great as well.

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[tab][red]The plural of anecdote is not data[/red]

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[Dollie]

Assuming by "sitcom" you mean a weekly show of 30 minutes with a running laughtrack, and considering there hasn't been a decent sitcom in years...

I'd put Cheers and Soap at the top of my list. (Note that I was in elementary school when Soap was originally on. It was YEARS before I figured out what Mom and Dad were laughing at!)

"Prison Break" and now "Vanished" are current show favorites even though they aren't sitcoms.

 

[mjldba]

I thought Neil Patrick harris was a scream in "Undercover Brother".

 

[kmcginn]

I'd have to go with M*A*S*H and Cosby for the best.

M*A*S*H stayed good even through all the character changes - I think because of Hawkeye (Alan Alda). Cosby proved that you didn't need to be nasty to be funny. And they really acted like a family.

I'd have to add Dick Van Dyke and I Love Lucy as well - classics!

 

[addy]

One I'd forgotten - The Smoking Room. Came out on BBC3 about a year or so ago then was repeated in BBC2 I think.

Quality.

 

[Sympology]

Ok for me (again)

Young Ones
Bottom
Fawlty Towers
Simpsons
(earlier) Red Dwarf
Men Behaving Badly (Uk Version)
Shameless
and sadly, I do have fond memories of Last Of the Summer Wine.

Only the truly stupid believe they know everything.
Stu.. 2004

 

[SilentAiche]

Well, having done my best to cheat by reading all the earlier posts (and seeing many shows I hadn't thought of in a while), I offer this:

Favorites:

* Wings (why isn't it syndicated??)
* Fawlty Towers
* Cheers
* All in the Family
* MASH
* Frazier
* Night Court
* The Jeffersons
* Reba

## Would vote for Carol Burnette if it were a sitcom instead of a variety show. Tim Conway's bit on the Siamese elephants causes cardiac pauses. Too damn funny for words.


Never really got its:

* Seinfeld
* Dharma and Greg
* Hope and Faith
* The Office (on either side of any ocean on any planet in any planetary system in any galaxy in any universe anywhere. I really, really didn't like it).
* Strangers with Candy ([gray]I would have preferred "Strangers Without Airtime"[/gray])


My two senses (er, taste and smell, given the topic!)

Have fun!

tim

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