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?

[TomGuy]

And who didn't watch the Waltons?

I never did.

But I also never could get excited about Seinfield. I watched a few episodes in re-runs and still never understood all of the hoopla about it.

[Waryone]

"Any list that leaves off The Beverly Hillbillies is not worth reading."

I could not agree with you more! The Beverly Hillbillies would definitely be at the top of my list of comedies.

[thesharkboy]

Green Acres was Kafka in a cornfield.

That's a brilliant description of a very odd show. LOL

[TomGuy]

“Mork and Mindy”

I never got into it very much. I did watch a couple of episodes after the episode where he thought he had to go to the passport office and register as an alien. That episode was funny.

[Phlap]

I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners are one two for me. All the rest just copied them.

[AFreeBird]

The only problem with WKRP reruns or DVDs is the original music was cut. They didn’t buy the rights for long term, back in the beginning. The music they’re trying to substitute just doesn’t work. Especially with Johnny.

[Red Badger]

Did you know that on one episode of The Honeymooners they didn’t have a script, for some strange reason, and they went out and adlibbed the entire show and no one noticed! Now, THAT was acting!....................

[newfreep]

Your "Rosanne" cast photo included a very young Sarah Chalke.

[dfwgator]

Drew Carrey show was VASTLY underrated.

Absolutely.

And Christa Miller was a MAJOR babe on that show.

[tophat9000]

On that 70 show.. i surprised in did get a better reaction of FR... Red Forman was probably one to most positive male Right leaning character on tv in the last 20 years hes was a super hard ass but not mean or stupid ..kind of a boot camp drill sergeant type that ride you ass but but also got you back ( think Clint Eastwood of late in movies) Love the interaction Red had with Hyde the rebel neighbor kid that got abandon by his parents an the Forman’s took it..

[Phlap]

Mchales Navy and Hogans Heroes were also funny but the libs wouldn't like them.

[Autonomous User]

”I’m still waiting for that fruit basket from Fox,” she says.

LOL. I guess the yearly gifts from Fox to her was the stuff of urban legends then!!!
Thanks for the update!

[verga]

The woman who played “Julia,” the loudmouthed liberal on that show, was a conservative in real life. You're correct, I had always thought she was a raging liberal, but her affiliation is listed as Republican. I thought Delta Burke was a Conservative, but she supports gay rights.

[Colonel_Flagg]

“Hogan’s Heroes” was brilliantly written satire. The third and fourth seasons were especially good.

And my favorite moment from “Taxi” was Reverend Jim Ignatowski’s driving test. To this day still one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen on television.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39k067hcgYY

“What does a yellow light mean?”

[nickcarraway]

Your husband used to be a little boy?

[huckfillary]

I loved MASH, but I wouldn’t consider it a sitcom in the sense of Bewitched or I Love Lucy.

[justlurking]

In an interview years later, Suzanne said she and the wife on Newhart sort of came up with the finale idea.

It was Bob's wife, Ginny -- during the second season of Newhart. The three of them were having dinner.

At the time they laughed it off as preposterous. But years later, a producer called Suzanne. As soon as he identified himself, she knew why and told him so.

[verga]

Didn’t care for “Different Strokes” Every episode had Arnold lying to his father about something.

[Autonomous User]

“As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly”

Possibly the funniest line ever said on television.

---

Oh, the humanity! People are running about. The turkeys are hitting the ground like sacks of wet cement! Folks, I don’t know how much longer... The crowd is running for their lives. I think I’m going to step inside. I can’t stand here and watch this anymore. No, I can’t go in there. Children are searching for their mothers and oh, not since the Hindenberg tragedy has there been anything like this.

I laughed so hard I was crying!

[JudyinCanada]

Oh for sure - Everybody Loves Raymond is pretty cute.