# Favorite Sitcoms



## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

Name some of your favorite sitcoms. Here are some of mine.
Cheers. Gotta love Sam Malone. A dream world though. Running a bar isn't as much fun as he made it out to be. 
The Facts of Life. The clash between Blair and Jo is classic. Both show their sentimental side. Just a great combination of comedy and drama. All the episodes on youtube. 
Seinfeld. Probably the funniest show ever. 
Three's Company. A little bizarre at times. But it has its moments. Suzanne Somers was cute back then. 
Happy Days. Makes the 50's seem better than it was. Gotta love Fonzie. 
That 70's Show. My favorite modern day sitcom. Though it was about the 70's.


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## Crudblud (Dec 29, 2011)

Seinfeld
Father Ted
The League of Gentlemen
Spaced
Yes, Minister
The Thick of It
A Touch of Cloth

There are some things I'm forgetting, but that's a decent list for now.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

1. Fawlty Towers, John Cleese at his best with great support cast and excellent storylines. Every episode is a classic.
2. Blackadder, series 2-4. Fabulous, featuring Mr. Bean and Doctor House before they were world famous.
3. Yes minister, wonderful satire on politics.

In general, I prefer vintage BBC comedy series.


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## poptart (Jul 15, 2013)

The Larry Sanders Show
Seinfeld
The Office
The Thick of It
Men Behaving Badly
Spaced
Third Rock From the Sun
Yes Prime Minister
Black Books (First series)
Father Ted
Getting On


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## EricABQ (Jul 10, 2012)

Cheers, Seinfeld, and Curb Your Enthusiasm have been the big three for me in my life.

As far as what is on now, I've enjoyed Big Bang Theory, but am getting a bit tired of it.

Also, the first three seasons of the U.S version of The Office were excellent. I'm not familiar with the original.


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## Crudblud (Dec 29, 2011)

EricABQ said:


> Curb Your Enthusiasm


Ah, I knew I was missing something!


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

Art Rock said:


> In general, I prefer vintage BBC comedy series.


So do I, because the current crop are a) vulgar and b) seriously unfunny.


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## Tristan (Jan 5, 2013)

If you call 30 Rock and Arrested Development sitcoms, they would be my favorites. For more traditional-style sitcoms, Friends and How I Met Your Mother are the only ones that I've watched regularly.


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## Mesa (Mar 2, 2012)

A few not already mentioned-
Parks and Recreation
Scrubs
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Trailer Park Boys
Red Dwarf
Peep Show
The Tick
The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret
Bottom


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## Tristan (Jan 5, 2013)

^Parks and Recreation is good; forgot about that one. I still haven't seen the latest season!


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## SuperTonic (Jun 3, 2010)

Love the Sein! I've seen every Seinfeld episode multiple times, and I still watch the reruns. They just never get old.

Another sitcom that I loved back in the '90s was News Radio. It was a brilliant comedy, but the show just couldn't recover after Phil Hartman's tragic death and was quickly canceled after that.


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## Crudblud (Dec 29, 2011)

Mesa said:


> Red Dwarf


Something else I completely forgot. *sigh*


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## schuberkovich (Apr 7, 2013)

From a bygone era:
Blackadder (except series 1)
Fawlty Towers
The Young Ones

Recent:
The Thick of It
The Inbetweeners
Friends
The Big Bang Theory (seasons 1-3)

I have on occasion enjoyed How I Met Your Mother and Modern Family.

For radio, I love Cabin Pressure (with Benedict Cumberbatch), Ed Reardon, Old Harry's Game and Revolting People.


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

I don't watch much TV these days, the one current show we watch with regularity is Big Bang Theory.
Sitcoms that are no longer on that I either Netflix or own DVDs of, and I consider all time favorites:
Scrubs
Golden Girls
Futurama (ok, not quite a sitcom, but comedy and one of my favorites ever!)

Honorable mention to Frasier which I've enjoyed a lot in the past but don't really watch any more, and Dharma and Greg.


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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

Definitely, but definitely Seinfeld.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

I used to watch 'Frasier' every week. Lately I've come across a couple reruns and wondered why I watched them before; the humor seems flat.


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

I loved News Radio. It was only on for 5 seasons and had a very short peak (before Phil Hartman died), but IMO, it was up to par with Seinfeld and The Simpsons (back when the latter was good).


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## Guest (Aug 2, 2013)

Most sitcoms are very much products of their specific place in time - thus going back and watching them later, outside of that context, results in us questioning why we enjoyed them in the first place.

Currently, the only sitcom I watch with any regularity is "The Big Bang Theory." It actually makes me laugh - something that can't be said about 90% of the sitcoms and comedy movies out there.


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## Guest (Aug 2, 2013)

GreenMamba said:


> I loved News Radio. It was only on for 5 seasons and had a very short peak (before Phil Hartman died), but IMO, it was up to par with Seinfeld and The Simpsons (back when the latter was good).


I loved that show, and Phil Hartman made it. His death was one of the great tragedies for comedy - the man was a genius.


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## Guest (Aug 2, 2013)

Mesa said:


> A few not already mentioned-
> Parks and Recreation
> Scrubs
> It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
> ...


I like you Mesa for your off-the-wall approach to all things. And your Michael Palin avatar. Lumberjack, OK, work all night and sleep all day. Or something like that.


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

DrMike said:


> Most sitcoms are very much products of their specific place in time - thus going back and watching them later, outside of that context, results in us questioning why we enjoyed them in the first place.


Good humour is timeless. We still laugh at Shakespeare's comedies! If a sitcom dates, it is usually because the humour is stereotypical rather than character based. This clip is forty years old (Wednesday 31 October 1973) but is considered among the top three best bits of British comedy.






(No comments about the British sense of humour please!)


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## Guest (Aug 2, 2013)

Not all sitcoms are as I described. But most of them are. A lot of the humor is specific to the time. The example given here, though, is the exception - for one, it wasn't meant to be timely, but played off of historical issues. Part of the humor in the German taking down names is that we already know they lost.

Fawlty Towers is a classic example of a timeless funny sitcom - I still laugh out loud at that show. And none of the humor is necessarily specific to when it was made.

But sometimes the jokes themselves make very specific pop cultural references, and when you then watch them later, when those references are no longer relevant, a lot of the humor is lost.


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## niv (Apr 9, 2013)

Community!!!!!
Haven't you seen it? I'm surprised it wasn't mentioned in anybody's list. I don't think I've ever seen a more laugh filled sitcom, and thank god, it does not have a laugh track.

I also like Seinfield, a bit of Friends, and Big Bang Theory... but community is da sheet.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

niv said:


> Community!!!!!
> Haven't you seen it? I'm surprised it wasn't mentioned in anybody's list. I don't think I've ever seen a more laugh filled sitcom, and thank god, it does not have a laugh track.
> 
> I also like Seinfield, a bit of Friends, and Big Bang Theory... but community is da sheet.


So... where is Community at?


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## Bix (Aug 12, 2010)

Humphrey and his looooooooong speaches and his short quips - eg "In Arab countries women get stoned when they commit adultery. In Britain, they commit adultery when they get stoned."


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## Bix (Aug 12, 2010)

Hacker: Who else is in this department?
Sir Humphrey: Well briefly, sir, I am the Permanent Under Secretary of State, known as the Permanent Secretary. Woolley here is your Principal Private Secretary. I too have a Principal Private Secretary and he is the Principal Private Secretary to the Permanent Secretary. Directly responsible to me are ten Deputy Secretaries, 87 Under Secretaries and 219 Assistant Secretaries. Directly responsible to the Principal Private Secretaries are plain Private Secretaries, and the Prime Minister will be appointing two Parliamentary Under-Secretaries and you will be appointing your own Parliamentary Private Secretary.
Hacker: Can they all type?
Sir Humphrey: None of us can type. Mrs Mackay types: she's the secretary.
Minister: Pity, we could have opened an agency.
Sir Humphrey: Very droll, Minister.
Hacker: I suppose they all say that, do they?
Sir Humphrey: Certainly not, Minister. Not quite all...


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## niv (Apr 9, 2013)

Hilltroll72 said:


> So... where is Community at?


Where you live?... I dunno... netflix?


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

niv said:


> Where you live?... I dunno... netflix?


Not on a network or channel? No wonder no one else mentioned it, eh?


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## niv (Apr 9, 2013)

Wikipedia said it was on NBC. I'm not from USA, so what would I know


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

niv said:


> Wikipedia said it was on NBC. I'm not from USA, so what would I know


Aha! Now I can look for it; thanks for going the extra mile.


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## Cheyenne (Aug 6, 2012)

niv said:


> Community!!!!!
> Haven't you seen it? I'm surprised it wasn't mentioned in anybody's list. I don't think I've ever seen a more laugh filled sitcom, and thank god, it does not have a laugh track.


It's rather nice at points, yes: I enjoyed watching most of the first three seasons.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

Wow. Can't believe hardly anyone likes what I like. Oh well.


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

neoshredder said:


> Wow. Can't believe hardly anyone likes what I like. Oh well.


Cheers and Seinfeld were great, but Facts of Life? Meh. But I remember a comedian joking about how all the girls in the show became fatter than the girl who was originally cast as the fat girl. LOL.


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## niv (Apr 9, 2013)

Actually, that's 70 show was pretty cool. My fav character has to be Red


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

niv said:


> Actually, that's 70 show was pretty cool. My fav character has to be Red


Funny guy. But I disagreed with basically every decision he made. In particular how he dealt with Eric. The only good excuse is he was damaged from war.


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## Schubussy (Nov 2, 2012)

Fawlty Towers
Peep Show
Community
Spaced
The Thick of It
Parks & Rec
Father Ted
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Arrested Development


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

neoshredder said:


> Funny guy. But I disagreed with basically every decision he made. In particular how he dealt with Eric. The only good excuse is he was damaged from war.


But hey, Eric _was_ a dumbass.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

GreenMamba said:


> Cheers and Seinfeld were great, but Facts of Life? Meh. But I remember a comedian joking about how all the girls in the show became fatter than the girl who was originally cast as the fat girl. LOL.


Yes since the goodness of the show depends on how well the actresses take care of themselves after the show.  And we know how well Kirstie Alley has taken care of herself. lol


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

Hilltroll72 said:


> But hey, Eric _was_ a dumbass.


I wonder who is to blame for that. I would be to if I had Red as my father. Having a father that always insults you and intimidates you just isn't right.


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

I use to watch Big Bang Theory, now I don't anymore. So that makes 
0
sitcoms that I watch currently. It'll take some convincing to get me back into watching TV.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

When we first got a colour TV the most 'happening' US comedy was Rowan & Martin's Laugh-in, of which the kindest thing I can say about was that you really had to be there, man...


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## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

M*A*S*H
Frasier
Are You Being Served?
Keeping Up Appearances
Waiting for God
As Time Goes By
Fawlty Towers

Most of my favs are BBC productions.


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## poptart (Jul 15, 2013)

I forgot to mention _One Foot in the Grave_. Although it went off a bit at the end.

Here's a little treat for comedy lovers:


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Basil: Racket? That's *Brahms!* Brahms's Third Racket!!....The whole morning!...I had two bars.

Fawlty Towers it is.


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## Guest (Aug 3, 2013)

I'm with Art Music, though perhaps not quite so curmudgeonly as Taggart! There are generally no TV sitcoms that I watch unfailingly, not even _Outnumbered_ though I must say that I am enjoying _Count Arthur Strong_ (not in the least vulgar) at the moment.

Probably for totally irrational reasons (not xenophobia), I don't watch US TV sitcoms. I find them contrived and knowing - though _Dick van **** _was and now _Everybody Loves Raymond_ is a comforting watch.


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## Guest (Aug 3, 2013)

All in the Family, Married with Children (for the first two seasons), M*A*S*H, The Dick van **** Show, Cheers, Seinfeld, Frasier, and The Big Bang Theory.


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## cwarchc (Apr 28, 2012)

Allo Allo
It shouldn't really work. A comedy about the occupation of France in WW2, but it's brilliantly written
Some gems of one liners in it, some of which have transfered into common usage
Another masterpiece was Fawlty Towers (already mentioned above) 
Steptoe & Son
Porridge


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

elgars ghost said:


> When we first got a colour TV the most 'happening' US comedy was Rowan & Martin's Laugh-in, of which the kindest thing I can say about was that you really had to be there, man...


That was in the sixties, so if you can remember it, you *weren't* there.


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## Guest (Aug 3, 2013)

Taggart said:


> That was in the sixties, so if you can remember it, you *weren't* there.


Hmmm...I can certainly remember RAMLI - maybe I watched in the 70s?


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

Probably, MacLeod. It went on for a while after I ceased to watch it. (Impudence!)


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## Chrythes (Oct 13, 2011)

Please, what it is about Seinfeld? 
I watched 2 episodes and I cannot get it. It's not only Jerry Seinfeld's horrible acting where it seems that each scene he tries to not to laugh of himself, but also the jokes.


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## TrevBus (Jun 6, 2013)

Since I don't watch these that much, I only have 5, that I have ever liked.
Bill Cosby Show
Cheers
Fazier
Fawlty Towers
Soap

Sometimes I enjoyed 3rd Rock from the Sun, when it didn't get too silly(which was very seldom).


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## Pennypacker (Jul 30, 2013)

Chrythes said:


> Please, what it is about Seinfeld?
> I watched 2 episodes and I cannot get it. It's not only Jerry Seinfeld's horrible acting where it seems that each scene he tries to not to laugh of himself, but also the jokes.


So this absolutely genius show doesn't do anything to you, but someone explaining it will set something off? 
Were those the first two episodes? Because it gets a LOT better.


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## Guest (Aug 3, 2013)

I also used to enjoy _The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda, Murphy Brown_, and _The Hogans_. _The Golden Girls, Maude_, and _Malcom in the Middle_ had some good episodes, too.


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## Crudblud (Dec 29, 2011)

Chrythes said:


> Please, what it is about Seinfeld?
> I watched 2 episodes and I cannot get it. It's not only Jerry Seinfeld's horrible acting where it seems that each scene he tries to not to laugh of himself, but also the jokes.


It's basically an inverted sitcom, it's not really about anything, and when something does happen it's usually either incredibly mundane or ridiculous and doesn't pretend that it isn't. The intricate weaving of multiple plot strands is a big indicator of the quality of the writing; most sitcoms (take the average Chuck Lorre show, for instance) can barely pull off one main and one side plot, and with serious difficulty, at that, but _Seinfeld_ frequently has multiple major plot threads that interweave, combine and separate effortlessly, it's very delicately balanced. The dialogue is also very well written; they manage to talk about many serious, risqué and controversial issues without even mentioning them directly, such as a heated debate about abortion that is superficially about the proper method of making pizza, or the legendary episode _The Contest_ which might just be the most brilliantly written piece in the history of American sitcoms.

Jerry delivers his lines like he's doing stand-up, which is not too bizarre since that is what he does for a living, he isn't a trained actor, in the context of the show and how absurd it is I think his delivery style works very well. The other three members of the main cast are professional actors, although Michael Richards is/was also a very talented stand-up, improvisational and physical comedian. Chemistry in the early episodes is not great, but by the second season the regular cast is a well-oiled machine that keeps getting more and more efficient, and the secondary characters that come into the show from time to time mesh so well with the principal actors that it's like they've been there the whole time. It's a well written, well acted show, I understand if the humour just isn't your cup of tea, but I also understand why it is as highly acclaimed as it is.


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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

I love Jerry. I love the hilarious tone of his voice. "But I don't wanna be a pirate!".


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## cwarchc (Apr 28, 2012)

For the slightly more mature around here
How about 
I love Lucy
Bewitched


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## Mesa (Mar 2, 2012)

Crudblud said:


> It's basically an inverted sitcom, it's not really about anything, and when something does happen it's usually either incredibly mundane or ridiculous and doesn't pretend that it isn't. The intricate weaving of multiple plot strands is a big indicator of the quality of the writing; most sitcoms (take the average Chuck Lorre show, for instance) can barely pull off one main and one side plot, and with serious difficulty, at that, but _Seinfeld_ frequently has multiple major plot threads that interweave, combine and separate effortlessly, it's very delicately balanced. The dialogue is also very well written; they manage to talk about many serious, risqué and controversial issues without even mentioning them directly, such as a heated debate about abortion that is superficially about the proper method of making pizza, or the legendary episode _The Contest_ which might just be the most brilliantly written piece in the history of American sitcoms.
> 
> Jerry delivers his lines like he's doing stand-up, which is not too bizarre since that is what he does for a living, he isn't a trained actor, in the context of the show and how absurd it is I think his delivery style works very well. The other three members of the main cast are professional actors, although Michael Richards is/was also a very talented stand-up, improvisational and physical comedian. Chemistry in the early episodes is not great, but by the second season the regular cast is a well-oiled machine that keeps getting more and more efficient, and the secondary characters that come into the show from time to time mesh so well with the principal actors that it's like they've been there the whole time. It's a well written, well acted show, I understand if the humour just isn't your cup of tea, but I also understand why it is as highly acclaimed as it is.


A fine synopsis, but could be further distilled to a single quote from Roseanne Barr during the 90s ratings war:
"They think they're doing Samuel Beckett instead of a sitcom".

(I see what people are getting at, i got my brother and father in to Curb, and after exhausting it i suggested Seinfeld. Both dislike Jerry but have watched the whole lot of them for George. I find Jerry pretty hilarious but sometimes pretentious in similar measure.)


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## Bix (Aug 12, 2010)

I've got all of Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister on DVD so I'm going to start watching them over the next week or more. Ta Neoshredder for starting this thread.


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