MY TOP TEN SITCOMS

This is only my list not any type of “correct” list. If I left your favorites off I’d love to hear about it. This list only includes shows from 1980 forward as I wasn’t around to watch anything before that. What are your favorites?

10 – Herman’s Head

I’m sure many of you are saying ‘the hell is that?’ This was a short lived show from the early 90’s when Fox had yet to establish itself among the major cable networks. In this proto Inside Out, we see inside the unassuming Herman’s brain and get a look at four characters who manifest his feelings – Angel, Animal, Genius and Wimp. I was an avid fan when this was on television although it has faded in my memory over the years. The Simpsons stars Yeardley Smith and Hank Azaria appear as Herman’s real life friends and I remember being a big fan of Smith not just from her work as Lisa Simpson but from the film The Ballad of Billie Jean, a childhood fave of mine. Also with a name like Yeardley she’s pretty difficult to forget.

9 – Cheers

I wasn’t old enough to fully appreciate this show in its first run although it was a weekly staple in our house. I have memories of spreading out the “green thing,” a ratty old blanket to protect the carpet from crumbs, and having dinner in front of the TV so my mom could catch up on the weekly Sam and Diane (and later Sam and Rebecca) will they/won’t they drama. The fact that the show was just as funny to my elementary school sensibilities as it was to my parents speaks to the quality of comedic writing and the hilariously talented ensemble. Of course I was tickled that I shared a name with one of the major characters and Cliff, Carla and Norm’s banter, bickering and chemistry made them my favorite characters in that famous place where everybody knows your name.

8 – Family Ties

Sit Ubu sit. Good Dog. Woof! This is another show that’s headier, adult themes went a bit over my head but still had many elements that I connected and related to. While I had no real comprehension of the liberal politics at the core of the show, I understood Alex and Mallory’s hilarious reads of one another and I connected with Jennifer’s feelings of being different and left out. Alex’s overachiever vibes also resonated with my aspirations of all A’s and student government domination. I remember feeling like this TV family, with their mix of constant gentle teasing and genuine love, was most like my own.

7 – Will and Grace

Obviously the gay representation in this show was important to me but I’ve always thought this show was funny way beyond it’s portrayal of LGBTQ issues. Karen Walker may very well be the most hilarious character ever on television with Jack McFarland falling on the list not too far behind. While the show was called Will and Grace it was Megan Mullaly’s Karen and Sean Hayes’s Jack that made the show worth watching every week. Looking back the stereotyping of Will and to a much larger extent Jack were in many ways regressive and not exactly groundbreaking but their simple inclusion in the prime time lineup ultimately feels like a giant step forward for the community.

6 – Parks and Recreation

Years ago I received a bit of direction that reverberates to this day – make the positive choice. The concept applied to keeping the mood buoyant when presenting comedic insults or sarcasm as true spite and vitriol tends to wear an audience down. This approach is central to the success of Parks and Recreation. Protagonist Leslie Knope is unabashedly positive and even though she’s surrounded by cynical bastards they would do anything for her even while constantly rolling their eyes and making snarky remarks under their breath. Their taunts and jeers are presented with love, with positivity, and it’s this juxtaposition that is the core of Parks and Rec’s considerable humor and heart.

5 – The Good Place

The Good Place is one of the smartest shows ever to be on television. Period. What’s remarkable is that a show that introduces deep academic concepts and forces its audience to really think can at the same time be laugh out loud hilarious. Kristen Bell is absolutely hysterical and relatable as Eleanor, a terrible human being who’s path to enlightenment comprises the central narrative of the show. Ted Danson employs every bit of his considerable charm as a otherworldly entity tickled to death by all things mundanely human. The cast is a wonderful mismatch of human foibles and frustrations and their journey is to self awareness is one helluva entertaining ride.

4 – Three’s Company

I wasn’t born yet when this show originally aired but lucky for my generation TBS played back to back episodes in the after school hours and I fell absolutely in love with it. This is comedy 101. Clowning. Slapstick. Farce. And John Ritter is the master of this particular brand of humor. His pratfalls and funny faces never failed to crack me up. The homophobic undertone to many of the madcap situations – Jack living with two women is okay because he’s well, you know – has aged like a glass of milk. However the misunderstandings and mistaken identities are borrowed from Shakespeare and the ancient Greeks proving that some things always have and always will generate big laughs.

3 – Sex and the City

While the ladies and the archetypes they represent are directly derived from another show on the list, the impeccable writing and the talent and chemistry of the principal cast, not to mention the show’s fashion and cultural influence, make Sex and the City one of the best sitcoms ever. Everyone believes themselves to be a Carrie or Miranda or Samantha or Charlotte and everyone hopes to find their Big or Steve or Smith or Harry. Benefiting from the freedom of content provided by appearing on HBO, this show dominated the zeitgeist to a level few others have ever achieved.

2 – The Office

While we often hear drama classified as character driven we rarely hear of character driven comedy. I mean it’s right there in the word sitcom. We expect the comedy to come from the situations. The Office subverts the formula by asserting that not much about the workplace is funny however the people you work with are likely hysterical. Most of the comedy in The Office comes from the idiosyncrasies of each character clashing with each other. The writing is unique, a groundbreaker in the mockumentary and cringe comedy style that has become de rigueur. The ability of the creators and cast to bring to life singular, specific characters that are also familiar and relatable is the greatest strength of the show and the key to its success.

1 – Golden Girls

Picture it. Hollywood. 1985. This show wasn’t supposed to be the hit it became. It wasn’t supposed to be a hit at all. Executives didn’t think audiences would connect with a show about ladies of a certain age. Executives are stupid. Because the universality of the show is one of its most distinctive characteristics. I’ve never met anyone that doesn’t have the fondest memories of this show and these characters and actors. It’s well done classic comedy, a series of set ups and punchlines, but the expertise and abilities of the lead actors elevated it beyond its already impressive writing and storytelling. It’s mix of the smart one, the sexy one, the dumb one and the smartass has been replicated time and again, to varying degrees of success. Its rewatchability and longevity are a testament to its excellence. The Golden Girls perfected the sitcom format making it my favorite and a real contender for the greatest of all time.