# Best sitcom ever? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 19, 2012, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-sitcom-ever/628677 "2012-07-19T02:10:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-sitcom-ever/628677/61 "2012-07-20T13:26:49Z")
Silly foreigners just don’t seem to appreciate the genius of “Father Ted”. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-sitcom-ever/628677/62 "2012-07-20T15:05:56Z")
Other-_The Dick Van Dyke Show_ ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-sitcom-ever/628677/63 "2012-07-20T15:14:00Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > Silly foreigners just don’t seem to appreciate the genius of “Father Ted”. Maybe you’re just talking to the wrong foreigners! ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-sitcom-ever/628677/64 "2012-07-20T15:17:03Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > Silly foreigners just don’t seem to appreciate the genius of “Father Ted”. Hey, I love bringing cookies to things and telling people, “They’ve got cocaine in them! Oh, not cocaine, what am I on about? I meant, whaddaya call 'em, raisins, they’ve got raisins in them.” Of course, I spend most of my time watching Father Ted thinking unpriestly things about Ardal O’Hanlon. Talk about your (fictional) father whatawastes. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-sitcom-ever/628677/65 "2012-07-20T15:28:33Z")
Blackadder. Specifically, Blackadder Goes Forth. British sitcom set in the trenches of World War 1 - frequently hilarious, but deeply, deeply black humor. And the series finale was probably the best of any sitcom I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-sitcom-ever/628677/66 "2012-07-20T16:30:09Z")
Other: _WKRP in Cincinnati_. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-sitcom-ever/628677/67 "2012-07-20T16:40:01Z")
HMYM is best when episodes are watched back-to-back. But the writing and the story plots are pretty brilliant. I’d vote Seinfeld. It’s still funny and the language and jokes had a large impact on American pop culture. ---
**Author:** ![Zyanthia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Zyanthia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyanthia)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-sitcom-ever/628677/68 "2012-07-20T16:44:25Z")
Nonononononono yes, I am an American, but I have yet to find an American show that I can re-watch as often as I watch: 1. Fawlty Towers 2. The Vicar of Dibley For American Shows, I guess the best I would choose from those mentioned would be: 1. Cheers 2. Seinfeld 3. Nightcourt ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-sitcom-ever/628677/69 "2012-07-20T16:54:47Z")
No offense to the OP, but this poll was flawed from the start. I know you can’t include every sitcom ever made, but leaving off Newhart, WKRP, Frasier, and Cheers alone, not to mention many other worthy contenders, was a bit lax. Again though, it’s just a fun poll. No big deal. I might have removed “ever” from the thread title. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-sitcom-ever/628677/70 "2012-07-20T17:11:56Z")
I didn’t consider the BBC shows, but Fawlty Towers is up near the top. However, it was really just the John Cleese show, lacking any of the more interesting aspects of the sitcom. The other characters were superfluous, and there was no important continuity of serial aspect of the show. Outstanding show, the very best over the top comic performance in a sitcom by John Cleese, but not the very best sitcom ever. ETA: Also, kudos for the mention of Good Neighbors by someone above. I was tempted to turn my yard into a farm myself just to annoy my neighbors. ---
**Author:** ![3\_20\_59\_or\_bust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/47e85d/32.png) [@3\_20\_59\_or\_bust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3_20_59_or_bust)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-sitcom-ever/628677/71 "2012-07-20T17:46:34Z")
Scrubs. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-sitcom-ever/628677/72 "2012-07-20T17:55:14Z")
_Seinfeld_ There are many I love more but none other that so completely met the criteria for greatest anything ever. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-sitcom-ever/628677/73 "2012-07-20T17:57:42Z")
Seinfeld Cheers Frasier Curb Your Enthusiasm Arrested Development Just Shoot Me WKRP in Cincinnati Taxi Night Court NewsRadio Fawlty Towers ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-sitcom-ever/628677/74 "2012-07-20T18:13:59Z")
\*\*\*Seinfeld Cheers Barney Miller * * * ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-sitcom-ever/628677/75 "2012-07-20T18:22:42Z")
\*WKRP in Cincinnati \*would be my nomination. “With God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.” remains the funniest line ever. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-sitcom-ever/628677/76 "2012-07-20T18:55:52Z")
1. _Dick van Dyke Show_ 2. _Andy Griffith Show_ (b&w only) 3. _Simpsons_ (in third more because it’s not a clean fit into ‘sitcom’ than because it is lower quality) ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-sitcom-ever/628677/77 "2012-07-20T19:31:27Z")
Community, or Scrubs. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-sitcom-ever/628677/78 "2012-07-20T20:09:47Z")
I voted “Other” – “Seinfeld”, in my opinion, was the best sitcom ever. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-sitcom-ever/628677/79 "2012-07-20T23:55:30Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > The 70s was a vast landfill that made us long for the wasteland. Barney Miller and the Odd Couple would be bits of glimmer amidst that pile of junk. No way, the 70s includes both “All in the Family” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, which are two of the best sitcoms of all time. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-sitcom-ever/628677/80 "2012-07-21T00:05:26Z")
For once, my choice, MASH, is actually included in the poll. Barney Miller would be a close second. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-sitcom-ever/628677.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-sitcom-ever/628677.md?page=5)