I’m sure there’s a million of them, but I just watched (for the millionth time) the epsisode of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air where Hillary drops out of school, and Will and Carlton find out. The funniest scene is when the Banks family is sitting around the dinner table. Will has Hillary bark like a dog when someone says her name, and give him a compliment when her dad takes a drink. Meanwhile, Carlton has Hillary insult will when he taps his glass with a spoon, and whack Will upside the head when Carlton clears his throat.
I die laughing everytime I see that!
What sitcom scene ranks as your #1? I’m not talking about one-liners ala The Simpsons. I’m talking about well crafted build-ups to a brilliantly comedic scene.
Not counting any one of about a dozen Monty Python skits, I’d go with the final scene of John Cleese’s guest shot on “Cheers.” He’s a marriage expert who tells Sam and Diane they aren’t compatible. Diane keeps insisting otherwise and ends up with Sam in his hotel room begging him to reconsider. Cleese snaps and goes off on a hilarious rant, ending with the line saying they are “the most perfect couple since the beginning of time!”
Diane turns to Sam and says, “Told you.”
Second choice is the final scene of “Newhart.”
Third is Dick Van Dyke’s “Why slapstick and physical pain isn’t funny” lecture.
Frasier: the scene where Niles is waiting for a date to arrive at Frasier’s apartment, where he is preparing dinner. If you remember, it begins with Niles noticing a slight wrinkle in his pants leg, and ends with him dousing Frasier’s flaming couch with the soup he is making.
scarlet67, which episode is “A Valentine for Niles?”
That show was a “three-parter” showing each of the Crane men’s Valentine’s Day. “A Valentine for Niles” was the “title” of that segment, as is done in all Frasier eps.
Most episodes of NewsRadio. Consistently funny writing, and no dud characters. The episode where Mathhew pretends to go to Japan, but really just learns about it in the library all weekend, and he gives Bill a present he knows he’ll like- a Hello Kitty backpack. Or when Catherine teaches Bill a bunch of fake ghetto slang to use when advertising for malt liquor. Or when Matthew goes through a rebellious stage and acts like a British punk. Or when he wears the same shirt as Lisa- tight, with faux fur collar and cuffs.
I could go on forever. It’s one of those shows I never went out of y way to watch, but rolled on the floor in tears every time I did (or do, with reruns).
The Dick Van Dyke episode where Laura opens a package addressed to Rob.
The final episode of Third Rock From the Sun, when Dick tells Mary he’s an alien, and she replays their entire relationship in her mind and realizes he’s telling the truth.
But the ending to Newhart is the SINGLE GREATEST SCENE IN SITCOM HISTORY!
A scene from Mr. Smith, a sitcom from the 80’s with a blink-and-you-missed-it run. Mr. Smith is an orangatan with a 180 IQ. His “owner” is a simpleton with a crush on an attractive young woman. The young man is so tongue tied around her that they set up a Cyrano type date, with Mr. Smith listening in in another room and feeding the man witty, romantic banter through an earpiece. All goes well until the man’s daughter comes to Mr. Smith with a dead goldfish, asking what she should do with it. Cut to the date, where the waiter has just opening a bottle of vintage wine and presented the cork to the young man, who proceeds to repeat Mr. Smith’s instructions for disposing of the dead goldfisth to the waiter, sounding confident and thoughtful as he does so.
#1: David Cross’ (From Mr. Show fame) guest appearance on Just Shoot Me as “Donny”, Elliott’s “slow” brother, who is just pretending. Not only does it manage to not be offensive, but it is no question the funniest 30 minute sitcom episode I have ever seen. “My pants are tight!!”
#2: Les Nessman reporting live from the “Turkey giveaway” from WKRP in Cincinnati. “They’re plummeting to the ground like bags of wet cement!!”
#3:Blackadder: The one from WWI with Lord Flasheart. “Prepare to die, English flying fellow.” “So, it’s the traditional warm German welcome.”
