# Greatest sitcom of all time... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 12, 2002, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sitcom-of-all-time/142161 "2002-12-12T01:35:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sitcom-of-all-time/142161/21 "2002-12-12T04:47:59Z")
I’ll second _Simpsons, Seinfeld,_ and _Fawlty Towers_, and throw in _The Larry Sanders Show_ ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sitcom-of-all-time/142161/22 "2002-12-12T04:50:40Z")
Wierdly, for the quality of the entire troupe I would like to be the first to advocate The Nanny. ---
**Author:** ![oliversarmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/eb8c5e/32.png) [@oliversarmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oliversarmy)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sitcom-of-all-time/142161/23 "2002-12-12T05:13:30Z")
NewsRadio. At least until Phil Hartman was murdered. Right up there: Barney Miller, WKRP, The Bob Newhart Show, Newhart and Fawlty Towers. Also Drew Carey before something bad happened with the writers. Right now, I like My Wife and Kids. ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sitcom-of-all-time/142161/24 "2002-12-12T05:16:54Z")
Seinfeld, followed VERY closely by All in the Family and The Simpsons. ---
**Author:** ![Kyomara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8edcca/32.png) [@Kyomara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyomara)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sitcom-of-all-time/142161/25 "2002-12-12T05:25:12Z")
Don’t forget Night Court. And Northern Exposure, which I realize falls into a gray area, but there it is. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sitcom-of-all-time/142161/26 "2002-12-12T05:50:12Z")
Don’t forget Cheers, either. ---
**Author:** ![Kyomara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8edcca/32.png) [@Kyomara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyomara)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sitcom-of-all-time/142161/27 "2002-12-12T06:08:37Z")
Oh yeah, and the Cosby Show. I always loved to watch that with the whole family. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sitcom-of-all-time/142161/28 "2002-12-12T06:38:21Z")
The short-lived **It’s Your Move** and the long-lived **Married with Children.** You can never ever go wrong with David Garrison 🙂 Non-DG ones **NewsRadio** and **Sports Night**. Although the latter did have Garrison’s successor on the show, the godawful Ted McGinley. Yep, I got Jefferson issues. :rolleyes: Britcoms: the **Minister** series, **Blackadder**. ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Phoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sitcom-of-all-time/142161/29 "2002-12-12T06:47:24Z")
1. Fawlty Towers 2. Blackadder II-IV 3. Yes (prime) minister these are way better than the rest 1. Red dwarf I-VI 2. Bottom 3. One foot in the grave 4. The young ones 5. The Brittas empire 6. Police squad 7. The detectives ---
**Author:** ![Raymond\_Luxury\_Yacht](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raymond_luxury_yacht/32/4099_2.png) [@Raymond\_Luxury\_Yacht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raymond_Luxury_Yacht)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sitcom-of-all-time/142161/30 "2002-12-12T06:47:53Z")
**The Simpsons** - the most irreverent **Taxi** - Louie, Reverend Jim, Vic Ferrari **WKRP** - Bailey Quarters was hotter! **Barney Miller** - dry humor at its best **The Mary Tyler Moore Show** - Ted Baxter, best ever. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sitcom-of-all-time/142161/31 "2002-12-12T08:04:32Z")
_The Bailey Quarters Show_, a.k.a. WKRP ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sitcom-of-all-time/142161/32 "2002-12-12T08:25:45Z")
The Honeymooners. ---
**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sitcom-of-all-time/142161/33 "2002-12-12T08:59:32Z")
**MASH** **Frasier** **Yes, Minister** Does _nobody_ like **Friends** here?? ---
**Author:** ![sirtonyh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@sirtonyh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sirtonyh)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sitcom-of-all-time/142161/34 "2002-12-12T09:24:05Z")
Have to go with **Seinfeld** as my number 1 but honorable mentions go to Friends, Cheers, Simpsons, Frasier, Married with Children, Blackadder, Yes Minister & Yes Prime Minister, Fawlty Towers and Only Fools and Horses ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sitcom-of-all-time/142161/35 "2002-12-12T13:38:39Z")
**George Burns and Gracie Allen Show** for out-and-out hilarity. **Dick Van Dyke** is the perfect example of the sitcom format, though. No one has topped it in any respect. Other top ten: Simpsons Fawlty Towers Cheers M_A_S\*H (the first few years; it eventually grew tired and strident) Allie McBeal (the first two seasons – when they were “on,” I never laughed louder) Taxi NewsRadio Titus ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sitcom-of-all-time/142161/36 "2002-12-12T13:57:03Z")
The best is MASH, though Cosby runs a close second - Mrs JohnT and I have been watching the late seasons (5-8) reruns on Nick at Nite and have been surprised by how good they were. The best that nobody has yet mentioned is, imho, Family Ties. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sitcom-of-all-time/142161/37 "2002-12-12T14:17:32Z")
WKRP in Cininnati “As God is my witness I thought turkeys could fly.” ---
**Author:** ![CaptEgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@CaptEgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptEgo)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sitcom-of-all-time/142161/38 "2002-12-12T14:21:58Z")
The one I live in… ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sitcom-of-all-time/142161/39 "2002-12-12T14:54:26Z")
Funniest for short period: _Soap_. Hands down winner here. Best Acted: Probably _All in the Family_. True charicatures. Best highbrow: _Yes, Minister_. Most compelling to watch: _M_A_S_H\*. You just never knew when they’d do something outstanding or gut-wrenching. Best Without Specific Category: _Barney Miller_. Great actors in a comedy that defied categorization. Better overall than _Night Court_, which relied way too much on the goofy characterizations of the DA, the judge, and Bull. And am I really believing what I am seeing, reading the thread? I don’t believe that not one poster has even mentioned the granddaddy of them all, _I Love Lucy_. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-sitcom-of-all-time/142161/40 "2002-12-12T14:56:16Z")
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