# Most Overrated Sitcom of All Time **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 12, 2005, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-sitcom-of-all-time/312086 "2005-07-12T00:01:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-sitcom-of-all-time/312086/61 "2005-07-12T20:06:05Z")
I’m gonna nominate _Car 54 Where Are You_. If that show had taken place anywhere but New York, it wouldn’t have lasted 13 weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-sitcom-of-all-time/312086/62 "2005-07-13T04:24:42Z")
I think most of you are letting your personal preferences creep in. _Seinfeld_ was funny. _Friends_ was purported to be, but I never watched it. Your criteria should be something like: “Is the laff track so loud that I can’t think? Would I even consider laughing if I were watching it live?” I nominate _Yes, Dear_, _Full House_, and any number of wretched shows on WB/UPN that I wouldn’t know existed if they weren’t on the big-screen at the pizza buffet joint. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-sitcom-of-all-time/312086/63 "2005-07-13T06:22:25Z")
I’m so glad to see Seinfeld so hated . . . and somewhat disappointed to see Sex and the City on so many lists. I’ve mostly caught SatC on TBS reruns rather than HBO originals but have enjoyed it immensely. I don’t find it particularly funny but the writing and acting is excellent even if Sarah Jessica Parker is a bit grating. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-sitcom-of-all-time/312086/64 "2005-07-13T06:29:47Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > How That 70’s Show has survived so long is a mystery to me. It deserves a nod for the sitcom-with-the-most-people-who-cannot-act. Soon, just like M_A_S_H_ ran longer than the Korean War, That 70s Show will outlast the 70s. The show was good, though. Unlike most sitcoms which follow the “these people are so mean to each other, how can they be friends?” style, I found it consistently funny if not exactly inventive. ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-sitcom-of-all-time/312086/65 "2005-07-13T07:33:58Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > A question to the people who found _Seinfeld_ unfunny: what sitcoms _did_ you find funny? _Who’s the Boss_? _Will & Grace_? Honestly, I can’t imagine it. As others have said, “Night Court” was pretty good. (On the other hand, that was so long ago I barely remember it. I remember liking it though.) Also, the first few seasons of “The Drew Carrey Show” were pretty good. If we count animated shows, then “King of the Hill”, “Family Guy”, and “The Simpsons” have all been very entertaining at times. ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-sitcom-of-all-time/312086/66 "2005-07-13T18:47:30Z")
> [@Oslo Ostragoth](#): > > I think most of you are letting your personal preferences creep in. _Seinfeld_ was funny. Excuse me, what other than my personal preferrence should I use to decide whether something is funny? Seinfeld may have been more funny than having a toothache… but not by much. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-sitcom-of-all-time/312086/67 "2005-07-13T18:49:37Z")
> [@Oslo Ostragoth](#): > > I think most of you are letting your personal preferences creep in. _Seinfeld_ was funny. _Friends_ was purported to be, but I never watched it. The question was not “is it funny regionally” or " do you think it’s funny". Some people are answering the second question, yes. The question was: “are they overrated?” And Seinfeld sure is overrated. Like I said, it’s funny sometimes but not as great as people thought it was. ---
**Author:** ![Daniel\_Boone\_Fanatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Daniel\_Boone\_Fanatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daniel_Boone_Fanatic)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-sitcom-of-all-time/312086/68 "2015-10-17T11:30:42Z")
Friends- It shouldn’t even be called a sitcom. It should be called a Soap Opera The Big Bang Theory- Tried watching an episode , I thought it was boring. I’d rather learn about the actual Big Bang Theory, than watch this. Seinfeld- LOVE the show, but I just think it’s overrated. That’s all. All In The Family- Again, extremely overrated. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-sitcom-of-all-time/312086/69 "2015-10-17T12:32:45Z")
_The Vicar of Dibley_ made it to #3 on a “Best British Sitcoms of all time” list a few years ago. I have absolutely no idea why. ---
**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:** [October 17, 2015, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-sitcom-of-all-time/312086/70 "2015-10-17T13:09:57Z")
I think **jimmmy** nailed it on July 11, 2005 – Frasier won 37 Emmy awards (!) and it was nothing particularly special for a sitcom (IMO) other than having a high-brow main character. There is zero chance that I would watch a rerun of Frasier nowadays, whereas I’d be perfectly willing to watch an old Seinfeld or Friends episode if I had nothing better to do. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-sitcom-of-all-time/312086/71 "2015-10-17T13:29:38Z")
Friends. By a country mile. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-sitcom-of-all-time/312086/72 "2015-10-17T13:45:39Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > **Seinfeld** Just because everybody used to say it was the best show of all time. The only episode I ever saw was the finale, and I wondered what all the fuss was about. It is overrated, but I would not base that on the finale, which was widely panned. So much so that Larry David made a “new” one on his Enthusiasm show. > [@Daniel\_Boone\_Fanatic](#): > > The Big Bang Theory- Tried watching an episode , I thought it was boring. I’d rather learn about the actual Big Bang Theory, than watch this. I get that the masses like simple sitcoms, but if this show is widely viewed as a great show, then it is definitely overrated. Is it? I thought it was kind of mass-produced garbage, like that 2 1/2 Men show. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-sitcom-of-all-time/312086/73 "2015-10-17T13:56:55Z")
Cheers. a bunch of mentally retarded people hang around a bar, pick their noses, and tell lousy jokes. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-sitcom-of-all-time/312086/74 "2015-10-17T14:45:26Z")
I would have voted for Roseanne at the time this thread was going on in 2005. I’ll still vote for Roseanne today. It was to depressing to be a good sitcom. It seems like every other episode was about one of the daughters or Roseanne’s sister having trouble with a no good boyfriend. The other episodes seemed like they were about Dan drinking to much because of problems at work or DJ getting in trouble at school because he didn’t get enough attention at home. It was just depressing with the focus on major real world issues like those. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-sitcom-of-all-time/312086/75 "2015-10-17T14:52:00Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > **Seinfeld** Just because everybody used to say it was the best show of all time. The only episode I ever saw was the finale, and I wondered what all the fuss was about. I’m a huge fan, and even I found the finale terrible. Plus, the only appeal was that it was a collection of references to past episodes, so it’s basically the worst place to start. My vote for most overrated goes to _Friends_. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-sitcom-of-all-time/312086/76 "2015-10-17T15:09:01Z")
> [@Daniel\_Boone\_Fanatic](#): > > Friends- It shouldn’t even be called a sitcom. It should be called a Soap Opera > > The Big Bang Theory- Tried watching an episode , I thought it was boring. I’d rather learn about the actual Big Bang Theory, than watch this. > > Seinfeld- LOVE the show, but I just think it’s overrated. That’s all. > > All In The Family- Again, extremely overrated. All In The Family is in the same boat as I Love Lucy. Both shows were extremely influential and ground-breaking. If you think that All In The Family is overrated, it’s because you don’t understand what TV was like before then. * * * I noticed that the Dick van Dyke Show, the Mary Tyler Moore Show, and the Andy Griffith Show are all apparently NOT overrated. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![northporlarbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7bcc69/32.png) [@northporlarbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/northporlarbear)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-sitcom-of-all-time/312086/77 "2015-10-17T15:32:21Z")
1. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-sitcom-of-all-time/312086/78 "2015-10-17T16:55:26Z")
> [@northporlarbear](#): > > 1. Are you out of your mind? I love that show. 😄 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-sitcom-of-all-time/312086/79 "2015-10-17T17:11:30Z")
I’ll contribute to a zombie: Married With Children Sex and the City Girls More recent contenders: _Vicious_, a truly vacuous show starring two of the best actors the UK has produced. _Transparent_, which I’m sure will earn me some “Whaaa?” comments. Could not get into it and gave up after a few episodes of watching truly self-absorbed people behaving viciously to people they supposedly loved. I like biting comedy, but people yelling at each other just gets on my nerves. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-sitcom-of-all-time/312086/80 "2015-10-17T21:13:09Z")
None of what I ever saw of _Friends_ was particularly funny, but I suppose that the show did have some merit as a soap opera, if that’s the sort of thing you’re interested in. Definitely overrated, but not the _most_ overrated. _Seinfeld_, on the other hand, was not only consistently unfunny, but it didn’t have anything else to recommend it, either. And while I’ll grant that there are probably even worse shows out there that I’ve mercifully never seen, none of them has gotten nearly as much acclaim as _Seinfeld_, so I stand by the assessment that it’s definitely the most overrated. On another note, while I personally love _The Big Bang Theory_, I never cease to be amazed at how popular it is. It appears to be targeted at nerds (hence it’s not surprising that I like it), but most people aren’t nerds. What does everyone else see in it? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-sitcom-of-all-time/312086.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-sitcom-of-all-time/312086.md?page=5)