# Popular sitcoms that suck(ed) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 8, 2011, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-sitcoms-that-suck-ed/599000 "2011-10-08T15:26:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-sitcoms-that-suck-ed/599000/61 "2011-10-09T04:57:00Z")
The following have shown up in reruns recently and I just can’t watch them. Gilligan’s Island I Dream of Jeannie Bewitched Beverly Hillbillies I disagree on ELR, though. It has one of the funniest and well-staged sitcom moments of all time: [Everybody Loves Raymond - Whoops!! - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CSECwl-gaQ) ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-sitcoms-that-suck-ed/599000/62 "2011-10-09T05:18:42Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > I disagree on ELR, though. It has one of the funniest and well-staged sitcom moments of all time: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CSECwl-gaQ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CSECwl-gaQ) I saw this and couldn’t help but think: “Oh, okay, it’s ELR now? We need a shorthand for Everybody Loves Raymond, that’s how fundamental it is?” ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-sitcoms-that-suck-ed/599000/63 "2011-10-09T07:19:37Z")
Unless you’re including animated ‘sitcoms’ I love lovelovelove **King of the Hill**. [/QUOTE] It doesn’t count, KoH should be classed as a documentary. It’s threads like this that make me glad I don’t have a television ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-sitcoms-that-suck-ed/599000/64 "2011-10-09T11:24:35Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > My main problem with **3rd Rock** was that they never answered some questions: > > How did they come by these bodies they were using? Did they just design them from scratch, and if so how did they fake credentials needed for Dick to teach Physics or SSNs for employment and the like? Clearly somebody somewhere had to have some knowledge of Earth culture to do this. You must not have been watching too hard. The fact that they picked out their bodies (presumably from some sort of catalogue) was the subject of a number of jokes throughout the series’ run. And their fake identities, and the (lack of) documentation therefor, served as the plot of numerous _full episodes_ and indeed entire multi-episode story arcs. It was established very early on that Tommy, the “Information Officer”, had done advance research on Earth culture and had prepared supposedly extensive background dossiers and documentation for each of them. Several times throughout the series it was discovered that he mistakenly omitted or otherwise flubbed some key aspect of their identities (such as Dick’s marital status, the family’s ethnicity, etc.), resulting in their having to hurriedly invent cover stories. One episode was even based on the premise that Tommy and Harry had lost the files in their entirety. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-sitcoms-that-suck-ed/599000/65 "2011-10-09T11:32:38Z")
> [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > I’ve watched reruns of **Married With Children** and the racy jokes seem so mild compared to current television. Watching an episode of **Two and a Half Men** makes **Married With Children** seem like watching **The Dick Van Dyke Show**. > > I remember one joke where Peg accused Al of cheating on her and Al replied, "Why would I go out for milk when I have a cow at home?’ Yes, but Married with Children was one of the first ones where everyone openly hated each other. As for the hate for Seinfeld, its regarded by a lot of people as one of the best sitcoms of all time, so thats a measure of how opinions can vary… ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-sitcoms-that-suck-ed/599000/66 "2011-10-09T12:03:28Z")
And I can’t believe some are slating How I met your mother and The Big Bang Theory when there’s been no mention of: King of queens Joey Mad about you The Nanny That 70’s show Going further back Joanie loves Chachi Cybil Ellen Rosanne And here’s a list of someones best sitcoms of the 2000’s, 3 of which were mentioned here as worst: [11\_best\_sitcoms\_of\_the\_2000s](http://www.11points.com/tv/11_best_sitcoms_of_the_2000s) I personally don’t like Frasier, I found Frasier and his brother to be annoying and getting caught in the same cliched situations every week, but I’d not say it sucked. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-sitcoms-that-suck-ed/599000/67 "2011-10-09T14:18:15Z")
**Major Dad** - Never saw it, but that’s gotta be up there in terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-sitcoms-that-suck-ed/599000/68 "2011-10-09T14:21:20Z")
Seinfeld, and, as others have said, glad to see I’m not the only one thinking it was awful. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-sitcoms-that-suck-ed/599000/69 "2011-10-09T15:11:05Z")
To me, the problem with Home Improvement and Everyone Loves Raymond is that they only had 3 episodes each. They just remade the same episodes again and again and again. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-sitcoms-that-suck-ed/599000/70 "2011-10-09T19:05:09Z")
I have just had the epiphany that popular TV shows have a rating of 10, which means that 90% of households aren’t watching them. This means that all TV shows suck for most of the population. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-sitcoms-that-suck-ed/599000/71 "2011-10-09T20:41:53Z")
I HATED Roseanne. If I wanted to hang out with a family like that, I’d hang out with my own family! ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-sitcoms-that-suck-ed/599000/72 "2011-10-10T01:12:20Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > … > Several times throughout the series it was discovered that he mistakenly omitted or otherwise flubbed some key aspect of their identities (such as Dick’s marital status, the family’s ethnicity, etc.), resulting in their having to hurriedly invent cover stories… Or making Dick \*Canadian \* (which May thought explained _all_ of his eccentric behavior) because he thought it would be suspicious if everyone in the same family was from the same country. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-sitcoms-that-suck-ed/599000/73 "2011-10-10T01:22:44Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > **Happy Days** and **Laverne and Shirley** ran for more than 20 years when added together. Today they are almost unwatchable: terrible writing, bad acting, predictable formulaic plots- it’s like it’s written by and the sets are built by a band of not particularly bright 9th graders. No idea why it lasted that long. They seemed just as bad and cheesy back then, too. I have no idea why they were popular. Some other seventies stinkers that were NEVER funny, but somehow got good ratings: **Chico and the Man** , **Welcome Back Kotter** , **Three’s Company** , **Mork and Mindy**. Never remotely funny. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-sitcoms-that-suck-ed/599000/74 "2011-10-10T01:46:35Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Even though I personally love _The Big Bang Theory_, I can understand why it’s mentioned in this thread. The reason that I love it so much is that it’s focused very precisely on a specific demographic. If you’re not a nerd, it won’t resonate nearly as much. I _AM_ a nerd, and I find this show as offensive as Amos 'n Andy. ---
**Author:** ![wedgehed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@wedgehed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wedgehed)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-sitcoms-that-suck-ed/599000/75 "2011-10-10T02:17:44Z")
Let the old folks weigh in… _My Mother the Car_ Any show with Lucille Ball after _I Love Lucy_. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-sitcoms-that-suck-ed/599000/76 "2011-10-10T02:21:33Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > I _AM_ a nerd, and I find this show as offensive as Amos 'n Andy. I’m a nerd as well, and while I don’t find it offensive – I can watch episodes when nothing else is on – I am mystified by how popular it is. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-sitcoms-that-suck-ed/599000/77 "2011-10-10T02:22:11Z")
Now that everybody has had a chance to show how superior their taste in TV shows is, and the requisite “I don’t even _own_ a TV” elitists have weighed in, I’m sure we all feel superior to 90% of the rest of the posters in this thread, and to 99% of the untermenschen out there in TV Land. Well done all. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-sitcoms-that-suck-ed/599000/78 "2011-10-10T02:24:31Z")
> [@wedgehed](#): > > Let the old folks weigh in… > > _My Mother the Car_ > > Any show with Lucille Ball after _I Love Lucy_. You should have put the period after the word Ball and deleted the rest of the words. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-sitcoms-that-suck-ed/599000/79 "2011-10-10T02:25:19Z")
> [@wedgehed](#): > > Any show with Lucille Ball after _I Love Lucy_. Awww…I have fond childhood memories of “Here’s Lucy”, especially the [little Puppetoon Lucy in the opening credits](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2FHESxH6qs). I do acknowledge that the show stunk, though. Nostalgia forgives much. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-sitcoms-that-suck-ed/599000/80 "2011-10-10T02:32:59Z")
I’m watching ELR right now. I looked at the craptastic Pan Am for about 2 minutes and decided to put on something I actually enjoy watching. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-sitcoms-that-suck-ed/599000.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popular-sitcoms-that-suck-ed/599000.md?page=5)