# Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Sitcoms List **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [May 4, 2021, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-100-greatest-sitcoms-list/941390 "2021-05-04T19:49:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-100-greatest-sitcoms-list/941390/21 "2021-05-04T23:36:13Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Fawlty Towers made it to 31, which is way too low. Still waiting for the list to load, but I’ll comment on this. I attempted to watch the entire series, and some of the earlier ones are pretty funny, but Geez, it got unwatchable pretty quick. I gave up during the episode where they drag a dead body around for a half-hour. Painfully unfunny. Not even John Cleese could make salvage that shit. I’d say 31 is about 60 too high. ---
**Author:** ![justwanttopost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5a626/32.png) [@justwanttopost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwanttopost)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-100-greatest-sitcoms-list/941390/22 "2021-05-04T23:36:19Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I have not seen that. I presume you would recommend it? It’s probably way too dated, so not really. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2021, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-100-greatest-sitcoms-list/941390/23 "2021-05-04T23:41:44Z")
Yeah, that list sucks. As God is My Witness. 🦃 ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-100-greatest-sitcoms-list/941390/24 "2021-05-05T00:13:29Z")
_NewsRadio_ is only at 50? All I can say is that obviously I have a very different conception of what makes a good sitcom than the editors of RS. Also, I’ve never heard of, let alone seen, more than half the shows on that list. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-100-greatest-sitcoms-list/941390/25 "2021-05-05T00:51:39Z")
Night Court (#97!) was certainly way better than Cheers. And how does Mary Tyler Moore rate above Dick Van Dyke??!?! ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-100-greatest-sitcoms-list/941390/26 "2021-05-05T01:06:12Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Fawlty Towers I will, however, gladly admit that the line (both in substance and delivery) _“Brahm’s Third Racket”_ is just about the funniest thing I’ve ever heard on TV. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-100-greatest-sitcoms-list/941390/27 "2021-05-05T01:17:28Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > similar but IMO inferior Parks and Rec > [@hogarth](#): > > never understood the popularity of Frasier. > [@Mahaloth](#): > > better than 30 Rock as well. You 3 are dead to me! > [@Gatopescado](#): > > As God is My Witness. 🦃 You may move to the head of the class! ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-100-greatest-sitcoms-list/941390/28 "2021-05-05T01:21:02Z")
> [@mikecurtis](#): > > head of the class! I’m not sure, but I think I see what you did there. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-100-greatest-sitcoms-list/941390/29 "2021-05-05T01:21:14Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I have not seen that. I presume you would recommend it? It depends. Do you mind a sitcom in which all of the characters are very unlikable? And do you like surreal humor? ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-100-greatest-sitcoms-list/941390/30 "2021-05-05T01:22:38Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I think I see what you did there. Not on purpose…but sometimes I can’t help myself! ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-100-greatest-sitcoms-list/941390/31 "2021-05-05T01:29:58Z")
I was a little surprised that, unless I missed it, none of the Garry Marshall sitcoms made the list (_Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy_). They were all huge in their day, but maybe the quality wasn’t high enough to make the list. (I went back and watched a few episodes of _Mork & Mindy_ several years ago. Robin Williams was brilliant, but everything else about the show was conventional-sitcom-ey.) ---
**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:** [May 5, 2021, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-100-greatest-sitcoms-list/941390/32 "2021-05-05T01:43:17Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > I never understand the popularity of Seinfeld. > [@Mahaloth](#): > > I adored it when it was on, but can never go back to it now. It was of a time and that time is now gone. It has aged very poorly. I enjoyed it back then, and have recently started watching it again on Hulu. I think it’s still just as funny now as it was back then. IMHO the reason for it’s success is that most of the sitcoms in the late 80s and early 90s seemed to be family shows where every episode was about some kind of “lesson of the week.” Growing Pains, Family Ties, Family Matters, The Cosby Show, Roseanne, Fresh Prince, Full House, Golden Girls, etc. All of these shows featured serious topics, usually taken seriously, and a few lighthearted moments and comic relief characters thrown in to keep things from getting too serious. Having a few shows like that is fine, but it seems like almost all the sitcoms from that time period had the same formula. Seinfeld did away with that model. Instead it went with an all funny and irreverant all the time style, even when dealing with topics that might otherwise be taken seriously on other sitcoms. IMHO that’s what made it great, and that’s why it’s still great. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-100-greatest-sitcoms-list/941390/33 "2021-05-05T01:49:11Z")
Both of my Thoroughly Millennial kids love _Seinfeld_ (for the “no hugs, no learning” aspect of it, and they claim they actually care about the characters), and have made their significant others watch every episode, along with both _Offices._ Oh, and the rebellious skateboarder kid loves Frasier! (and _Curb Your Enthusiasm,_ which is less surprising) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-100-greatest-sitcoms-list/941390/34 "2021-05-05T01:52:04Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > The Simpsons should be knocked much lower for having 25 or so seasons of subpar content. Yes, the opening 7 or so seasons were top 10 material, but come on. I don’t think the mediocre seasons matter at all. Its about greatness, not the average. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-100-greatest-sitcoms-list/941390/35 "2021-05-05T01:54:28Z")
WKRP at 79th place is a travesty. I suspect that’s because it’s hard to find because of music licensing issues. It used to regularly make the top 10 of such lists. I would put Futurama much higher than 74th. The Simpsons seems right at #1, even if it hasn’t been very good for a couple of decades. Its ‘excellent’ period was still longer than almost all these other shows. ---
**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:** [May 5, 2021, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-100-greatest-sitcoms-list/941390/36 "2021-05-05T02:03:19Z")
I would have put Cheers just below Seinfeld. I loved the later seasons with Rebecca and Woody, but the early seasons with Diane and Coach just didn’t do it for me. ---
**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:** [May 5, 2021, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-100-greatest-sitcoms-list/941390/37 "2021-05-05T02:06:15Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > I loved the later seasons with Rebecca and Woody, but the early seasons with Diane and Coach just didn’t do it for me. I’m one of the few people that has only ever seen the Woody-Rebecca era. I am sure I’ve seen my share of earlier episodes, but my primary memories of Cheers are Rebecca and Woody. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-100-greatest-sitcoms-list/941390/38 "2021-05-05T02:09:01Z")
Ouch, comedy doesn’t age well. I can get the Simpsons references from the 1990s fairly well, and the show definitely isn’t a product of its time. I still find good episodes now and then of all the seasons. But All in the Family and MASH are such a product of their time, I find them unwatchable. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-100-greatest-sitcoms-list/941390/39 "2021-05-05T02:30:46Z")
For al the animated shows on that list, I’m disappointed to not see Archer. ---
**Author:** ![justwanttopost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5a626/32.png) [@justwanttopost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwanttopost)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2021, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-100-greatest-sitcoms-list/941390/40 "2021-05-05T05:27:54Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I think they should stick to music. Their lists are still arbitrary and designed to provoke arguments rather than be as serious ranking, but at least they know more about that. If you think their music lists are any different then you are in luck in a way. Rolling Stone music lists are as parochial and lazy as this list. The best albums are mostly popular North American / UK rock with a the odd jazz or rap album to signify coolness? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-100-greatest-sitcoms-list/941390.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-100-greatest-sitcoms-list/941390.md?page=3)