Uh, Monty Python’s Flying Circus anyone?
Honorable mention to Family Guy.
Married with Children.
NewsRadio.
Blackadder.
Yes (Prime) Minister.
And a little-known short lived blaze of brilliance from the guys who created MWC: It’s Your Move.
l. NEWSRADIO
2. GRACE UNDER FIRE (she was so witty and glib)
3. ROSEANNE
4. MAMA’S PLACE
5. SPIN CITY
6. WILL & GRACE
I never thought Friends was funny with the exception of Lisa Kudrow. Now, that girl is insane.
Andy Griffith WAS NOT funny and Don Knotts (Barney Phife ?) was nothing other than an Anorexic Moron. The only time he got a nod from me was when he did The Incredible Mr. Lipid and that may have been because I secretly hoped he would drown. Sorry all of you fans.
Larry Sanders was the worst thing since Bras !!! Thank you Attrayant, for reminding me :smack:
Gotta have Three’s Company on that list. (worlds apart from the new and thoroughly unfunny John Ritter sitcom on ABC)
Number one for laughs per episode in my book is:
Police Squad
Only 7 episodes or so, because it was way ahead of its time, but
each one perfect. The Naked Gun movies, though good, didn’t have
as many laughs at 3 times the length.
Cigarette? Yes it is.
I guess “Dad’s Army” hasn’t been shown in the US then. For the uninitiated, it can be argued that it was the blue print for almost every British comedy since it started in 1968.
TLD’s (in no particular order -except for the first):
Fawlty Towers
Police Squad
Blackadder
The Simpsons
Seinfeld
Frasier
Get Smart
One Foot in the Grave
Red Dwarf
The Goodies (if it counts as a sitcom in the traditional sense)
Wait a minute. My 2 favourite British comedies haven’t even gotten a mention: Waiting for God and 'Allo, 'Allo.
CJ
The Show Popular should obviously be on that list, I can’t belive how funny it was and how few people know about it.
And Red Dwarf not making the list? E! are obviously smeggheads.
This is a fun thread- my top 10
1- The Honeymooners
2- The Andy Griffith Show
3- MAS*H
4- All in the Family
5- Are You Being Served?
6- The Mary Tyler Moore Show
7- Gomer Pyle, USMC
8- The Beverly Hillbillies
9- Just Shoot Me
10- Too Close for Comfort
OK, so the last one was just a heartthrob vote for Lydia Cornell.
All in the Family did have some classic comedy moments even though it was a little preachy. I’ve never seen an episode of Taxi, Seinfeld, Frasier, Drew Carey, or Roseanne so they don’t make my list. I have no idea what anyone ever saw in the Cosby show. He’s a talented actor and comedian, but I think he was wasted in that show. The 60s comedies were better in my opinion because they had better actors. Just like baseball was better when there were 16 teams, television was better with 3 networks. More competition for fewer available hours of programming meant better writing and better acting.
No offence, but it always amazes me when people put “Are you being served?” in lists like these. That programme was excruciatingly awful, even for the seventies! And the same goes for Benny Hill. There really much better British sitcoms of the same(ish) era: the aforementioned Dad’s Army, Fawlty Towers, Yes Minister, The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin and Porridge all relied on the quality of script and cast, and didn’t always resort to crude caricature and innuendo for the laughs. Not that there is anything wrong with innuendo, but “Mrs Slocum’s pussy” was very over-rated (snork!) as a gag.
Incidentally, has “Father Ted” been shown widely in the States? My absolute favourite.
Blinx, I love you! I am still mourning the loss of Popular. Mary Cherry is my role model!
Three more that have not yet been mentioned:
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show
The Jack Benny Show
Green Acres
Another one absent - The Flintstones.
What about The Odd Couple?
And SCTV?
my list in no particular order
three’s company
fawlty towers
simpsons
red dwarf
keeping up appearances
king of the hill
newsradio
beverly hillbillies
night court
chef
the joy of painting with Bob Ross 
My contender for the best - The League of Gentlemen. Series three starts tonight, BBC2.
My contender for most overrated - One Foot in the Grave. Half an hour of constant whining and moronic farce. Yecch. [/smiley]Puking on floor[/smiley]
Well, technically it was a variety show, but it was definitely one of the most hilarious, gut-busting shows ever on TV. The Carol Burnett Show
In no particular order:
Red Dwarf
Fawlty Towers
Barney Miller (You spell it just like it sounds.)
Taxi (What does a flashing yellow light mean?)
Newsradio
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Newhart
Get Smart!
I love Lucy had some great moments, but I have a hard time getting from one to the next. Rosanne and Seinfeld were never funny to me. I don’t remember ever laughing at either show.
YES.
My first thought when I saw this thread. Nick at Night showed all the episodes a few years ago and I recorded them all.
Lok wrote:
On the subject of variety shows, I always thought In Living Color was highly underrated, and is still on my list of all time faves.
Wish they still showed it on FX.