Best sitcom ever

[00steven]

Wondering what you guys think the best sitcom ever is. My favs include; Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, and The Office.

[Tazio]

Mister Ed

AVm-HwAkVp8&feature=player_embedded#!

[pettersolberg29]

Might be very new, but I still think you cannot beat the IT Crowd. Absolutely hilarious.

[Mark]

Yep. But the crown for me goes to Father Ted.

The prize for most overrated ever Seinfeld.

[Daniel]

Seinfeld isn't overrated, it's fantastic.

[BDunnell]

The first series of I'm Alan Partridge will never, ever, be bettered. For consistent brilliance throughout its life, Father Ted was and remains outstanding.

[Dave B]

The other day I re-watched A Touch of Class, the first epidsode of Fawlty Towers. I am convinced that this should be used as a textbook exercise in how to write and perform the perfect sitcom.

Black Books gets overlooked, Father Ted is consistently great, and despite a handful of weak episodes The IT Crowd is the best we currently have. Graham Linehan is a talented chap... he also crops up in Alan Partridge's hotel!

[Corrine]

Red Dwarf, Fawlty Towers and Father Ted.......all brilliant.

[Andrewmcm]

Black Books, Father Ted, Arrested Development.

[pettersolberg29]

Red Dwarf, Fawlty Towers and Father Ted.......all brilliant.

Forgot about Fawlty Towers - it was absolutely brilliant. Maybe not enough episodes to be called the best sitcom? Although a lot of programs tend to get worse the longer they try to go on e.g. Gavin and Stacey.

[EuroTroll]

My choices are:
1) Friends
2) Fawlty Towers
3) Coupling

Friends first because of the great volume of great comedy. Over 200 episodes made, and at least 100 of them are good (mainly from seasons 2-6). Fawlty Towers because of the mastery of writing and performance. Coupling may be an imitation of Friends, but an excellent one at that!

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Friends in better than Seinfeld and the best US comedy. Friends has been devalued because it is repeated too much but I still think it is brilliant.

My current favourite is Peep Show. But The Office (UK), I'm Alan Partridge and Only Fools and Horses never get old.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

My choices are:
1) Friends
2) Fawlty Towers
3) Coupling

Friends first because of the great volume of great comedy. Over 200 episodes made, and at least 100 of them are good (mainly from seasons 2-6). Fawlty Towers because of the mastery of writing and performance. Coupling may be an imitation of Friends, but an excellent one at that!

Coupling has some hilarious moments and I love it, but it isn't as good as Friends.

[Dave B]

I always thought of Friends as being 10 good episodes worth of material shoehorned into 200. :s

[Brown, Jon Brow]

I always thought of Friends as being 10 good episodes worth of material shoehorned into 200. :s

The thing with Friends was that the story-line was often better than the comedy. You always had the sexual tension between Ross and Rachel , but maybe it lost its charm when they all started to screw each other.

I think the most overrated comedy is Scrubs. It's funny, but not haha funny.

[edv]

All In The Family - risky back in the day....it would never be allowed nowadays.

[BDunnell]

My current favourite is Peep Show.

How on earth could I have forgotten my other favourite? And The Inbetweeners puts me in hysterics.

[tmx]

Arrested Development and Futurama. Both shown on Fox and died because the humor was too 'complex' for their TV audiences. Do feel offended if you are a Fox channel fan.

[Jag_Warrior]

I Love Lucy

The most consistently funny show that I've ever seen.

[Daniel]

I always thought of Friends as being 10 good episodes worth of material shoehorned into 200. :s

and the characters were so moronic as well, to the point where you just wanted to punch them. The key to a good sitcom is having totally unbelievable characters like Kramer, Father Dougal and Jack, Basil Fawlty and Manuel. None of these slightly kooky tards like in friends like in Friends..... you need proper off the wall characters who are genuinely memorable.

[anthonyvop]

Arrested Development and Futurama. Both shown on Fox and died because the humor was too 'complex' for their TV audiences. Do feel offended if you are a Fox channel fan.

Futurama has new episodes. In fact they are running new ones on Comedy Central.
Futurama was hardly a complex show. In fact I found it more simplistic than it's sister show....The Simpsons.

Arrested Development was great the 1st year then quickly dropped in both writing and plot the 2nd season.

30 Rock on NBC is a great show that has struggled with poor ratings and is close to getting canceled.

I was a big fan of "Better off Ted" but that is history. Thanks ABC.

[Drew]

My personal current favourite is The big bang theory, absolutely hilarious.

[Bob Riebe]

Amos n' Andy
Honeymooners
Fawlty Towers

[Tazio]

Futurama has new episodes. In fact they are running new ones on Comedy Central.
Futurama was hardly a complex show. In fact I found it more simplistic than it's sister show....The Simpsons.

Arrested Development was great the 1st year then quickly dropped in both writing and plot the 2nd season.

30 Rock on NBC is a great show that has struggled with poor ratings and is close to getting canceled.

I was a big fan of "Better off Ted" but that is history. Thanks ABC.

Futurama is hilarious! Definitely my favorite of the animated comedies! :up:

[Mark]

Futurama is the best of the animated comedies, no doubt.

Karen would no doubt say Red Dwarf is the best (I'm listening to the audio book version at the moment!)

Of course Fawlty Towers was amazing.

Peep Show is odd, but; fantastic! Especially the first few series where his entire aim is to marry Sophie, then realises on his wedding day he actually can't stand her :D .

Of the ones currently being made IT Crowd is by far the best, mostly because I can see so much of myself in Moss and Roy (mostly Moss!)

[Mark]

Seinfeld isn't overrated, it's fantastic.

I've tried watching a few episodes of it, not only were there absolutely no laughs to be ad at all. The plots were stupid too.

But I have to say not nearly as bad as "Everybody loves Raymond" which whenever I've seen it looked like something the Hallmark or UKDave+1 would be embarrassed to put out at 2.30am.

[MrJan]

The thing with Friends was that the story-line was often better than the comedy. You always had the sexual tension between Ross and Rachel , but maybe it lost its charm when they all started to screw each other.

So it's a **** comedy then? I've always disliked Friends, it's obvious and tedious.
The same goes for the Big Bang Theory, if it weren't for the blonde then that would be woeful.

Father Ted is awesome (saw half an episode last night that reminded how good it was), others that need a mention are:

The Good Life
Spaced
Porridge (probably my favourite of all time)
Peep Show
Green Wing

There are probably loads that I've forgotten but these are the ones that stick in my mind. The Thick of It is also awesome but for some reason I've never watched that much of it

[MrJan]

But I have to say not nearly as bad as "Everybody loves Raymond" which whenever I've seen it looked like something the Hallmark or UKDave+1 would be embarrassed to put out at 2.30am.

They show it at about 8am on Channel 4, along with King Of Queens it's one of the most woeful things I've seen. I still prefer it to Friends and Big Bang Theory though :p :

[Mark]

Spaced


Every time there's another post then there's something else.
How could I forget Spaced!! Utterly fantastic. If you've ever seen Shaun of the Dead, it's basically the same style.

Also it doesn't rate a "best ever" as it wasn't, but Phoenix Nights deserves a mention at least for some brilliant scripts!

[MrJan]

The problem with Pheonix Nights is that Kay has repeated so many of the great lines in his stand up and Max & Paddy. Combined with all the people quoting it I've found that it's worn out a bit.

Incidentally, I watched a bit of Shaun of the Dead last night and ITV2 did their Entertainment News (drives me mad, it's **** news for idiot people). Anywhoo apparently there has been a cote for best comedy duo ever. Morecambe and Wise were edged out.............













































































.......by Matthew Horne and James Corden!!!!!!!!! I s*** you not, those two useless s***es won an award ahead of two geniuses, and one of them doesn't even write Gavin & Stacy (I assume that's why they won it, they surely can't have got an award for their sketch/stand-up.....can they??). To make it worse they apparently got best comedy catchphrase too for "Wat's occuring". I despair for the state of the human race when stuff like that happens.

[Mark]

......by Matthew Horne and James Corden!!!!!!!!! I s*** you not, those two useless s***es won an award ahead of two geniuses, and one of them doesn't even write Gavin & Stacy (I assume that's why they won it, they surely can't have got an award for their sketch/stand-up.....can they??). To make it worse they apparently got best comedy catchphrase too for "Wat's occuring". I despair for the state of the human race when stuff like that happens.

It's the usual thing in awards such as this where what was recent and well known can edge out older material.

A good example is why ITV cancelled their Record of the Year show, as time after time Westlife would get the title "Record of the Year" with a cover track they'd released only a week before the show started.

[ShiftingGears]

Fawlty Towers and Black Books, not including animated stuff.

[A.F.F.]

There is no better than Friends. You can watch it again and again and again and it still works :up:

[MrJan]

There is no better than Friends. You can watch it again and again and again and it still works :up:

Yup, I can watch Friends umpteen times and still think that it's ****.

[jannyboyy]

The best sitcom of all time is Friends. Since I have watched it many times now I am watching How i met your mother which is not bad.

[Mark]

The best sitcom of all time is Friends. Since I have watched it many times now I am watching How i met your mother which is not bad.

I don't mind Friends, it's reasonable TV to fill in half an hour when there's nothing else to do. It's very far from being the best sitcom ever, but a very long way from being the worst either, it's just ok.

[Eki]

All In The Family - risky back in the day....it would never be allowed nowadays.
Those were the days.

[Caroline]

Frasier, Father Ted, MASH (with a heavy dose of pathos) and Bottom.

[Camelopard]

Blackadder...........

or maybe Blackbooks, or Father Ted, or My Family, Fawlty Towers of course.

From north america my favourites are Get Smart, F Troop and Corner Gas.....

To me the value of of a sitcom is how many times you can watch repeats and never tire of it.


Couldn't get into sienfeld or Friends which seem to rely on canned laughter....

Do not understand Last of the Summer Wine, although I have tried, have enjoyed One Foot in the Grave, not of course not forgetting Red Dwarf.


Australian sitcoms I have enjoyed are Kingswood Country and My Name's McGooley, What's Yours?>

[Rollo]

Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister I think are very intelligently written sitcoms. I think that it is probably technically more difficult to write a series that doesn't tend to involve being rude in order to get laughs, it is however very sharp at times.

[Mark]

Blackadder 2, 3 & 4 are all equally fantastic. It says something about the quality of the scripts that you can listen to the audio track only (it's available on audible.co.uk) and still get the full effect!

Blackadders explanation of how that state of affairs managed to turn into this state of affairs is classic! But unfortunately the ostrich did actually die for nothing :(

[wedge]

Friends
Only Fools and Horses
THe Young Ones
Simpsons from the mid 90s to around turn of the century
Futurama

[Tazio]

Hogans Heroes was another funny sitcom.
Also Sanford and Son

[edv]

Hi
I'm Larry
And this is my brother Daryl
And this is my other brother Daryl.

[Easy Drifter]

Yes Minister, M*A*S*H, All in the Family and early episodes of Bewitched.
Although not a sit com Belker in Hill Street Blues.

[Eki]

Married With Children

[Bob Riebe]

Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Robot Chicken
The Venture Brothers

[Ruf RGT-8]

I cannot believe no one has posted 30 Rock. Best US non animated comedy, closely followed but Arrested Development and Scrubs. Really tried to like How I Met Your Mother but the plots are stupid and canned laughter makes me angry. Ditto Seinfeld.
Best of all time is Frontline. Probably completely unknown outside Australia, but some of the most evilly funny satire I've ever seen.

[Eki]

I Love Lucy

The most consistently funny show that I've ever seen.
She Met Meatloaf

[anthonyvop]

Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Robot Chicken
The Venture Brothers

FRISKY DINGO!!!

[Garry Walker]

Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister I think are very intelligently written sitcoms. I think that it is probably technically more difficult to write a series that doesn't tend to involve being rude in order to get laughs, it is however very sharp at times.


Married With Children

These, with Married With Children being my all time favourite.

[Bob Riebe]

Cartoon shows shouldn't count as they are not sitcoms per se.


Red Green


Red Green is closer to the cartoon category, but I LOVE the characters of the explosive expert, and the Forrest Ranger, gotta love it.

[anthonyvop]

Forgot about Taxi....great show.

The Bob Newhart Show

News Radio

WKRP in Cincinnati.

[Mark]

I haven't seen enough episodes of the other imports (to us), but Red Dwarf wasn't bad.

I'm currently listening to the audiobook of Red Dwarf which is bringing it all back :D

The first few series were outstanding but then it went down hill and the final series wasn't much good at all. The recent mini-series shown on Dave was almost just about passable, but no more...

Karen has always said that the series should have ended properly, i.e. by them going back in time and actually causing the reactor failure which led to their situation in the first place - sadly that route was never chosen.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Well, it is live actors, so not a cartoon. Personnally, I like Red's various contraptions he builds from "stuff" and duct tape.

Red Green aka Steve Smith did that show for about the price of what the cater budget for one day is on most American sitcoms.....

Great characters though...Rothschild and his "sewage sucker" business, and Bill.....the "adventures with Bill" segment was always top drawer


I loved MASH, and still enjoy it.

WKRP was my favourite though....as a teen I watched it religiously.

I must say I enjoyed Blackadder, 3rd Rock from the Sun, and out of the current crop, I like Big Bang Theory and 2 and a half Men.

The Art of the Sitcom to me though, in a simpler time done with simple humour yet funny was still the Andy Griffith show....

It was clever, it was clean and a lot of the characters and jokes still stand up from an era that is long gone....you couldn't help but wish if you lived in the south, you could live in Mayberry...

[anderzon]

friends
2 1/2 men
will and grace

[Bezza]

My favourites are well documented. Over the years though I would put Alan Partridge at No. 1, The Office at No. 2 then a mix of Red Dwarf, Blackadder, Fawlty Towers and Mongrels - currently on BBC Three :D

[MrJan]

friends
2 1/2 men
will and grace

You've got the wrong thread, the Worst Sitcom thread is somewhere else ;) :D

This is one of my favourite sitcoms, can't believe that I forgot about it:
4Da12MiXaVo

[Garry Walker]

You've got the wrong thread, the Worst Sitcom thread is somewhere else ;) :D


What do you have against two and a half men. Think before you answer.

mWWg4Jtg-EI

[Mark in Oshawa]

For those who don't like Two and a Half Men..well I guess I have no clue what makes you laugh...but while it isn't the all time best, out of the current crop, it is better than most. Make of that what you will.

[Drew]

The only point in watching Two and a half men is to watch the slutty californian women. Sitcom without the com.

[Captain VXR]

My Family
My Wife and Kids
Family Guy/American Dad/The Cleveland Show
The IT Crowd
The Inbetweeners

[BDunnell]

I don't mind Friends, it's reasonable TV to fill in half an hour when there's nothing else to do.

This, for me, is why Radio 4 and the World Service exist. They and recreational drugs.