There is a reason that ice cream
is portioned out into little cups and cones and why cheesecake is sold by the
slice, not the pound. Portion control is necessary, even when it comes to good
things. It’s maybe for this reason that the half-hour format has become as
seemingly synonymous with television comedy as Fonzie is to cool or Aston
Kutcher to mediocrity. Sure, there is nothing like a funny full-length movie
and there have been many shows that run an hour that can equally stimulate a
funny bone. But when there are only thirty minutes (twenty-two with
commercials) to tell a funny story the excess fat must be trimmed from the bone
and it’s right down to business – which makes the half-hour format so
succinctly great.
So it is with the premise that the
half-hour comedy format is celebrated with this list. You’ll note the term
“sitcom” has intentionally been avoided, because though nearly tantamount with
the half hour format, a good number of the deserving shows ranked here wouldn’t
quite fit that description. It’s all about the thirty minutes. So to all you
long-format fans of Saturday Night Live,
Psych and Hee Haw, you’ll have to wait for another day. Without further ado,
here are the twenty-five funniest ways to spend a half hour.
Top 25 Funniest Half-Hour Comedies
“Comedy’s
not a science. Science is not a
science.”
– Conan O’Brien
The criteria in determining such a
list is painfully simple yet highly subjective. The shows included have to be programs
that make me laugh. The more and better the laughs, the higher a show was
ranked. Granted, what is interpreted as hilarious to one person might not
conjure so much as a chuckle from another, so it’s difficult if not entirely
impossible to consistently find common objective ground with such rankings.
After all, King of the Hill ran for
thirteen seasons and I can barely name a handful of episodes that kept me from
changing the channel within the first few minutes. But someone out there had to
love it for it to last that long. In fact, so subjective is television comedy
that each of the top five shows ranked in this countdown have all been declared
unequivocally the best small-screen comedies ever in lists far more reputable
than mine. The bottom line is that these shows are ranked by their ability to
invoke that involuntary reaction of laughter – and really, nothing else.
The other consideration is
compiling such a list, is consideration itself. What shows can even qualify to
make the list? There is a reason this countdown cannot be called the “The Top
25 Shows” because, frankly, for all the time I’ve “invested” watching tens of
thousands of hours of television comedies – I haven’t seen them all. Not even
close. So the list has to be presented through the scope of what I’ve seen,
with the asterisk that these are just my
favorites. The Mary Tyler Moore Show and
The Dick Van Dyke Show are television
comedy immortals. I’d agree, but I’ve seen maybe four or five episodes of both
– combined – because I didn’t grow up in the 70s and would have to rely upon hard-to-find
reruns or hours of YouTube to catch up. It’s hard to include something you just
haven’t seen much of -- for all I know, The
Honeymooners would take the top spot
if only I’ve seen more than a few minutes of the show while playing Scene-it.
At the same time, there were hundreds of shows that were considered – from
lesson-teaching 80s fodder, to corny 60s slapstick, to street-wise 70s jive to
every show in the late 90s that attempted to duplicate the Seinfeld/Friends
blueprint. There are numerous shows that I have seen that during their original
runs were substantial hits. The
Jefferson’s, Murphy Brown, The Golden Girls and Mad About You were very popular and
acclaimed during their respective eras, but none of them make the list. In
fact, the top twenty-five has its fair share of shows that were cancelled long
before their time because they didn’t pull down adequate ratings numbers. But
in the end, popularity and even award-winning critical success don’t always
equal “funny.”
The final dimension of the selection
process is what types of shows fit. I considered everything from the obvious
sitcom and sketch comedy formats, to Good
Eats on the Food Channel. (Yes, it’s hilarious
for a cooking show, but has a hard time contending with the more traditional
scripted comedies.) Still, the requirements for inclusion were that the show be
thirty minutes long and funny – well, and again, that I’ve actually seen them.
I probably could have just written that last sentence to begin with, but no way
am I deleting everything now.
But, before we get started, here are…
Ten Shows That You’d Expect Would
Make The List, But Don't -- And Why
Long before she was a dancing daytime Oprah contemporary,
Ellen had a sitcom and Ellen was a
pretty darned funny show thanks to the same trademark misdirection and pithy
observational humor that made Ellen DeGeneres’ stand-up routines so remarkable.
Then in a landmark move, the eponymous character came out during a “very
special” episode and the show immediately changed to a heavier social and
serious tone. What was once a sitcom worthy of Top 25 comedy consideration soon
became merely a weekly reminder of its lead’s sexual preference – and not a
subtle one at that. In fact, so overused were the gay themes in the show’s
final seasons that even prominent members of the Lesbian community started
saying “We get it. You’re gay. Get back to being funny.” Once the show devolved
into monotone topicality, ratings dropped and the show was canceled – which
naturally meant that after no recognition for years of stellar comedic writing the
Emmy nominations started rolling in. Who says a social agenda gets you nowhere
in the TV business. Maybe Who’s The Boss
should have tried the lesbian angle a long time ago.
Writing why Friends
is excluded from the list is like swearing in front of your mother, once it
happens you become a lightning rod for endless flack. Sure Friends was a considerably successful hit show that had a lot of
legitimately funny moments, but so often it was just paint-by-numbers, tepid rom-com
fodder (romantic-comedy for the layperson) enhanced through its delivery by a
trendy and attractive cast of Us Weekly superstars. Swap the pretty Friends gang with the cast from My Name is Earl and you’ll see how less charming
and funny “smelly cat” and “how you doin’” really seem. Seriously, close your
eyes the next time you come across a Friends
rerun and imagine Mike and Molly-types
uttering the same lines. That’s why
this megahit only gets an honorable mention.
Call The Daily Show
a “comedy” and they’ll smugly remind you that recent polls indicate their program
is the primary source of current event data for more males ages 18 to 25 than
from any other “news” source. Levy the same criticisms Jon Stewart has against
other similar politically-oriented programs (non-neutral reporting, unbalanced
guest choices, fact skewing, biased story selection) and they’ll remind you
that theirs is merely a silly show that airs on Comedy Central whose one time
lead-in was a group of puppets making crank calls. So since The Daily Show can’t decide exactly what
it is, it has no place being ranked in a list of great television comedy.
Besides, Colbert’s show is more worthy of consideration anyway – at least he
took the time to create a charmingly deadpan persona through which to deliver
the fake news each night.
There is no denying that MASH is one of the most
accomplished programs in television history. Its final episode will likely
forever stand as the single most watched installment of any show or event in history
of television (that’s right, no moon landing, Super Bowl or American Idol final
has even come close to touching this record). The reason for MASH’s exclusion
from the list is the same transgression that has befallen so many other renowned
comedies; it became a drama. After the early years of superb writing focused on
wisecracking surgeons whose antics provided a brilliant contrast to the
ever-present shroud of war, Alan Alda took over behind the camera and the show
diverged onto a preachier, more political and a lot less funny path. Yes,
indelible episodes with Hawkeye crying about a chicken and a baby on a bus were
poignant masterpieces in their own right – they just weren’t comedy episodes
anymore.
Evidence that overwhelming ratings success and popularity is
not necessarily a product of timeless, well-crafted humor, but rather from the
general appeal of broad comedy and a high traffic time slot. What started out
as a light-hearted, low-brow but lovable family comedy eventually injected the
obligatory weighty complexities of family life as cute sitcom kids got older
and eventually the show’s quirky impact faded. It’s painful to sit through most
re-runs knowing this was the top show on television at one time.
See Home Improvement,
substituting “low-brow” for “working class.” A bit sharper written and a lot
less silly than Tim Allen’s vehicle, still Rosanne
ultimately arrived at the same fate. The final episode reveals that the entire
story is simply the semi-fictional writings of the protagonist and that some of
the more outlandish story arcs late in the series (the family winning the
lottery, Dan Connor’s heart attack and extra-marital affair) never actually
occurred – talk about a world class cop out. Rosanne was a ratings giant at its peak – but even at its best it
was never a laugh-‘till-you-hurt comedy like its always-obnoxious title
sequence would suggest.
At one point during The
Phone Message episode, Jerry Seinfeld’s character mentions to his
girlfriend that he has never seen an entire episode of I Love Lucy. Despite its considerable industry respect and a
near-mythical character stature, such a glib summation of I Love Lucy isn’t entirely unthinkable. Not that the show was
unwatchable, it’s the very definition of an iconic sitcom, but as comedy on television
has continued to evolve the humor portrayed in this timeless classic becomes a
lot less timeless. Most everyone over the age of 30 has seen the masterful
clips of Lucy stomping grapes or cramming her mouth and shirt full of
chocolates from an overflowing conveyor belt, but ultimately the weekly
escapades of a loud, overbearing Desi and an exaggeratedly-sobbing Lucy belong
more in the annals comedy history than in lists asserting which shows were the
funniest.
Entourage’s
numerous Emmy nominations in “Comedy” categories seem as fitting as the Nobel
Peace Prize being awarded to the last living members of Al-Qaida. Like its oft-associated,
trendy female counterpart, Sex and the
City, Entourage doesn’t have a
lofty requirement in the brain-power department to enjoy and dissect the
nuances of each boob-filled storyline. It’s pretty boy Adrian Grenier smiling
his way through the oh-so-relatable travails of an A-List actor while an elfish
Kevin Connolly whines incessantly and Mark Wahlberg drops by occasionally to
remind everyone this is really his show. Only the limited on-screen antics of
“Johnny Drama” and “Turtle” ever seem to approach homogenous comedy, unless
eight seasons of a conniving Jeremy Piven yelling into a phone and weaseling
his way out of the boys’ latest uptown problem can still conjure a chuckle. Yes,
early performances by Piven (playing agent Ari Gold) and Kevin Dillon (Johnny
Drama) were compelling and occasionally humorous – but the show as a whole was
never that impressive dramatically – and moreover, really never that funny.
A smart little show that has slowly gained an impressive following,
The Big Bang Theory’s technically
sound and gently intellectual writing has served only to enhance a brand of
humor that might otherwise scare away viewers who favor more easily digestible
comedy. The geek factor is endearing and well executed, however it is the
show’s formulaic humor that keeps this brilliant show from making the cut. When
after all the scientific jargon is spewed it seems the approaching punchlines
are as predictable and textbook as any show being rerun currently on Nick at
Night. It’s a strong contender, and is still getting better, but for the moment
Big Bang just misses the cut.
Norman Lear spent the entire 70s and the early part of the 80s
portraying, to varying degrees of success, the urban family (especially black
families in America)
in the most socially honest and thought-provoking ways he could muster. So it
comes with a level of irony that for all of Lear’s so-called “hard-hitting, ground-breaking,
perception-altering” attempts at African-American comedies, it was The Cosby Show (debuting in 1984) that
provided a glimpse into the antics of the Huxtable clan and accordingly
dismantled the preconceived notions of the “black family” with the portrayal of
a traditional and affluent household. There were no stories about making the
rent or labor unions. The children were taught personal responsibility and manners
and not used as wise-beyond-their-years mouth-pieces for politically-oriented
pontification. Problems were discussed, not yelled about. Then, on top of these
social implications, Cosby is
credited as the show that revived the success of the sitcom format standing as
the flagship of one the most successful prime-time lineups in television
history. So why does a landmark show of such distinction not make the list?
Because it’s landmark television – not landmark comedy. It was enjoyable,
family-friendly fare reminding us that not every family of color was distraught,
angry or had to bellow “honkey” or “dy-no-mite” to be amusing. Besides, Cosby has to be docked a few points for
spawning off the repetitively heavy-handed A
Different World.
Other shows just missing the cut:
Cheers, The Chris Rock Show,
It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, Wings, The Andy Griffith Show, Family
Ties, Mr. Show, Three’s Company, 3rd Rock From The Sun, Curb Your Enthusiasm.
NBC (1984 – 1989) 193 Episodes
What Night Court had that all of the other shows on the inclusion bubble
didn’t was a delectable hint of Vaudeville that is practically non-existent in
the television landscape of the last 50 years. This goofy bunch of misfits
produced many entertaining and laugh-worthy storylines, but it was the endless parade
of oddballs and unconventional dregs of society that graced the courtroom week
after week that made the show so compelling and unpredictably fun. Throw in the
fact that Night Court boasted
possibly the best sitcom performer of any era in John Larroquette (as
sniveling, sex-driven public defender Dan Fielding) and few corny Harry
Anderson magic tricks and you’ve got an uncompromisingly imaginative and
downright enjoyable sitcom.
24. Married…with
Children
FOX (1987 – 1997) 259 Episodes
Oh sure, pass up all those stellar
shows with honorable mentions and arbitrary reasons for exclusion, but include
this classless piece of trash. (Okay, fair enough.) But get past the toilet
jokes and body fluid humor and what Married…with
Children was is a blue-print for the modern family sitcom (including, in
some ironic aspects, Modern Family). Married was launched during the infancy
of the Fox Network and throughout most of its run was considered appalling,
envelope-pushing, provocative television. The children were disrespectful, the
husband unmotivated and the mother hardly the nurturing, hugging type. It was a
full divergence from what audiences were used to witnessing on all the Cosby, Full House, Growing Pains
syrupy-type fare that dominated the late 1980s. Flash forward twenty years, and
Married…with Children is far tamer
and more innocuous as anything aired during prime time. In fact, many of the
so-called family shows that have aired since seem to embrace the bumbling
patriarch, smart-alec kids format that Married
dared take – though few have been as funny as Al Bundy and company were way
back in the pre-Simpsons days. Put
all of the visual “trimmings” aside (a.k.a. any scene with a young, uninhibited
Christina Applegate) and Married…with
Children was a smartly written, well executed, legitimately funny sitcom. So
take that, Murphy Brown.
ABC TV (1984 – 1994) 42 Episodes
Every “favorites” list has the
obligatory obscure foreign entry that no one has ever heard of and the
Australian-borne Mother and Son fills
this list’s quota. Airing on PBS in the States during the late 80s and early
90s this oddball comedy about an Alzheimer victim and her longsuffering caretaker
son might not seem like typical comedy gold, but it turns out senility and
family misery, when well-performed and aptly written into a caring storyline
can be down-right hilarious. As obscure as it might be, a YouTube search for
this show will provide instant enlightenment as to why Mother and Son is considered so hilariously endearing and why it’s
a multiple “Logie” Award winner (and yes, Australia even has incredibly goofy
sounding names for their TV awards).
ITV (1990 – 1995) 14 Episodes
When considering the many tried-and-true
television comedy devices rarely does “pantomime” make the list. We know
audiences crave a little Chris Farley or John Ritter slapstick, but what Rowan
Atkinson did as Mr. Bean did wasn’t just physical humor. He told stories and
developed a full-on character armed only with subtle expressions, acute reaction
and just the right amount of exaggerated movement. To be interesting without
words (of which there were very few spoken by even supporting players during
the series) is difficult enough – but to be funny enough to draw 18-million
viewers during the show’s heyday, Mr.
Bean is nothing short of a masterful specimen of flawless acting
fundamentals and simple storytelling. Don’t be dissuaded by the
less-than-stellar, anything-for-a-buck American movies featuring the Bean
character – Mr. Bean the series is nothing
short of modern-day classic.
FOX (1990 – 1992) 35 Episodes
In its early days the Fox Network
took a chance on anything – and that’s no exaggeration. (Just look up Babes or Women in Prison.) Though risky, this haphazard approach would
ultimately produce iconic shows like The
Simpsons, 21 Jump Street and Beverly Hills: 90210. Yet somewhere between the hit shows and Herman’s Head-type failures was Chris
Elliot’s Get a Life. A slow-witted
paper boy (of 30) who still lived with his parents and who seemed oblivious the
burdens he cast on others, Chris’ character was nothing more than a bearded
man-child version of Dennis the Menace. Not everyone got the subtle humor of Get a Life, considering how often
immature, unconventional and at times completely bizarre the show could be, but
it was awfully funny as well. Probably the first great sitcom in Fox’s history
to get the time shuffle, will-they-won’t-they cancel treatment – which has
become a network practice observed almost religiously to this day.
FOX/Comedy Central (2000 – 2003,
2008 – present) 114 Episodes
Speaking of shows victimized by
Fox’s time-slot, pre-emption roulette, there is Futurama, the show that actually holds a Guinness Book world record for being the “Current Most Critically
Acclaimed Animated Series.” That says a lot seeing that Futurama, basically a side project for Simpsons creator Matt Groening, was given zero promotion and nearly
the same budget. Yet, considering the relative success of animated shows like The Simpsons, Family Guy and King of the
Hill, pound-for-pound, laugh for laugh, Futurama
more than holds it own. Maybe it’s the uneasiness brought on by a gang of
self-absorbed humans, temperamental space creatures and a unscrupulous
wise-cracking robot that steered this sci-fi comedy into relative obscurity,
but as far as a show with guaranteed belly-laughs each time out of the gate, Futurama has always been as sure a bet
as the easy girl on prom night.
19. Whose
Line Is It Anyway (US)
ABC (1998 – 2007) 220 Episodes
Highly esteemed improvisational
companies The Second City and The Groundlings have seemingly served as the
“minor leagues” for some of the biggest names who’ve found their way into movie
and television comedy. Why these respected outfits aren’t considered the “big
time” is simple; because it’s improv. The step in the comedy food chain just
above mime and right below terrible sketch comedy. So it served as somewhat of
as surprise when ABC chose to revamp the English improvisational show of the
same name for their prime-time line up. However instead of stuffy British
players mugging for camera time while portraying authors and theater styles, two
of the U.K. alum (Ryan Styles and Colin Macharie – both Americans, ironically)
would team up with the obscenely gifted Wayne Brady and a revolving guest to engage
in a variety of games where spontaneous dialogue and songs were performed under
the premise of being entirely created on the spot. Drew Carey’s presence as the
jokingly-snarky host gave identity and style to the show – right down to his
mocking refusal to keep score like is done on the show’s predecessor. No, not every segment is a masterpiece, but
for spontaneous humor Whose Line is as
polished and reliably funny as scripted show on the small screen – “if you know
what I mean.”
CBS/ABC (1957 – 1963) 235 Episodes
Yes, there are limitless jokes that
can be made at the expense of the show’s name and its main character. We’ve all
heard the “Gee, Wally” and “giving the business” lines before – and no, that
suspiciously sanitized version of America probably never existed
anywhere and any point in the past. Still, the inclusion of Leave it to Beaver is based purely upon
its skillful familiar humor and timeless concepts. This was a show that saw
life and its everyday foibles through the eyes of the children, and because of
that rather innovative perspective, the show’s unlikely insightful humor has
remained as relevant today as it was back when gas was a dime a gallon and no
one snickered when a boy told his parents he’d been playing with “The Beaver.”
If anything, it’s worth catching the next TV Land Beaver marathon if only to recoil at the shudder-inducing genius of
Eddie Haskell – quite possibly the slimiest conniver to slither across the
small screen until J.R. Ewing and Creed Bratton later joined his unholy
trinity.
NBC (2006 – present) 117 Episodes
The thing about Tiny Fey’s sitcom
project is that it is terribly overrated and at the same time utterly, shamefully
underrated. The numerous Emmys the show has won is likely more a testament to
its lead actors’ political alignment with those agendas of the Academy, than
actually being the best comedy on television from 2007 to 2009 – because it
probably wasn’t, and its low ratings should prove that point. By the same
token, a show as creative and dynamic as 30
Rock deserves a far larger audience than the meager numbers it garners each
week – and its numerous award nominations and critical acclaim should convince
potential viewers of this. The bottom line is, Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin are adorable
and serviceable in their lead roles and the top notch writing is rapid-fire and
intelligent, tempered with the right amount of silly – yet at the end of the
day it’s the unrivaled herculean supporting cast that makes every episode
addictively re-watchable and can keep the audience in stitches even when the
central plotlines become bogged down with yet other tale of Baldwin’s or Fey’s character’s
ill-fated romantic pursuits.
NBC (1993 – 2004) 264 Episodes
Not exactly the typical recipe for
success: Give a spin-off to the most boring, barely likeable character from a
blockbuster hit show (Cheers) and
then have nerve to load the program with tons of intelligent dialogue while airing
opposite of Tim Allen hooting and blowing things up on Home Improvement. So what do you get? Only the most Emmys ever won
by a single sitcom and Top 20 ratings through all but the final year of the
show’s run. Sure they did it by borrowing the Three’s Company “misunderstanding something someone overheard” formula
at least a few times a season and, yes, the show took itself far too seriously
in the later years – but it’s hard to knock a cultured comedy that requires its
viewers to have an IQ well into the triple-digits and still be as sharply funny
as it is smart.
ABC (1982 – 1982) 6 Episodes
Before the Naked Gun movies gave O.J. Simpson a measure of post-football,
pre-murder fame, there was Police Squad!.
Basically the same people who would later produce the Naked Gun films first created a sitcom with Leslie Neilson as the
lead which featured the same general characters and the exact deadpan, word
play and non-sequitur humor that would make the Naked Gun franchise so unique and utterly charming. A cornucopia of
sight gags and visual unpredictability, this spoof on police dramas is as smart
and satirical as any show on television even if they did end up reusing some of
the bits in all the movies – which uninformed YouTube sleuths are still “astutely”
pointing out to this day.
FOX (1990 – 1994) 129 Episodes
Remember when the Wayans Brothers
built a boundary-breaking comedy franchise that they didn’t abandon part way
through? Of course you do, it was called The
Wayans Brothers and the WB cancelled it before having to inevitably tackle
the task of re-casting a show with the name “Wayans” in the title. But long
before the most famous funny family from Manhattan
ducked out on the Scary Movie sequels,
there was In Living Color. A
hilariously irreverent sketch show that was the first to feature mostly black
actors (the only white guy in the original cast being an unknown elastic-faced
crack up credited as “James Carey.”) In
Living Color was good, very good. Not only did the show create viable
reputations for Keenan Ivory and Damon Wayans, but it launched the careers of
the aforementioned Ace Ventura, Jamie Foxx, Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, David
Alan Greer and Tommy Davidson (if you can call it a career). The show also
featured a young, less-buttsome version of Jennifer Lopez as a “Fly Girl”
(wasn’t 90s vernacular vaguely charming). But long before any of this star
power was realized, In Living Color was
stealing advertising-demographic viewers from America’s Funniest Home Videos
with its unforgettable characters and well-crafted sketches. Then, with the
show at its pinnacle the Wayans brothers (and sisters) began to bolt and In Living Color went on auto-pilot until
it was ushered into syndication. News of the show’s revival in mid-2012 has
surfaced, and Keenan Ivory Wayans has been confirmed as the producer. It should
be interesting see how the next incarnation fares with Keenan Ivory at the helm
for maybe half of the second run.
FUSE/IFC (2007 – 2011) 60 Episodes
A college improvisational/sketch
comedy troupe that unleashed a fresh, why-didn’t-I-think-of-that brand of
comedy when the show originally aired on the Fuse network. Later picked up by
the far more permissible IFC, The Whitest Kids may have lost a bit of the
sharp-edged writing required for “censored” television, but their innovative
and original brand of sketch humor has been a constant throughout this recently
wrapped series. One need only Google “The Never Song,” “Leg Pee,” “The
Grapist,” or “Dinosaur Rap” to witness the genius Trevor Moore and company has
contributed to the current television comedy landscape.
NBC (2005 – present) 171 Episodes
Remakes of acclaimed shows rarely
live up to the originals, which is the cloud of perception that has been cast
upon the U.S.
version of The Office from its
inception. Yet, to its credit, the show has diverged enough from the original
to create a wealth of memorable moments and humorous characters unique to
itself, and has in the process become a much bigger ratings hit than its
forbearer. Even Michael Scott (Steve Carrell) managed to quickly carve out his
own recognizable small screen niche by paying homage to, but not directly
imitating his more abrasive David Bren counterpart. Utilizing the same
mockumentary formula as the original, the ever-expanding cast of Dunder Mifflin
employees has seamlessly incorporated an endless tide of changes within the
fictional company as well as with the show’s core players with believable ease.
However, where the U.K.
version succeeded in its brevity (only 14 total episodes), the U.S.
version might well have hung around a bit past its freshness date. But then
again, where viewers of the original were only left to speculate upon the
ultimate fate of the show’s core romantic arc, the U.S. version has seen Jim
and Pam progress through a most memorable wedding episode and even into the
thralls of parenthood, which for American audiences, might be preferable to the
pedantically unfulfilling “happily ever after” conclusion.
CBS (1971 – 1979) 208 Episodes
Okay, so it was supposed to be an
allegory for the emerging generational differences America witnessed in the late 60s
and early 70s. Of course every word spewed from Archie Bunker’s lips were crafted
to deliberately incite outrange and to evoke distain toward his outlandishly
conservative and stilted perspectives. Yes, this was supposed to be an urban
and edgy example of the newly-emerging nuclear family, ridding CBS of its rural
and folksy image. So it only stands to reason that Archie’s utterances became
literal mantras of fans everywhere and what was meant to be profound and
politically unsettling commentary on family life instead evolved into
comfortable and heart-warming piece of Americana.
Viewers will simply never see this type of show again – and not only because
the colorful racial lexicon so often employed by Archie hasn’t been allowed on
network television for years – but a show that seemed to capture the zeitgeist
of its existence so seamlessly without impeding the natural chemistry of its cast
and its memorable stories.
FOX (1999 – 2002, 2005 – present) 182 Episodes
For what now seems like a
television comedy staple, it’s been a tumultuous ride for Family Guy. Cancelled and brought back without any fanfare after
its first season, the show managed only two more seasons before Fox
indefinitely axed the show following the obligatory revolving time-slot
treatment so many of Fox’s best shows receive. Unthinkably revived by strong
DVD sales and massive midnight ratings on the Cartoon Network, Family Guy began its second incarnation
and has since become a relative hit for Fox to this day. But after all of this,
truthfully the show was really at its best during the third through sixth
seasons. Relying on brilliantly satirical cut-away gags and pop culture
references to punctuate the show’s brash humor, Family Guy is as much a skeptical social commentary as it is a
story about a messed up Rhode Island family with a talking alcoholic dog. The
show has faltered some in later years with bits relying more on shock comedy or
dramatic content and cramming the political, religious and social leanings of
its creator to the forefront of most every storyline, yet Family Guy is still one of the most consistently funny shows on the
air today.
FOX (2000 – 2006) 151 Episodes
Their last name was never
confirmed. We’re not even sure where this family lived, but what we are sure of
is Malcolm’s somehow functionally dysfunctional family was a true breath of
genius. Each family member contributes a piece to a greater diorama of self-serving,
but ultimately caring set of individuals who also happened to be very funny. It
was really never a show about Malcolm, no matter how central he might be to
most plotlines, but really of growing up in a family confined to a tourniquet-tight
budget, with siblings clawing to attain their own identity and share of parental
approval in their own unique ways. The cast and side-characters are utterly dynamic
and superb in every way, most notably the hints of later greatness we’d see
from the gifted Brian Cranston – whose many gratuitous nude scenes have induced
far more viewer winces than any of the havoc his character has wreaked on Breaking Bad.
HBO (2005 – 2007) 13 Episodes
While Ricky Gervais would so humbly
remind the world that his first show, The
Office, is the best sitcom of all time in any known universe, it might be a
bit bombastic to suggest that his second show, Extras, might even be a bit funnier. Enlisting A-list stars to play
cartoonish versions of themselves, and utilizing the strangely hilarious
on-screen presence of Ricky’s gangly sidekick Stephen Merchant, Extras is a deftly-honed product dense
with humor and layered with industry in-jokes. Memorable bits with the likes of
Sir Ian McKellan, Orlando Bloom and even Robert DeNiro make this one of HBO’s
best comedy series ever.
7. Flight
Of The Conchords
HBO (2007 – 2009) 22 Episodes
While viral videos of their song
“Business Time” made this comedy folk rock duo a moderate Internet sensation, it
was their little show on HBO that truly showcased their amazing flair for
comedy. New Zealanders Jemaine Clement and Bret McClegnie’s adventures as
struggling musicians in New York City,
complimented by the performances of a remarkable supporting cast and wealth of
top flight guest stars is a brilliant mix of straight man comedy and deadpan
silliness. Each episode contains at least one original song from the pair,
which tunes are as amusing and overflowing with absurdity as the show’s razor-sharp
dialogue and characters. Flight only aired
for two seasons on HBO, but is still so beloved by the network that episodes
continue to air frequently to fill uneven intervals between movies or when a
sporting event ends early.
6. It’s
Always Sunny In Philadelphia
FX (2005 – present) 84 Episodes
The show that dubs itself “Seinfeld on Crack” – and they aren’t
kidding. In fact crack is only one of the many bountiful comedy veins tapped by
this versatile cast on a show whose writing is as gritty and flagrant as any
other well-respected, boundary breaking comedy – and just like the
aforementioned Seinfeld, armed with a
healthy dose of character narcissism without all the hugs and heart warming
lessons. Sunny has continued to top
itself, and despite a widely-regarded weak sixth season, has again emerged as
an innovative and down-right memorable sitcom. The show has been renewed
through at least a ninth season with FX, leaving fans and shocked onlookers
alike wondering where the next two years might take the gang from Paddy’s. Who
knows, maybe if we’re lucky we’ll get a few more episodes with crack.
BBC One/Two (2001 – 2003) 14 Episodes
Forget all of the “Dwight is funnier
than Gareth” comparisons, the original British incarnation of The Office is just flat out better than
its American counterpart. The humor (humour?) is more biting, the characters
more organic and mean-spirited and the awkward moments far more anguishing. This
simple, yet somehow revolutionary idea of a mock-documentary that follows the
minutia and the petty internal politics of the workplace proved curiously
intriguing to audiences and made Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant international
stars. Yet, at the core of show’s entire appeal is not the antics of a clueless
boss, but the subtly budding romance between two employees whose unfulfilled
affection culminates in the final moments of the final episode (which scene is
worthy of mention among the very best in small-screen history). As good as the US version is,
with its over-the-top Dwights, brown-nosing Andys and creepier-than-your-weird-uncle
Creeds, it will never quite match the understated genius of the original.
Comedy Central (2003 – 2006) 33
Episodes
The true epitome of a “water cooler
show.” During its initial run, the morning after an episode Chappelle’s Show aired workplaces
throughout America would be filled with lively chatter about the latest antics
of a motivational crackhead, or the black white supremacist (who also happened
to be blind) or even more unlikely, the hilarity of everyday stories about Rick
James and Prince. As unconventional and creative as a sketch show could be,
Dave Chappelle’s rare combination of imaginative writing and pitch-perfect comedic
screen presence made Chappelle’s Show
easily one of the most ground-breaking and most quoted shows of all time. Central
to much of the humor was race, which was freely exhibited in its unabashed
usage of the “n-word,” and which fearless approach would prove to be the true
genius and at the same time, the ultimate downfall of the show. The first two
seasons set the bar so impossibly high it’s difficult to speculate if the
aborted third season and any that would have followed could have done their
predecessors justice. Like the strongest flames, Chappelle’s Show burned very bright – and very fast. Sometimes it’s
a shame – and sometimes it’s better to have never known what might have been.
FOX (2003 – 2006) 53 Episodes
The show about a wealthy family who
lost everything and the one son who had no choice but to keep them together, or
in the bigger picture, a story about a network that didn’t know how to handle a
show loaded with talent, heaped with high critical praise and prestigious
industry awards, but that wasn’t an instant ratings giant. So the same Fox
Network that was oblivious to the fact that countless nerds watched Firefly and that suburban white kids loved
the early episodes of Family Guy, never
gave the show a consistent time slot and therefore Arrested Development’s audience could never prove its loyalty. Ultimately
viewers were robbed of the impeccably well-written misadventures of the Bluth
family, as a young Michael Cera skillfully played a timid and insecure nerd and
Will Arnett flawlessly portrayed a scheming egomaniacal jerk. (Sure, those are
just about the only characters either
actor ever plays, but they both did it on Arrested
Development first!) The show’s return has been rumored for years, but if
that day never arrives at least we have three seasons that clearly define the word
“masterpiece” in the sitcom realm.
NBC (1989 – 1998) 180 Episodes
The self-proclaimed “show about
nothing,” that somehow managed to infiltrate nearly everything in popular
culture. From its memorable terminology (“shrinkage,” “master of your domain,”
“the Manssiere”) and its end supply of quirky nicknames (“Soup Nazi,” “Bubble
Boy,” “Man Hands”) to its intricately woven plotlines and instantly
recognizable episodes (“The Contest,” “The Puffy Shirt,” “The Chinese
Restaurant”), Seinfeld was everything
a sitcom hoped to be and more. It became a cultural icon, a Thursday-night
juggernaut fueled by its masterful team of out-of-the-box writers and a deftly gifted
cast. Adding icing to the cake, Jerry Seinfeld followed his own character’s
sage advice on showmanship, and “got out on a high note.” The decision to end show
at its absolute pinnacle left audiences longing for more – and left Jerry and
Larry David with plenty of time to count their hundreds of millions of
syndication dollars. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”
FOX (1989 – present) 503 Episodes
One of only two prime-time scripted
shows to hit the 500 episode mark (the other being Gunsmoke), and in all reality, there are very few episodes beyond
the 200th milestone that are even worth a second look. So, throw
away the then-ground breaking but now utterly unwatchable first two seasons of The Simpsons and everything from Season
11 on and you have only about eight or nine years of the most consistently
funny, most quotable, sharply biting societal humor ever to grace the small
screen – and that’s more than enough to justify the top spot on this list. While
the show has undeniably weakened considerably over the last decade, consider
that Muhammad Ali was beaten five times before quitting and Michael Jordan finished
his career tossing up air balls for the Washington Wizards. Judging something or
someone based upon its prime is often where we find greatness – and for years The Simpsons at its best hit a weekly
stride no other comedy show has matched. They could continue to push out
mediocrity until Episode 600 (and they very well might) but it won’t change the
impact and distinction the show attained at its peak. No doubt about it, like
it or not, our favorite family from Springfield
deservedly tops this list.
