The 50 Greatest Sitcoms of All Time (#20 – 11)
JUMP TO: | 50 – 41 | 40 – 31 | 30 – 21 | 20 – 11 | 10 – 1 |
20. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air
The Fresh Prince was another in a long line of sitcoms in which the lead actor plays a fictional version of himself. A classic ‘two worlds collide’ plot line (see: Diff’rent Strokes, Perfect Strangers, ALF), The Fresh Prince enjoyed 6 seasons from 1990-1996 and has run successfully in syndication since.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air had one of the most memorable opening themes in television history, as well as one of the most emotional sitcom scenes of the 90s. RIP James Avery.
19. Family Guy
The concept of Family Guy is funny by itself: a baby with an odd accent hell-bent on killing his mother, a talking dog, pedophile neighbor, dumb dad, and a comically-neglected daughter.
The real prize, however, is the flashbacks and spot on pop culture references geared towards children of the 80s… not to mention spontaneous marathon fisticuffs with a life sized chicken.
18. Modern Family
Billed upon arrival as ‘the next Arrested Development‘, this critically-acclaimed story of the new nuclear family blew past the hype and has delivered in each of its first 3 seasons.
The triumphant return of Ed O’Neill and Julie Bowen to the sitcom realm combined with the American sitcom debut of Sofia Vergara and an excellent cast of relative newcomers has Modern Family poised to make a long run and possibly enter Top 10 sitcom history if they continue to evolve.
17. The Jeffersons
This All in the Family spinoff was an incredibly funny show. George Jefferson was funny by himself- the walk and the talking alone was entertaining enough; the back and forth sparring with Florence was incredible, adding Tom, Bentley, and Helen it’s no wonder The Jeffersons was such a television success.
16. All in the Family
A truly groundbreaking show that featured an oxymoron as its main character. Archie Bunker was a “lovable bigot” that represented the Greatest Generation’s struggle with coming to terms with the changes that were occurring in 1970s America. All in the Family was also highly influential in its impact on television, spawning The Jeffersons and paving the way for the “offensive” television of today.
15. The Office (U.S.)
Being a huge fan of the UK version I was a bit hesitant when they said it was going to be remade for an American audience. Now in its final run I can safely say that this was one of my favorite shows. The Office has a cast of characters that I have grown to love and will never forget once the lights in the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch are turned off.
14. M*A*S*H
Irreverant, insightful, hysterical, moving, often times all within the same episode. M*A*S*H was the rare show that could balance many moods. It credited its audience for their intelligence and allowed its stories to explore the tragedy of war right alongside with the gallows humor. Great cast. The finale is still one of the most watched television programs in history.
13. The Simpsons
Twenty plus seasons, five hundred plus episodes! It might not be the same quality show we grew up with, but it’s still better than half the shows out there today. The pop culture landscape was changed because of The Simpsons. It has one of the ten greatest characters in television show history. Bumblebee man we salute… Gotcha. Homer Simpson! Way to Doh!
12. Scrubs
Running from 2001-2010, Scrubs took place in the fictional Sacred Heart Hospital. Narrated by Dr. John “J.D.” Dorian (Zach Braff), the cast of memorable characters is vast, from his best friend, surgeon Christopher “Chocolate Bear” Turk (Donald Faison) to J.D.’s nemesis The Janitor (Neil Flynn).
I still want a drill-fork, a knife-wrench, and a scooter named Sasha. And Hooch is still crazy.
11. Night Court
Set during the late shift in a Manhattan court room, Night Court ran from 1984-1992 and remains criminally underrated.
Presided over by the Mel Torme-loving Judge Harold T. Stone (Harry Anderson), this particular courtroom also introduced us to the sex-obsessed narcissist Dan Fielding (John Larroquette), the lovable giant Bull Shannon (Richard Moll) and the ever sexy Christine Sullivan (Markie Post).
