Entertainment Weekly's List Issue is a great inspiration for discussions about what is good, great, important, relevant, etc. And, one of the lists they created was the best TV shows of the last 25 years. They counted all types of shows in all types of formats, but the one I want to explore more in depth is just straight-up sitcoms. I mean 30-minute, live-action American sitcoms. I'm not trying to exclude some great one-hour shows, animated masterpieces, or British sensations, I just want to focus on the classic American, sitcom style. So, here goes, the greatest sitcoms (according to the aforementioned criteria) in the last 25 years:
10. How I Met Your Mother (2005 -)
It's a new show, relative to the time frame of this list, but it's funny as hell. The cast is great and they do some really unique and clever things. I love the flashbacks inside of flashbacks, Slapsgiving, and almost everything about the character of Barney. The over-arching theme, finding the mother of Ted's children, often takes a backseat, though and it might just be a little too unconventional to retain the viewers needed to stay around a long time. But, it's a great show and deserves a chance to run it's natural course.
9. Cheers* (1982 - 1993)
*This show technically should not count due to its pre-1983 start date, but fuck it, I make the rules here and this is one I'm comfortable bending. I was very young when the show debuted, so the first few seasons come to me more clearly as re-runs in syndication. But, I've always kind of felt that you don't get a real feel for a sitcom until syndication anyway. It's not one of my top-10 favorite shows, but I do recognize it's overarching effect on American TV and it is undeniably entertaining. It's also home to some of TV's most memorable characters: Norm, Sam Malone, the long-lived Frasier Crane. It also worked well in all incarnations: with coach, with Diane, and with Rebbecca. And, let's not forget the classic theme song.
8. Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000 -)
I was hesitant to include this show since it airs on HBO, and, as such, is able to push some boundaries that other, network-bound shows, cannot, but it's just too good to leave off. Larry David is the genius that brought us Seinfeld, and in Curb, he's able to take his misanthropic approach to comedic social-commentary to an entirely new level. The supporting cast is great, and the over-arching story lines create a solid frame that the clever, individual episodes flesh out. It's definitely the L.A. to Seinfeld's New York.
7. Everybody Loves Raymond (1996 - 2005)
A lot of folks say this is a classic sitcom, but I beg to differ. A classic sitcom is Father Knows Best. ELR is 'Father Knows Worst' gimmickry at it's finest. Throw in the stress of in-laws and extended family and you might think that this show is one big cliche. But, somehow, it all works. Ray always screws up, Robert always mopes and moans, Deborah's feisty and Marie is overbearing and we still want more. To quote Paul Rudd in 40 Year-Old Virgin: "It's just a good show."
6. The Office ( 2005 -)
It's a mockumentary, a satire, and an adaptation of an existing British show, but somehow it feels original every time. At first, it was inferior to the clever, Ricky Gervais-led original, but as time wore on, it became great in its own right and now, I think, surpasses it's predecessor. Michael Scott is the most unsympathetic sympathetic character on TV, and the Dwight-Jim dynamic is fantastic. Every supporting character is unique, with lives and characteristics of their own that we see flashes of, instead of static, undeveloped, human scenery or sounding boards. The writing is top notch and the cast might be the best on television.
5. Arrested Development (2003 - 2006)
This could be the greatest, canceled-after-3-seasons TV show of all time. It is one of the most creative series I can remember, combining so many odd-fitting, awkward, and genuinely lovable characters in one place, it's hard to keep straight how they're all related. Now that I think about it, it seems they had trouble remembering that too sometimes. Jason Bateman and Michael Cera work as co-straightmen to the antics of the other Bluths and sub-Bluths, each of whom is a character study in itself. Throw in the narration, the story lines, and the performances, and you have a damn near-perfect TV show that America was too simple minded to grasp, appreciate or keep on the air. Too bad.
4. Friends (1994 - 2004)
Not until thinking back on this show recently did I realize the cultural impact it had. Haircuts, catchphrases, coffee, and lamination all owe a nod of recognition to this show about young, post-college friends that mature together into real adulthood in NYC. Some of the characters seem stock (the dumb guy, the ditsy hippie, the spoiled prep), but the actors breathed a lot of life into these archetypes. The chemistry among the cast is some of the best we've ever seen and I think a lot of people my age owe certain aspects of their senses of humor to one Mr. Chandler Bing.
3. The Cosby Show (1984 - 1992)
This show has been credited with saving the sitcom genre and reviving NBC in the 80's. It's also one of the original shows to be based on a comic's routine, which opened the door for many shows to come. Most importantly, though, the show was about family. Cliff and Claire were model parents, dealing with their children's discretions and deviations in stride and with love. It didn't take a Brady Bunch approach to family life, though. Beginning with the pilot episode, where we see Cliff shoot down Theo's future life plans, we see that this show will be a different beast. Bill Cosby is hilarious and had a wealth of material to begin with, but without the rest of the cast this show would not have become as great as it did. From Russell, to the Huxtable kids, to Olivia, the show had something for everyone and still makes you feel good just watching an episode or two.
2. Frasier (1993 - 2004)
This show is the most-successful spin-off of all time and is where we really get to see Frasier Crane (Cheers) fleshed out. It is a better show than it's predecessor, but that could be the difference between 80's television and 90's television more than anything. It's often considered the "smartest" sitcom, but don't think it's an elitist, erudite, snob (even if Frasier and Niles are). Characters like Marty, Roz, and Daphne keep the show grounded so that there is something for everybody. I believe it's won the most Emmys of any sitcom, and deservedly so. There are long-running gags, brief comedic, almost Vaudevillian snippets, witty banter and physical comedy. And, on a good day, they all meshed into an almost perfect television show. While the British voted Frasier the best sitcom ever, this is an American list, so it will stay at no. 2, because my no. 1 is...
1. Seinfeld (1989 - 1998)
...yada, yada, yada...
Missed the cut:
Undeclared, King of Queens, Two and a Half Men, Mad About You
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