Sitcoms

[Spark Of Spirit]

Now a dying breed, sitcoms were top of the heap when it came to comedy on TV for almost half a century. Surely there have been different ideas; they have been edgy, light, over the top, subdued, and with high concepts and straightforward ones. But they are an important part of television, and I think they should have their own thread.

The only thing I really have to state here is that laugh tracks are poison and the best sitcoms used actual audience reaction not unlike a play. Laugh tracks are fake ways of inducing comedy in a situation, while audience reaction enhances enjoyment.

What do you feel are some of the best sitcoms? IMO, I haven't enjoyed a proper sitcom in at least half a decade. ABC became too squeaky clean like Full House and CBS became too obsessed with raunchy sex jokes. The less said about NBC and FOX's attempts, the better.

[Avaitor]

I've mentioned before that I think that HIMYM, Modern Family, and Community are all funny shows with good characters, clever situations, and damn good scripts.

Nothing currently on appeals to me though, but I still watch these every week.

[Commode]

I still like Two and a Half Men, and yes, How I Met Your Mother is pretty funny(although I don't watch it much, and when I do it's in syndication).  I used to watch 30 Rock off and on too, but haven't kept up with it the last couple of seasons.

Most sitcoms from the 1970s through the 1990s are good watchin' for me.  There are exceptions, like I never liked The Facts of Life, I've mentioned it before but I can't stand The Cosby Show, and since you guys were just talking about it Full House is terrible.  Oh, and Friends.  That one sucked too.

[Spark Of Spirit]

In my opinion, Friends actually ruined sitcoms for a short period. I think they sort of mentioned it in Animaniacs (or was it P&TB?), but when Friends was at its peak EVERYONE copied that coffee shop gimmick and sub-Seinfeld show about nothing shtick about upper class young people living in the city.

I think it ruined good ideas like Two Guys, A Girl, & A Pizza Place (When the Pizza place died, the show did) and I suspect they tried to input it into TGIF shows at the time as well. The worst part for me, was that Friends was boring as hell. The characters were all bland, the plots unmemorable (I remember the monkey and little else), and yet it was loved by all when it was on. Thankfully, it seems people are no longer looking back fondly on it but seeing it for what it was, but it doesn't change the fact that it was a boring show.

[Avaitor]

I stopped watching 30 Rock after the time change. The more Jack and Liz became apparently canon, the more my interest was fading out. Now that it's not airing next to Community like it used to, I don't see a reason to bother anymore.

The first few seasons were funny, but I tend to dislike when most sitcoms start focusing on relationships. These types of writers aren't really prepared for that, and more often than not, they ruin the dynamic. I can think of long-lasting relationships (part of to full seasons) added that have successfully contributed to a sitcom in one hand.

[Avaitor]

Is this what you're talking about?

Wow, it's been a while since I've seen this.

"Sorry, we're doing that in here. If you wanna come in, you'll have to do something."
"We've never tried that before!"

[Spark Of Spirit]

Yeah, that's the one! They really nailed the show there.

[Avaitor]

Yes they do. There's another relevant P&TB episode I'm thinking about, but that's a half-hour one.

I have a friend who is STILL obsessed with the show. He is very poor but owns the complete series set... even though he still watches it on syndication daily.

Honestly, I don't hate it, but it has really become overplayed over the past 15 or so years, and none of the characters are all that interesting.

[Commode]

Off-topic, but wow, this one is harsh!  I'm not too familiar with the later run Animaniacs, since they ran on Kids WB and I didn't have it until later on.

[Avaitor]

I haven't seen that in a while either. I'm watching Level E now so I have it paused for after the episode is over, but I remember it being pretty harsh.

A! really went overboard with the Disney callouts, especially in it's later years. I think this came out the same season as the BATB episode.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Pocahontas felt formulaic even at the time, but still that is pretty harsh.

But I digress.

I wish Nick @ Nite wasn't showing George Lopez. That show sucks.

[Angus]

Reminds me of that Super Bowl commercial.

Sitcoms can still be fun, but Disney Channel has totally claimed that market for the kids, leaving the adults with the animated cartoons and a handful of semi-witty Prime Time shows that if I were mainstream I should watch but I don't, like 30 Rock or The Office.

Although I have to admit that TVLand's Hot in Cleveland is kinda funny considering it gathers all the stars and guest stars from those old sitcoms.

[Avaitor]

To be fair Pocahontas deserved the bashing, I still stand by my previous comment though.

On topic, this is great.

[Rosalinas Spare Wand]

I actually just rediscovered All in the Family since an LA-affiliate here is airing it in the mornings. It sucks that its on at 10 in the morning though, since I have classes at that time, so I usually just catch the Friday airing. Strangely enough, it still feels as edgy as it was back in the day simply because of Archie's constant zingers.

I'll also admit I watch The Nanny nightly and thoroughly enjoy it. I used to watch it with my mom when I was a kid and that show was my window to what East Coast life is like, and I still believe its somewhat like that. I actually wish Fran Drescher did some more ocmedy after that show ended, because she's hysterical.

That 70s Show also continues to be one of my personal favorites. It may be based on a different time period, but I grew up with it in my teenage years so it was very easy to relate. Although now that I'm older, its become very obvious to me that Red was right, Eric is a dumbass.

Boy Meets World gets an honorable mention for being one of the best sitcoms from ABC. It didn't simply have witty comedy, it had the show evolve as the characters grew up. You watch Cory go from being an immature kid to preparing for marriage and his career. I was mad as fuck when the DVD sets were canceled, but thankfully they're back in the plans.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I actually do like the Nanny, surprisingly. It's not one of my favorites, but it fits on Nick @ Nite like a glove and it's fun to watch.

Other shows I really got into were Frasier (whose final season was completely ignored because of Friends' finale) and Cheers. Those ones never get old to me.