i_am_the_swammi Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 while I like "2 and a 1/2 men", and find it probably the best comedy on free-TV today, I wonder if it will be remembered in the same vein for this decade as the following are in theirs: 1970's: Mash, Soap, Barney Miller, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Three's Company, All in the Family 1980's: Cheers, Taxi, WKRP, Family Ties 1990's: Seinfeld, Friends, Married with Children ( ) .....amd I can think of perhaps a dozen more from the prior decades that I like better than what today's TV has to offer. Has reality TV taken a bite out of comedy? Or has free-TV family comedy been left for dead by the HBO's of the world? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengal Mania Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 1960's: Green Acres 1990s: NewsRadio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffeeman Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 (edited) Ya gotta give a nod to the Simpsons (in both the 90's and 2000's), at least for longevity, don't you? Edit: But I agree they are few and far between now.... Edited March 11, 2008 by Coffeeman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramhock Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Wings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxfactor Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Frazier- 1990s? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whomper Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Ya gotta give a nod to the Simpsons (in both the 90's and 2000's), at least for longevity, don't you? Edit: But I agree they are few and far between now.... IMO the best show ever made Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 while I like "2 and a 1/2 men", and find it probably the best comedy on free-TV today, I wonder if it will be remembered in the same vein for this decade as the following are in theirs: 1970's: Mash, Soap, Barney Miller, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Three's Company, All in the Family 1980's: Cheers, Taxi, WKRP, Family Ties 1990's: Seinfeld, Friends, Married with Children ( ) .....amd I can think of perhaps a dozen more from the prior decades that I like better than what today's TV has to offer. Has reality TV taken a bite out of comedy? Or has free-TV family comedy been left for dead by the HBO's of the world? Odd Couple should get a mention for 70s (in fact use it to replace Three's Company, which was pathetic). Frasier was the best 90s sitcom and frankly IMO one of the very few of the last 15-20+ years even worth a flip. A society which currently is near-obsessed with cynicism, vulgarity, "dirtiness" and just plain nastiness is what's left free-TV family comedy (or family anything) for dead. I pity kids nowdays; they get so much "adult" shoved down their throats everywhere they turn and don't even know any better. /soapbox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiefjay Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 A couple current ones right up there with Two and half men are How I met your mother and The Office both very good shows. I won't put them up there yet with the likes of Seinfeld and some of the others but they could approach those after a few more years. For me nothing approaches Seinfeld but the others mentioned are excellent. Taxi, Soap, MASH, Friends, Family Ties, etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yo mama Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Classic comedies: * All's Well That Ends Well * As You Like It * Cardenio * The Comedy of Errors * Cymbeline * Love's Labour's Lost * Love's Labour's Won * Measure for Measure * The Merchant of Venice * The Merry Wives of Windsor * A Midsummer Night's Dream * Much Ado About Nothing * Pericles Prince of Tyre * Taming of the Shrew * The Tempest * Twelfth Night * The Two Gentlemen of Verona * The Winter's Tale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengal Mania Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 1980's: Taxi1980's: WKRP Taxi - I started watching Taxi because my English teacher was a fan, and we could get him off subject the morning after the show. Classic: Rev. Jim - "What does a yellow light mean" Alex - "Slow down!" Rev Jim - "Whaaat doeeees a yeeeelow liiiight meeeean?" repeat WKRP - More Music an Les Nesman "As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_am_the_swammi Posted March 12, 2008 Author Share Posted March 12, 2008 Odd Couple should get a mention for 70s (in fact use it to replace Three's Company, which was pathetic). Frasier was the best 90s sitcom and frankly IMO one of the very few of the last 15-20+ years even worth a flip. A society which currently is near-obsessed with cynicism, vulgarity, "dirtiness" and just plain nastiness is what's left free-TV family comedy (or family anything) for dead. I pity kids nowdays; they get so much "adult" shoved down their throats everywhere they turn and don't even know any better. /soapbox My list was off the top of my head, and you are dead-on....Odd Couple is indeed a true classic. I think your analysis is dead on...I remember as a kid sitting with my family watching Tuesday night TV (Happy Days, L&S), and sitting on Sunday nights after "60 Minutes" watching my parents piss their pants watching Archie Bunker do his thing to Meathead. I have very few of those moments with my kids....they are busy watching junk on Nickelodeon, or doing their video-game thing. Might be why I like American Idol....not for the singing so much....just for the fact its something we can all watch together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clubfoothead Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 I really loved Welcome Back Kotter when I was young. I liked King of Queens a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 (edited) My list was off the top of my head, and you are dead-on....Odd Couple is indeed a true classic. I think your analysis is dead on...I remember as a kid sitting with my family watching Tuesday night TV (Happy Days, L&S), and sitting on Sunday nights after "60 Minutes" watching my parents piss their pants watching Archie Bunker do his thing to Meathead. I have very few of those moments with my kids....they are busy watching junk on Nickelodeon, or doing their video-game thing. Might be why I like American Idol....not for the singing so much....just for the fact its something we can all watch together. Yep hear ya. I'd suggest going and buying some of the older series on DVD, but I suspect you'd be hard-pressed to get them to watch. Maybe if you started them out watching them at an early age and made it a "family thing".......or you could say "it's either this or chores." Then maybe once they saw some, they'd give it a chance. Back in the Ice Age when we had 1 TV, no cable and no remote, you took what the networks gave you, so sometimes you'd watch something you'd rather not, either because someone else in the family wanted to or there wasn't much else to do at night (esp in winter). Then we got cable and got to see stuff like the Honeymooners etc, but it was still limited. I think maybe now there's such a ridiculous amount of stuff out there, it's like "information overload." Anyway The Office is IMO definitely the best of today. I like Curb Your Enthusiasm too, but again that's not exactly family material. PS and edit: I completely forgot Everybody Loves Raymond and for the 80s, The Cosby Show. d'oh. Edited March 12, 2008 by BeeR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_am_the_swammi Posted March 12, 2008 Author Share Posted March 12, 2008 I liked King of Queens a lot. +1 For some reason, it has more appeal in syndication than it did in prime-time. We pretty much watch it every night at 11:00 while falling asleep in bed.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 50s - I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners 60s - Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengal Mania Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Funny what you forget 70's: Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart, Carol Burnette, all on the same night. I think this ranks as the best full night of comedies, rivalled only by 80s Cosby/Familty Ties/Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bring Back Pat!!! Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 I really loved Welcome Back Kotter when I was young. I liked King of Queens a lot. I Wonder Why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_am_the_swammi Posted March 12, 2008 Author Share Posted March 12, 2008 Funny what you forget 70's: Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart, Carol Burnette, all on the same night. I think this ranks as the best full night of comedies, rivalled only by 80s Cosby/Familty Ties/Cheers Night Court followed Cheers in that Thursday night line-up....another classic which I completely forgot about. Mad About You/Friends//Seinfeld line-up was pretty decent TV, too, if we are comparing the all-time best "Must See TV" line-ups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiefjay Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 I Wonder Why? Nice. Before she got into scientology and got fat. Agreed on K of Q, quality show, rarely a bad episode, James is money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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