MJ4H's Top 50 Personal Favorite Sitcoms

[MJ4H]

OK, so hopefully this won't get hijacked in this forum. Please, if you feel like calling me a name for posting a topic for discussion, save it.

Anyway, this list is my personal top 50 of all-time. I am not in anyway trying to say these are the best 50 sitcoms of all-time, mainly because I am not qualified to judge that. I am qualified to say which ones I enjoy, though.

A lot of things go into what I enjoy. Could be great acting, an interesting subject matter, good writing, a cool theme song, cool commericials, hot chicks, cute boys, I didn't really say that last one, or good cinematography.

Please, feel free to discuss the shows or why I am stupid for liking a show or shallow or ugly or hot or tall. Also, throw in if you think a show should be higher or lower for your personal lists or whatever. The point of this is to discuss sitcoms, not boost my post count, so please do so, otherwise this is a boring thread!

Also: note that I consider animated series to be a different class of show, so I did not include any in this list.

[MJ4H]

#50: My Three Sons



The only memory I have of this show is from Nick at Nite. In fact, most of what I remember is the commercials for the show. Nick took the theme song and had a guy singing it with pretty nonsensical words, such as:

"And then there's Bub; He cooks some food; They eat it up; They're My Three Sons!"

Also, I remember a verse that had Steve in the closet, clumsily bumping his head into the hangers and the lyric was "He's really tall!"

Also, I like the way the theme song uses "Chopsticks" as a counter-melody. ++CLICK HERE TO LISTEN++

(very short snippet that should easily qualify for fair-use)

[MJ4H]

Oh and as GWB, I think, brought up in the previous incarnation of this thread in General Discussions, I had totally forgotten about "Dodie." I'll bet there is quite a bit about most of these shows that a bunch of people will be able to remind me of.

[Joe]

Originally Posted by MattJones4Heisman

Oh and as GWB, I think, brought up in the previous incarnation of this thread in General Discussions, I had totally forgotten about "Dodie." I'll bet there is quite a bit about most of these shows that a bunch of people will be able to remind me of.

I think that was Bubba.

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by George W Bush

I think that was Bubba.

My mistake. Sorry.

[MJ4H]

#49: Who's the Boss



OK, I'll get the theme music thing out of the way first this time. Being a music person, I pay a lot of attention to this aspect.

The theme song is one of the most annoying things on the planet. A lot of people will say the song is terrible. Yeah, it's a bit corny, but there real problem is the dang piccolo part. ++CLICK HERE TO LISTEN++ Listen for the piccolo(synthesized, I'm pretty sure). It plays the same thing over and over again, the whole song. I want to kill myself by the time it is over.

As for the show, this was one of my regular weekly staples back in the 80s. Not really laugh out loud funny, but cute. Kind of a vehicle for Tony Danza more than anything, but a lot of the time the show was stolen by a certain teenaged daughter.

Another favorite character was Mona, the mother of Angela, Tony's co-star (played by Judith Light). Most of the jokes of the show revolved around her and her escapades and innuendos. All in all an enjoyable show, but nothing terribly outstanding.

[MJ4H]

#48: Charles in Charge



There is an obvious hot chick factor in this selection, I think. Nicole Eggert was extremely hot in this show. I'm pretty sure I remember this show being way corny, but it was pretty watchable. Theme music was terrible, but whistle-able.

Goofy neighbor character was pretty prominent in this show. I think goofy neighbor character is in nearly every sitcom. Even modern sitcoms like Seinfeld.

[MJ4H]

#47: Full House



This is one of those shows where I know people will laugh at me for listing, but I did watch this show a lot in its prime run. It was enjoyable for the age I was when it was big so I have fond memories of it. That said, I have caught a few of the syndicated showings on whichever nickelodeon channel it is on, and I don't think I can stomach very much of it at once it is so sugary-sweet. But I don't think it is fair to not list it at all, so it gets a spot near the bottom.

There were some enjoyable things about the show, after all. Dave Coulier was just side-splittingly funny doing the "cut it out" thing. The Jesse's hair jokes never got old. Of course there's the uptight daddy Danny jokes and the kid-sister being jealous of the older sister jokes. Why did I have to list this show again? Oh yeah, the theme song was singable. Or maybe the Olsen twins.

Also, what is it about Full House, Step by Step, and Family Matters that makes it seem like they are all the exact same show with different actors?

[MJ4H]

#46: Empty Nest



This show owes its spot in my top 50 to its time slot on Lifetime or whatever channel it was on when I was in college. The show wasn't one of the greatest of all-time or anything, but I got a lot of enjoyment out of it in between classes during at least one year of college, maybe two (I don't really remember).

This show was a spin-off of The Golden Girls, if I remember properly. I hope my memory isn't failing me on this, but I think Estelle Getty as the link in that chain. Wacky neighbor guy was in full force on this show, as some dude that looked and acted like Larry from Three's Company was constantly raiding the fridge. Cute show. Definitely a memorable theme song, too. I can sing the whole thing to this day.

++CLICK HERE TO LISTEN++

[MJ4H]

I posted a link to an mp3 of the intro to the Who's the Boss theme song so you can hear the freaking abominable piccolo part that haunts me. Note that that sound continues throughout the entire rest of the song.

See the entry for Who's the Boss for the link or click here.

[MJ4H]

#45: Laverne & Shirley



Oh another spin-off. This one is a spin-off of Happy Days in case you've forgotten. I wonder if any tv show spawned more spin-offs than Happy Days.

The theme song for Laverne & Shirley is one of the catchiest in the history of TV themes, and I'd bet that is more of a factor for this show's inclusion on my list than any merits of the show. In fact, probably my coolest memory of the show itself is that awesome shirt with the L on it.

A couple of the wackiest neighbors in the history of television on this show: Lenny and Squiggy, who, if I'm not mistaken, followed the girls across the country when they up and moved to California. All in all, a pretty dumb but enjoyable show for the personalities and funky Penny Marshall accent.

The theme song? Yeah, my useless trivia brain reminds me that it actually spent some among the day's pop music charts. Top 40 or whatever it was in the day. Here is the ending for you, in case you've forgotten: ++CLICK HERE TO LISTEN++

[Abe Sargent]

I like this idea for a dynasty, MJ4H!

[MJ4H]

Thanks! I'm glad you are reading along. Should get more interesting when we get to the better shows.

[Butter]

I always thought Empty Nest was underrated... but the rest of your shows so far get a big "meh" from me.

And for the record, you're not the only one whom that Who's the Boss piccolo annoyed. I hated that show, largely thanks to its droning, horrific theme.

[MJ4H]

Yeah, these are really the bottom of the barrel for all of the shows I've really watched. I actually found it sort of hard to even come up with 50 shows. I'm actually not much of a TV watcher these days, but I have always enjoyed sitcoms.

[MJ4H]

#44: Alice



Alice was a lot of fun. The most memorable characters in the show were Alice's co-worker waitresses, and her boss Mel. Who can ever forget one of the biggest character catch-phrases, "Kiss my grits?"

I can remember being very young when this show was in its prime, and that phrase was very popular at that time. I will keep my brain open to see if there are other character specific catch-phrases like this that were as big as this one in the rest of the count-down, but my initial impression is that this going to be one of the biggest if not the biggest catch-phrase on my list. Kiss
my grits, Mel!

Then there was Vera, the ditzy waitress. Similar to the wacky neighbor, Vera was the wacky co-worker, and she always cracked me up. Completely over the top ditzy and silly, this appealed to me as a youngster who enjoyed acting silly and watching others acting silly.

The theme song to the show was a song called "There's a New Girl in Town." Very singable. To this day this is one of my wife's favorite TV themes and she loves to sing along with it when it comes up on the ipod. Lots of fun. ++CLICK HERE TO LISTEN++

[MJ4H]

#43: The Hogan Family



Now here is one I barely remember, but remember enjoying a lot. What I remember about this show is that it used to be called Valerie and had the name changed when the character played by Valerie Harper was killed off in a car accident. Sandy Duncan then became the lead in the show. It is actually Sandy Duncan that I remember most.

Other memorable characters from the show, or more accurately to me, actors from the show, were Edie McClurg (the wacky neighbor Mrs. Poole) and Jason Bateman (the son, David Hogan).

This show seemed to be pretty standard fare for sitcoms but was entertaining to me because of the likable characters. Not a laugh a minute, but a nice wholesome show.

[MJ4H]

Due to lack of participation I will just reveal the rest of my top 50 10 at a time with short comments. Back to start that later.

[MJ4H]

nevermind. full posting continued. lurkers abound

[Abe Sargent]

Hey now - i like it! In fact, I'm about to start my own dynasty, inspired by you!


-Anxiety

[Vince]

For the record, I liked the detailed versions -- I just don't have much to add, as these are for the most part shows I didn't watch much (Full House and Who's the Boss are the only two so far I know well because I watched them at the time they were aired).

[PackerFanatic]

I also like the detailed versions, but do what you need to

[MJ4H]

OK. Thanks, guys. Didn't think anyone was reading. I'll skip ahead a bit and get back to detailed. Say get down to the top 20 sitcoms and then go back to the bigger reviews.

[Abe Sargent]

Heya, MJ4H, check out my similar dynasty, based off your idea!!!

[Miller Time]

I'm following along also, keep it up!

[MJ4H]

#42: Step by Step



Step by Step was a very creative show. Imagine a man with three kids marrying a woman with three kids of her own. Six kids all in the same house, dealing with unfamiliar parents, rules, siblinds, and situations. The creator of this show deserves a lot of praise for the fore-sight required to see that this idea has legs.

Now, Marcia Brady was cute, but not cute enough to make me watch The Brady Bunch. However, Suzanne Sommers, even being 80 years old or whatever is enough for me. But then there is jail-bait everywhere on this show. Of course, there was Staci Kennan of My Two Dads fame, but then there was Angela Watson. Yum.



It didn't even stop there. The youngest sister was even hot. Big time jail-bait when the show started, of course, but later in the show, holy crap.


Christine Lakin submitted for your approval.

So yeah, what was this show about again? Wacky neighbor kid, in this show, named Cody, was prominent. I think Cody was the inspiration for some Dell commercials, personally.


Dude, you're getting a copycat.

I swear this show, Family Matters, and Full House were all cut from the same cloth. Same lame humor, overacting, and cheesey theme song style. Kimmy Gibler can't hold a candle to Cody or Urkel though.

[MJ4H]

#41: One Day at a Time



One Day at a Time was a very important show in the history of television. Ths show tackled themes from indepVALERIE BERTENELLI to feminism. Certainly, the impact of the show on the lives of younVALERIE BERTENELLI cannot be overestimated. In fact, the whole premise of the show was for Ann Romano to divorcVALERIE BERTENELLI just to find herself.

Key elements of other sitcoms were used well in One Day at a Time. For instance, the wacky neighbor character was alive and well in Dwayne Schneider, the handiman. Also the show's them is very memorable and quite singable.

Oh and there was a pretty hot girl on the show, too.



She looks a lot like Katharine McPhee in this picture, actually.

[Abe Sargent]

Been a while *hint*

[Ragone]

funny thing about cody/sasha mitchell.. he's a international kickboxing champion.. and he beat his wife.. go figure

[Frozenrope]

Whatever happened to the rest of this countdown? sniff!

[DolphinFan1]

Originally Posted by Frozenrope

Whatever happened to the rest of this countdown? sniff!

Let's just hope he doesn't take a 3 year hiatus like I did when my son was born before I revived FOFC Wrestling. (Cheap Plug).