Iconic sitcoms - Pop Culture!

[masraum]

Last night I noticed that Cheers was on Netflix, and wanted to watch something short, so I watched the first episode. I'd forgotten how good it was.

That popped a thought into my head, "what are some of the most iconic sitcoms over the years?" Four popped into my mind right away. Three, probably because they were probably the most recent and shows that I watched, which were Cheers, Friends and Seinfeld, and the fourth was MASH. I think those had a pretty enormous fan base and were probably well distributed around the globe.

Then I started wondering about others. The next few that popped into my head were The Jeffersons and probably the Cosby Show. Then even though it was before my time, I thought that the Honeymooners seemed like a distinct possibility.

Since then, I've thought that possibly Threes Company might make the list (but probably not) and maybe Good Times (maybe).

Another just popped into my head that seems like it should fit the bill, Sanford and Son!

One that my wife thought of and I was surprised that I hadn't thought of was All in the Family. That seems pretty iconic. Another possibility, if it is considered a sitcom, and I think it might be, is I Love Lucy.

How about Big Bang Theory? Do you think that's going to be considered iconic? It's great fun to watch, but I don't think it's going to be considered iconic. I'm pretty out of touch with sitcoms in the last 10-20 years. Most of what I've seen didn't seem that funny. I used to watch Scrubs. It was funny, but I don't know that I'd call it iconic. I hear a lot about Two and a Half Men. Charlie certainly made it a household name.

What do you guys think? Are there any of those that you don't think would fit? What about other stuff that you do think would fit?

Honeymooners
I Love Lucy
All in the Family
Jeffersons
Good Times
Sanford and Son
MASH
Cheers
Cosby Show
Friends
Seinfeld
Three's Company?
Big Bang Theory?

[wdfifteen]

Honeymooners - OK for nostalgia's sake
I Love Lucy - was never a fan. OK for nostalgia's sake
All in the Family - I loved it
Jeffersons - Meh
Good Times - NO
Sanford and Son - Meh
MASH - Good as sitcoms go
Cheers -Good as sitcoms go
Cosby Show - Good as sitcoms go
Friends- No way
Seinfeld - Best comedy show ever
Three's Company? - You have to be kidding
Big Bang Theory? - I've never seen it

[masraum]

What about Taxi or Soap? I'm familiar, but was too young to really know how watched they were or what their impact was.

[masraum]

Happy Days!

[masraum]

I've never seen it, but Arrested Development seems to get lots of press and has been around 17 years which is impressive by any standards.

[ossiblue]

Barney Miller was one I particularly liked, also Night Court.

Arrested Development was pure genius, IMO.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by masraum

What about Taxi or Soap?

Soap was great. Richard Mulligan's physical humor was hilarious. "Piece of Chalif Tinkler", Billy Crystal, Diana Canova - all great actors.
Taxi was good because of the characters. Latka, Simka, Louie, and Iggy were great!

[masraum]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Honeymooners - OK for nostalgia's sake
I Love Lucy - was never a fan. OK for nostalgia's sake
All in the Family - I loved it
Jeffersons - Meh
Good Times - NO
Sanford and Son - Meh
MASH - Good as sitcoms go
Cheers -Good as sitcoms go
Cosby Show - Good as sitcoms go
Friends- No way
Seinfeld - Best comedy show ever
Three's Company? - You have to be kidding
Big Bang Theory? - I've never seen it

Apparently, the Honeymooners only ran for a couple of years.
The Jeffersons, I think has to fit as it ran for a while, and considering the subject matter, was probably a big deal at the time, but I was too young to really know.
Friends, even though you may not have liked it, I think it's going to go down in history as iconic.

"In terms of pure marketability, Friends was a juggernaut. Everyone watched Friends. Parents watched alongside kids. Its mass appeal is summed up by its incredibly general title alone—I mean really, “Friends”? Its success may be the ultimate reminder that truly populist sitcoms are all about the characters and not necessarily the storylines. Friends simply had the best-defined characters: Nebbish Ross, prickly Chandler, air-headed Joey, domineering Monica, bubbly Phoebe and “I’m very attractive” Rachel. The writing was just clever enough to let a talented bunch of actors grow into their roles and become archetypes that have been echoed in dozens of sitcoms in the decade since the show’s finale. The reach of Friends extends to every end of pop culture, even fashion. Case in point: “the Rachel” hairstyle, which became the decade’s defining ’do. That is the definition of influence.—Jim Vorel"

Something I found about "Big Bang THeory"
"Big Bang Theory is the last of the blockbuster sitcoms. It’s the last sitcom to get massive ratings, to build a huge, devoted audience who will absolutely watch the show whenever it’s on. Reruns of the series helped legitimize TBS as a comedy network. It has that broad, populist appeal that shows rarely have these days. Sure, it gets some critical kudos, and Jim Parsons has won about a million Emmys, but it will never be a hip show. Its future is Nick at Nite, not IFC. But, while Big Bang Theory is not a brilliant show, nor an iconic sitcom, it’s a solid series that delivers its very specific content with great reliability. The actors involved are all talented, and for every dumb joke delivered, the show provides at least one sharp one. Its immense popularity will always be held against it in some circles, but if you give it a chance, you realize that—even if it doesn’t belong in any sort of pantheon of iconic sitcoms—it’s a consistently entertaining story that has plenty to offer.—Chris Morgan"

[wdfifteen]

Sex and the City. My mom loved it. It was not comfortable as a 50 year old to sit with my 75 year old mom watching Sex and the City.

[fanaudical]

+1 for Night Court (I think my favorite sitcom ever).

Not quite a sitcom, but a '80s show I really enjoyed for the comedy was Moonlighting.

[MBAtarga]

For Millenials - The Office. Both my grown kids can recent lines from it. That's what she said!

[upsscott]

Arrested Development and Curb Your Enthusiasm. They don’t get much better.

[Brian 162]

Frasier was a very funny show. Very well written, also had some of the Cheers cast on a few episodes.
Everybody Loves Raymond I enjoyed as well.
Barney Miller
The Beverly Hillbillies, the black and whites episodes were the best ones.
The Andy Griffith Show
As a 7 year old who could forget Batman or The Munsters

[ossiblue]

How could I not mention: (covers a wide time span)

The Dick Van Dyke Show

Ozzie and Harriet

Leave it to Beaver

Dobie Gillis

Mary Tyler Moore

Sgt. Bilko (The Phil Silvers Show)

Bob Newhart

[wdfifteen]

The Dick Van Dyke Show - the family watched it every week. I think I enjoyed it

Ozzie and Harriet - never watched a whole episode.

Leave it to Beaver - now days it's great to watch and look for suggestive lines. "I gave The Beaver a hot bath last night." "You were a little harsh on The Beaver."

Dobie Gillis - "It's only you Maynard." That's the only line I remember. I did identify with Maynard G Krebs even at an early age.

Mary Tyler Moore - Meh

Sgt. Bilko (The Phil Silvers Show) - Not a fan

Bob Newhart[/QUOTE] - This was a good show. Plus Suzanne Pleshette

[look 171]

BRady Bunch for us kids daily after school. As we got a bit older, we realized Three's Company was pretty funny.

[Ayles]

I recently binge watched All In the Family. I’m probably on the younger side as it was ending it’s run when I was quite young.

That show holds up amazingly well. It’s hilarious and so much of it is still relevant. Archie is like your maga hat wearing father in law. Not much has changed in 45 years.

[cantdrv55]

Whatchootalkinbout Willis

[Rawknees'Turbo]

Originally Posted by Ayles

I recently binge watched All In the Family. I’m probably on the younger side as it was ending it’s run when I was quite young.

That show holds up amazingly well. It’s hilarious and so much of it is still relevant. Archie is like your maga hat wearing father in law. Not much has changed in 45 years.

I watched many of the episodes a few years ago (did not see them when they originally aired as my Little House on the Prairie parents deemed it too vulgar), and totally agree. The only real thing that has changed in 45 years is Americans have developed much thinner skin for things they disagree with (such as, your MAGA connection will likely trigger some folks here ); I doubt that show could be aired now, and if it was, the outpouring of "outrage" over it would be something to see.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by cantdrv55

Whatchootalkinbout Willis

I was in grade school then but oh boy, did I have a thing for Kim. She was so old and mature.

A client used to say that to me all the time, and expected me to know what that was. Lucky I did and was able to play along.