1.) The Andy Griffith Show: This wildly successful program never finished below 7th in the Nielsen ratings and ended its eighth (and final) season at the top of the ratings. This show brought viewers pop culture icons Sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith), Opie Taylor (Ron Howard), Aunt Bea (Frances Bavier) and Deputy Barney Fife (Don Knots), and the show successfully intertwined humor and morality. In addition, the show led to two spin-off sitcoms (Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Mayberry R.F.D.). TV Guide ranks the show 9th in their list of "50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time" and received three Emmy-award nominations for "Outstanding Comedy Series"; Knotts won five Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series".
2.) I Love Lucy: One of the most popular television shows of all time, this was also the first (to my recollection) with a female star. This series won two Emmy awards for "Best Situation Comedy" and was ranked the second greatest TV show of all-time by TV Guide. In addition to its success, it also highlighted an inter-cultural relationship and pregnancy, which were both taboo in its era. The show was ranked in the top three of the Nielsen ratings in each of its six seasons, and was first in four out of those six.
3.) The Honeymooners: Jackie Gleason's immortal Ralph Kramden became the template for the sitcom husband, as the overworked, bumbling but good-natured 'man of the house', and was joined by sidekick Ed Norton (portrayed by Art Carney), who was essentially the original Cosmo Kramer. This show primarily used only four characters (Gleason, Carney and their wives (Pert Kelton/Audrey Meadows as Alice Kramden and Joyce Randolph as Trixie Norton) and was only on air for one full season. It did become a regular fixture on The Jackie Gleason Show, however and was ranked as the 3rd greatest television show of all-time by TV Guide.
4.) Sanford and Son: A hugely successful show during the majority of its 6-year run, Sanford and Son effectively ran The Brady Bunch off of the air in 1974 after going head-to-head at the same time slot. The central theme of the show were the misadventures of Fred (Red Foxx), and his son, Lamont Sanford (Desmond Wilson) who sold miscellaneous junk out of their salvage store in the Watts neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles, California. Originally airing in 1972, this predominantly African-American cast blazed a trail for future successful predominantly African-American sitcoms such as The Cosby Show, and The Jeffersons.
5.) The Simpsons: Currently in its 22nd season, this adult-themed animated sitcom is the longest running American sitcom, American animated program, and the longest running American primetime entertainment series. This series has contributed many pop cultural phenomenons from the fictitious mouths of Bart ("Don't have a cow, man!"; "Eat my shorts!", "Ay Carumba!", etc.) and Homer ("D'Oh!") as well as spawning a full-length feature film. Simpson follows the template of Gleason's Ralph Kramden and Fred Flintstone, but has grown beyond his predecessors in terms of cultural impact and notoriety. This decorated show has earned 27 Primetime Emmy Awards; was named the century's greatest television series by Time and greatest TV show of all-time by Esquire and 8th by TV Guide.
6.) Seinfeld: The top television show of all time as ranked by TV Guide, Seinfeld aired for 9 seasons on NBC. This critically acclaimed program earned an Emmy for "Outstanding Comedy Series" in 1993, Golden Globe Award for "Best TV-Series (Comedy)" in 1994, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series" in 1995, 1997, and 1998. After a slow start in the Nielsen ratings (unranked in the first two seasons, 42nd in the third and 25th in the fourth) it became one of the highest rated shows on television, finishing in the top 5 from seasons 5-9 and was first in the ratings in sixth and ninth. The "show about nothing" found hilarity in common, daily occurrences, and cemented the foursome of Jerry Seinfeld (as himself), Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), George Costanza (Jason Alexander) and Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards) into the American pop culture.
7.) M*A*S*H: I will readily admit that this is a show I have rarely watched and I would not consider myself a fan, but the success of the program warrants its inclusion. Adapted from a 1970 film, M*A*S*H aired for 11 seasons, earning an Emmy for "Outstanding Comedy Series" in 1974. The final episode remains the most-watched television episode of all-time and the show ranked in the top 10 in the Nielsen ratings nine of its eleven seasons. In addition, M*A*S*H managed to be successful as a military comedy during the highly contentious Vietnam War, which was certainly no small feat.
8.) Frasier: This is a personal favorite of mine, so it is probably higher on this list than others. Still, it was ranked 34th in TV Guide's list and was the top-rated sitcom of all-time in a British poll. Frasier is one of the few spin-off sitcoms to rank higher than the show it originated from (Cheers). While not quite the ratings darling of some of the shows on this list, the show was in the top 10 in the Nielsen ratings in four out of its 11 seasons, peaking at #3 in its sixth season. Frasier is however the most decorated sitcom of all-time, hauling in a record-setting 37 Emmy awards, and also holds the record for Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series, winning five from 1994 to 1998. Kelsey Grammer, who played Frasier on both Cheers and Frasier, won an Emmy for "Outstanding Lead in a Comedy Series" four times and two Golden Globes. David Hyde Pierce, who played Frasier's brother Niles, was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Emmy a record-breaking 11 consecutive times, winning four.
9.) Cheers: The Boston-based sitcom about a bar and its patrons is one of the most beloved American sitcoms of all-time. Like it's successor, Cheers also aired for 11 seasons. Somewhat surprisingly, it was nearly cancelled following its initial season, in which it finished dead last in the Nielsen ratings. It would go on to finish in the top 10 in eight of its eleven seasons. Ted Danson played the owner of Cheers, ex-Major League pitcher, alcoholic and consummate ladies' man Sam Malone. Cheers is very unique in that it used an ensemble cast but only one primary set, with very little of the scenes occurring outside of the bar itself. Cheers earned a record-setting 111 Emmy nominations, winning 26 times, and 31 Golden Globe nominations with six wins. Cheers won the Emmy for "Most Outstanding Comedy Series" four times.
10.) The Cosby Show: This was one of the first shows to transform a stand up comedians' material (Bill Cosby) into a television show, setting the stage for Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, Roseanne, Home Improvement, and The Drew Carey Show. In addition, the show featured an African-American family, which paved the way for further shows featuring African-American families. The Cosby Show finished atop the Nielsen ratings for five consecutive seasons (1985-1989), which is only the third sitcom to achieve this. This was also the first show to portray a highly successful African-American family, as Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby) was a medical doctor and his wife Clair Olivia Hanks-Huxtable (Phylicia Rashad) was a lawyer. This earned the show accolades for showing educated, wealthy African Americans and criticism for not being applicable to many black families. TV Guide ranked the show 34th all-time and won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series (1985).
Honorable Mention: All in the Family, Arrested Development, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Flintstones, Married with Children, Roseanne, The Jeffersons, The Office.
Bravo, you made an interesting and informed list, and your picks, while mostly expected, fell in an interesting order. I think Andy Griffith at #1 was well selected.
ReplyDeleteI can't help but think the Simpsons could be higher on a list if it knew when to throw in the towel. For that reason, I probably would have put Seinfeld higher.
Good call on Sanford and Son.