The Perfect Sitcom

[Sitcomwriter]

Which sitcom would you say is the PERFECT sitcom? It doesn't have to be your favorite sitcom, it just has to have great acting, great writing, a great theme song, great characters, etc. My nomination for the perfect sitcom is "Sports Night". Everything was perfect about that show. It was fantastic! The show was hyterically funny while still managing to be smart and moving at the same time. Another show is "Action", a gut-bustingly fantastic sitcom that is slowly moving into my Top 10.

[TJL]

Sportsnight is a great example of a strong ensemble backed by strong writing, but is it really considered a sitcom? I think it played more like a drama with a lighter storyline.
I think ABC had trouble labeling the show too, which is why they canned it.

The perfect sitcom? Hmmm. I'll get back to you.

;)

[Sitcomwriter]

Originally posted by TJL
Sportsnight is a great example of a strong ensemble backed by strong writing, but is it really considered a sitcom? I think it played more like a drama with a lighter storyline.
I think ABC had trouble labeling the show too, which is why they canned it.

Well, it did get overly dramatic in the later episodes but I would definitely consider it a sitcom, especially in the 1st season.

[TJL]

Originally posted by Sitcomwriter
Well, it did get overly dramatic in the later episodes but I would definitely consider it a sitcom, especially in the 1st season.

Yeah, they really tried hard (with the canned laughter) to make the audience think this is a sitcom. It certainly proved that not all decent programs had to be of the tradtional "line line joke" mold.

[tvfan0101]

Scrubs would be in the running for the "perfect" sitcom except for that fact that for this last season it seemed like a lot of the humor was just the characters mugging for the camera. I'd also suggest Malcolm in the Middle which has a fantastic combination of writing and acting. From what I've seen Action! was of the same caliber.

[barwars]

my nominations for "perfect sitcom"....

The Dick Van Dyke Show
Mary Tyler Moore
The Odd Couple
Taxi
Family Ties
Cheers
Frasier
Seinfeld
Arrested Development

[TV Observer 101]

I nominate the following:

The Munsters
I Love Lucy
Happy Days
The Brady Bunch

[FamilyTiesGOP]

Perfect all around = Cheers Great writing, great actors, great supporting characters, great storylines, basically sitcom perfection.

Perfect Family sitcom=Family Ties Great writing, great actors, and funny memorable characters.

[Kristen]

I'd say The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the Dick Van Dyke Show, right off the bat. Not to mention The Golden Girls.

[tvfan0101]

Would the "perfect sitcom" have to stay perfect for its entire run? I think so and thus that would put Happy Days out of the running, in my mind, because the quality took a nosedive in the last few seasons. It was perfect for a good while, though. The same could be said for M*A*S*H, which was more of a perfect sitcom for its first three seasons before it branched out and became more of a dramedy. It stayed good but was no longer strictly a sitcom.

[I am Roboto]

Hmm...

My nominees:

Cheers (1982-1993)
Frasier (1993-2004)
All in the Family (1971-1979)
Three's Company (1977-1984)

[Chain Gang Member]

Nominee:Three's Company(1977-1984 8 seasons)

Explanation:One guy living wih two girls,great physical comedy,great misunderstanings

http://www.billgoldberg.com/IntheRing/jackhammer.gif

[W.J. Griffin]

If you ask me, the perfect situation comedy is one that is utter in its simplicity, one whose setup creates surefire comic potential...

For example:

Wacky redheaded housewife of a Cuban bandleader always tries to break into show-biz;

Fat, loud-mouthed bus driver with get-rich-quick schemes bickers with his wife and best friends;

Crooked motor pool seargeant scams his platoon and dimwitted c.o. on a regular basis'

Ignorant, backwoods hillbillies strike oil and move to Beverly Hills;

Incompetent Army Captain is sent to a calvary outpost manned by a crooked seargeant and corporal in the old west;

Successful lawyer and his scatter-brained wife buy a ramshackeled farm in the sticks;

Prissy divorced neat-freak moves in with his slobbish best friend;

Bigoted factory foreman constantly berates his family and society at large;

Bigoted, elderly junkman constantly berates his grown son and society at large;

Wily young Latino moves in with bigoted old garage owner;

...and so on and so forth.

That is my formula for the perfect sitcom, and, as "I Love Lucy" , "The Honeymooners", "Sgt. Bilko" , "The Beverly Hillbillies", "F-Troop", "Green Acres", "The Odd Couple", "All In The Family", "Sanford And Son", and "Chico and the Man" will attest, it's a winning formula.

[barwars]

Originally posted by Jackhammer
Nominee:Three's Company(1977-1984 8 seasons)

Explanation:One guy living wih two girls,great physical comedy,great misunderstanings

please, stop the wresting clip.... it has NOTHING to do with this.

[EmoJoe]

Everyone knows my fav show is Full House, but I know its not PERFECT, so ill have to say:

[CarJackSnyder]

Friends
Cheers
Golden Girls
Threes Company

[Finch]

Frasier best show on tv or Seinfeld. Both great and have never really had a bad episode.