Which of these 3 shows out of the List do you think was ABC most Popular Sitcoms of all time?

Home Improvement
Roseanne
Three's Company
Happy Days
Coach
Soap

Roseanne

Home Improvement

Three's Company

I would probably say HD. It would have to be between HD, Roseanne and Home Improvement since they all at least finished #1 at one time or another and HD turned ABC into a power network. It had never been #1 until Happy Days took off and that led to other hit shows.

I liked
Happy Days
Threes Company
and
the first 2 years of Soap

never watched the other shows

Happy Days would definitely be at the top of the list out of these shows - it ran the longest, and consistently brought in great ratings.

Probably Roseanne and Three's Company for the next 2. I definitely wouldn't say Soap - only ran 4 seasons and got dismal ratings (even though I love it!). Coach brought in good ratings, but never got the popularity of the others.

Most popular:

1. Happy Days

2. Three's Company

3. Home Improvement

I think these 3 based on their ratings and volume of syndicated reruns.

How can you not include Bewitched? this was the first sitcom, heck show period, to help ABC from just being an also ran 3rd network. it's first season in 1964-65 was #2 out of all TV progams.

How can you not include Bewitched? this was the first sitcom, heck show period, to help ABC from just being an also ran 3rd network. it's first season in 1964-65 was #2 out of all TV progams.

Very true - deserves to be on the list more than Soap, at least. But, a lot of huge ABC shows have been left off this list, like Who's the Boss?, Growing Pains, AFV, and Drew Carey Show to name a few, plus a lot more classic shows.

ROSEANNE
HAPPY DAYS
THREE'S COMPANY

Roseanne because it broke new ground for sitcoms and did great in the ratings. It was as real as a sitcom can be. We didn't see fancy designer clothes, we didn't see the same old routine that we were used to seeing on sitcoms. We seen a child get spanked, we seen teens being rebellious and talking back, we seen kids in regular clothes, we seen the good and bad side of a middle class family.

Happy Days simply because of the phenomenon of the whole Fonzie character not to mention the ratings and the shows it spun-off.

Three's Company because it too was groundbreaking. It was funny and even in the middle of the whole drama with Suzanne Somers, it proved the show as a whole is what made viewers tune in, not simply for Suzanne.

Three's Company because it too was groundbreaking. It was funny and even in the middle of the whole drama with Suzanne Somers, it proved the show as a whole is what made viewers tune in, not simply for Suzanne.

To me that was a no-brainer - of course they didn't tune in to see Suzanne Somers. That just goes to show how dumb and naive she was back then. It makes you laugh to think that once she left and Priscilla came in, ratings actually went up.

To me that was a no-brainer - of course they didn't tune in to see Suzanne Somers. That just goes to show how dumb and naive she was back then. It makes you laugh to think that once she left and Priscilla came in, ratings actually went up.
Suzanne depended too much on her hubby to do the thinking for her. ;)

To me that was a no-brainer - of course they didn't tune in to see Suzanne Somers. That just goes to show how dumb and naive she was back then. It makes you laugh to think that once she left and Priscilla came in, ratings actually went up.
Considering her husband managed most of her career back then, it's a conclusion that most fans have come to that Suzanne didn't want any more money than anyone else. Her husband wanted her to have more money, but Suzanne wasn't going to argue with him, so she actually wanted to bargain to get more money for John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt as well. I don't believe Suzanne ever considered herself the "star" of the show. Also, the ratings didn't really go up that much. Maybe an episode here or there, but the show was ranking #3, #1, and #2 for its first three full seasons and never made the top three ever again after that (though the #4 ranking in season 6 was impressive).

^^^^Not trying to be a know-it-all or snippy or anything, just putting my thoughts out there :)

And I agree with the folks who say TC, HD, and Ro. Those are the top three out of that last, at least.

Definitely HD, b/c it was by far ABC's longest-running, if not longest-running of all, then one of ABC's most longest-running sitcoms ever made and most consistent up until the early to mid '80s when ABC as a whole lost it's #1 spot between them and CBS.

Roseanne - it ran for 9 years and also helped ABC tie w/ NBC for the #1 Network spot in the 1988-89 and 1989-90 TV seasons thanks to this show, "A Different World" and especially "The Cosby Show" as Carsey-Werner's shows were at full speed those two seasons.

tie: Three's Company/Soap

Soap
Even though Soap only lasted for 4 seasons, it too along w/ fellow 1977 show in Three's Company start off as controversial, but ground-breaking shows. Soap was one of the 1st TV shows to introduce viewers to the 1st openly gay character in Jodie Dallas.

Three's Company
It's 8-season run allowed for one man to live freely w/ two other sexy women and also showed that you didn't have to court w/ either one of them as well.

Too bad they should of had Jack going steady w/ both of them...lol! J/k!

ABC's longest running sitcom (and still holds the record for live action sitcoms) is "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet".

Brady Bunch Variety Hour-70's

At Ease-80's

Thea-90's




LOL

Roseanne, Happy Days and Three's Company.

Was Soap not very popular? They seem to have all the DVD's out.

Was Soap not very popular? They seem to have all the DVD's out.
Soap was pretty popular. It was a top 25 show for a few years but it was never in the top10.

I would say these are the most popular ABC sitcoms in terms of popularity/ratings:

Happy Days
Three's Company
Roseanne
Laverne & Shirley
Home Improvement
Bewitched

To a lesser extent (all of these were top 30 or better consistently shows, some top 10 some years):
Drew Carey Show
Who's the Boss?
Growing Pains
Soap
Coach
Grace Under Fire
The Wonder Years
Taxi
Too Close for Comfort
My Three Sons
Partridge Family
Head of the Class
Spin City
Ellen
Full House
Flintstones
Donna Reed
Family Matters
McHale's Navy

What's Happening!!/Perfect Strangers come close but no. I don't think Leave it to Beaver and The Brady Bunch were that popular in the ratings when they were originally airing.

Pavan, I think you hit it on the nail. The ones you listed as most popular were all at the top of the ratings for the majority of their runs, and all of them managed to hit #1 at some point, I believe.

The other ones you listed were all popular, but like you said, just never became as popular as the others. Although Coach usually did very well, along with Who's the Boss? and The Wonder Years, which spent most of their runs in the top 10 or 20. Either that, or they were more more popular after they were cancelled, like Brady Bunch and Leave it to Beaver.

what about Full House---it was a massive hit with great ratings that ran for many years.

According to the Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows Book the top sitcoms of all time on ABC are.

1-Roseanne
2-Home Improvement
3-three's Company
4-Happy Days
5-Laverne & Shirley

According to the Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows Book the top sitcoms of all time on ABC are.

1-Roseanne
2-Home Improvement
3-three's Company
4-Happy Days
5-Laverne & Shirley


Home Improvement...I can't believe is number 2. It belongs AFTER Laverne & Shirley, IMO.

Home Improvement...I can't believe is number 2. It belongs AFTER Laverne & Shirley, IMO.
Probably the California years hurt L&S. They fell right out of the top 20 during those years and HI was never out of the top 20. I still think overall though HD meant more to the network than any sitcom because it lifted ABC finally to an equal footing with CBS and NBC. It gave birth to L&S and it lead off that Tuesday night helping both L&S and TC become big hits. I loved that Tuesday night lineup back then.

#1 Benson
#2 Three's Company
#3 Happy Day's

Probably Happy Days, but my personal favorite is Three's Company.

Probably the California years hurt L&S. They fell right out of the top 20 during those years and HI was never out of the top 20. I still think overall though HD meant more to the network than any sitcom because it lifted ABC finally to an equal footing with CBS and NBC. It gave birth to L&S and it lead off that Tuesday night helping both L&S and TC become big hits. I loved that Tuesday night lineup back then.
You are right. I forgot abt HI being a top 20 show throughout.

I am with you on that Tuesday night line-up. What a memorable night of television. 30 years later and I still remember hurrying up to finish my homework (or delaying doing it) so I could watch that lineup. :lol:

You are right. I forgot abt HI being a top 20 show throughout.

I am with you on that Tuesday night line-up. What a memorable night of television. 30 years later and I still remember hurrying up to finish my homework (or delaying doing it) so I could watch that lineup. :lol:
Oh Man that was great.. HD,L&S, TC and Soap and or Taxi/Too Close for Comfort. :lol: 30 years later ABC Tuesday...some reality show...Dancing With the Stars and probably some other reality show. :lol: I doubt we'll ever see a lineup like that again.

I would have to say HI at #2 is a bit surprising, because you'd think Three's Company and Happy Days, which were classics even today, would be above it. But, Home Improvement was a hit, and probably will be a hit for a long time, so it deserves a spot somewhere on the list.

And, I may be wrong, but wasn't HI always a top 10 show?

I would have to say HI at #2 is a bit surprising, because you'd think Three's Company and Happy Days, which were classics even today, would be above it. But, Home Improvement was a hit, and probably will be a hit for a long time, so it deserves a spot somewhere on the list.

And, I may be wrong, but wasn't HI always a top 10 show?
Here is HI's rankings..


1991-92 (5)
1992-93 (3)
1993-94 ( 1 or 2) It was listed #1 at the time but some publications have it at #2 practically tied with 60 Minutes for #1.

1994-95 (3)
1995-96 (7)
1996-97 (9)
1997-98 (11)
1998-99 (10)

Here is HI's rankings..


1991-92 (5)
1992-93 (3)
1993-94 ( 1 or 2) It was listed #1 at the time but some publications have it at #2 practically tied with 60 Minutes for #1.

1994-95 (3)
1995-96 (7)
1996-97 (9)
1997-98 (11)
1998-99 (10)

So, it was basically a top 10 show all its run, with season 7 at #11. I've also seen some sites list the seventh and eighth season as #10, or season 7 #10 and season 8 #11, so there are some variations.

So, it was basically a top 10 show all its run, with season 7 at #11. I've also seen some sites list the seventh and eighth season as #10, or season 7 #10 and season 8 #11, so there are some variations.
yea and really season 7, it was tied at #10 too. It's just listed at #11. Some probably have it flip flopped. lol The Show was a big hit. It at one time ( 1992-93) aired opposite Seinfeld and destoyed it forcing Seinfeld to move to Thursday where of course it became a monster hit.. I just don't think HI always gets the respect as some other hit shows.

yea and really season 7, it was tied at #10 too. It's just listed at #11. Some probably have it flip flopped. lol The Show was a big hit. It at one time ( 1992-93) aired opposite Seinfeld and destoyed it forcing Seinfeld to move to Thursday where of course it became a monster hit.. I just don't think HI always gets the respect as some other hit shows.

Yeah, Home Improvement was a huge hit - it even is now, in DVD and in syndication. It's a huge hit on TBS, was on WGN, and now on NAN, along with in syndication. It's definitely underrated, compared to other 90's show like Seinfeld, Friends, and Frasier. But, if you look at the 90's, most family sitcoms were.

Yeah, Home Improvement was a huge hit - it even is now, in DVD and in syndication. It's a huge hit on TBS, was on WGN, and now on NAN, along with in syndication. It's definitely underrated, compared to other 90's show like Seinfeld, Friends, and Frasier. But, if you look at the 90's, most family sitcoms were.

Not to mention that in the '90s, the Emmys of TV shows that were being nominated had to be cut-throat, edgy, and what-not.

And Tim Allen made a reference on HI: The E! True Hollywood Story about how the HI cast and/or crew members were sitting way out of sight at the emmys and weren't even nominated at all.

Not to mention that in the '90s, the Emmys of TV shows that were being nominated had to be cut-throat, edgy, and what-not.

And Tim Allen made a reference on HI: The E! True Hollywood Story about how the HI cast and/or crew members were sitting way out of sight at the emmys and weren't even nominated at all.


Well to be fair, the Emmys never ignored the show all together... It took home tons of nominations and wins in the technical categories (like lighting and editing) and both of the lead actors (Tim Allen and Patricia Richardson) were nominated over the years (Richardson in 1994, 1997 and 1998) (Allen in 1993) As well as the show itself being nominated for Comedy Series in 1992 and 1993. So i wouldn't say that it was hated by the Emmy's, if they hated the show it wouldn't have been nominated. It just happened that in the 1990s the Comedy categories were very crowded and compeitive so it was hard for shows like HI which appealed only to a particular demographic and didn't have much of a cool, trendy factor to support it to win.

To me the bigger injustice is that Roseanne never being nominated for Comedy Series.

Well to be fair, the Emmys never ignored the show all together... It took home tons of nominations and wins in the technical categories (like lighting and editing) and both of the lead actors (Tim Allen and Patricia Richardson) were nominated over the years (Richardson in 1994, 1997 and 1998) (Allen in 1993) As well as the show itself being nominated for Comedy Series in 1992 and 1993. So i wouldn't say that it was hated by the Emmy's, if they hated the show it wouldn't have been nominated. It just happened that in the 1990s the Comedy categories were very crowded and compeitive so it was hard for shows like HI which appealed only to a particular demographic and didn't have much of a cool, trendy factor to support it to win.

To me the bigger injustice is that Roseanne never being nominated for Comedy Series.

That was my point. It always seemed to me like the highest rated shows of the 90's, and the shows the always did well, never got the attention they deserved. Just look at the ratings for both Home Improvement and Roseanne. They were phenomenal, yet they just kind of quietly did well, when other shows like Friends, Seinfeld, and Frasier got all the attention.

That's because the critics and those at the Emmys could relate better to "Friends", "Seinfeld" and "Fraiser". Plus, they thought it was beneath their expertise to give awards to family shows like "Roseanne" and "Home Improvement".

It comes down to the fact that those at the Emmys are yuppies and are bias to shows who have yuppies in them. Yes, in real life I'm a yuppie, but I love "Roseanne" and always will!

That's because the critics and those at the Emmys could relate better to "Friends", "Seinfeld" and "Fraiser". Plus, they thought it was beneath their expertise to give awards to family shows like "Roseanne" and "Home Improvement".

It comes down to the fact that those at the Emmys are yuppies and are bias to shows who have yuppies in them. Yes, in real life I'm a yuppie, but I love "Roseanne" and always will!

To play devil's advocate for a moment i think maybe perhaps the fact that Roseanne and HI didn't do as well in terms of wins has to do with the fact that they simply aren't the type of shows that voters would gravitate towards and i think that it was their high ratings that got them the nominations they did get which was very generous on the academy's part. I just can't see the voters voting for either show as best comedy series---why would they vote for Roseanne and her screaming and yelling and Tim Allen for his burping and acting like a caveman when they could vote for hipper shows like Seinfield, Frasier, Mad About You etc. and BTW, Friends didn't really do that well with voters either---in it's entire run it only managed to win three times in the major categories of Lead/Supporting acting and series (Lisa Kudrow in 1998 and than again in 2002 for Series and for Jennifer Aniston).

To play devil's advocate for a moment i think maybe perhaps the fact that Roseanne and HI didn't do as well in terms of wins has to do with the fact that they simply aren't the type of shows that voters would gravitate towards and i think that it was their high ratings that got them the nominations they did get which was very generous on the academy's part. I just can't see the voters voting for either show as best comedy series---why would they vote for Roseanne and her screaming and yelling and Tim Allen for his burping and acting like a caveman when they could vote for hipper shows like Seinfield, Frasier, Mad About You etc. and BTW, Friends didn't really do that well with voters either---in it's entire run it only managed to win three times in the major categories of Lead/Supporting acting and series (Lisa Kudrow in 1998 and than again in 2002 for Series and for Jennifer Aniston).
"Roseanne" was genius and had some of the most well-written lines in sitcom history. The reason the Emmys did not respect "Roseanne", was partly because of Roseanne's egotistical off stage personality. It was also due to "Roseanne" being unrelatable to most of those voting for the Emmy winners. There is a reason "Roseanne" was the #1 sitcom in the United States for 4 years, and always stayed in the Top 5 most watched shows for 6 years. "Roseanne" was truly snubbed by the Emmys and that's sad.

And for you to generalize "Roseanne" as just being about Roseanne yelling isn't accurate. I could say the same dumb generalizations about "Seinfeld" and "Friends".

Yeah, Roseanne has to be one of the best show of all times. It had groundbreaking stories, outstanding writing season after season, and great acting from everyone involved with the show - same goes for Home Improvement - and they deserved to be nominated just as much as shows like Seinfeld and Frasier were.

But look at the show's stars. Roseanne was obnoxious back in the days, even I'll admit that, which is the only reason her show never got the critical attention it deserved. Tim Allen just wasn't a person the critics would choose for an Emmy.

On the other hand, Kelsey Grammar was a critical darling, he always was. They nominated him just because they couldn't help themselves - it was like a habit. I love Kelsey, and I loved Frasier, but Frasier didn't always deserve the award over Home Improvement and Roseanne.

"Roseanne" was genius and had some of the most well-written lines in sitcom history. The reason the Emmys did not respect "Roseanne", was partly because of Roseanne's egotistical off stage personality. It was also due to "Roseanne" being unrelatable to most of those voting for the Emmy winners. There is a reason "Roseanne" was the #1 sitcom in the United States for 4 years, and always stayed in the Top 5 most watched shows for 6 years. "Roseanne" was truly snubbed by the Emmys and that's sad.

And for you to generalize "Roseanne" as just being about Roseanne yelling isn't accurate. I could say the same dumb generalizations about "Seinfeld" and "Friends".


now to be fair i never said that's all Roseanne was about nor did i say it wasn't a genuis, funny show---i just said that perhaps some voters were turned off by the less than classy behavoir that both Roseanne and Tim Allen displayed on-screen. I mean Patricia Heaton won a few emmys on Everybody Loves Raymond; a show that also was less than hip but maybe her classy behavoir helped her win. just a theory not saying it's right or anything.

"Roseanne" was genius and had some of the most well-written lines in sitcom history. The reason the Emmys did not respect "Roseanne", was partly because of Roseanne's egotistical off stage personality. It was also due to "Roseanne" being unrelatable to most of those voting for the Emmy winners. There is a reason "Roseanne" was the #1 sitcom in the United States for 4 years, and always stayed in the Top 5 most watched shows for 6 years. "Roseanne" was truly snubbed by the Emmys and that's sad.

And for you to generalize "Roseanne" as just being about Roseanne yelling isn't accurate. I could say the same dumb generalizations about "Seinfeld" and "Friends".
:thumbsup: Well said. ROSEANNE changed the face of tv, even though some won't admit it. Roseanne was a character many could identify with and found real. I can't identify with a bunch of yuppies (FRIENDS) who live in a city where you see no blacks shown on screen, they work at jobs that wouldn't even begin to pay the rent on those apartments they lived in.

The Academy never goes for Family Shows very often for some reason. Look at the Cosby Show. It was the #1 sitcom for the 1980's and it only won one major award as best comedy for its first season. They had to give it to them then since Cosby saved the sitcom for the time being at least. I always thought Friends and Will and Grace were awful sitcoms but the Emmy voters loved them. And I like Kelsey Grammer but I never was a fan of Frasier although I liked him on Cheers. I hope he gets nominated for BTY though because he deserves it.

:thumbsup: Well said. ROSEANNE changed the face of tv, even though some won't admit it. Roseanne was a character many could identify with and found real. I can't identify with a bunch of yuppies (FRIENDS) who live in a city where you see no blacks shown on screen, they work at jobs that wouldn't even begin to pay the rent on those apartments they lived in.


So you're saying Roseanne deserved an award because many can relate to the characters on it? Well to be fair, not everyone can relate to that... I can relate more to the characters on Friends or Seinfield than i can to the family on "Roseanne" which is as far from my reality as possible, so maybe those shows deserved their awards. The great thing about tv is that everyone can relate to something different so we can all watch what we want.

Happy Days

Roseanne

Home Improvement

I enjoyed all 3 equally, but if I had to pick one, it'd be Happy Days. Many things made this show so popular, but the one that stands out for me is seeing Ron Howard a decade later as a teen in addition to seeing him as Opie in The Andy Griffith Show.

So you're saying Roseanne deserved an award because many can relate to the characters on it? Well to be fair, not everyone can relate to that... I can relate more to the characters on Friends or Seinfield than i can to the family on "Roseanne" which is as far from my reality as possible, so maybe those shows deserved their awards. The great thing about tv is that everyone can relate to something different so we can all watch what we want.
She deserved an emmy because she and her show were monster hits , especially in the early years. Not everyone could relate to Friends either. I think overall that was one overrated show that ended up having so many bad clones that it destroyed the sitcom. But even I will admit that the show deserved to win some awards because of how big it was. The Emmys have a habit of picking shows and actors they like while ignoring others.

old thread, but just read it.

Regarding Roseanne. The show never was nominated or won (even tho I think it deserved to be nominated at least in 92-94), Roseanne did win a Best Actress Emmy in 93 and Laurie Metcalf won three in 92-94. So even if the show didn't get it's due recognition, two of its stars did.

So you're saying Roseanne deserved an award because many can relate to the characters on it? Well to be fair, not everyone can relate to that... I can relate more to the characters on Friends or Seinfield than i can to the family on "Roseanne" which is as far from my reality as possible, so maybe those shows deserved their awards. The great thing about tv is that everyone can relate to something different so we can all watch what we want.
Friends was a good show, but it was about as realistic as most of the stuff on Sci-Fi channel. Like Irene said, those characters could never afford those nice apartments they had in NYC. And let's not even get started about how Rachel was a waitress slinging coffee one day and a big shot at a high-profile fashion corporation the next day. That's about as realistic as Charmed :lol:

To answer the question at hand; These are the three that I think are ABC's most popular sitcom of all time:
Roseanne
Three's Company
Happy Days

Now, Pavanbadal mentioned some others that were excluded from the list, so I'll give my pics from those;

Drew Carey Show
Who's the Boss?
Growing Pains-This was a majorly popular show, most likely because of Kirk Cameron's appeal.
Soap-I never ever liked this show, but it was all the rage back then.
Coach-Never could really get into it, although I tried.
The Wonder Years
Taxi
Spin City
Ellen
Full House-This is what put TGIF on the map. I'll never understand why they felt the need to move it to Tuesdays toward the end of the series. :rolleyes:
Family Matters-A huge hit, but maybe not their biggest. It was a good show but it owes some of its success to Full House


Andrea

My Favorites are:

Happy Days
Three's Company
Home Improvement. :wave: