Which do you think is better: Classic TV Sitcoms or Today's sitcoms? and why?

I would have to say I prefer current sitcoms to classic ones.

I am working on becoming a sitcom writer, so it is in my best interest to know the styles of the current shows.
Plus, I can relate more to the characters and situations of current progams.
That's not to say I don't prefer some classics. If I have to pick a decade, I prefer 70's sitcoms, although they really haven't achieved "classic" status yet.

I prefer the older sitcoms from the 50s and 60s.

OH, Definitely classic sitcoms. The ones today are just...stupid. Most of them seem to assume that their audiences are either dumb as a box of rocks or sex maniacs. Every other joke is sex oriented. I'm not a prude by any means, but every other joke? :rolleyes:

Now I'm not saying that some of the shows that they made in the good old days weren't stupid, but they were more creative. It seems like every sitcom on today is a rehashed idea from another bad idea (remember all the shows that were trying to be "Friends?")

The only shows that have any creativity anymore are dramas. This is just my opinion of course.

Definitely the classic sitcoms!

The Honeymooners are still funny, and still has a huge following almost 50 years after the show was originally broadcast! The same is true for "I Love Lucy". Other classic shows such as "The Dick Van Dyke Show", "The Odd Couple", "The Bob Newhart Show", and "Mary Tyler Moore" also hold up extremely well today.

Does anyone seriously believe that the same will be true in 20 or 30 years of "Friends", "Will and Grace", "The Drew Carey Show", or any of these other lame excuses for a sitcom that rely solely on cheap bathroom jokes and sexual inuendo?

Give me the classics!

I perfer sitcoms from the 70's, 80's, and a few from the 90's. I agree that the huge majority of sitcoms on nowadays are just not funny and DISGUSTING!!! Friends is easily one of the most over-rated TV show of the past decade.

Classic!!!!!!!

I like both but I like Classic shows more.

It would depend on the Sitcom, because not all of the old sitcoms were good, just like not all of the current sitcoms are worth watching. However, The Odd Couple, Love American Style, Sanford and Son, and The Cosby Show ( Late 60s version) were among the best sitcoms that I have ever seen, the writing was awesome, and the acting was great. They would have little trouble matching up with today's sitcoms in terms of writing, acting and directing.

However there were a plethora of bad sitcoms during that era as well, many of which would have trouble matching up with Friends, Frasier, Will and Grace, and My Wife and Kids. I personally prefer the well written shows from the early 70s to the current shows, however it is hard to compare different eras, because issues are different, and today's writers have more freedom than the writers of the 60s and 70s.

For Example Will and Grace would probably not have lasted a full season back in the 1960s, because of the conservative view that most Americans had about homosexuality. That view changed somewhat during the late 70s with Three's Company, and Soap's comical portrayals, however the subject for the most part remained taboo.

I would say classic situational comedies, by far.

Originally posted by WingsFan
I agree that the huge majority of sitcoms on nowadays are just not funny and DISGUSTING!!! Friends is easily one of the most over-rated TV show of the past decade.

Right on!!!

Classic shows by far! Such super-cool shows as I Love Lucy, Andy Griffith, Get Smart, Hogan's Heroes, Dick Van Dyke, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, Mary Tyler Moore, Facts of Life, Different Strokes, Beverly Hillbillies and more are just superb! Tons of slapstick, clean jokes and good acting!

I've tried to watch current sitcoms, but besides Frasier, The Tick and Becker (which are not nearly as funny as the sitcoms from the 50s, 60s and early 70s) they just aren't funny and most of the time disgusting.

Looks like classic is beating current 13-0. I hope the Patriots have the same luck in the Super Bowl :)

Wow, tough room.

Hard to believe I'm the only one who prefers current shows...

Classic Sitcoms,for one reason they are better written and
funnier and for another reason they are the ones I grew up
watching.
The fact is one of the very few sitcoms I enjoy watching of
the current crop is Sabrina,the Teenage Witch and that is
because it is so much like a lot of the Classic sitcoms of the
past.:)

Classic Sitcoms all the way! :D

I just find them so much more appealing to watch. They have their own exciting elements to them, and a lot of the sitcoms from the Golden Era are situation oriented different from the joke oriented shows you see today. :)

I'd say classic sitcoms. The only current sitcoms I watch are Fraiser and Becker.

I only watch the Simpsons and Malcom. Besides that, when I'm watching T.V., it either TV Land or old Tapes.

FRIENDS is whats wrong with television today. It is a mediocre show about whiny insipid people.....I cant bear it. I couldnt hang out with Phoebe,Joey or Chandler for 5 minutes if they were real.If I worked in an office with them I'd quit my job!!!!
The 70s...and SOME 80s are the best. Oldies like Lucy and The Honeymooners...the best. I like 2 90s shows:Simpsons and Raymond...all the rest can go to hell.They wont get my ratings...I turn on Game Show Network,Nick or TV Land...I advise you to do the same. If this is the way tv is turning out I feel bad for our children.

Originally posted by TJL
Wow, tough room.

Hard to believe I'm the only one who prefers current shows...

I'm with you, brother.

....and Malcolm in the Middle. I forgot that one.Another gem in a sea of crappy shows!!!
...But I guess the same can be said about movies and music....it aint what it used to be!(that guys John Lennon photo reminded me...even MUSIC aint what it used to be!!!!The only thing still good in life is SEX....and I'm sure even thats not as good as it was 30 years ago!!!!!!
Sorry to rave on.....:mad:

Originally posted by mamamiasweetpeaches
FRIENDS is whats wrong with television today. It is a mediocre show about whiny insipid people.....I cant bear it. I couldnt hang out with Phoebe,Joey or Chandler for 5 minutes if they were real.If I worked in an office with them I'd quit my job!!!!


I totally agree!!!!!! I hate Friends. I think it's so over-rated and unfunny.

I think the classic sitcoms were absolutly wonderful,well written and with the most talented actors.I think most today's shows inspire themself from the older one.As times goes by,they had to change years after years.But,we can still recognize Lucy's style,Jacky's(how sweet it is?)and Archie's character on some of the best sitcoms of today.I just love...comedie:lol:

Just My Opinion

Although I loved the shows from the 70s, I still think that it would be difficult to compare the 2 different eras. I am sure that if many of the writers of the 60s and 70s had the same leeway and were faced with the same level of competition as the writers of today, than you would get a simular product.

The writers of the 60s and 70s did not have to compete against cable television and Satelite TV, in fact there only competition was against the 2 other networks. Therefore they could tailor programs more suited for the family, since the competition was doing the same.

But now network television has to compete against cable shows like the Sopranos, Sex and the City, as well as movies from HBO, Cinemax and Showtime. Not to mention MTV, VH1, BET, ESPN, the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, the Cartoon Network, Nick at Nite, the Comedy Network, the Game Show Network, the Family Network and a plethora of other cable and satelite channels.

Television series were also given an oppurtunity to succeed back in the 60s and 70s, whereas today, series are pulled after 3 or 4 shows (ala Bob Patterson, and the Michael Richards show).
So not only must they find an audience fast, but they must hold on to their ratings for the duration of the series. Once the ratings begin to slip, one of two things will happen, a change in the day and time slot, or being canceled altogether.

Network television can never be the same as we remembered it back in the 60s and 70s, so we might as well accept that. So we can either try to relive our past, or we can accept the fact that everything must change and move on.

Here's the thing - while I do enjoy watching older sitcoms, I really don't find any pre-1970s sitcoms funny, save for "The Dick Van Dyke Show."

But the older shows are still entertaining and have a lot of nostalgaic value; I just don't find myself laughing at them.

tiger 32 has some good points. although i do prefer shows from the sixties and even fifties, a lot of those shows were very unoriginal. just as shows today are often unoriginal.

i don't know if older shows were written better. sitcom style has changed over the years. although there was a flashback show here or there, most older shows were self-contained episodes. and those are probably a lot easier to write than a show like friends or drew carey, or most of your modern sitcoms, that are more like funny soap operas that carry over week to week, year to year. these are probably harder to write.

let's face it, the classic shows really never pushed the envelope. (i don't think the envelope for comedy really got pushed until laugh-in). you never saw wally cleaver coming home drunk after a binge of under-aged drinking, or beaver want to discuss sex with his father (fresh prince of bel-air, for example, had episodes about both). of course, america was too conservative to tolerate such topics on tv. point is - it was probably easier to write the older shows; therefore, they were better written.

that said - favorite sit coms (in no order):

honeymooners
beverly hillbillies
green acres
dobie gillis
get smart
seinfeld
frasier
sanford and son
leave it to beaver
three's company (with chrissy)
dream on (close enough to being a sit-com!)

Today's are classics too and are mUCH IMHO.Friends beats Mr.Ed ANY DAY!

Friends is a smart,clever show about people YOU can relate too!
We've all gotten into similar problems and we all know a Chandler,Monica,Rachel,Joey,Ross and Phoebe! Sure the acting sucks but it's sSO much better than most shows of the past IMHO.

I disagree about Friends. I don't find it funny at all. I hate the characters, jokes, and plots. I just don't like to watch it, and I've tried many times. Give me shows like Wings, Taxi, and Cheers over Friends any day.

Originally posted by Tiger32
Just My Opinion

Although I loved the shows from the 70s, I still think that it would be difficult to compare the 2 different eras. I am sure that if many of the writers of the 60s and 70s had the same leeway and were faced with the same level of competition as the writers of today, than you would get a simular product.

The writers of the 60s and 70s did not have to compete against cable television and Satelite TV, in fact there only competition was against the 2 other networks. Therefore they could tailor programs more suited for the family, since the competition was doing the same.

But now network television has to compete against cable shows like the Sopranos, Sex and the City, as well as movies from HBO, Cinemax and Showtime. Not to mention MTV, VH1, BET, ESPN, the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, the Cartoon Network, Nick at Nite, the Comedy Network, the Game Show Network, the Family Network and a plethora of other cable and satelite channels.

Television series were also given an oppurtunity to succeed back in the 60s and 70s, whereas today, series are pulled after 3 or 4 shows (ala Bob Patterson, and the Michael Richards show).
So not only must they find an audience fast, but they must hold on to their ratings for the duration of the series. Once the ratings begin to slip, one of two things will happen, a change in the day and time slot, or being canceled altogether.

Network television can never be the same as we remembered it back in the 60s and 70s, so we might as well accept that. So we can either try to relive our past, or we can accept the fact that everything must change and move on.

Tiger32:

You've made some excellent points here, and have provided a very well thought out analysis.

I think the fact that TV was so much more restricted in the 50s, 60s, and 70s as far as what topics could be discussed, and what language was acceptable, forced the writers to be more creative, and produce a better product. They couldn't just go for the cheap bathroom jokes, or sexual inuendo, in order to knock out a script each week and fill 22 minutes worth of screen time.

Yes Jimbo, I agree. I was reading an article about Sid Caesar (a popular writer and comedian from the 50s), and he can't believe the language and sexual inuendos that are used in today's sitcoms.

He is also sickened by what goes on at the box office, particularly with very popular teen movies such as "American Pie". Of course back in his day, no one would have ever thought of doing what Jason Biggs did to that Apple Pie. It really is indicative of the moral decay of hollywood, particularly if writers have to resort to such measures to shock audiences for cheap laughter. But as long as movies such as this continue to do well at the box office, we can expect more of the same, and eventually this behavior will make its way into sitcoms.

I prefer shows from the 70's, I consider them classics.
I do like a some shows that are on today.

Classic Sitcoms. Today's sitcoms are not good at all. Even sitcom's ratings have been falling lately. Take a look at this:

2001-2002 Season to date ratings:

1.Friends
2.ER
3.Post Nat'l Gun
4.CSI
5.Everybody Loves Raymond
6.Survivor: Marquesas
7.Leap Of Faith
8.Law & Order
9.West Wing
10.Survivor: Africa

And then look at this

1989-1990 Season ratings:

1.The Cosby Show
2.Roseanne
3.Cheers
4.A Different World
5.America's Funniest Home Vids
6.The Golden Girls
7.60 Minutes
8.The Wonder Years
9.Empty Nest
10.Moday Night Football


Notice the difference??? This season, 2 out of the top 10 ten shows are sitcoms. 12 years ago, 7 out of the top 10 shows were sitcoms. The sitcom genre is dying. We need a good show to save it.

Classic sitcoms rule! What a stupid question