I'm talking about long-haul sitcoms, 20+ episodes per year. Is there any sitcom that really needed more than five years to tell its story, or that was still improving creatively past its fifth season?

I look at my favorites, and it seems a pretty firm rule: Lucy spent season 6 in Connecticut; Honeymooner's didn't come close to five. Dick van Dyke sensibly stopped at five. Andy Griffith went to color after five. Green Acres stumbled through Season 6. That Girl and The Odd Couple stopped at 5. Mary Tyler Moore and Bob Newhart both got new apartments in season 6. WKRP, Taxi, and Soap never made it to 6. Frank, Henry, and Trapper were gone from MASH by the end of 5. Diane left Cheers after five. Frasier starts focusing on Niles and Daphne in 6. Ross and Rachel threaten to go on forever by 6 on Friends, ditto Leonard and Penny and Ted and Robin. The Office started stunt casting in Season 6, and it's first season was only 6 episodes. Seinfeld only had five episodes in it first season, it's Season 7 has a lot good stuff in it, but I think it was starting downward generally. Barney Miller's about the same, and taking on a gloomier tone in 7.

Obviously, these shows put out many fine episodes in their later years. On the other hand, the writers, et al., were throwing scripts at tired shows when they could have been developing fresh projects.

When I come right down to it, I think about the only episodes I'd really miss if shows closed down after the fifth full season are the Clampetts first trip to England and the following visit to Griffith Park. Those are unique, and they're right at the start of Season 6.

Don't forget Bewitched changed Darrins after season 5 and should have stopped with the loss of Dick York to injury.

Don't forget Bewitched changed Darrins after season 5 and should have stopped with the loss of Dick York to injury.

Good example. I forgot that one.

I'll add two, The Big Bang Theory and Laverne and Shirley.

I consider season 6 the bridge to the back half of the series run when it became a couples show.

Laverne and Shirley leave Milwaukee moving to LA for seasons 6-8, leaving among other things the heart and soul of the show behind.

wow, you've got a good point there. Never thought about it like that but most shows seem to change not in good ways beyond season 5.

Yes, several sitcoms have needed more than five seasons. I will agree that The Andy Griffith Show and Bewitched should have stopped after season five, Diff'rent Strokes can be added to that with Sam and Maggie ruining things. But WKRP was gone too soon, if it had a season five and six likely would have kept up the same quality. Season six of I Love Lucy was nice, I liked the Connecticut setting. Barney Miller had a slight dip with the death of Jack Soo, but was still a very good show til the end, waiting to win its best comedy Emmy until season 8. David Ogden Stiers was a fantastic addition to M*A*S*H at the start of season 6, I liked the whole run of that show. Seinfeld was good til the end, if anything was weaker there it was starting out. First six seasons of Frasier are the best, but I still like several episodes from later seasons. Home Improvement was good til the end, lost something when JTT left but was still high quality. I like all nine seasons of Coach. The move to Orlando and the addition of Katherine Helmond kept it fresh. While I prefer Shelley Long to Kirstie Alley, that change and making Lilith a regular kept Cheers fresh. I would not have wanted The Middle or Family Ties to stop after five seasons either.

Add Burns and Allen. Season 6 they shift to NY and mysteriously Ronnie show up. The show could have ended with season 5.

I remember when I had a DVD collection I bought only to season 5 for Andy Griffith Show, Bewitched, and Laverne and Shirley.

The only sitcom I know that lasted exactly 5 years was I Dream of Jeannie. It could have gone 1 more year with Jeannie pregnant.

I guess it depends on what your expectations for a sitcom are. It probably is near impossible to still improve after that much time, but as long as it is still entertaining then most people will be ok with a show continuing.

The only sitcom I know that lasted exactly 5 years was I Dream of Jeannie. It could have gone 1 more year with Jeannie pregnant.

Some would debate that season 5 was already jumping the shark with the marriage (certainly the actors thought and have said so).

The only sitcom I know that lasted exactly 5 years was I Dream of Jeannie.There are a lot of sitcoms that had exactly five seasons, see the thread I made today about my top ones.

I think that seven years is the perfect length for a decent sitcom. If it's really good, it usually hits its stride by the fifth season and has another solid year left before stories repeat themselves.

The only exception is if there are major cast changes or breakout characters that give the show more momentum. Cheers definitely needed more than five years because of Woody, the Cranes and Rebecca.

I think that seven years is the perfect length for a decent sitcom. If it's really good, it usually hits its stride by the fifth season and has another solid year left before stories repeat themselves.

The only exception is if there are major cast changes or breakout characters that give the show more momentum. Cheers definitely needed more than five years because of Woody, the Cranes and Rebecca.

Starting with season 6, Cheers improved by leaps and bounds. One of the rare few sitcoms that needed more than 5 seasons. I think starting at the begining with season 1 is what hurts the show in rerun syndication.You could start watching the show at season 5 and get the gist of the Sam and Diane's dysfunctional relationship.

The Jeffersons definitely got better with age. Other than Mother Jefferson still being around, first part was not fun, too mean with trying to copy All in the Family's ugliness, constant politics, and racial slurs. George and Tom softening in later seasons was needed, the episodes I saw this week from seasons 9 and 10 were really good.

The longest running sitcom right now is It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It's now 15 years old. If I was on a sitcom, I say 6 or 7 years is enough if it hit its' stride on the fifth year.

The Andy Griffith Show was the first five seasons. The three color seasons don’t count.

I look at my favorites, and it seems a pretty firm rule: Lucy spent season 6 in Connecticut; Honeymooner's didn't come close to five. Dick van Dyke sensibly stopped at five. Andy Griffith went to color after five. Green Acres stumbled through Season 6. That Girl and The Odd Couple stopped at 5. Mary Tyler Moore and Bob Newhart both got new apartments in season 6. WKRP, Taxi, and Soap never made it to 6. Frank, Henry, and Trapper were gone from MASH by the end of 5. Diane left Cheers after five. Frasier starts focusing on Niles and Daphne in 6. Ross and Rachel threaten to go on forever by 6 on Friends, ditto Leonard and Penny and Ted and Robin. The Office started stunt casting in Season 6, and it's first season was only 6 episodes. Seinfeld only had five episodes in it first season, it's Season 7 has a lot good stuff in it, but I think it was starting downward generally. Barney Miller's about the same, and taking on a gloomier tone in 7.


Several of the shows you mentioned were cancelled after season 5 due to low ratings.

I personally think that 7 should be the limit. I know this has been discussed before, but shows like Happy Days, MASH and The Jeffersons just went on way too long. I know it's all ratings and money for the networks, but all of those shows started to go way downhill after season 7, if not before.

Don't forget Bewitched changed Darrins after season 5 and should have stopped with the loss of Dick York to injury.

I think season 6 of Bewitched is a very strong season. There are lots of very enjoyable episodes that season. I also really like the Salem episodes of season 7, plus the Christmas episode Sisters at Heart. The rest of season 7 was kind of weak.

I do agree that season 8 maybe could have been done without. There were so many almost word-for-word remakes it was obvious they were out of ideas. There were some cool episodes there too though.

The only sitcom I know that lasted exactly 5 years was I Dream of Jeannie. It could have gone 1 more year with Jeannie pregnant.

In reading through old TV Guides, it was announced in the TV Teletype section early in the fifth season that I Dream of Jeannie would be renewed for the sixth season. I guess sometime between that announcement and the end of season five, they changed their minds.