My Top 25 Underrated Sitcoms and My Top 25 Overrated Sitcoms

[icecream]

To define these terms for the thread, overrated and underrated can refer to good or bad ratings, popularity or lack of in syndication, and critical acclaim or lack of. Take your pick.

Underrated
1. Benson- the best sitcom of all time. Yet it hasn't done great in syndication.
2. Corner Gas- while this was a hit in Canada, sadly most Americans have not heard of it.
3. DAG- the best one season sitcom of all time
4. Head of the Class seasons 1-4- I have only been watching this a few weeks since getting Antenna back. I already like the Howard Hesseman episodes better than more popular sitcoms of that era like Growing Pains and Who's the Boss.
5. Family Affair- while several 50s and 60s sitcoms have seen a resurgence with the new retronets, this one still hasn't aired much.
6. Bachelor Father- I like this 50s sitcom a lot better than more popular counterpart Father Knows Best.
7. Hope and Faith- the 2000s were generally not a good decade for sitcoms, but this show was an exception. I would have liked to see a 4th and 5th season of it.
8. Mr. Belvedere- had not been syndicated much before Antenna TV aired it.
9. My Two Dads- Paul Reiser is mostly known for Mad About You, his previous show is not as well known.
10. The Middle- easily the best sitcom of the past decade. Yet the snobbish critics ignored it, preferring shows on the same network like Modern Family and Black-Ish.
11. The Patty Duke Show- just as good as more famous 60s sitcoms like Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, The Munsters etc.
12. Petticoat Junction- while PJ is long-running, Paul Henning's other shows Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies seem to be more popular. Petticoat Junction had charm and was more realistic.
13. Yes, Minister/Yes, Prime Minister- this is a strong #2 on my top Britcoms, second only to Fawlty Towers.
14. Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.- Me-TV has had success with this show, but the spinoff overall lives in the shadow of its parent show Andy Griffith, which still airs on a lot of local broadcast (not retronet) affiliates like mine. And I have not seen a lot of Gomer but am guessing it did not have a big quality drop like Andy when Barney Fife left.
15. Coach- one of the best sitcoms ever made but hasn't done great in syndication. Hopefully that changes on Antenna, recently getting the 10PM hour is a good sign.
16. Welcome Back, Kotter- even season 4 was better than I first thought, John Travolta was still in a lot of episodes and Mrs. Kotter filled in for her husband at the school nicely.
17. The Jack Benny Program- yes I consider this a sitcom with some variety show elements thrown in.
18. Speechless- with The Middle done this is now TV's best current sitcom. At least it is coming back but ABC didn't seem to care much, barely promoting Speechless in season 2 plus shipping it off to Fridays.
19. Too Close for Comfort- I will take this any day over more popular companion Three's Company.
20. Wings- generally better than higher profile Cheers from the same writers
21. Back to You- the best sitcom FOX has ever aired. But their audience would prefer trash like Married with Children and Family Guy.
22. The Jeff Foxworthy Show- might have lasted longer if the first wife wasn't recast
23. Welcome to New York- short-lived sitcom starring Jim Gaffigan and Christine Baranski
24. Silver Spoons- until Antenna started this year I don't think any station had aired it in a long time.
25. Growing Up Fisher- even did decent ratings but was cancelled because NBC's comedy president hated its non-snarky feel good style of comedy

Overrated
1. Will and Grace
2. Modern Family
3. 30 Rock
4. Friends
5. The Golden Girls
6. Married with Children
7. All in the Family
8. Good Times
9. Roseanne
10. Sex and the City
11. That 70s Show
12. Family Guy
13. South Park
14. Amen
15. Gimme a Break!
16. The Simpsons
17. The Office
18. Parks and Recreation
19. Two and a Half Men
20. Black-Ish
21. How I Met Your Mother
22. Brooklyn Nine-Nine- as police comedies go, Barney Miller is 100 times better.
23. American Housewife- ABC tries to shove this show down our throats, should have been sent to Fridays instead of Speechless.
24. One Day at a Time- on this board especially I can see why Valerie would have her fanbase but the rest of the show is just ok.
25. Father Knows Best- the most overrated of the black and white era. While it has some merit, there are so many other shows from that time that are better.

[icecream]

The first post now has my full list.

[Svenfan1234]

Here's my list of top 25 underrated sitcoms and top 25 overrated sitcoms:
In no particular order:
Underrated:
1. It's a Living
2. Becker
3. WKRP in Cincinnati
4. The Good Place
5. Head of the Class
6. Valerie/The Hogan Family
7. My Two Dads
8. Evening Shade
9. Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
10. Wings
11. My Three Sons
12. One Day at a Time (original)
13. Alice
14. Silver Spoons
15. Murphy Brown (original)
16. The Burns and Allen Show
17. NewsRadio
18. The Patty Duke Show
19. Family Affair
20. Doogie Howser, M.D.
21. Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
22. Blossom
23. Taxi
24. Perfect Strangers
25. Benson

Overrated:
1. All in the Family--My all-time favorite sitcom but I do think it's overrated.
2. Cheers--Another show I really enjoy, but I feel it's overrated.
3. Frasier
4. Coach--One of the worst shows of the 90s, but still has its moments, though really overrated and overplayed on Antenna.
5. Home Improvement
6. Roseanne
7. Will and Grace
8. Saved by the Bell
9. Barney Miller--I probably need to explain this one a bit: Antenna plays this one a lot more than they probably should, but I still really like it.
10. The Andy Griffith Show
11. The Brady Bunch
12. Seinfeld
13. Friends
14. That '70s Show
15. The Office
16. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air
17. Full House
18. Gimme a Break!
19. Good Times
20. Sanford and Son
21. The Beverly Hillbillies
22. I Dream of Jeannie
23. Brooklyn Nine Nine
24. The Simpsons (at least the modern seasons)
25. The Big Bang Theory

Dramas I think are underrated (for fun):
Remington Steele
The Rockford Files
St. Elsewhere
Cannon
Quincy, M.E.
Psych
Touched by an Angel

Dramas I think are overrated:
Matlock
Diagnosis Murder
In The Heat of the Night
Perry Mason
MacGyver (original)

[icecream]

I totally agree on In the Heat of the Night being overrated. There are several crime dramas I like, this will never be one of them.

[Edward216]

Originally Posted by Svenfan1234

Here's my list of top 25 underrated sitcoms and top 25 overrated sitcoms:
In no particular order:
Underrated:
1. It's a Living
2. Becker
3. WKRP in Cincinnati
4. The Good Place
5. Head of the Class
6. Valerie/The Hogan Family
7. My Two Dads
8. Evening Shade
9. Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
10. Wings
11. My Three Sons
12. One Day at a Time (original)
13. Alice
14. Silver Spoons
15. Murphy Brown (original)
16. The Burns and Allen Show
17. NewsRadio
18. The Patty Duke Show
19. Family Affair
20. Doogie Howser, M.D.
21. Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
22. Blossom
23. Taxi
24. Perfect Strangers
25. Benson

Overrated:
1. All in the Family--My all-time favorite sitcom but I do think it's overrated.
2. Cheers--Another show I really enjoy, but I feel it's overrated.
3. Frasier
4. Coach--One of the worst shows of the 90s, but still has its moments, though really overrated and overplayed on Antenna.
5. Home Improvement
6. Roseanne
7. Will and Grace
8. Saved by the Bell
9. Barney Miller--I probably need to explain this one a bit: Antenna plays this one a lot more than they probably should, but I still really like it.
10. The Andy Griffith Show
11. The Brady Bunch
12. Seinfeld
13. Friends
14. That '70s Show
15. The Office
16. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air
17. Full House
18. Gimme a Break!
19. Good Times
20. Sanford and Son
21. The Beverly Hillbillies
22. I Dream of Jeannie
23. Brooklyn Nine Nine
24. The Simpsons (at least the modern seasons)
25. The Big Bang Theory

Dramas I think are underrated (for fun):
Remington Steele
The Rockford Files
St. Elsewhere
Cannon
Quincy, M.E.
Psych
Touched by an Angel

Dramas I think are overrated:
Matlock
Diagnosis Murder
In The Heat of the Night
Perry Mason
MacGyver (original)

I really have to disagree with you on The Good Place and Frasier. I actually just tried to watch an episode of The Good Place a few days ago and I thought it was a mess. I really don't know what they're going for but I'm completely uninterested, and I didn't think it was funny at all. And Frasier is simply one of the best sitcoms ever. Oh well different strokes for different folks sometimes.

Ed.

[Big D In Charge]

Originally Posted by catsrule

To define these terms for the thread, overrated and underrated can refer to good or bad ratings, popularity or lack of in syndication, and critical acclaim or lack of. Take your pick.

Underrated
1. Benson- the best sitcom of all time. Yet it hasn't done great in syndication.
2. Corner Gas- while this was a hit in Canada, sadly most Americans have not heard of it.
3. DAG- the best one season sitcom of all time
4. Head of the Class seasons 1-4- I have only been watching this a few weeks since getting Antenna back. I already like the Howard Hesseman episodes better than more popular sitcoms of that era like Growing Pains and Who's the Boss.
5. Family Affair- while several 50s and 60s sitcoms have seen a resurgence with the new retronets, this one still hasn't aired much.
6. Bachelor Father- I like this 50s sitcom a lot better than more popular counterpart Father Knows Best.
7. Hope and Faith- the 2000s were generally not a good decade for sitcoms, but this show was an exception. I would have liked to see a 4th and 5th season of it.
8. Mr. Belvedere- had not been syndicated much before Antenna TV aired it.
9. My Two Dads- Paul Reiser is mostly known for Mad About You, his previous show is not as well known.
10. The Middle- easily the best sitcom of the past decade. Yet the snobbish critics ignored it, preferring shows on the same network like Modern Family and Black-Ish.
11. The Patty Duke Show- just as good as more famous 60s sitcoms like Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, The Munsters etc.
12. Petticoat Junction- while PJ is long-running, Paul Henning's other shows Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies seem to be more popular. Petticoat Junction had charm and was more realistic.
13. Yes, Minister/Yes, Prime Minister- this is a strong #2 on my top Britcoms, second only to Fawlty Towers.
14. Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.- Me-TV has had success with this show, but the spinoff overall lives in the shadow of its parent show Andy Griffith, which still airs on a lot of local broadcast (not retronet) affiliates like mine. And I have not seen a lot of Gomer but am guessing it did not have a big quality drop like Andy when Barney Fife left.
15. Coach- one of the best sitcoms ever made but hasn't done great in syndication. Hopefully that changes on Antenna, recently getting the 10PM hour is a good sign.
16. Welcome Back, Kotter- even season 4 was better than I first thought, John Travolta was still in a lot of episodes and Mrs. Kotter filled in for her husband at the school nicely.
17. The Jack Benny Program- yes I consider this a sitcom with some variety show elements thrown in.
18. Speechless- with The Middle done this is now TV's best current sitcom. At least it is coming back but ABC didn't seem to care much, barely promoting Speechless in season 2 plus shipping it off to Fridays.
19. Too Close for Comfort- I will take this any day over more popular companion Three's Company.
20. Wings- generally better than higher profile Cheers from the same writers
21. Back to You- the best sitcom FOX has ever aired. But their audience would prefer trash like Married with Children and Family Guy.
22. The Jeff Foxworthy Show- might have lasted longer if the first wife wasn't recast
23. Welcome to New York- short-lived sitcom starring Jim Gaffigan and Christine Baranski
24. Silver Spoons- until Antenna started this year I don't think any station had aired it in a long time.
25. Growing Up Fisher- even did decent ratings but was cancelled because NBC's comedy president hated its non-snarky feel good style of comedy

Overrated
1. Will and Grace
2. Modern Family
3. 30 Rock
4. Friends
5. The Golden Girls
6. Married with Children
7. All in the Family
8. Good Times
9. Roseanne
10. Sex and the City
11. That 70s Show
12. Family Guy
13. South Park
14. Amen
15. Gimme a Break!
16. The Simpsons
17. The Office
18. Parks and Recreation
19. Two and a Half Men
20. Black-Ish
21. How I Met Your Mother
22. Brooklyn Nine-Nine- as police comedies go, Barney Miller is 100 times better.
23. American Housewife- ABC tries to shove this show down our throats, should have been sent to Fridays instead of Speechless.
24. One Day at a Time- on this board especially I can see why Valerie would have her fanbase but the rest of the show is just ok.
25. Father Knows Best- the most overrated of the black and white era. While it has some merit, there are so many other shows from that time that are better.

Definitely Benson, it ran longer than its parent and held itself together most of its run (despite the last season having a few outlandish episodes) I'm surprised you put Amen in overrated. I always prefered that to 227 for some reason

[Svenfan1234]

Originally Posted by Big D In Charge

Definitely Benson, it ran longer than its parent and held itself together most of its run (despite the last season having a few outlandish episodes) I'm surprised you put Amen in overrated. I always prefered that to 227 for some reason

As much as I like Benson, I think the first two seasons are the best of the series. The series started declining when Benson became Lt. Governor IMO. It really ended when it should've. And it had plenty of outlandish episodes in its last season, I agree with you! Including the one where the grim reaper paid a visit

[icecream]

Benson didn't become lieutenant governor until season 6. He was head of the mansion/household in 1 and 2, and was budget director seasons 3-5. I would say the first 5 seasons are usually top notch. And while season 1 was still great, Clayton was a definite improvement on Taylor. What I primarily don't like about the last 2 seasons is the governor changing from a naive, sometimes dim-witted likable guy to downright mean a lot of the time.

[Svenfan1234]

Originally Posted by catsrule

Benson didn't become lieutenant governor until season 6. He was head of the mansion/household in 1 and 2, and was budget director seasons 3-5. I would say the first 5 seasons are usually top notch. And while season 1 was still great, Clayton was a definite improvement on Taylor. What I primarily don't like about the last 2 seasons is the governor changing from a naive, sometimes dim-witted likable guy to downright mean a lot of the time.

The last two seasons were very bad, I agree, he should've never became Lt. Governor.

[Big D In Charge]

Originally Posted by Svenfan1234

As much as I like Benson, I think the first two seasons are the best of the series. The series started declining when Benson became Lt. Governor IMO. It really ended when it should've. And it had plenty of outlandish episodes in its last season, I agree with you! Including the one where the grim reaper paid a visit

I thought 3 to 5 had better episodes. I would say season 6 blessed us with two of the shows best episodes
"Dubois: Potrait Of A Politician" and Jung at Heart.
I think with the sixth season the show got too political.

[Big D In Charge]

I've noticed that especially with Clayton and even Benson at times.