The Official TV Adam's List of the 25 Greatest Classic Sitcoms

[Adamantium]

This is a list of Classics, being shows from the 50's and 60's. Later on, I'll do lists of the 70's and 80's - and then 90's and Today.

Keep in mind, this is not a list of the highest rated shows. It's a list of the greatest shows. Quality is what counts. And so, even though I wanted to get some of my favorite shows in there, I made the list according to what I felt would be fair to everyone. (As you can see it goes from 25 down to 1.)

25. "Green Acres" (1965-1971)

24. "Get Smart"(1965-1970)

23. "My Favorite Martian"(1961-1964)

22. "The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet" (1952-1966)

21. "The Monkees" (1966-1968)

20. "Leave it to Beaver" (1957-1963)

19. "Hogan's Heroes" (1965-1971)

18. "Gilligan's Island" (1964-1967)

17. "McHale's Navy" (1962-1966)

16. "The Patty Duke Show" (1963-1966)

15. "The Phil Silvers Show" (1955-1959)

14. "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" (1959-1963)

13. "The Lucy Show" (1963-1968)

12. "The Donna Reed Show" (1958-1966)

11. "The Munsters" (1964-1966)

10. "Mister Ed" (1961-1966)

9. "The Joey Bishop Show" (1962-1965)

8. "Bewitched" (1964-1972)

7. "Car 54, Where Are You?" (1961-1963)

6. "The Dick Van Dyke Show" (1961-1966)

5. "The Andy Griffith Show" (1960-1968) - The town of Mayberry was the perfect setting for this "Make Room for Daddy" spin-off. Although, Griffith was the star of the show, he gave the chance for the rest of his cast to shine. A cast which included, Jim Nabors, Ron Howard, Francis Bavier, George Lindsey, Hal Smith, Howard McNear and of course the classic, Don Knotts, amongst others. The show was so popular that it lasted three years without Andy Griffith himself. The show was changed to "Mayberry R.F.D." and starred Ken Berry.

4. "My Three Sons" (1960-1972) - The story of widower Stephen Douglas, forced to raise his three sons (Mike, Robbie and Chip) along with his father-in-law, Bub, was funny, heartwarming and successful enough to last twelve seasons. The cast, however, didn't. Late in the fifth season, Bub moved to Ireland (William Frawley was ill and later died). The beginning of the sixth season was the wedding and moving out of oldest son, Mike (Tim Considine felt it was time for his character to move on). They were replaced by Uncle Charley and Ernie Thompson/Douglas. Women joined the cast in the later seasons, as all the sons, minus Ernie, were married. Even Stephen had gotten remarried.

3. "The Honeymooners" (1955-1956) - Although this sitcom about scheming bus driver, Ralph Kramden, his wife and their neighbors, the Nortons only ran for one season, it's a very popular program. The show originated as a sketch on "Cavalcade of Stars" and later on "The Jackie Gleason Show". 39 episodes were produced and along with the "lost episodes" from "The Jackie Gleason Show", "The Honeymooners" has been in reruns and become a classic. The Comic pairing of Jackie Gleason and Art Carney is one of the finest in all of television history.

2. "Make Room for Daddy" (1953-1964) - Running for eleven seasons, this comic gem doesn't get the respect it deserves. In the first three seasons, the show focused on nightclub entertainer Danny Williams, his wife Margaret and their kids, Terry and Rusty. After Jean Hagen (Margaret) quit the show, her character died, leaving the hot-headed Danny a widower. For one season, Danny raised the kids alone, looking for love. He found it in the last episode of the fourth season. The fifth season opened with Danny's honeymoon with Kathy O'Hara Williams. Her young daughter from a previous marriage, Linda, joined the Williams family. After the fifth season, Terry left for school. The show ended in 1964, only to return for a single season as "Make Room for Granddaddy" in 1970. Sadly, only seasons 5-11 are in the syndication package.

1. "I Love Lucy" (1951-1957) - How could this show not be listed as number one? It is without a doubt as popular today as it was back in the 1950's. It was very groundbreaking for at least two reasons. The first is that it was the first to be filmed in front of a live audience, with three cameras. And second, it had a mixed marriage. CBS was against Lucy and Ricky as a couple at first, but that died, after the show became a success.