The Most Popular Sitcoms of Each Decade (Ratings) - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Joe F · 09-05-2005, 03:11 PM

Sitcom Popularity

I've put together a very rough database of sitcom ratings over the last 55 years. Nothing consistent, because data is very hard to find and the Nielsen company protects publication religiously.

What I've tried to do is rank sitcoms by popularity through the decades. That's hard to do. For instance, Friends is probably the most watched show ever, and spent all ten seasons ranked no lower than fourth among sitcoms. But it also aired during a period when ratings for sitcoms were at their lowest.

I reward longevity quite a bit. But only two "flashes in the pan" - shows that ranked first among sitcoms for a season - don't make the list for any decade (Kate and Allie, 1983, and Hazel, 1961).

This is no attempt to rank the "best" sitcoms. Many would argue that The Dick Van Dyke Show was one of the best written shows of all-time, if not The Best (I'd be among them). It barely makes the top 40 television franchises in terms of overall popularity, because it only ran for five seasons and was top-five only twice.

Again, this is kind of rough, and there's plenty of room for argument and discussion.

The 1950s

My data is sketchiest for the '50s, so I've only ranked three shows. Television was new, and immediately became part of the culture - a bigger part than anything we could imagine today. The Honeymooners is as well known as any of the sitcoms here, but only ran 39 full episodes in addition to pieces in sketch shows.

1. I Love Lucy (1951-1957). Perhaps the most famous sitcom of all-time.
2. Make Room for Daddy (the Danny Thomas Show) (1953-1965).
3. Father Knows Best (1954-1960).

The 1960s

Still in its earliest form, the sitcom is very much family based, without any of the edge we see today. We're supposed to like the main character without reservation. Conflicts are always resolved at the end of the half hour, almost always in favor of the hero.

1. The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968).
2. The Beverly Hillbillies (1962-1971).
3. The Lucy Show (1962-1968).
4. Bewitched (1964-1972).
5. Gomer Pyle, USMC (1964-1970).

The 1970s

One show changed everything in the sitcom world forever, and perhaps defines television even today. On January 12, 1971, a pilot episode called "Meet the Bunkers" aired. The lead character was racist and often unpleasant. Episodes of All in the Family often didn't resolve problems, and the lead sometimes received his come-uppance, and sometimes revealed his heart.

Almost immediately, sitcoms started following a theater approach rather than the aseptic form of earlier family-based shows. Good writing became the focus. Characters immediately became more complex. This is the Golden Age of sitcoms in many ways.

1. M*A*S*H (1972-1983). Rewarding longevity.
2. All in the Family (1971-1979). The top rated sitcom its first five years, one of only three shows ever with that distinction (I Love Lucy, The Cosby Show).
3. Happy Days (1974-1984).
4. Laverne and Shirley (1976-1983).
5 (tie). One Day at a Time (1975-1984).
5 (tie). Sanford and Son (1972-1977).

The 1980s

As All in the Family opened the door to television reflecting real-life problems (in a way the Honeymooners never could), new formats became popular. Happy Days, which didn't hit it big until its third season in 1976, was the first hugely popular show focusing on young people outside of the home. And that led directly to the 1977 debut of Three's Company, the first popular show to revolve around sexual humor and the laugh-every-ten-seconds approach.

Some would call that a bad thing, in Martha Stewart vernacular. Good writing quickly disappeared, as everyone tried to copy the instant success of the Three's Company format. The early '80s were the first real dead period in sitcom history. We'll probably remember that period for the painful deaths of Happy Days (jumping the shark) and Laverne and Shirley, the mammoth final episode of M*A*S*H - still the highest rated television program in history - and the empty 1983-1984 season where the highest-rated sitcoms were Kate and Allie and AfterMASH.

But rebirth was quick, as the networks hate to struggle. 1984 brought the debut of The Cosby Show, and Family Ties and Cheers - two shows that defied conventional thinking - both caught on big.

1. Cheers (1982-1993).
2. The Cosby Show (1984-1992).
3. Three's Company (1977-1984).
4. The Jeffersons (1975-1985).
5. The Golden Girls (1985-1992).

The 1990s

As the innovative shows of the mid-'80s disappeared, the sitcom went through a brief downturn in the early '90s. Shows were progressively edgier. Roseanne ruled the roost, but cable was starting to cut into ratings. For the first time, network execs had to program knowing that not everyone had to like their show.

Sitcoms from the '90s and later aren't universally known. You might see a show, like Coach, that was a pretty big hit in its time. But it never generated any water cooler buzz, so to speak. Most of us never watched the show.

In 1993, the sitcom embraced this "you don't have to get it" approach, as Seinfeld finally hit its audience, Frasier debuted on the heels of Cheers and Home Improvement hit its stride as Roseanne declined.

Friends debuted in 1994. Friends was the last of the mass-appeal shows, gaining an audience instantly with expert joke-writing and a pretty cast. But it also signalled the popularity of the long story arc in sitcoms. Friends merged sitcom with soap opera. While dozens of shows have tried to recapture its magic, none have had the writing quality, and none have captured the mass audience.

1. Friends (1994-2004).
2. Frasier (1993-2004).
3. Home Improvement (1991-1999).
4. Roseanne (1988-1997).
5. Seinfeld (1990-1998).

The 2000s

In the late '90s, as everyone tried desperately to copy Friends, the sitcom died. Only one sitcom format has seen any kind of success during this period - the flawed "everyman" main character working off a series of one-dimensional foils. We're seeing a gradual death of long story arcs, as the segmented nature of the audience means less and less people are willing to give a show a long look.

From 1986-1990, the tenth rated sitcom was either the 14th or 15th most popular show. In 1997, it was 25th. In 1999, it was 33rd. And in 2004, believe it or not, the 10th rated sitcom was a show called Listen Up, starring a Seinfeld alumnus. It finished tied for 50th overall and was canceled after that debut season.

Think about that for a second. Fifteen years ago, there were ten sitcoms in the top 15 shows. Last season, there were ten among the top 50.

Only one show of the '00s, the last big carryover from the mid '90s, is among the most popular sitcoms of all-time. The others would not have made this list in any other decade.

1. Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2005).
2. Will and Grace (1998-).
3. The King of Queens (1998-).
4. Becker (1998-2004).
5. Still Standing (2002-).

The Franchises

Many popular sitcoms, especially in the early days of television, spun off secondary characters to create new shows. Some, like All in the Family, worked this to perfection, creating several hits in its wake. Others, like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, ended up only diluting the original.

Below are the 20 most popular television franchises. This includes shows that never spun off any new shows, just for reference.

1. All in the Family/Archie Bunker's Place/Gloria/The Jeffersons/Maude/Good Times
2. Andy Griffith Show/Mayberry R.F.D./Gomer Pyle, USMC
3. Lucille Ball
4. Cheers/Frasier
5. Happy Days/Laverne and Shirley/Mork and Mindy
6. Friends/Joey
7. The Cosby Show/A Different World
8. M*A*S*H/AfterMASH
9. The Danny Thomas Show/The Joey Bishop Show (some would combine this with the Andy Griffith set).
10. Three's Company/The Ropers
11. Home Improvement
12. Roseanne
13. The Golden Girls/Empty Nest
14. Everybody Loves Raymond
15. The Beverly Hillbillies
16. The Mary Tyler Moore Show/Phyllis/Rhoda
17. Seinfeld
18. The Bob Newhart Show/Newhart
19 (tie). One Day at a Time
19 (tie). Bewitched
19 (tie). Petticoat Junction/Green Acres
19 (tie). Sanford and Son

Dean Winchester · 09-05-2005, 04:22 PM

I don't agree with the belief that sitcoms sucked from 1980-1984 because the ratings were low. In the pre-Cosby world, there was Diff'rent Strokes, Facts Of Life, Gimme A Break, Family Ties, Cheers, Mama's Family, plus 70's holdovers such as One Day At A Time and Taxi were still good to the end. Granted, The Cosby Show made sitcoms viable in the ratings world again but I fail to buy the concept that sitcoms "sucked" before Cosby came around. I'll take any of the aforementioned shows over any of today's sitcoms with maybe the exception of Arrested Development.

Nonetheless, I thought you had an informative post and you obviously did a lot of research and put time into it.

Johnny S · 09-05-2005, 05:10 PM

Quote:

1. Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2005).
2. Will and Grace (1998-).
3. The King of Queens (1998-).
4. Becker (1998-2004).
5. Still Standing (2002-).

A very good post indeed, but is Still Standing really higher the That '70s Show?

Joe F · 09-05-2005, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BuffySlayer79

I don't agree with the belief that sitcoms sucked from 1980-1984 because the ratings were low. In the pre-Cosby world, there was Diff'rent Strokes, Facts Of Life, Gimme A Break, Family Ties, Cheers, Mama's Family, plus 70's holdovers such as One Day At A Time and Taxi were still good to the end. Granted, The Cosby Show made sitcoms viable in the ratings world again but I fail to buy the concept that sitcoms "sucked" before Cosby came around. I'll take any of the aforementioned shows over any of today's sitcoms with maybe the exception of Arrested Development.

Nonetheless, I thought you had an informative post and you obviously did a lot of research and put time into it.

I never said those sitcoms sucked. This is all based on ratings.

In fact, many of the shows you mention were popular when I was in high school, when I watched a lot more television. I remember them fondly.

In 1978, 10 of the top 13 shows were sitcoms, including Taxi, which I think is one of the highest quality shows of all time. The tenth sitcom in 1981 was the 23rd , in 1982 it was 28th and in 1983 and 1984 it was in the 30s.

Until recently, that four-year stretch was unique in the post-Western era. It was a dead period for popular sitcoms. The networks just didn't know what to do with sitcoms when the Happy Days trio fell out of favor.

Joe F · 09-05-2005, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny S

A very good post indeed, but is Still Standing really higher the That '70s Show?

Yes. That '70s Show has never had a top ten appearance. It was 89th last season.

My criteria isn't perfect. I only give a show credit for a season in which it was in the top ten for sitcoms, and I reward longevity in the top ten over a spike.

Other shows that are on the verge of the top five for the 2000s are Yes, Dear, Two and a Half Men (if it doesn't drop off the face of the earth without a lead-in) and probably Joey sooner or later. The Simpsons would be on the verge as well, but I'd have to consider it a '90s show.

09-05-2005, 03:11 PM	#1
Joe F Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Mar 10, 2003 Posts: 65	The Most Popular Sitcoms of Each Decade (Ratings) Sitcom Popularity I've put together a very rough database of sitcom ratings over the last 55 years. Nothing consistent, because data is very hard to find and the Nielsen company protects publication religiously. What I've tried to do is rank sitcoms by popularity through the decades. That's hard to do. For instance, Friends is probably the most watched show ever, and spent all ten seasons ranked no lower than fourth among sitcoms. But it also aired during a period when ratings for sitcoms were at their lowest. I reward longevity quite a bit. But only two "flashes in the pan" - shows that ranked first among sitcoms for a season - don't make the list for any decade (Kate and Allie, 1983, and Hazel, 1961). This is no attempt to rank the "best" sitcoms. Many would argue that The Dick Van Dyke Show was one of the best written shows of all-time, if not The Best (I'd be among them). It barely makes the top 40 television franchises in terms of overall popularity, because it only ran for five seasons and was top-five only twice. Again, this is kind of rough, and there's plenty of room for argument and discussion. The 1950s My data is sketchiest for the '50s, so I've only ranked three shows. Television was new, and immediately became part of the culture - a bigger part than anything we could imagine today. The Honeymooners is as well known as any of the sitcoms here, but only ran 39 full episodes in addition to pieces in sketch shows. 1. I Love Lucy (1951-1957). Perhaps the most famous sitcom of all-time. 2. Make Room for Daddy (the Danny Thomas Show) (1953-1965). 3. Father Knows Best (1954-1960). The 1960s Still in its earliest form, the sitcom is very much family based, without any of the edge we see today. We're supposed to like the main character without reservation. Conflicts are always resolved at the end of the half hour, almost always in favor of the hero. 1. The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968). 2. The Beverly Hillbillies (1962-1971). 3. The Lucy Show (1962-1968). 4. Bewitched (1964-1972). 5. Gomer Pyle, USMC (1964-1970). The 1970s One show changed everything in the sitcom world forever, and perhaps defines television even today. On January 12, 1971, a pilot episode called "Meet the Bunkers" aired. The lead character was racist and often unpleasant. Episodes of All in the Family often didn't resolve problems, and the lead sometimes received his come-uppance, and sometimes revealed his heart. Almost immediately, sitcoms started following a theater approach rather than the aseptic form of earlier family-based shows. Good writing became the focus. Characters immediately became more complex. This is the Golden Age of sitcoms in many ways. 1. MASH (1972-1983). Rewarding longevity. 2. All in the Family (1971-1979). The top rated sitcom its first five years, one of only three shows ever with that distinction (I Love Lucy, The Cosby Show). 3. Happy Days (1974-1984). 4. Laverne and Shirley (1976-1983). 5 (tie). One Day at a Time (1975-1984). 5 (tie). Sanford and Son (1972-1977). The 1980s As All in the Family opened the door to television reflecting real-life problems (in a way the Honeymooners never could), new formats became popular. Happy Days, which didn't hit it big until its third season in 1976, was the first hugely popular show focusing on young people outside of the home. And that led directly to the 1977 debut of Three's Company, the first popular show to revolve around sexual humor and the laugh-every-ten-seconds approach. Some would call that a bad thing, in Martha Stewart vernacular. Good writing quickly disappeared, as everyone tried to copy the instant success of the Three's Company format. The early '80s were the first real dead period in sitcom history. We'll probably remember that period for the painful deaths of Happy Days (jumping the shark) and Laverne and Shirley, the mammoth final episode of MASH - still the highest rated television program in history - and the empty 1983-1984 season where the highest-rated sitcoms were Kate and Allie and AfterMASH. But rebirth was quick, as the networks hate to struggle. 1984 brought the debut of The Cosby Show, and Family Ties and Cheers - two shows that defied conventional thinking - both caught on big. 1. Cheers (1982-1993). 2. The Cosby Show (1984-1992). 3. Three's Company (1977-1984). 4. The Jeffersons (1975-1985). 5. The Golden Girls (1985-1992). The 1990s As the innovative shows of the mid-'80s disappeared, the sitcom went through a brief downturn in the early '90s. Shows were progressively edgier. Roseanne ruled the roost, but cable was starting to cut into ratings. For the first time, network execs had to program knowing that not everyone had to like their show. Sitcoms from the '90s and later aren't universally known. You might see a show, like Coach, that was a pretty big hit in its time. But it never generated any water cooler buzz, so to speak. Most of us never watched the show. In 1993, the sitcom embraced this "you don't have to get it" approach, as Seinfeld finally hit its audience, Frasier debuted on the heels of Cheers and Home Improvement hit its stride as Roseanne declined. Friends debuted in 1994. Friends was the last of the mass-appeal shows, gaining an audience instantly with expert joke-writing and a pretty cast. But it also signalled the popularity of the long story arc in sitcoms. Friends merged sitcom with soap opera. While dozens of shows have tried to recapture its magic, none have had the writing quality, and none have captured the mass audience. 1. Friends (1994-2004). 2. Frasier (1993-2004). 3. Home Improvement (1991-1999). 4. Roseanne (1988-1997). 5. Seinfeld (1990-1998). The 2000s In the late '90s, as everyone tried desperately to copy Friends, the sitcom died. Only one sitcom format has seen any kind of success during this period - the flawed "everyman" main character working off a series of one-dimensional foils. We're seeing a gradual death of long story arcs, as the segmented nature of the audience means less and less people are willing to give a show a long look. From 1986-1990, the tenth rated sitcom was either the 14th or 15th most popular show. In 1997, it was 25th. In 1999, it was 33rd. And in 2004, believe it or not, the 10th rated sitcom was a show called Listen Up, starring a Seinfeld alumnus. It finished tied for 50th overall and was canceled after that debut season. Think about that for a second. Fifteen years ago, there were ten sitcoms in the top 15 shows. Last season, there were ten among the top 50. Only one show of the '00s, the last big carryover from the mid '90s, is among the most popular sitcoms of all-time. The others would not have made this list in any other decade. 1. Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2005). 2. Will and Grace (1998-). 3. The King of Queens (1998-). 4. Becker (1998-2004). 5. Still Standing (2002-). The Franchises Many popular sitcoms, especially in the early days of television, spun off secondary characters to create new shows. Some, like All in the Family, worked this to perfection, creating several hits in its wake. Others, like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, ended up only diluting the original. Below are the 20 most popular television franchises. This includes shows that never spun off any new shows, just for reference. 1. All in the Family/Archie Bunker's Place/Gloria/The Jeffersons/Maude/Good Times 2. Andy Griffith Show/Mayberry R.F.D./Gomer Pyle, USMC 3. Lucille Ball 4. Cheers/Frasier 5. Happy Days/Laverne and Shirley/Mork and Mindy 6. Friends/Joey 7. The Cosby Show/A Different World 8. MAS*H/AfterMASH 9. The Danny Thomas Show/The Joey Bishop Show (some would combine this with the Andy Griffith set). 10. Three's Company/The Ropers 11. Home Improvement 12. Roseanne 13. The Golden Girls/Empty Nest 14. Everybody Loves Raymond 15. The Beverly Hillbillies 16. The Mary Tyler Moore Show/Phyllis/Rhoda 17. Seinfeld 18. The Bob Newhart Show/Newhart 19 (tie). One Day at a Time 19 (tie). Bewitched 19 (tie). Petticoat Junction/Green Acres 19 (tie). Sanford and Son

09-05-2005, 04:22 PM	#2
Dean Winchester Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Sep 28, 2003 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 14,803	I don't agree with the belief that sitcoms sucked from 1980-1984 because the ratings were low. In the pre-Cosby world, there was Diff'rent Strokes, Facts Of Life, Gimme A Break, Family Ties, Cheers, Mama's Family, plus 70's holdovers such as One Day At A Time and Taxi were still good to the end. Granted, The Cosby Show made sitcoms viable in the ratings world again but I fail to buy the concept that sitcoms "sucked" before Cosby came around. I'll take any of the aforementioned shows over any of today's sitcoms with maybe the exception of Arrested Development. Nonetheless, I thought you had an informative post and you obviously did a lot of research and put time into it.