Classic TV Sitcoms vs. Today's Sitcoms - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

LucyFan · 01-27-2002, 06:16 PM

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

TJL · 01-27-2002, 07:07 PM

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.

Mijada · 01-27-2002, 07:27 PM

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

dawsongirl · 01-27-2002, 07:51 PM

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?

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.

Jimbo · 01-27-2002, 08:58 PM

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!

Chocoholic · 01-27-2002, 09:59 PM

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.

Barnabas1 · 01-28-2002, 01:00 PM

Classic!!!!!!!

jamier42 · 01-28-2002, 05:26 PM

I like both but I like Classic shows more.

Tiger32 · 01-28-2002, 06:40 PM

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.

James · 02-01-2002, 03:12 AM

I would say classic situational comedies, by far.

James · 02-01-2002, 03:13 AM

Quote:

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!!!

ClassicComedyFan2 · 02-01-2002, 09:20 AM

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.

Chocoholic · 02-01-2002, 04:37 PM

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

TJL · 02-01-2002, 05:47 PM

Wow, tough room.

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

17Mar59 · 02-02-2002, 10:30 PM

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.

View Poll Results: The Best One
Today's Sitcoms	3	7.89%
Classic TV Sitcoms	35	92.11%
Voters: 38. You may not vote on this poll

01-27-2002, 06:16 PM	#1
LucyFan Still Loving Lucy! Forum Fanatic Join Date: Sep 23, 2001 Location: In the Wonderful World of Lucy! Posts: 8,198	Classic TV Sitcoms vs. Today's Sitcoms Which do you think is better: Classic TV Sitcoms or Today's sitcoms? and why?

01-27-2002, 07:07 PM	#2
TJL Suburbanite Extrordinaire Forum Star Join Date: Dec 29, 2001 Location: New Jersey - the cradle of civilization Posts: 16,588	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 think I'll stroll up to the front to see how the shooting's going..." - Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce Read my blogs! http://centralparkamisguide.com/ http://dvdcriticscorner.com Visit me on Facebook!http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=641138880 Hey, I do the tweet thing too! http://twitter.com/TomLevier My shop of handmade items! http://www.etsy.com/shop/ColdGarageCreations

01-27-2002, 07:51 PM	#4
dawsongirl Member Forum Icon Join Date: Jan 04, 2001 Posts: 53,140	Go Classic TV!! 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? 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.

01-28-2002, 01:00 PM	#7
Barnabas1 Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 01, 2001 Posts: 4,598	Classic!!!!!!!
	__________________ My favorite shows :: I Love Lucy, Dark Shadows, Leave it to Beaver, The Munsters, Chico and the Man, and Get Smart. Formerly Babalu and agsfan

01-27-2002, 07:27 PM	#3
Mijada Spencers mom Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 02, 2001 Location: eastern US Posts: 4,093	I prefer the older sitcoms from the 50s and 60s.

01-27-2002, 08:58 PM	#5
Jimbo Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jul 29, 2001 Location: United States of America-One Nation UNDER GOD! Posts: 471	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!

01-27-2002, 09:59 PM	#6
Chocoholic Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 01, 2000 Location: Between a rock and a hard place. Posts: 11,235	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.

01-28-2002, 05:26 PM	#8
jamier42 Member Senior Member Join Date: Nov 09, 2000 Posts: 1,263	I like both but I like Classic shows more.

01-28-2002, 06:40 PM	#9
Tiger32 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jan 14, 2002 Posts: 624	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.

02-01-2002, 03:12 AM	#10
James Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jan 07, 2001 Location: Dayton, Ohio, USA Posts: 6,370	I would say classic situational comedies, by far.

02-01-2002, 09:20 AM	#12
ClassicComedyFan2 Coolicious! Forum Regular Join Date: Sep 28, 2001 Location: AL, United States, Alpha Quadrant Posts: 698	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.

02-01-2002, 04:37 PM	#13
Chocoholic Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 01, 2000 Location: Between a rock and a hard place. Posts: 11,235	Looks like classic is beating current 13-0. I hope the Patriots have the same luck in the Super Bowl

02-01-2002, 05:47 PM	#14
TJL Suburbanite Extrordinaire Forum Star Join Date: Dec 29, 2001 Location: New Jersey - the cradle of civilization Posts: 16,588	Wow, tough room. Hard to believe I'm the only one who prefers current shows...

02-02-2002, 10:30 PM	#15
17Mar59 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 03, 2002 Location: washington state Posts: 475	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.