What the best sitcom has to have to be on this list? Great roles with perfectly suited actors, unique setting and lots and lots of jokes and funny situations. Also You should consider interaction between main cast. I solemnly recommend all of the sitcoms below.
1. That 70’s Show (All the caracters were great, setting was the coolest, funny gags and situations, only shame it ended so soon)
2. The Drew Carey Show (great roles by Drew Carey, Lewis by Ryan Stiles, Oswald by Diedrich Bader with constant jokes by these three together)
3. Taxi (has at least 3 totally unique and greatest roles in sitcom history: Louie De Palma by Danny DeVito, Latka Gravas by Andy Kaufman and Reverend Jim ‘Iggy’ Ignatowski by Christopher Lloyd)
4. Friends
5. Two and a Half Men (Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer, and a kid that grew a bit to fast)
6. Curb Your Enthusiasm (as soon as You get accustommed to the original and improvisational format You’ll realise this is one of the best sitcoms ever made)
7. Mad About You (The funniest sitcom ever)
8. Spin City (Michael J. Fox and later Charlie Sheen)
9. Futurama (great humor, political satire, twisted alien worlds and weird but funny future with some truly poignant moments)
10. Fawlty Towers (well, what more can be said: John Cleese!)
11. Married… with Children (primitive & vulgar, classic & funny sitcom about a dysfunctional family, Father of all sitcoms)
12. The Big Bang Theory (Jim Parsons is the centrepiece of the show)
13. Mr. Bean (such short and mainly physical sitcom so high up the ladder, true talent of Rowan Atkinson)
15. Archer (the coolest animated spy sitcom ever)
16. M*A*S*H (to start with Hawkeye (Alan Alda) add more cool characters and sprinkle with some Radar (Gary Burghoff))
17. I Love Lucy (me too!, Grandmother of all sitcoms)
18. ‘Allo ‘Allo (Good moaning!)
19. According to Jim
20. New Girl
21. The Mary Tyler Moore Show (Mother of all sitcoms)
22. South Park
24. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
25. Bob’s Burgers
26. The Golden Girls
27. Wings
28. The Simpsons
29. Family Guy
30. The Office (US)
31. The Conners (The odyssey continues)
32. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
33. Rick and Morty
34. Disenchantment
35. Roseanne (It just keeps coming back, just to be cancelled again… GJ!)
36. King of the Hill
37. American Dad! (Roger by Some Alien)
38. Cheers (8 person main cast, everyone funny; NORM!)
39. Frasier (said to be one of the most successful spin-offs: true)
42. Modern Family (very unconventional but subtle and seriously funny)
43. Superstore (delightfully funny cutscenes of moronic customers)
44. Mike & Molly
45. Seinfeld (very funny chracters but the best is wacky neighbor Cosmo Kramer by Michael Richards)
46. The Cosby Show
47. Blackadder (apart from 1st season the rest is a delight by Rowan Atkinson and Baldrick by Tony Robinson)
48. Unsupervised
49. Dharma & Greg
50. Black Books (Dylan Moran and Bill Bailey)
51. Legit
52. The New Adventures of Old Christine
53. Will & Grace
55. Keeping Up Appearances (It’s bouquet…)
56. My Family
57. Thin Blue Line
59. Yes, Dear
61. ’Til Death
62. ALF
64. Rhoda
65. Just Shoot Me!
67. The Office (UK)
68. The Nanny
69. 2 Broke Girls
70. Anger Management
71. The Odd Couple (2015)
72. $#*! My Dad Says
73. Red Dwarf
74. A Different World (… a different view)
75. Ugly Americans
76. Don’t Trust The Bitch In Apartment 23 (Very weird/original sitcom)
78. How I Met Your Mother (Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson)
79. Kevin Can Wait
80. My Wife and Kids
81. Go On
82. Stacked
83. Man with a Plan
84. Mr. Sunshine
85. AfterMASH
86. Bad Move
87. Satisfaction (some originality with weird characters)
88. Joey
89. That 80’s Show. Well, ironic isn’t it?
Let’s consider what key elements make a great sitcom.
Witty main character. He has to make every situation ito a joke. Best examples are Michael from My Wife and Kids, Chandler from Friends, Brian from Wings, Drew from Drew Carey Show. We can also count an actual comedian Jerry from Seinfeld.
Lovable dummy. Take for example Lowell from Wings, Joey from Friends, Kelso from That 70’s Show or Lewis/Oswald combo from Drew Carrey Show. Sometimes the lovable dummy characer is more subtle like Radar from M*A*S*H. Coach/Woody in Cheers. Blake in M*A*S*H.
Lovable wacko. Needless to mention Kramer from Seinfeld, Phoebie from Friends, Latka and Reverend Jim from Taxi, Lilith from Cheers, Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory.
Un-lovable pain in the a… Burns in M*A*S*H, Burns in The Spimpsons, Red in That’s 70’s Show, Louie De Palma from Taxi.
Setting. Usual setting, living room couch and partly kitchen. Bar/caffé or work place gives more freedom and creates more interactions with non-main characters. Field hospital in the 50’s or Eric’s basement in the 70’s are examples of non-standard setting both with location and time-setting.
Soon to be added:
A Different World
Also considered:
All in the Family
30 Rock
Arrested Development
The Michael J Fox Show
Home Improvement