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)

14. Everybody Loves Raymond

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

23. Rules of Engagement

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)

40. Parks and Recreation

41. Malcolm in the middle

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

54. Gilligan’s Island

55. Keeping Up Appearances (It’s bouquet…)

56. My Family

57. Thin Blue Line

58. Tripping The Rift

59. Yes, Dear

60. Two Guys and a Girl

61. ’Til Death

62. ALF

63. 3rd Rock from the Sun

64. Rhoda

65. Just Shoot Me!

66. You Rang, M’Lord?

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)

77. The King of Queens

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