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Sitcoms of Yesteryear

DalbozDalboz Resident Puppy EaterRight behind you...Registered User regular
edited January 2010 in Debate and/or Discourse
Inspired by the '80s Cartoons thread, I thought I would start a discussion about sitcoms of the past. Probably '80s and earlier, although I guess several bleed through to the '90s. This also includes the myriad of shows only ran a few episodes before being canceled.

I'll start things off. This was also somewhat inspired by the Married...with Children block that I caught on TVLand while channel surfing. I always remember this show was great. Although the last season or two weren't that great, and it got canceled without a real final episode.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAKaJE4gjYg

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    BloodySlothBloodySloth Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    The earlier episodes of Married With Children are pure gold. As the show progressed it became much more cartoony and actually less unique because of that, but it still manages to be funny now and then.

    BloodySloth on
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    Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited November 2009
    I still maintain that Cheers was the best sitcom of the last 30 years. And I only add that qualifier because I haven't watched many shows from the 70's and 60's.

    Also, Alyssa Milano was one of my first major crushes when she was on Who's the Boss.

    Bionic Monkey on
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    King RiptorKing Riptor Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Perfect Strangers.

    Oh yes I went there.

    King Riptor on
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    Apothe0sisApothe0sis Have you ever questioned the nature of your reality? Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Family Matters has a great alternative interpretation.

    Everything that happens is in Laura's head. Steve is one of the aspects of Laura's psyche - her attempt to connect with her father, who rarely, if ever did anything with her, as well as to feel loved and wanted.

    This explains things like why Carl spent more time with Steve Urkel than any of his family by a huge margin, why absurdities like Steve building a working nuclear bomb in his basement could occur and why the family members kept disappearing without a trace.

    Apothe0sis on
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    KyouguKyougu Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Dinosaurs had the most depressing ending to a sitcom ever.

    Kyougu on
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    JebusUDJebusUD Adventure! Candy IslandRegistered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Kyougu wrote: »
    Dinosaurs had the most depressing ending to a sitcom ever.

    Dinosaurs was awesome.

    JebusUD on
    and I wonder about my neighbors even though I don't have them
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    YodaTunaYodaTuna Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    King Riptor wrote: »
    Perfect Strangers.

    Oh yes I went there.

    There's nothing to be ashamed of. A couple years ago, on a late shift job, that was on TVLand as soon as I got home. Good times.

    YodaTuna on
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    Element BrianElement Brian Peanut Butter Shill Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Kyougu wrote: »
    Dinosaurs had the most depressing ending to a sitcom ever.
    Oh look I accidentally destroyed the planet, OOPS.

    Element Brian on
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    mcdermottmcdermott Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    YodaTuna wrote: »
    King Riptor wrote: »
    Perfect Strangers.

    Oh yes I went there.

    There's nothing to be ashamed of. A couple years ago, on a late shift job, that was on TVLand as soon as I got home. Good times.

    God, I remember that show. Loved it as a kid. Maybe I need to go back and watch it again, to see if it's as awesome as I remember.

    mcdermott on
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    TavTav Irish Minister for DefenceRegistered User regular
    edited November 2009
    What would you do if I sang out tune?:whistle:

    Tav on
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    King RiptorKing Riptor Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    mcdermott wrote: »
    YodaTuna wrote: »
    King Riptor wrote: »
    Perfect Strangers.

    Oh yes I went there.

    There's nothing to be ashamed of. A couple years ago, on a late shift job, that was on TVLand as soon as I got home. Good times.

    God, I remember that show. Loved it as a kid. Maybe I need to go back and watch it again, to see if it's as awesome as I remember.

    It holds up but the first season is . . . iffy. Sadly it's the only one on DVD and to the best of my knowledge there are no episodes online.

    King Riptor on
    I have a podcast now. It's about video games and anime!Find it here.
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    ThanatosThanatos Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    mcdermott wrote: »
    YodaTuna wrote: »
    King Riptor wrote: »
    Perfect Strangers.

    Oh yes I went there.
    There's nothing to be ashamed of. A couple years ago, on a late shift job, that was on TVLand as soon as I got home. Good times.
    God, I remember that show. Loved it as a kid. Maybe I need to go back and watch it again, to see if it's as awesome as I remember.
    Perfect Strangers was hands-down my favorite sitcom as a kid. It was fantastic.

    Thanatos on
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    descdesc Goretexing to death Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    I used to watch Family Ties pretty much daily for a while as a kid.

    I watched an episode online recently, and while I wasn't entirely sold on their comedic timing (to be fair it was a first season episode), but then when they all went in the kitchen, I had this sudden, very intense feeling of nostalgia. Which I suppose is the way these shows are supposed to work, but for a split second my brain felt like it was looking at my own childhood kitchen.

    Now in any game which involves buying/[/SPOILER]trading/selling, I inevitably end up naming my character Alex P. Keaton.

    desc on
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    elevatureelevature Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Thanatos wrote: »
    mcdermott wrote: »
    YodaTuna wrote: »
    King Riptor wrote: »
    Perfect Strangers.

    Oh yes I went there.
    There's nothing to be ashamed of. A couple years ago, on a late shift job, that was on TVLand as soon as I got home. Good times.
    God, I remember that show. Loved it as a kid. Maybe I need to go back and watch it again, to see if it's as awesome as I remember.
    Perfect Strangers was hands-down my favorite sitcom as a kid. It was fantastic.

    I came to this thread just to talk about Perfect Strangers. I adored that show as a kid.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HbGj8UDVsI

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Xq0KmfKqwY

    elevature on
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    Masked_MulletMasked_Mullet Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    why is there no love for all in the Family. That was a great show!

    Masked_Mullet on
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    SinWithSebastianSinWithSebastian Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Frasier is a pretty good way of getting some sleep

    SinWithSebastian on
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    InvisibleInvisible Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Masked_Mullet wrote: »
    why is there no love for all in the Family. That was a great show!

    All in the Family is pretty great.

    How many sitcoms have episodes where the main character's wife almost gets raped or a recurring transvestite character is murdered because of what she is?

    Invisible on
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    descdesc Goretexing to death Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vHJGvaQ-Us&feature=player_embedded

    desc on
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    deadonthestreetdeadonthestreet Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Family Matters was a Perfect Strangers spinoff. When I learned that my mind was blown.

    deadonthestreet on
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    JebusUDJebusUD Adventure! Candy IslandRegistered User regular
    edited November 2009
    News Radio and Just Shoot Me! were pretty funny back in the day. I put them together because they were basically the same show.

    JebusUD on
    and I wonder about my neighbors even though I don't have them
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    elevatureelevature Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    deadonthestreet wrote: »
    Family Matters was a Perfect Strangers spinoff. When I learned that my mind was blown.

    o_O It was? Which character from Family Matters was on Perfect Strangers?

    elevature on
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    JustinSane07JustinSane07 Really, stupid? Brockton__BANNED USERS regular
    edited November 2009
    All In the Family wins.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fqCS7Y_kME
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLjNJI54GMM
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da0eaiZ0CKw

    Game over.

    JustinSane07 on
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    deadonthestreetdeadonthestreet Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    elevature wrote: »
    deadonthestreet wrote: »
    Family Matters was a Perfect Strangers spinoff. When I learned that my mind was blown.

    o_O It was? Which character from Family Matters was on Perfect Strangers?

    Youtube to the rescue!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ39lywANPs&feature=related

    deadonthestreet on
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    MalkorMalkor Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    elevature wrote: »
    deadonthestreet wrote: »
    Family Matters was a Perfect Strangers spinoff. When I learned that my mind was blown.

    o_O It was? Which character from Family Matters was on Perfect Strangers?

    The father.

    edit: Wait. No. Harriet. She was the elevator operator?

    Malkor on
    14271f3c-c765-4e74-92b1-49d7612675f2.jpg
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    VariableVariable Mouth Congress Stroke Me Lady FameRegistered User regular
    edited November 2009
    carl winslow is one of my favorite characters ever.

    Carl Otis Winslow

    but I hate urkel.

    Variable on
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    RokamRokam Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    This is Howard Handupme, Goodnight, Goodbye.:(


    Also....ALF!

    Rokam on
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    PatboyXPatboyX Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Element Brian wrote: »
    Kyougu wrote: »
    Dinosaurs had the most depressing ending to a sitcom ever.
    Oh look I accidentally destroyed the planet, OOPS.
    Earl Sinclair: Destroyer of Worlds!

    PatboyX on
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    useless4useless4 Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    I can't believe people would think News Radio and Just Shoot Me are on the same level.
    News Radio was a supernova of comedic explosion that - even before Phil Hartman's sudden death - wasn't bound to last but it still has amazing moments of comic genius.

    The best part is when they translate Stephen Root's book to japanese then back to english and he reads it aloud to a book store.

    I think the only other time I ever laughed that hard was at the WKRP Thanksgiving episode where the turkeys are dropped out of the helicopter.

    Another great comedic moment should be on repeats this month : The Sam Kinason Christmas episode of Married with Children.

    useless4 on
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    MalkorMalkor Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Yeah, News Radio was definitely something special.

    Malkor on
    14271f3c-c765-4e74-92b1-49d7612675f2.jpg
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    King RiptorKing Riptor Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    SinWithSebastian wrote: »
    Frasier is a pretty good way of getting some sleep

    Why you gotta bring the lies?

    Well except that second to last season.

    King Riptor on
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    KyouguKyougu Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    I think we can say for a lot of us, TGIF was the best thing about the end of the week.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv1WfG3bFO0

    Kyougu on
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    VariableVariable Mouth Congress Stroke Me Lady FameRegistered User regular
    edited November 2009
    step by step was my favorite until boy meets world.

    Variable on
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    KyouguKyougu Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    I liked Boy Meet's World until I was old enough to realize what a loser/creep the main character was.

    The older brother was awesome though. And he's Batman in Batman Beyond, so that's even better!

    Kyougu on
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    MuncieMuncie Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    I pretty much like any of the shows that Ken Levine worked on. M*A*S*H, Frasier, and Cheers being the real standouts. I even like MASH with BJ, Colonel Potter, and Charles Emerson Winchester III. Alan Alda set some ground rules for the show and some people feel it stifled the mood that the movie created but I think it's probably best just to see the movie and the television series as two different things.

    A recent discovery is The Dick Van Dyke Show. They have 3/5 of the seasons available on Hulu, now. A lot of the humor still holds up, and while there are some definite early-60sisms (like husband and wife sleeping in different beds, for example) there are a lot of aspects that seem like they were really progressive at the time. The humor is as clean as you would expect but I think it's actually clever and imaginative.

    Plus they'll have almost whole shows with as little framework as possible and the fantastic cast will just perform--song, dance, slapstick, cello music.

    I also like how, unlike a lot of the bigger recent family comedies, the husband isn't constantly a bumbling, insensitive idiot and the wife isn't a nagging, angry asshole without any funny lines.

    Muncie on
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    reVersereVerse Attack and Dethrone God Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    I always liked Grace Under Fire. It had a nice dose of realism to it, and the main character was both hot and funny which is a somewhat rare combination. The show's quality started declining somewhat after Grace quit her job at the oil refinery, but it never got flat-out terrible.

    reVerse on
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    AroducAroduc regular
    edited November 2009
    The thing I miss the most are the theme songs. Damn ads. Give me back my catchy tunes.
    Rokam wrote: »
    This is Howard Handupme, Goodnight, Goodbye.:(


    Also....ALF!

    The same guy that did all the comedy TNG edits did a series of ALF edits too, where Alf is a mute and the victim of sexual abuse by the dad. It's horrifyingly hilarious.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZERfeh7n4Q

    Aroduc on
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    Orochi_RockmanOrochi_Rockman __BANNED USERS regular
    edited November 2009
    I remember TGIF. My household watched that block every week. I never knew the explaination about it all being in Laura's head but I do remember the other sister Judy? Just up and disappeared one episode never to be heard from again.

    I don't remember much about Perfect Strangers but I do that I watched it and liked it.

    Orochi_Rockman on
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    Bionic MonkeyBionic Monkey Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited November 2009
    reVerse wrote: »
    I always liked Grace Under Fire. It had a nice dose of realism to it, and the main character was both hot and funny which is a somewhat rare combination. The show's quality started declining somewhat after Grace quit her job at the oil refinery, but it never got flat-out terrible.

    I read on TVTropes that she was apparently a fucking nightmare to work with though.

    Bionic Monkey on
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    Crimson KingCrimson King Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Here is what you are going to do

    You are going to watch at least the first episode of Coupling on youtube

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfKo7u-ovpY&feature=PlayList&p=78D044DC29DDA1AE&index=0&playnext=1

    Then you're gonna realise it is the best sitcom ever

    Then I'm gonna be happy, because no-one anywhere ever has seen this show and it make me so angry

    It is British by the way, in case you have a problem with that. It is by Steven Moffat, who wrote every good episode of Doctor Who. You will love it. This I promise.

    Crimson King on
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    GodfatherGodfather Registered User regular
    edited November 2009
    Married with Children has not aged well.


    The entire appeal of the show was its "edgy" and "provocative" nature, but now it looks really corny, hokey and you can tell that they're really playing up for laughs in the show.

    That laugh track is pretty irritating to boot.

    Godfather on
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