After a one-week pause, let’s look at another Top Five list. As always, we’re trying to look at the good things in life instead of focusing on the chaos that is life in 2020.
This week, we’re looking at situational comedies on television. Let me just start by saying that I recognize the greatness of older comedies like I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners. However, for the purpose of this list, I’m trying to identify the shows I’m most familiar with. I also thought about my ability to watch and rewatch episodes of these series and still laugh out loud.
Number Five: When my grandma was alive, we’d stay at her place occasionally when visiting back home. We could count on two things: great food and watching reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond. “Oh, that Ray, he’s so dumb,” Grandma would invariably say.
Maybe that’s why I like this show so much: Ray Romano’s character makes me look like a fantastic husband based on his ineptitude. I also enjoy wearing flannels unbuttoned, so there’s that.
Still, the family dynamics shown throughout the nine seasons of this show are just hilarious. Every time Ray’s parents show up from across the street, you know that Ray’s wife Debra is in trouble and so, eventually, will Ray be. His brother Robert also adds his own unique touch.
Number Four: Thanks to my wife and daughter, I finally watched all the way through Parks and Recreation and realized what all the fuss was about. Amy Poehler plays Leslie Knope, an overenthusiastic government employee. Her foil is Nick Offerman’s Ron Swanson character, who just might be the funniest person on the show. He doesn’t believe in government interfering in your life, yet he’s the head of a government department.
The ensemble for this show is fantastic. Rashida Jones and Chris Pratt are outstanding, and even the minor characters like Donna and Jerry (or is it Garry?) flesh out well during the run. One reason this doesn’t move higher on my list is I wasn’t really fond of Rob Lowe’s character, Chris Traeger.
The quarantine episode this group came together (remotely) to do was so very good and added the icing on the cake that makes this show so great.
Number Three: For this program, I like to ignore most of the final two seasons. When Steve Carell left The Office, it floundered for most of those last two years. But the first seven seasons were so good that it still keeps this show in the Top Five. Plus, the ability to bring Carell back for an impeccable finale made up for (most) of those bad years.
This was a show that had a romance that felt very natural and not forced. I compare Jim and Pam’s relationship to that of Ross and Rachel on Friends. Except that you can’t really compare them, because Ross and Rachel got old and dreary halfway through the series, while Jim and Pam explored all kinds of nooks and crannies of normal relationships.
The group of characters on this show just grows on you. Depending on which episode you watch, you might have a new favorite minor character, be it Stanley or Kevin or Creed. But my favorite is certainly Dwight Schrute. In fact, I have a bobblehead of him on my desk, just like the one he has in the show!
From the George Foreman grill to the plasma TV to the Dundies to Casino Night, this show has so many memorable episodes that it’s easy to see why it belongs here.
Number Two: A couple years ago, I rewatched Cheers. Even though it’s been off the air for over twenty years, it still was as funny as ever. That’s the true mark of a great show. The comedy didn’t feel dated at all, and the place where everybody knows your name was as cozy as ever.
Ted Danson truly was a great centerpiece to this show set in a bar. But the cast around him is what elevated this sitcom to the upper echelon. And when a great character like Coach passed away, the switch to Woody was seamless. There will forever be arguments about if people like Diane or Rebecca better as Sam’s romantic partner, but that adds to the mystique as well.
But Cliff and Norm really are what fans looked forward to each week. “How’s the world treating you, Mr. Peterson?” asked Woody. “It’s a dog-eat-dog world, and I’m wearing Milkbone underwear,” was Norm’s response. You just waited for the crowd to greet Norm each week. And Cliff’s little-known facts always left viewers agape.
Number One: This is the series I quote the most often. If I don’t make a Seinfeld reference every day, it’s surprising. Jerry Seinfeld’s show about nothing was really something, and it’s number one because of its ability to find comedy in the smallest things. Breaking up with a woman because of how she eats her peas or having to order soup in a special way or trying to figure out the most comfortable way to take a nap at work were all elements of this show.
Jerry and his friends Elaine, George, and Kramer were joined by some truly unique characters from episode to episode. Jerry’s and George’s parents were always fantastic when they appeared. And the finale brought back forty characters from previous episodes, leading viewers back down the path of episodes they had loved.
I’m so excited that Seinfeld will be on Netflix next year. It will be a grand time touring through this show again, even though I’ve probably seen most episodes five or more times.
Again, I’m sure many of you enjoy some different shows more than some of these. No matter what, laughter is good for us, and whatever makes you laugh must be good!
Word of the Week: This week’s word is heterophemy, which means the use of a word different than the one intended, as in, “Jerry experienced heterophemy when he called his girlfriend by the wrong name.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!