Top 50 Sitcoms

Dick Swiveller · Jan 1, 2015

Just finished watching this Channel 5 programme from last night. Now I know these things are subjective and are probably voted for by a lot more women than men. I can almost understand Are You Being Served, It Ain't Alf Hot Mum, The Likely Lads, On The Buses, George And Mildred and a few others not making the list.

But, bearing in mind the list contained Miranda, Mrs Brown's Boys, The Golden Girls, Parks and Recreation among others, I cannot understand how The Office or Phoenix Nights are not in the Top 50. Even weirder is that C5 trailed the programme by talking about the Likely Lads and Happy Days but neither were included.

I'm probably in the minority by quite liking these talking heads Top lists but I won't spoiler the actual list. Can't argue too much with some of the top positions but some of the titles completely missing was completely baffling.

Anyone else watch this? (Probably not live as it was 9-12 last night).

Tricky Dicky · Jan 1, 2015

Parks and Recreation - is that one program or two. Either way, never heard of it/them. Not sure The Office would be classed as a sitcom for some reason.

Dick Swiveller · Jan 1, 2015

Tricky Dicky said:
Parks and Recreation - is that one program or two. Either way, never heard of it/them. Not sure The Office would be classed as a sitcom for some reason.

Arrested Development was included - another Mockumentary. Forgot to add that Frank Spencer was notable by his absence. As was Bottom. But Outnumbered was in. I can only guess that the ones that missed out were not on the list offered for public vote.

P&R is a US sitcom - I have heard of it but never seen it.

Triggaaar · Jan 1, 2015

The Great Gatsbt said:
I cannot understand how The Office ... not in the Top 50.

WTF! I watched the last 15 or so, and as we hadn't seen The Office show up yet, we wondered whether it would have the top slot. Ridiculous to not be in the top 50. The number one would be my personal choice too though, so I forgive it.

Dick Swiveller · Jan 1, 2015

Triggaaar said:
WTF! I watched the last 15 or so, and as we hadn't seen The Office show up yet, we wondered whether it would have the top slot. Ridiculous to not be in the top 50. The number one would be my personal choice too though, so I forgive it.

At least it is in good company. No Curb Your Enthusiasm either. We must know nothing. Hi-De-Hi and Keeping Up Appearances are obviously much better.

If I was cynical, I would say the availability of Jeffery Holland and Vikki Michelle and a woman from KUA may have swayed the choices somewhat.

Triggaaar · Jan 1, 2015

The Great Gatsbt said:
Hi-De-Hi and Keeping Up Appearances

Sounds like Bens Grandad was voting.

Grassman · Jan 1, 2015

I didn't watch it. But if the Top 10 didn't include Dad's Army, Porridge, Curb, Steptoe & Son, In Sickness & In Health, Rising Damp, Phoenix Nights and any Alan Patridge series then, quite frankly, I'm staggered.

pasty · Jan 1, 2015

Tricky Dicky said:
Not sure The Office would be classed as a sitcom for some reason.

I don't even class that as comedy. Crap, yes. Comedy, no.

Dick Swiveller · Jan 1, 2015

Grassman said:
I didn't watch it. But if the Top 10 didn't include Dad's Army, Porridge, Curb, Steptoe & Son, In Sickness & In Health, Rising Damp, Phoenix Nights and any Alan Patridge series then, quite frankly, I'm staggered.

Partridge was the only one in the top 10. Curb, ISAIH, Rising Damp and Phoenix Nights not in the list at all.

Jbanged · Jan 1, 2015

The Office, like it or not, it has been copied in over 9 other countries of which I'm aware of.

tedebear · Jan 1, 2015

The Great Gatsbt said:
and are probably voted for by a lot more women than men.

which tells us what exactly?

Dick Swiveller · Jan 1, 2015

Jbanged said:
The Office, like it or not, it has been copied in over 9 other countries of which I'm aware of.

As I said, it is subjective. But not in the Top 50? According to Wiki, it won the following:

At the British Comedy Awards in 2001, The Office won the Best New TV Comedy award. In 2002, the series won the Best TV Comedy award, and Gervais the Best TV Comedy Actor award.

In 2003, The Office won the Golden Globe Award for "Best Television Series: Musical Or Comedy", beating nominees Arrested Development, Monk, Sex and the City and Will & Grace. It was the first British comedy in 25 years to be nominated for a Golden Globe, and the first ever to win one. Ricky Gervais was also awarded the Golden Globe for "Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series: Musical or Comedy" for his role. The same year, the series won a Peabody Award.[9]

In 2005, the series' concluding two-part special was nominated for two Emmys in the categories of "Outstanding Made for Television Movie" and "Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special".[10]

Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "We love the Scranton crew. But Ricky Gervais' mockumentary series about sadsack employees in Slough, England, is the undisputed champion of awesomely awkward cubicle hell."[11] And then the magazine put it 14 on its top 100 TV shows of all time, citing that "Anytime you watch something on TV so awkward you don't know whether to laugh or shield your eyes in horror, you can thank Ricky Gervais' biting British mockumentary for the pleasure."

Dick Swiveller · Jan 1, 2015

tedebear said:
which tells us what exactly?

The presence of more female oriented sitcoms (Miranda, Ab Fab, Will & Grace, Golden Girls etc) above more critically acclaimed, male-centric series. I may be wrong but I would be amazed if it wasn't the case that the number of female voters as opposed to male voters in most, if not all, TV votes is very imbalanced. And it therefore follows that the tastes of the voters will be skewed accordingly.

Stevie Boy · Jan 1, 2015

What were the top 3?

Dick Swiveller · Jan 1, 2015

Stevie Boy said:
What were the top 3?

OK - Spoiler Alert (Probably not spoiling it for anyone)

3. Friends
2. Father Ted
1. Blackadder

OFAH was around 8 or 9 from memory which was surprising.

Rugrat · Jan 1, 2015

The Great Gatsbt said:
OK - Spoiler Alert (Probably not spoiling it for anyone)

3. Friends
2. Father Ted
1. Blackadder

OFAH was around 8 or 9 from memory which was surprising.

Fawlty Towers not in contention?

Dick Swiveller · Jan 1, 2015

Rugrat said:
Fawlty Towers not in contention?

In the Top 10 but I can't remember the exact position

Grombleton · Jan 1, 2015

Some were surprising - the inclusion of Miranda was just insulting. Nice to see Spaced quite high on the list.

I'm also surprised The Office wasn't on there. After several watches I much prefer the US version to the UK one but both are superb.

AlbionPics&SouthCoastTwit · Jan 1, 2015

If this programme had been done in Germany David Hasselhoff for Knight Rider would have been #1 by a long shot. US show about Hasselhoff talking to his computerized car. Awful, awful programme.

MV5BNjQzNzQwMDk1N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMzkxNzIzMQ@@._V1_SX640_SY720_.jpg

Die Deutschen lieben Hasselhoff

Lower West Stander · Jan 1, 2015

Parks & Recreation is quite good. US sitcom quite liked over here but not as good as Big Bang Theory or Two and a Half Men, Were they in it?

And none a patch on The Office. Obviously a silly list.

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