Ahead of the last season of The Office, and the debut of three new sitcoms on NBC this week — Go On (generically amusing), The New Normal (equally hilarious and annoying, so far) and Men with Kids (terrible, absolutely terrible) — Jen Chaney at The Washington Post took it upon herself to rank the 10 best NBC comedies in the network’s history, if by 10 you mean 12 (there were two slots with ties) and if by “in the history of NBC,” you mean, since the 1980s.
Let’s take a look at her Top 12. How would you rank them?
10. Community and Scrubs
9. Will & Grace
8. 30 Rock
7. Parks and Recreation
6. Frasier
5. Family Ties
4. The Office
3. Friends
2. The Cosby Show
1. Seinfeld and Cheers
It’s hard to argue with the actual shows included on the list, although I’d like to think that Night Court, Sanford & Son, Golden Girls and Mad About You at least got some consideration. Notwithstanding some very good early seasons, I’m not sure The Office merits placement that high, and I’ve likewise always been somewhat indifferent to Will & Grace (though I recognize its cultural importance).
Not a bad ranking, overall, though I have to say the whole endeavor highlights how far NBC has fallen. There is nothing on their new slate of shows that even approaches anything on this list, although ultimately, J.J. Abrams’ Revolution may go down as NBC’s greatest comedy ever.
Of course, I’d probably also rank Scrubs higher, but I have a unnatural affection for it.
Why doesn’t anyone ever talk about a Scrubs movie? I would watch the crap out of that.
(Source: WashPo)
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Newsradio.
Oh, snap. Yes. Totally.
Good call.
Agreed.
This. I’m re watching on HUlu, Amazon, Netflix or maybe even youtube. I can’t remember which.
It really should have gone without saying. But we live in a world where people like “The Big Bang Theory,” so…..
Well it all depends on how she ranked these. I’d put it as a tie with Community over Scrubs.
Super Karate Monkey Death Car for the win.
Oh yes.
Unnatural love of Scrubs is totally natural.
Ain’t nothin’ wrong with unnatural love for Scrubs.
So long as one of you wears a condom.
Unnatural love five!
Guy love, that’s all it is.
Frasier needs to be higher. And I’m sorry, Cheers is #2 to Seinfeld. Also, fuck the Office.
You speak the truth. No one ever agrees with me, but I think Niles is better than anyone on The Office, especially now.
No Night Court? F*ck this chick right in her earhole.
Ah the perspective of twentysomething pop culture columnists. No wonder the newspaper is going down. Night Court, FTW
Agreed 10001% X 100000
Also agree with Hawkins. While its nice having a younger perspective on things, TV did exist before you started watching Doug or when you finally “got” Pete & Pete/Rocko’s Modern Life.
/GIT OFF MAH LAWN
This too
Dan Fielding would have no problem with earholes.
There’s a popular restaurant & bar in the heart of Downtown STL, a very hip place that’s as known for its high quality kitchen as it is for drawing people from all over on weekend nights. There’s a small jazz band that plays there a few times a month, mostly cool background music to dinners & dates in the bar, with horns, a drummer, and a stand-up bass…
The biggest cheers this band gets?
When they incorporate the “Night Court” theme into the middle of a jazz song.
Night Court for the win.
I was glad to see Mad About You wasn’t ranked. That show was an abortion.
But where can replacing toilet paper be considered ground-breaking?
Scrubs needs to be higher, plus Newsradio should be on here. And Parks & Rec is too high, even if it’s wonderful, Scrubs is one of the best comedies ever.
x2
If anything Scrubs is too high. It isn’t fit to be mentioned anywhere near Community.
I generally agree, but she needed to make a stand and choose a clear winner, which should be Cheers over Seinfeld.
Kramer > Woody
Elaine > Diane/Rebecca
George > Cliff/Norm
Newman > Carla
Frank Costanza > Coach
The only matchup Cheers wins is Sam > Jerry, and I suppose there is no equivalent of Frasier on Seinfeld. But otherwise, Seinfeld is clearly superior.
There is no way George Costanza > Cliff Claven. Dittto Newman and Carla.
And niether one of them has been in my kitchen, Alex.
I could buy that Carla was better than Newman, but no love for Costanza? One of the greatest television characters of all time
Well, maybe I was hasty on George … his neurosis did set up pretty much everything on Seinfeld …
Friends is way too high.
Friends must have friends to be on this list.
Can Friends be broken down into two shows? “Friends Season 1″ and “All other Seasons of Friends” because then Friends Season 1 would merit consideration.
that’s crazy, Friends was at it’s peak seasons 2-6
Friends pre- Ross and Rachel soap opera was actually quite good. Chandler’s smoking relapse is a personal favorite.
the only reason id consider giving Cheers the edge is because i believe it got stronger in its later seasons which never happens, especially considering how long it ran. But i find the Rebecca years to be way better and to pull off a 10th season finale of the caliber of Woody’s wedding is pretty damn impressive. In my opinion the show never noticeably slowed down, when it ended it wasnt like most comedies when you’r begging for it stop (see: The Office) and again considering it went for 11 years… nothing else has matched it.
Even Seinfeld with its shortened first and second seasons only comes out to be 8 full twenty some episode seasons and Cheers had 11.
also NewsRadio.
When are we going to stop acting like Friends was a great show? IT’S NOT.
Also, 30 Rock and P&R are better than The Office, even when The Office was at its best. But since 30 Rock is ending and I can’t imagine that P&R will be around after they don’t have other good shows to pair it with, they also get the benefit of not being run into the ground.
Yeah-huh, it was too a great show! Not greater than Community or Parks or 30 Rock or Scrubs or Frasier, but it was great.
Friends had its moments, its just the on-going plot points became tired and stupid.
Office Season 3 is near as perfect as a show can get and the last season is near as bad as a show can get also.
What were Friends’ moments (honest question)? I watched the show because of Jennifer Aniston’s and Courtney Cox’s nipples, but I don’t remember anything funny.
Now I know for sure that Patty here was pre-adolescent when Friends was on the air.
You speak the truth, Nussy. If there’s one thing I really dislike about that show (especially in retrospect), it’s how seriously it took itself with regard to the romances and such. I mean, could Chandler BE any more sterile?
Also, no Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? Parents just don’t understand.
No Fresh Prince? MAMA, NOOOO
Will and Grace at number 9? Seriously it was 194 episodes of the same gay joke. The only thing Will and Grace did worth mentioning was give us 8 years of Megan Mullally, aka Ms Ron Swanson.
The Single Guy was robbed I tells ya, robbed! As well as Madman of the People.
When I was in middle school I wanted nothing more than to watch The Single Guy and I have no idea why.
Is too hard to just have a massive 12 way tie.
Nothing on NBC has made me laugh harder than To Catch a Predator. Just sayin’.
10-Scrubs
9-Night Court
8-The Office
7-Community
6-Family Ties
5-30 Rock
4-Parks & Rec
3-Cosby Show
2-Cheers
1-Seinfeld
-100000000000: Harry’s Law
yup
Swap Friends for Family Ties and you have my vote. Yes it was fun and we all have fond memories but it wasn’t that funny. Friends has to be on this list.
I’m sorry but you can’t bump up Community and still have the Office being better than Scrubs that is just wrong.
Hey, now. Seinfeld is tied with no other show. Scrubs does not deserve to even be on this list. It goes 1) Seinfeld 2) Will & Grace 3) Frasier 4) 3rd Rock from the Sun 5) Fresh Prince 6) Parks and Rec 7) 30 Rock 8) Night Court 9) The Office 10) The Cosby Show. Again, Scrubs does not deserve any recognition as a “greatest”, “of all time” or even “comedy”. Thanks for reading.
You lost me when you listed Frasier but not Cheers.
You lost me when you listed 3rd Rock.
You lost me when you said Scrubs doesn’t deserve to be on this list and then the audacity to say it deserves zero recognition. What are you a Fox executive? Are you the one that cancelled Firefly and Arrested Development?
No mention of The Golden Girls, anywhere? Bea Arthur 4 LYF!!!!
Err, 30 Rock ahead of Community?
The first three seasons of 30 Rock were pure gold. Community has had its rough patches even in two seasons.
“Why doesn’t anyone ever talk about a Scrubs movie?” – Did you see the last few seasons of Scrubs? You want a movie like that?
MESSAGE!
The 8th season of Scrubs before it became “Scrubs: Medical School” was fantastic.
agreed. 6 was bad, 7 was passable, 8 was a solid rebound and they went out on top… season 9: the new class didnt happen.
Nothing wrong with some Scrubs love. I’d definitely rank it higher. Community is a tough one. I honestly think Season 1 is one of the greatest sitcom seasons in TV history. But Season 2 and 3 have been far more mediocre, interspersed with a few brilliant episodes. I’d rank Friends lower–I can’t deny it’s appeal during its heyday, but it is very much a product of its time. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it is just so….90s for lack of a better word, right down to the Rembrandts theme song. Watching it today, it seems dated and not that funny. Also, I think Frasier is way overrated. Kelsey Grammer’s talents are wasted if he’s not voicing Sideshow Bob. Can’t argue with Seinfeld at number one though.
I still can’t take Parks and Rec seriously. The first season was such a blatant rip off. It should have been cancelled after 6 episodes. I mean good for them for finding their own niche eventually. But to me it will always be “The Office: Public Sector Edition!(and a woman Michael Scott!!)”
…Cue calling me a dipshit.
“Eventually” meaning after six episodes? I think that’s faster than most sitcoms (or shows of any kind) figure themselves out. Season 2 left the “female Michael Scott” thing behind pretty much immediately.
What no Tyler Perry’s House of Payne?! This list is BULLSHIT!
No Momma’s Family? That got me through many a sick days as a child.
Relevant!
No way “Scrubs” should be on that list. Awful show.Office should be lower and 30 Rock higher.
ALF, emmeffers.
I’ve likewise always been somewhat indifferent to Will & Grace (though I recognize its cultural importance).
Which is the only reason it would ever be included in a top ten list, because that show sucked, especially when compared to the four you mentioned that didn’t even make the list.
I would bump Friends and Will & Grace right off to make a neat 10:
10. Parks and Recreation
9. Family Ties
8. 30 Rock
7. Scrubs
6. Frasier
5. Community
4. The Office
3. Cheers
2. The Cosby Show
1. Seinfeld
Agreed on Friends. Every time there was a laugh (with a laugh track), there was a hug (with an “awwwww”).
And the Office gets judged way too harshly. I love that show, and I think it was perfection season 3 & 4 (e.g. Dwight seeing Dr. Krentist).
This might work as an “at the time” list, which I think it is, but I have to judge every show with a laugh track, they are unwatchable (e.g. every CBS comedy). Except Seinfeld, even though it has a laugh track, its re-watchablity is through the roof.
No one cares, but I’ll say: (1) Seinfeld (2) Office (3) 30 Rock (4) Cheers (5) Parks & Rec (6) Community (7) Frasier (8) Scrubs (9) The Cosby Show (10) Family Ties or Fresh Prince.
I’d bump Scrubs and Family Ties off and replace them with 3rd Rock From the Sun and Newsradio.
The fact that the Eric Idol masterpiece “Nearly Departed” isn’t on that list is a farce. A farce I say!!!
forgot Emeril. and Whoopi
Taxi??
ohhhhhh GOOD CALL.
not so sure… Excellent show, but spent its creative prime on ABC, and its last, out-of-gas year on NBC. I am old enough to recall the promos… “Same time, better channel!”
Obviously lists are one person’s opinion. But how the hell does Fresh Prince not make this list? I’d place it in the number 2 spot behind Seinfeld.
I wouldn’t say it’s a top 10 show, but My Name Is Earl will always hold a special place in my white trash heart.
My Name is Earl was simply brilliant for two seasons and then crashed HARD. Two seasons doesn’t get you on the list.
Community is on the list. The last season wasn’t bad, but certainly wasn’t on par with the first two seasons.
Fair enough, but I daresay last season of Community had some serious high points … “Digital Estate Planning” is in my Top 3.
But where is the love for “Stark Raving Mad”?
I LOVED that show. Neil Patrick Harris with Tony Shaloub. The kite episode can still make me laugh.
No love for Wings?
word!
1. Seinfeld 2. Cheers 3. The Office 4. Parks and Rec 5. Scrubs 6. 30Rock 7. Community 8.Frasier 9. Taxi 10. NewsRadio 11. Fresh Prince 12. Friends (as it’s been said… it had its moments)
my apologies to the cosby show and family ties but they were before time and i never caught the reruns like i did with cheers and taxi.
I think you missed the point of this exercise. It was supposed to be the top 10, not 12, and it was “of all time” not “of the last decade and a half that I can mostly remember”.
thanks for adding to the conversation.
What, no Inside Schwartz?
I might have my “Child of the 80′s” membership revoked but “Family Ties” sucked moose balls. Sanford and Son was waaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than “Family Ties”.
[www.ebaumsworld.com]
And the epic Fred vs Esther throwdowns too!
Really need a starting date for this list because S&S began in ’72 and Family Ties in ’82.
Also in ’72? M*A*S*H
Parks and rec might be my favorite SitCom since Arrested Development, I dunno if I can place it number one but its’ fucking amazing. Community is also stellar as well. I like both quite a bit more than Seinfeld.
am i the only one that liked 3rd rock from the sun?
You are not.
Yeah, that’s one of my favs. Along with Newsradio. I can’t remember if they were on NBC, though.
Cheers has to be #1. After that you can argue.
I’d say Seinfeld is number one and after that you can argue.
Cheers was insanely popular, but it never really tapped into and reshaped the pop culture zetgeist the way Seinfeld did. You could write a dictionary of phrases, words, and ideas introduced by Seinfeld that we still use today.
Now, they need to rank the top 12 series finales of Scrubs.
best UPN comedies
1. Homeboys in Outer Space/Shasta McNasty
THAT IS ALL
My Mother the Car.
Night Court and News Radio certainly belong on the list. But I’d add Andy Barker, P.I and Get Smart, even though the latter didn’t air exclusively on NBC.
Newsradio and Wings deserve spots.
Where’s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air!?
700. Rhythm & Blues
10. A Different World
9. Community
8. Family Ties
7.Newsradio
6. Frasier
5. Night Court
4. Fresh Prince of Bel Air
3. Seinfeld
2. The Cosby Show
1. Cheers