Comedy is arguably the most subjective form of entertainment. What makes one person laugh hysterically might offend another. Despite this, there are many TV comedies that many agree to be among the best, and today I rank my favorites. My taste in comedy is more or less a mix of classic multi-camera comedies, which I grew up watching, and the recent single-camera comedies, which I have been watching thanks to Netflix. For me, comedies are a perfect way to spend a short 20 minutes to sit back, relax, and just have fun.
As with every list, there are still TV shows that I have not seen. Originally, I intended to write up this list a month ago, but after reader's poll results, I decided to watch one of the most popular comedies, Arrested Development, so that my list could be complete. And of course, the list is ranked how much I enjoyed each TV show, and how much it made me laugh.
10: 30 Rock
A TV show about making a TV show, 30 Rock never ceases to deliver the most weird and random moments of comedy on television. 30 Rock follows producer of a Saturday Night Live type variety show and the absurd situations that the crazy crew gets themselves into. Unlike comedies like The Office or M*A*S*H, 30 Rock's humor is not content to remain within the logical real world. Often times, absurd things happen, and the writers' ability to always come up with something new and random every week is rather impressive. With that said, the show gets off to a slow start and the characters are not as well developed as many of the other shows on the list. It is mostly just a funny and random show, but it certainly made me laugh.
8: I Love Lucy
One of the comedy classics that defined an era, I Love Lucy remains just as funny today as did it more than 60 years ago. In general, I do not rewatch episodes of television. However, the exception is classic comedies, and I Love Lucy is a classic that I have seen many, many times. Unforgettable episodes such as "Lucy and Superman" and "Job Switching" make me laugh every single time, no matter how times I have seen it. That right there is a sign of a true comedy classic, and if you have somehow never seen this legendary series, do yourself a favor and go watch it, right now!
7: Arrested Development
Do not misunderstand, Arrested Development is an excellent comedy. Many consider it to be the best of all-time, and if it is your favorite, that's great. It is said to have inspired the current wave of single-camera comedies like The Office, Parks and Rec, ect, and its impact on the genre is fairly obvious. Arrested Development's first three seasons are all around solid. It mixes random antics and dialogue humor to great effect. The characters are memorable, and the serialized storyline makes it an easy watch. With that said, the latest season 4 by Netflix is basically a disaster. Sure, it is not without its strong points, but it is nothing compared to the previous seasons. Focusing on one or two characters pre-episode, the season completely loses the great chemistry between the cast that made the previous seasons great. Thankfully, the those first three seasons are still a lot of fun!
What do think of my list thus far? Are any of these your favorites? Please comment below and let m know.
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Would you have ranked AD higher if you only judged the first three seasons? I agree they are far superior, but if this was made 2-3 years ago before season 4, would it have been higher?
ReplyDeleteSorry for not replying in so long. But to answer your question, I made the first draft of the list with ranking before watching those seasons, so it would have only ranked higher before I watched Frasier. However, I think AD is great, at least those three seasons.
Delete-James
"I Love Lucy" is just impossible not to love, isn't it?
ReplyDelete(Yes, I'm playing Blog Catch-up.)