Television Sitcoms

Just read a review of the new Fall sitcoms. Not a favorable one saying the selection is the worst in years. I have to disagree not because I have seen any of them enough to form an opinion but because I have lived long enough to see so many sitcoms come and go.

My first sitcom was "I Love Lucy" which is probably in the top ten of the most successful and critically acclaimed of all time. The second one I remember was "The Andy Griffith Show" which has achieved the same status. Of course, I can see one of these episodes any time I want and have been able to for the past fifty years. I sincerely remember watching them as a child.

Then came the others I loved just as much, dissed by the critics but became cultural icons. "The Beverly Hillbillies", "Green Acres", "Gilligan's Island" and "The Brady Bunch". Sure there were those in the mix during this period that achieved a more analytical status "Leave it to Beaver", "My Three Sons" and were deemed to be better. But, hey, we are still watching them.

I suppose the best sitcoms of their time were the ones that tapped into intellects, made us laugh and touched our lives. "M*A*S*H", "All in the Family", "Cheers", "Taxi", "The Cosby Show" and "The Wonder Years" stand out for me. As I look back to when these shows were on that was the comedy I wanted to see and missed out on the fluffier ones.

In my decade of small children it was all about "Full House", "Step By Step", "Family Matters" "Home Improvement", "Growing Pains" "Roseanne" and "Boy Meets World". During this time I completely missed my two favorite sitcoms of all time "Seinfeld" and "Friends". Not to worry, even though I never saw an episode of either while in prime time, I have seen every one of each over and over due to the magic of syndication.

So never fear you fledgling sitcoms. You could become "The Office", "30 Rock", or "Modern Family" of your time. Goes to show that the successful sitcom is only as good as how it fits in with it's public and relevance to the times.