What are your favourite sitcoms?
I have a lot of affection for some of the classic sitcoms, even the more-than-faintly-ridiculous ones like Are You Being Served? and It Ain't Half Hot, Mum. Some of them have aged badly and were crap in the first place, like Mind Your Language. Some, like Steptoe and Son and Fawlty Towers still hold up as iconic, brilliant telly. I assume. I haven't checked recently.
The first one I can remember was The Likely Lads although I don't remember very much about it now. It was quite different from the comeback series Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? but that was brilliant as well.
Possibly my favourite ever is The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin. More on that later.
Only a few of those ever reached our shores, most notably Fawlty Towers - unversally lauded - and Are You Being Served?
I think It Ain't Half Hot, Mum was aired here as well, never took to it.
My main issue was (and is): I don't really like comedy. It is often too contrived, canned laughter, terrible punchlines. Bit like the so called funny uncle at a birthday. I have the same with any form of stand up, rarely if ever I truly like something.
I am just a miserable git probably. Black comedies I like though, but only a few.
The Office stands out as probably making me laugh the most. I remember many of the classics and Fawlty Towers would be next on the laugh list.
Does the Young Ones count? I liked that.
I've watched a lot of sitcoms over the years. For me the older ones which age well are stuff like Steptoe and Son, The Good Life and Fawlty Towers.
Later things like Yes Minister, One Foot In The Grave and Father Ted are still quite watchable, but The Young Ones although massive at the time and frequently discussed at work, has had its day for me.
I don't know how well received they were in other parts but Rab C. Nesbitt and Still Game were the Scottish sitcoms which made me laugh rather than cringe. Rab C is still ok but Still Game is a classic. That might be influenced by how much of the Glasgow scenery I recognise though.
It's amazing to me how much dross I quite enjoyed growing up. The Wendy Craig stuff and Bread spring to mind. Still, different times. Much more innocent. Those were the days of Billy Connolly weighing up whether he should tell the park my bike joke on Parkinson because it was so rude.
Coincidentally I read about Hilda Baker's sad later years just yesterday. I was never allowed to watch Nearest And Dearest back then. It wasn't because of unsuitable content but just that the older members of my family didn't like that kind of "English" comedy.
There were a few like that. I don't think Terry Scott stayed on screen for more than a few seconds in our house before someone in authority marched across the living room and quickly plunged a channel selector button away from whichever channel had the temerity to broadcast his surburban tripe.
Edit: Remember the controversial racist ones? Love Thy Neighbour springs to mind. I sometimes watch clips on YouTube. Incredible what was acceptable in the 70s.
US sitcoms have been my favourite since Friends though. The Big Bang Theory and Modern Family are excellent.
Quote from: Thenop on July 24, 2026, 07:26:07 PMDoes the Young Ones count? I liked that.
That's exactly what I pondered when I was typing that first post. It's just so out there and surreal that I don't really think of it as a sitcom. Something like
Red Dwarf though, while it does have surreal and absurdist elements is definitely a sitcom. Just my own view.
I absolutely loved
The Young Ones. I was enchanted by Rik Mayall especially. And yet about ten years ago, maybe a bit longer, I sat down and watched one and unfortunately in my 50s, it was, more than anything else, just daft.
Speaking of Rik Mayall,
The New Statesman (https://betweenthewheels.net/index.php?topic=1052.0) is surely one of the greatest of all sitcoms.
Quote from: The Picnic Wasp on July 24, 2026, 07:35:56 PMI've watched a lot of sitcoms over the years. For me the older ones which age well are stuff like Steptoe and Son, The Good Life and Fawlty Towers.
Later things like Yes Minister, One Foot In The Grave and Father Ted are still quite watchable, but The Young Ones although massive at the time and frequently discussed at work, has had its day for me.
Some of the best sitcoms have a melancholy element.
Reggie Perrin was very funny - a bit surreal - but it was also quite poignant. There was something so melancholy about Reggie's reluctant daily commute to the office and his repetitive, jaded daily grind at Sunshine Desserts. It seemed quite profound to me at the time. The theme music captured that perfectly, as well.
Steptoe and Son as well - they're both trapped in that life, both stuck with each other. Harold yearns for a better life. But he can't have it. His dad is an old man who has no-one else.
By the way there's a Steptoe and Son episode in which it's Albert's 65th birthday.
Young Ones is a Sitcom.
Father Ted, is a (Father) stone cold Klassik.
The Office is complete and utter pish.
Leonard Rossiter was in ITV's best sitcom - Rising Damp.
Never got into any American sitcoms like Cheers.
Quote from: Nick on July 24, 2026, 09:28:16 PMNever got into any American sitcoms like Cheers.
Cheers brings back such happy memories for me. For family reasons I had to stay in on a Friday night so I had this routine. I wouldn't have dinner so I would drive to a really nice kebab shop in the West End having picked up a few bottles of beer on the way. Taking a tangent, a shop called Farmer George opened for a short while. It sold strange beers and I would buy my usual Furstenburg or Labatt and try a mystery bottle each time. Once it was EKU 28 I think. 28% abv and the consistency of ketchup.
Back home, crack open a beer, enjoy the dinner kebab whilst watching Cheers, then headphones on for The Friday Rock Show. The Time Stand Still Friday is etched on my memory forever.
Cheers got a bit slapstick and farcical in later days but I own them on DVD.
Edit: Was going to correct the autofill dinner to donner but both are apt.
Quote from: Nickslikk2112 on July 24, 2026, 09:08:03 PMYoung Ones is a Sitcom.
Father Ted, is a (Father) stone cold Klassik.
The Office is complete and utter pish.
Leonard Rossiter was in ITV's best sitcom - Rising Damp.
Rising Damp was the kind of sitcom which demanded great acting and writing as it was so claustrophobic with few characters. Miss Jones was a catchphrase on its own.
The Young Ones has to qualify as a sitcom because it's set in a house and will always be fondly remembered for the Motörhead in the kitchen performance.
Mind Your Language was worth watching if only for Françoise Pascal 🤪
Quote from: David L on July 24, 2026, 10:12:40 PMMind Your Language was worth watching if only for Françoise Pascal 🤪
Not forgetting Man About The House, of course 🤪🤪
Terry and June is the absolute archetype of that very middle class, suburban sitcom subgenre, but
The Good Life is as well, I think.
Reggie Perrin was.
Another one is
Don't Wait Up, about a father and son who are both doctors. Tony Britton and Nigel Havers. I didn't particularly like it but I did watch it occasionally, and there's one that's always stuck in my mind. Dad's secretary is away for some reason and the younger doctor arranges a temporary replacement for his dad.
Dad is a bit of a snob - he works on Harley Street - so he's very keen to ensure that she'll fit in with his wealthy clients.
I've just found it on YouTube!
The new girl is called Alison Mackenzie, his son says.
"Did you say Mackenzie.. Scottish is she?"
"No .. I think she was born near Guildford, but her family might be Scottish".
"Guildford .. I wonder if she's related to the Godalming Mackenzies.. charming family, they own a lot of land".
Eventually of course, we meet her. And .. wait for it .. she's black!
It gets a huge laugh from the studio audience.
I've just watched it back, I can't quite believe it.
Audience reaction to previously unseen character turning out to be black at 14:15. Warning: the word "wogs" is used a couple of minutes later.
Some mothers do ave em
Sorry
Reggie Perrin
Dad's Army
Open All Hours
Porridge
All three were superbly written (Perry and Croft/Roy Clarke/Clement and La Frenais)
The Liver Birds
Allo allo
Bottom ,?
Just Good Friends
Hi de Hi
All my favourites have already been mentioned (Steptoe and Son, Fawlty Towers etc.) so I'll turn my attention to US ones, which are few tbh:
Married... with Children I always liked, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show was worth a watch. But the one my wife and I have always loved was Malcolm in the Middle and I've watched all the episodes more than twice - the recent remake wasn't bad but felt a bit too forced. MASH was superb too. What I hate with US shows is the formulaic format like Friends/The Big Bang Theory/Roseanne - the way they jump from scene to scene. Malcolm in the Middle wasn't like this at all which is why I probably liked it. Still, none of them are a patch of the best UK shows though.
The one I don't get (yet) is Seinfeld. I'd heard and read folk raving about it for years and always looked forward to catching up with it, but I watched a couple from the first series and hated it. Does it improve, or is it a bit Marmite?
Quote from: Fishy on July 24, 2026, 10:34:04 PMSome mothers do ave em
Sorry
Reggie Perrin
Sorry was good sometimes. "Language Timothy. Oh shut up father".
I quite liked Rev. Not sure if that qualifies as a sitcom.
Fleabag was mental, but that does the fourth wall thing. Never been too keen on that aspect.
Well The Young Ones occasionally broke the fourth wall.
US sitcom culture is quite different from the British tradition. They sometimes run for hundreds of episodes and they're rarely the work of a single writer or writing team.
I think my favourite one ever is The Phil Silvers Show, often known as 'Bilko' of course. Brilliant, and seventy years old now. Watched all 142 of them in 2023.
I was also a big fan of M*A*S*H in my teens. The early ones are much more sitcom-ish, the later ones go the way of most US TV series and go overly sentimental. Watched all 256 of them in 2007, then again in 2022.
What else .. I suppose the old ones are my favourites. Tyne-Tees used to show Barney Miller in the late '70s / early '80s, set in a NYPD police station. Most episodes were based completely, or nearly completely in a squad room set, in front of a studio audience which gave it a real theatrical charm. Funny characters, very witty.
I was quite fond of WKRP in Cincinnati as well, actually downloaded them all about a year ago but only watched the first one.
I liked Cheers but Frasier, a spin-off of course, was even better.
Frasier was excellent. Again, superb writing even though it was probably by committee
Cheers was an all time favourite of mine but fell into the slapstick trap in many later episodes.
Frasier could also be brilliant but the writers very often became lazy and decided it was easier to churn out English farce play routines rather than create storylines.
I had an English teacher who although very strict realised his nickname was Bilko due to an uncanny resemblance which I only much later became aware of. He wore the old fashioned black teachers' robe and would sometimes mention his (never named) alter ego and strut about comically using an American accent. I missed the point but enjoyed the tension release from my very stressful early teenage school years.
It's difficult when you visit here regularly not to form a subconscious impression of the other visitors here based on their writings. Some things shock me. Mainly Fishy enjoying Hi-de-Hi. 😁
Up Pompeii!
I was reminded of this by my comment in the Andy Burnham thread. Another fourth wall breaking unusual one but I think the lack of channels and content meant I watched most things back then. The usual typical farcical plots of mix ups and innuendo. Like a Latin Carry On series.
Frankie Howerd it seems was a very complicated character offstage.
Lots of my favourites mentioned already.
Graham Linehan was brilliant producing Father Ted and then IT Crowd which was possibly even better.
Frasier was probably my favourite US sitcom just so well written.
Think in general BBC is ahead of ITV.
Good Life, Reggie Perrin, Fawlty Towers. The only thing ITV produced in comparison that U can think of would be Rising Damp.
The 2 seasons of Extras were more recent works of brilliance as was The Office
Quote from: dom on July 26, 2026, 05:39:31 PMLots of my favourites mentioned already.
Graham Linehan was brilliant producing Father Ted and then IT Crowd which was possibly even better.
Graham Linehan ;)
Ever Decreasing Circles
Detectorists - great stuff
So many to mention, but I will single out Bottom.
This caused me actual real pain from laughing. I was on the floor bent over with stomach pains and having trouble breathing - I think during an episode called Digger.
Quote from: Nick on July 26, 2026, 07:30:46 PMDetectorists - great stuff
I considered this too precious a gentle work of mostly humorous drama to mention. Perhaps my favourite piece of TV that I can remember. I think a part of this feeling is due to the setting and the recollection of the wonderful 90s when I would regularly be there, but mostly the writing, the acting and the beautiful music. The yellow TR7 too.
Bliss. I wish I could go back.
Didn't a Canadian band write a song about that?
Quote from: Fishy on July 26, 2026, 07:28:22 PMEver Decreasing Circles
She was good. He was a pain, but meant to be I suppose.
Quote from: R6GYY on July 26, 2026, 11:39:23 PMSo many to mention, but I will single out Bottom.
This caused me actual real pain from laughing. I was on the floor bent over with stomach pains and having trouble breathing - I think during an episode called Digger.
I loved
Bottom but it could be a bit hit and miss. Another Rik & Ade effort that's often overlooked was
Filthy, Rich and Catflap. Partly written by Ben Elton. Only got one series and I don't think the BBC ever repeated it. It did come out on DVD though and I have all of them on my hard drive somewhere.
Speaking of partly written by Ben Elton,
Blackadder. I liked the first series (not partly written by Ben Elton) but the second was the peak I think. I never got into the third series at all, just didn't quite work for me. Must watch them some time. The fourth, set in WW1 of course, was almost as good as the second.