American Situation Comedy Series - The Provisional Results of My Review

**LMcD** · 06-02-18, 22:59

For me, 'Frasier' always has been, and always will be, No. 1. It was literate, very funny, and offered a brilliant recreation of the classic French farce (so many doors and such brilliant timing!). Special mention must be made of John Mahoney, who has sadly passed away. My only criticism is that the show somewhat lost its way when Niles and Daphne finally got together, thus removing one of the key elements of the show's humour. The introduction of various members of Daphne's family became pretty tiresome.
(I watched Derek Jacobi's award-winning 'turn' again this morning).

**Beef Oven!** · 06-02-18, 23:09

Lat, there's a typo. You have Mash at #32 when you meant #1.

**Lat-Literal** · 07-02-18, 00:00

Originally posted by LMcD View Post

For me, 'Frasier' always has been, and always will be, No. 1. It was literate, very funny, and offered a brilliant recreation of the classic French farce (so many doors and such brilliant timing!). Special mention must be made of John Mahoney, who has sadly passed away. My only criticism is that the show somewhat lost its way when Niles and Daphne finally got together, thus removing one of the key elements of the show's humour. The introduction of various members of Daphne's family became pretty tiresome.
(I watched Derek Jacobi's award-winning 'turn' again this morning).

Originally posted by Beef Oven! View Post

Lat, there's a typo. You have Mash at #32 when you meant #1.

They are both very good but they don't quite have the highbrow quality of, say, this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QShpMImZdU

**johncorrigan** · 07-02-18, 00:28

'Big Bang' and 'Frasier' share that great delight of comedy programmes, the unseen character - Mrs Mainwaring is, of course, another. I loved the 'Odd Couple' but it's probably pretty dated now.

I was sad to see the death of John Mahoney, the great Marty Crane - a terrific character. Frasier came and went in standard, but when it was good it was terrific. '3rd Rock from the Sun' would be in my top 5, I have to say...smart comedy.

What's your favourite Situation Comedy theme tune, Lat, by the by? I suppose Beverly Hillbillies takes a bit of beating.

**Lat-Literal** · 07-02-18, 00:57

Originally posted by johncorrigan View Post

'Big Bang' and 'Frasier' share that great delight of comedy programmes, the unseen character - Mrs Mainwaring is, of course, another. I loved the 'Odd Couple' but it's probably pretty dated now.

I was sad to see the death of John Mahoney, the great Marty Crane - a terrific character. Frasier came and went in standard, but when it was good it was terrific. '3rd Rock from the Sun' would be in my top 5, I have to say...smart comedy.

What's your favourite Situation Comedy theme tune, Lat, by the by? I suppose Beverly Hillbillies takes a bit of beating.

That's a very good question, JC, and there are several contenders.

This one reached No 1 in the US in 1976:

John Sebastian - Welcome Back - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iROjAu1q-y4

**Lat-Literal** · 07-02-18, 01:13

Originally posted by LMcD View Post

For me, 'Frasier' always has been, and always will be, No. 1. It was literate, very funny, and offered a brilliant recreation of the classic French farce (so many doors and such brilliant timing!). Special mention must be made of John Mahoney, who has sadly passed away. My only criticism is that the show somewhat lost its way when Niles and Daphne finally got together, thus removing one of the key elements of the show's humour. The introduction of various members of Daphne's family became pretty tiresome.
(I watched Derek Jacobi's award-winning 'turn' again this morning).

Thank you for your comments, LMcD.

I agree and yes - very sorry to hear of the passing John Mahoney.

**Richard Tarleton** · 07-02-18, 09:49

Originally posted by Beef Oven! View Post

Lat, there's a typo. You have Mash at #32 when you meant #1.

Is your list suposed to be in order of merit, Lat? I won't give Beef a fight over Mash (different times, different strokes), but Seinfeld belongs at the very least in the top 2 or 3, alongside (possibly) Frasier. Episode 164, The Betrayal, one of the best episodes of any comedy series, ever. I first caught on to Seinfeld in the early '90s when it was on a graveyard slot on BBC, watched it again from the start on satellite more recently. I'm guessing you haven't seen it. There's an awful lot of dross ranked above it on your list

**LMcD** · 07-02-18, 09:57

Originally posted by johncorrigan View Post

'Big Bang' and 'Frasier' share that great delight of comedy programmes, the unseen character - Mrs Mainwaring is, of course, another. I loved the 'Odd Couple' but it's probably pretty dated now.

I was sad to see the death of John Mahoney, the great Marty Crane - a terrific character. Frasier came and went in standard, but when it was good it was terrific. '3rd Rock from the Sun' would be in my top 5, I have to say...smart comedy.

What's your favourite Situation Comedy theme tune, Lat, by the by? I suppose Beverly Hillbillies takes a bit of beating.

Ah, yes - the unseen character. Another fine example was Arthur Daley's missus ('Her Indoors')

'Frasier' also excelled in its use of the more physical side of comedy - Niles And The Ironing Board comes to mind. The supporting and recurring 'minor' characters (Noel, Gil, Roz and Kenny) also made major contributions.'

And let's not forget Eddie (well, both Eddies)

**Lat-Literal** · 07-02-18, 12:10

Originally posted by Richard Tarleton View Post

Is your list suposed to be in order of merit, Lat? I won't give Beef a fight over Mash (different times, different strokes), but Seinfeld belongs at the very least in the top 2 or 3, alongside (possibly) Frasier. Episode 164, The Betrayal, one of the best episodes of any comedy series, ever. I first caught on to Seinfeld in the early '90s when it was on a graveyard slot on BBC, watched it again from the start on satellite more recently. I'm guessing you haven't seen it. There's an awful lot of dross ranked above it on your list

Yes - it is in order of preference. Seinfeld was originally in the Top 20. However, I started to watch programmes that I hadn't seen in many decades and nostalgia led to them being placed higher up. Throughout the 100, there is also a strand of "nostalgia" for what I never knew. Dennis the Menace, The Andy Griffith Show, Green Acres, Gomer Pyle, Petticoat Junction, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.....these are among many early shows that weren't known to me. There have also been a lot of "finds" from the '70s onwards, either because they were never broadcast in this country or, if they were, I was never aware of them. Broadly, my tastes range from the clever and the offbeat to the immature. I am put off by productions which I sense are lacking in warmth and also by the formulaic. With a few exceptions, I can get more from a black and white era sitcom than a typical 21st century one.

As with anything, there were various issues.

Seinfeld, for example, suffered a little not because of what it is but its links to the highly rated The Larry Sanders Show which I don't like for its language or its tone. I can't stand the British Till Death Us Do Part for its racism but I concluded somewhat uneasily that its American equivalent All in the Family was often amusing and the emphasis in it seemed more appropriate. Bunker isn't as ugly as Garnett to me but I suppose I could be letting him off a bit because of the US-UK cultural gap. Chico and the Man and Bakersfield PD are two of the great lost series in which race is also tackled with varying degrees of subtlety. They are among many of the inclusions which are interesting indicators of changes in social history.

The Cosby Show would have been included but given all of the hoo-ha around Bill Cosby now, I no longer know what to make of it. Series involving allegations of misconduct such as Two and a Half Men and Martin have been left out. Frasier has a pretty good placing even though I came to it late. I was initially wary of it because it was a spin-off from Cheers which was almost an iconic extension of my young adulthood, just as Friends became for a later generation. I have never understood the latter series or really wanted to understand. Mash is a fascinating one because it seemed too advanced for me when it was originally broadcast and in some ways unfathomable. Hence, I delayed it but I am finding it good to watch now.

There is always the matter of identification in sitcom. Not having a family myself, I tend to relate more to depictions of work and social situations I have been in and friends and family when young. Slightly weirdly, my Nan was very close in character to Grandad in Only Fools and Horse, albeit more honest. I think I have now found my father's clumsiness in the man in Who's The Boss and Hazel is/was definitely my Aunt Doll. But I was especially delighted to be taken back to my best mate in young childhood, Simon, who was Dennis the Menace. The similarity is uncanny and it could explain a lot about how I turned out in the round. The only difference between his mate and me is I had his respect in some ways and was less pliable.

- YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqlT2ro2GT0

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

- YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKqmKOJG4qQ

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

**richardfinegold** · 07-02-18, 12:25

My nephew was here for dinner last night. He is going to the U.K. for the first time. My wife and I were commenting on how we love traveling there and how despite her Irish and my Eastern European Jewish Heritage, since we are both such Anglophiles, we feel as though we have returned to our roots. He said well no wonder, every time I am at your house you are watching or listening to the BBC, you read English Authors, go to the Shakespeare Theatre, and so forth.
Now I get out of bed, start drinking Earl Grey, go to my favorite Internet Forum which is always such an exemplar Of English refinement, and start reading a thread on...American sitcoms. The stuff Corporations melt our brains with when they wants us to stay parked in our sofas to watch their pitches for products that keep us from smelling offensive or make our teeth whiter.
I’m going back to bed

**Lat-Literal** · 07-02-18, 13:02

Originally posted by richardfinegold View Post

My nephew was here for dinner last night. He is going to the U.K. for the first time. My wife and I were commenting on how we love traveling there and how despite her Irish and my Eastern European Jewish Heritage, since we are both such Anglophiles, we feel as though we have returned to our roots. He said well no wonder, every time I am at your house you are watching or listening to the BBC, you read English Authors, go to the Shakespeare Theatre, and so forth.
Now I get out of bed, start drinking Earl Grey, go to my favorite Internet Forum which is always such an exemplar Of English refinement, and start reading a thread on...American sitcoms. The stuff Corporations melt our brains with when they wants us to stay parked in our sofas to watch their pitches for products that keep us from smelling offensive or make our teeth whiter.
I’m going back to bed

There is a British list which I might bring out but I am overly familiar with those programmes and decided to explore other avenues. Views will be dependent on whether or not you like sitcom. I happen to think that comedy is one of the things that the Americans do well. Music is another and so too public broadcasting, ie NPR. I fully agree with you on advertising. Now that we have so much more of it, television and radio are far less comfortable to negotiate. I am forever turning the ads down. The BBC is the exception but even that now is blighted by trailers. Not ever having been to the United States - I am wary of the gun culture, the absence of a health service and the travelling involved which is far beyond my furthest destination of Greece - I have mixed views of it. The selection of pluses isn't wholly dissimilar from your positive concepts of Britain. But we currently have Michael Portillo on the BBC travelling by train across the US and what strikes me most is how it must be impossible for any American, let alone anyone else, to have an overview. It is just so geographically huge - and diverse.

**Lat-Literal** · 07-02-18, 13:07

Originally posted by johncorrigan View Post

'Big Bang' and 'Frasier' share that great delight of comedy programmes, the unseen character - Mrs Mainwaring is, of course, another.

Originally posted by LMcD View Post

Ah, yes - the unseen character. Another fine example was Arthur Daley's missus ('Her Indoors')

'Frasier' also excelled in its use of the more physical side of comedy - Niles And The Ironing Board comes to mind. The supporting and recurring 'minor' characters (Noel, Gil, Roz and Kenny) also made major contributions.'

And let's not forget Eddie (well, both Eddies)

Yes - these are good points.

**richardfinegold** · 07-02-18, 16:04

Originally posted by Lat-Literal View Post

There is a British list which I might bring out but I am overly familiar with those programmes and decided to explore other avenues. Views will be dependent on whether or not you like sitcom. I happen to think that comedy is one of the things that the Americans do well. Music is another and so too public broadcasting, ie NPR. I fully agree with you on advertising. Now that we have so much more of it, television and radio are far less comfortable to negotiate. I am forever turning the ads down. The BBC is the exception but even that now is blighted by trailers. Not ever having been to the United States - I am wary of the gun culture, the absence of a health service and the travelling involved which is far beyond my furthest destination of Greece - I have mixed views of it. The selection of pluses isn't wholly dissimilar from your positive concepts of Britain. But we currently have Michael Portillo on the BBC travelling by train across the US and what strikes me most is how it must be impossible for any American, let alone anyone else, to have an overview. It is just so geographically huge - and diverse.

Well, sorry to see that your fears are keeping you from traveling to a Country that so obviously interests you. I was a bit surprised from your post to find out that we don’t have a Health Care System, seeing as how when I leave my house after drinking my English Tea and checking in on the English Cultural scene I earn my daily bread toiling away in it, but perhaps my dementia has arrived and I am just imagining this. Well, as long as they keep paying me it’s a most tolerable illusion.
Gun fears are real, but it’s more a matter of perception; you wouldn’t believe the number of people that I’ve talked with that won’t go to the U. K. because they are afraid of being mowed down by a truck driving ISIS member outside of Westminster.
Seriously, one can get temporary health care coverage here from plans that are sold via the Internet or Travel Agents. Gun violence is in the main confined to areas that for most will not be touring attractions, and at the National PArks you have more to fear from being eaten by a hungry Bear than from gun violence. Why not sign up for a guided tour that will steer you clear of danger zones?
Life’s not a Spectator Sport, LL.

**Sir Velo** · 07-02-18, 16:18

Originally posted by Richard Tarleton View Post

Is your list suposed to be in order of merit, Lat?

Clearly not, since where is The Larry Sanders Show ?

American Situation Comedy Series - The Provisional Results of My Review

American Situation Comedy Series - The Provisional Results of My Review

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