I’ll admit that I really like the old classic sitcoms, even though I’ve seen all of them about a dozen times. But I’ve noticed recently that the days of good comedy are just about gone. Good sitcoms with quality writing are on the verge of extinction, if it’s not already too late. Today’s sitcoms are just trashy, and can’t make a joke at all anymore unless it has something to do with sex. Can you name a good sitcom in the past 5 years? I can’t. Let’s take a look back at the good ole days, beginning with the earliest.

I Love Lucy ‘51-’57 - One of the all time classics.
Honeymooners ‘55-’56 - Too bad it only ran 2 years.
Gilligan’s Island ‘64-’67 - Always fun to watch
Brady Bunch ‘69-’74 - Corny, but usually draws you in.
All in the Family ‘71-’79 - One of the greatest casts and scripts of all time. This showed impacted society.
MASH ‘72-’83 - I had to include this because of it’s popularity, but I’ve never understood the attraction. I’ve tried to watch episodes many times, but have never once even remotely thought it was funny. I guess this must be one of those shows that you have to be there.
Happy Days ‘ 74-’84 - It really does make your day happy:-) One of my favorites. Fonzie is a cult hero, and probably the single most popular sitcom character ever.
Welcome Back Kotter ‘75-’79 - This one appealed to it’s era. May not transcend to others well.
Jeffersons ‘75-’85 - I enjoy this one too.
Laverne & Shirley - ‘76-’83 - These two were great together. Very likeable.
WKRP in Cincinatti - ‘78-’82 - One of the best underrated and little known sitcoms
Family Ties ‘82-’89 - The emergence of Michael J Fox.
Cheers ‘82-’93 - This is my favorite sitcom of all time. The best chracter development, and best writers ever.
Nightcourt ‘84-’92 - Another very good underrated show.
The Cosby Show ‘84-’92 - Cosby was king for quite a while. It really was Must see TV.
Seinfeld ‘90-’98 - Has some of the most die hard fans. Took comedy in a new direction. I think many shows afterward would try to copy their success, but all have failed miserably.
Frasier ‘93-’04 - This show eased the depressed Cheers fans.
Friends ‘94-’04 - A landmark sitcom, somewhat like Seinfeld. There were many copycats, but none even came close.
Everybody Loves Raymond ‘96-’05 - A rate this one a close 2nd to Cheers, all time. Again because of the great cast and character development. And the story lines were always great. There were no duds in this sitcom.
Scrubs ‘01-Present - This is the only current sitcom that I will even watch. It’s different, but usually makes you laugh.

What else is there in the past 4 years? And I can’t stand the animated shows. I don’t even count them. They are like a TV dinner, compared to a home cooked meal. Currently, I think the best TV today comes from the “Drama’s” like LOST, Boston Legal, House and Heroes. Those types of shows did not exist before (except maybe Ally McBeal as a pre-runner to Boston Legal). And of course the King of modern TV is the reality show. There are some good ones, like Survivor and Big Brother, but most of the others are just wannabe’s.

Thank goodness for reruns and DVR’s. I always keep a stash of Cheers, All in the Family, and Everybody Loves Raymond, for the times when nothing good is on.