Sitcoms

[davoid]

Which are your favorites? Which are well written? Which are classics?

Above all, which are entertaining?

My votes for favorites/most entertaining go to, in order:

Malcolm in the Middle (Note: this gets my award for best written, fresh, quintessentially great sitcom, and I believe it deserves eventual recognition as a classic.)
The Office (American)
Reno 911 (Very crude, but I'm a sucker for improvisational dialog.)
Scrubs

For well written/fresh, but not my cup of tea, I've got to give the award to, in no order:

The Bernie Mac Show
King of Queens
That Seventies Show

For classic and timeless, I think:
Seinfeld
Everybody loves Raymond
Friends (also should probably in my list of favorite shows in general. Oh, Chandler!)

This is a preliminary list, so if you guys remind me of a show I have an opinion on, I'll add it later.

P.S. I remember watching Fawlty Towers a long time ago, but I'd have to go back and watch some episodes again before I can render an opinion. Also on my list of shows to get aquainted with are The Office (British) and Curb Your Enthusiam.

P.P.S I'm pretty much only thinking of shows currently on-the-air around my neck of the woods. I Love Lucy, The Brady Bunch, M.A.S.H etc. are all currently excluded until I can find some old episodes to critique. I assume they'd fit in my "classic" and "timeless" designation.

[LordRetard]

Hmm, I like:
Seinfeld
Father Ted
The Office (American)
Extras
That 70s Show
My Family
NewsRadio

I'm not a big fan of sitcoms, admittedly*.

*Admittedly my lengthy list seems to contradict this point but I don't really watch any of these shows with any regularity.

[Cirtur]

Father Ted
The IT Crowd
Peep Show
The Office (Real version)
Extras

[Edminster]

Seriously, no love for Jeeves and Wooster yet?

Spaced was pretty okay, too. Also: The Red Green Show, although it was more of a sketch comedy show with sitcom elements.

[Lethal Interjection]

I like a few that push the definition of sitcom. Primarily hour-long pseudo-sitcoms. Like Pushing Daisies, Dead Like Me, Wonderfalls. Which are all written by the same dude.

A little closer to standard definition, I like:
Arrested Development
Scrubs
The Office (American)
The Office (UK) is great, too.
How I Met Your Mother - Kind of a post-modern Friends with far better writing. I've only seen a handful of episodes, but I really like it. Me and my roomate are currently crawling through it. I have a lot of stuff to watch right now, so I usually choose other stuff above it, which is why it has been slow going.
Made In Canadia - I know I've mentioned this one here before. A 5 year sitcom based on the TV industry in Canadia. Hilarious, starring Rick Mercer and pretty much all of the minor actors from The Red Green Show. I have the first season on DVD but those bastards at the CBC have yet to release any more.

Classics:
MASH
Seinfeld
Friends

Most other classics fall into what I hate about sitcoms. Or at least worse than any of the above, where one episode is nearly indistinguishable from another. The worst example of this, in my opinion would be Everybody Loves Raymond. Which may or may not have been the swan song of the traditional sitcom, as I can't think of many on the air anymore that follow a formula like that.

[Cirtur]

The only thing about MASH I like, is the theme song.

[smiley_cow]

Seriously, no love for Jeeves and Wooster yet?

Jeeves and Wooster would probably top my list*, though does it count as a sitcom if it's an hour long?

Also already mentioned, but worth mentioning again, Made in Canadia, Faulty Towers and Extras.

Finally
Twitch City
Blackadder
Cheers

Edit: Has anyone else watched the new KIds in the Hall show, Death comes to Town? Personally I'm enjoying it, but one episode in might be a little soon to add it to my list.

*Though if you combine PG Wodehouse and Stephen Fry and not have it be amazing, you are doing something very wrong

[Cirtur]

I don't really like Blackadder. It seems to rely quite heavily on similes and verbal exaggeration.

[mountainmage]

Favorite sitcom of all time: M*A*S*H.

Other sitcoms I like:

The IT Crowd
Trailer Park Boys


I don't really like Sitcoms, but I love these three.

[LordRetard]

Trailer Park Boys was pretty good. I loved Kids in the Hall but I haven't seen this new sitcom, and honestly I'm not too sure about it.

[smiley_cow]

Twitch City
Blackadder
Cheers
Get Smart

Felt that needed fixed.

I don't really like Blackadder. It seems to rely quite heavily on similes and verbal exaggeration.

I kind of liked the similes and verbal exaggerations. I also liked that it was simultaneously one of the smartest and one of the stupidest shows I've ever seen.

[Cirtur]

It felt like I was watching a thesaurus.

[Apocalyptus]

But Blackadder's so awesome Cirtur. Well, the first series isn't great, but once Ben Elton gets in on the writing for subsequent seasons, it's gold.

[spinn]

I concur re: Black Adder awesomeness.

Oh and also: I have only recently discovered The IT Crowd, and not only is it freakin' hilarious, but I make it freakin' hilariouser for myself by mentally replacing Chris O'Dowd with Dylan Moran.

[Apocalyptus]

Just because they're both Irish? RACIST.