The Ultimate TV Comedies Bracket -- Round Four, Day One

Have a good life.

We made it, folks! We made it to the last month of the year, and we have also made it to the Sweet Sixteen of the Ultimate TV Comedies bracket! Now that we’ve trimmed our initial set of 128 seeds down to 16, we’re now scaling back to just two matchups per day.

Today, you need to ask yourself which sacred cows are going away. A show about lovable losers in Boston? One of the original sitcoms? Derek?

Time to vote!

(1) Cheers vs. (9) I Love Lucy: We have two very influential sitcoms here, but I’m voting for Cheers, with no hesitation. It’s true that without I Love Lucy, we don’t have…well, most of the sitcoms in this bracket. But Cheers is as foundational a series for many viewers, performers, and writers today, and feels a bit more remarkable. The first season alone may well be the best season of any sitcom ever, and they never even leave the bar. (Four settings in the first season: the main bar, Sam’s office, the poolroom, and the men’s bathroom, and barely that last one.)

Yes, Desi loves Lucy. But I love Cheers. What about you?

Cheers

I Love Lucy

(4) Frasier vs. (21) The Good Place: So, on one hand, you can look at the two matchups in today’s post and think that there likely will be thematic connections in the next round. If this matchup sends Frasier Crane to the next round, then it’s likely Frasier vs. Frasier. (Kind of.) If The Good Place wins, then it’s Ted Danson vs. Ted Danson. (Yes, I am presuming Cheers wins.)

And that’s all well and good. I know some of you are shocked that I might suggest The Good Place was not a banner show from beginning to end. But I was writing publicly that The Good Place needed to wrap up before its final season was officially confirmed. Its shelf life couldn’t last, and the third season especially made it clear that they needed to bring the story to a conclusion. I loved the first season, and liked (to varying degrees) its subsequent seasons.

Whereas with Frasier, I love the first seven seasons, and like (to varying degrees) its subsequent seasons. Simple math for me. I vote for the good doctor.

How about you?

Frasier

The Good Place