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

[nervous laughter] What the fuck?

Not only are we midway through November, friends, but we have arrived at the end of the first round of the Ultimate TV Comedies Bracket. Just four spots remain as we decide the final 64 seeds — which four comedies today are going to move on, and which ones are you sending packing?

Let’s find out together.

(6) Veep vs. (59) Home Improvement: So, my wife has been all but making me watch the Netflix drama Virgin River, based on a series of novels and it’s all vaguely nonsensical soap opera. But it’s watchable enough. One of the big names in the show is Martin Henderson, who I know best as the male lead in the American remake of The Ring. He plays the male lead, this straight-shootin’ handy type who falls for the nurse practitioner at the heart of the show. And one night, as we watched, I commented to my wife that Martin Henderson looks like a thinner Richard Karn, AKA Al from Home Improvement. She thinks I’m crazy, but I promise, it makes sense. He’s a thinner Al!

Anyway, vote for Veep. Duh.

Veep

Home Improvement

(27) Murphy Brown vs. (38) Designing Women: Two late-80s/early-90s sitcoms, two CBS sitcoms, two female-driven sitcoms. Only one can leave the thunderdome victorious! I wouldn’t say that I hold either of these shows in extremely high regard — not that I don’t like them, just that I never got into them — but I’m going to zig instead of zag and go for Designing Women. What can I say, Annie Potts is a charmer.

How do you vote?

Murphy Brown

Designing Women

(11) Taxi vs. (54) The Nanny: I grew up watching The Nanny on CBS, a show that is profoundly weird in ways I would not have understood at age 9. (Do you remember how Ray Charles plays Fran’s grandmother’s boyfriend in multiple episodes? Ray Charles. That Ray Charles. The Ray Charles. In multiple episodes. It’s very, very strange.) I didn’t grow up watching Taxi, but the thing is…Taxi has one of the greatest comic scenes in the history of the medium. It’s clipped below, and is enough to get my vote.

How about you?

Taxi

The Nanny

(22) Maude vs. (43) Everybody Loves Raymond: Does everybody? Does everybody love Raymond? I know, that title was meant as a joke. But I have to admit, I did not love the show bearing that title! Maude is a show I’ve only seen a smattering of episodes from, but in the battle between Beatrice Arthur and Doris Roberts, I vote for the former.

How about you?

Maude

Everybody Loves Raymond