The Ultimate TV Comedies Bracket -- Round One, Day Two
You got some 'splainin' to do...
Happy Halloween, everyone! As we celebrate the big, spooky day, along with the end of October and the impending arrival of November, we’re really just beginning with the first round of the Ultimate TV Comedies Bracket. Today, as with yesterday, there’s four matchups — some with thematically similar pairings, and some…not so much — for you to vote on.
Let’s go!
(8) Newsradio vs. (57) Who’s The Boss: Here’s the least similar pairing, because aside from being network sitcoms, there’s not a whole lot of connections between Newsradio and Who’s the Boss. Fun fact: Ray Romano was nearly cast as Joe on Newsradio before Joe Rogan got the role. What would the world look like if Romano got the role? Ah well.
Anyway. Newsradio is vastly superior, and should easily win.
Newsradio
Who’s the Boss
(25) Soap vs. (40) Empty Nest: The good news, as I get to trot out a favorite phrase of mine (and not for the only time in this round), is that a sitcom co-starring Richard Mulligan is going to win this matchup. Although I watched Empty Nest a bit more when I was a kid, I’m going to pull for the very clever and satirical Soap instead. Neither of these are bad shows, but Soap is the type of show that set the groundwork for a lot of great modern riffs on familiar comic tropes, and shouldn’t go away so soon.
What do you think?
Soap
Empty Nest
(9) I Love Lucy vs. (56) Married…with Children: Sometimes, it just comes down to aesthetics. In spite of acknowledging its massive influence, I don’t exactly love I Love Lucy. But…boy, I really don’t like Married…with Children. Sometimes, the seeding isn’t intentional. Sometimes it is. This is one of the latter times. Vote for Lucy. She’s got some ‘splainin’ to do!
I Love Lucy
Married…with Children
(24) Eastbound and Down vs. (41) 3rd Rock from the Sun: I would argue that both of these shows are a bit more thematically similar than at first blush. Yes, one was a gleefully R-rated look at a truly selfish, venal ex-athlete, and the other was a high-concept sci-fi sitcom from NBC. But Danny McBride goes big and so did John Lithgow. They both feel like aliens compared to their co-stars (even though Lithgow’s co-stars are also playing aliens).
Anyway, it’s a tougher choice for me, but in the end…I gotta go with 3rd Rock. Not a show I adored, but it had some very funny moments, and while I admire Eastbound, I don’t exactly…like it.
But that’s me. I feel like Kenny Powers might win this one. What do you say?
Eastbound and Down
3rd Rock from the Sun
NewsRadio is one of the greatest television programs of all time. That’s it. That’s all I have to say. (And we miss you so much Phil).
I Love Lucy is an old show that’s aged semi-well. Physical comedy doesn’t really change and Lucille Ball was a master of that.
Married... With Children is an old show that has not aged well at all. It was a bit much even in its day (by design) and that doesn’t usually have any longevity. All In The Family has a similar problem, though it’s handled much more artfully and is a vastly better show with two amazing lead performances.