The Ultimate TV Comedies Bracket -- Round Three, Day Three
We? WE?!?
We’re halfway through the third round of the Ultimate TV Comedies bracket, friends, and the tension is just killing me! (OK, not really.) At this point in the bracket, I’m mostly curious to see if there’s going to be a notable divide between iconic sitcoms from before I was born (if not from before the 21st century), and newer fare. Today offers up a few chances for you to help clarify that divide.
So let’s go!
(1) M*A*S*H vs. (16) It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: I’ve already acknowledged that It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a big blindspot for me, but I am plenty aware of its longevity (in terms of years, it surpassed M*A*S*H by a few seasons) and its fandom. So maybe it’s going to take down the Korean War-era comedy-drama? Well, that’s your call (but I’d have to vote for Klinger and the others).
M*A*S*H
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
(25) Only Murders in the Building vs. (9) Community: I don’t think that Community ever stuck the landing as much as some of its die-hard fans may argue, but its creative heights of the first two or three seasons (basically, the Donald Glover era) very much surpass that of Only Murders in the Building. Guessing the Arconia trio are about to go down here.
What say you?
Only Murders in the Building
Community
(4) Friends vs. (45) The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: Both of these shows are comfort food (or at least, I have found them to serve that function). Both of them had plenty of funny, iconic moments. Both of them had immediately iconic theme songs. Both of them were from Warner Bros., which is why they both had COVID-era reunions on HBO Max! Of course, the similarities do end there, and I do imagine that Friends is going to win this one fairly easily. But man, The Fresh Prince had some pretty unforgettable moments. Pour one out for Uncle Phil.
Friends
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
(5) The Office (UK) vs. (21) How I Met Your Mother: I’ve noted before that I’m not a huge fan of Ricky Gervais, at least not as I was about 15-20 years ago. But The Office was his breakout success for a reason, and remains one of the best and most critical pieces of comedy in the 21st century. An easy vote here.
What do you think?
The Office (UK)
How I Met Your Mother
I will continue to stump hard for Community here, though I will admit to agreeing that the first three seasons are much better overall than the back three.
However, even those later years have some absolute gems and those years’ strongest episodes were still better than almost everything else on TV.
I hope we’re not in a timeline where Community bows out this early.
James Avery absolutely dominates over the Friends cast. “DO I LOOK LIKE A WHITE GUY NAMED WARD” should have won him an Emmy.