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

Bone? BONE?!?!?!?!?!?

Hello, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving weekend, or just a happy and safe weekend (if you’re not Stateside). It’s time for the third round of the Ultimate TV Comedies bracket to begin today, and while we’re still in the realm of four matchups per day, that does mean this round will wrap up before the end of the week.

Which shows should be sent to the Sweet Sixteen? What should be sent packing? Time to vote!

(1) Cheers vs. (17) Brooklyn Nine-Nine: I know, you’ve just come down from your Thanksgiving food coma, and here are two clip packages themed (at least partially, if not fully) to the holiday. Either way, let me be clear in saying a) I expect Cheers to win, b) I agree that it should, but c) Brooklyn Nine-Nine managed to be a very funny sitcom in a very politically fraught period. (It was successful because it felt like a fantasy of human ideals, but still.) I figure Cheers wins here, as noted.

But hey…pour one out for the Nine-Nine.

Cheers

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

(8) Newsradio vs. (9) I Love Lucy: If the argument in your mind leans towards influence, then I get why you’d vote for I Love Lucy, which is perhaps one of the two or three most important TV comedies of all time. But for sheer volume of loopy, absurdist humor, I have to go with Newsradio. I imagine Lucy will move on, but I won’t be sad if she doesn’t.

Newsradio

I Love Lucy

(4) Frasier vs. (20) Bob’s Burgers: It is wild to me that Bob’s Burgers has now been on the air for as many seasons as Frasier was in its original incarnation. Of course, I should be more specific — Bob’s Burgers has now run for more than 13 seasons, for nearly 275 episodes, and it’s been renewed well beyond those milestones. It’s been on the air for a long time. A funny show!

But. While I won’t leap to the defense of the last couple seasons of Frasier — even though the eleventh is stronger than the tenth — its first handful of seasons are among the best ever for any TV comedy. Frasier gets my vote.

What do you think?

Frasier

Bob’s Burgers

(5) Fawlty Towers vs. (21) The Good Place: This is a tough one for me, in that neither of these were super-long-running series and both had some incredible creative highs. That said, I have to admit that The Good Place felt a bit like it was running out of steam in its last two seasons, whereas Fawlty Towers wisely was two seasons and out, thanks to British TV being a lot different than American TV in terms of running forever and ever. But I won’t be sad if either of these move to the Sweet Sixteen.

What do you think?

Fawlty Towers

The Good Place