Well, being a kid of the ’50s and ’60s, I can definitely say that I’ve been watching, absorbing, and enjoying comedy TV shows pretty much since their inception. I can also say that without a shadow of a doubt, I have been heavily influenced by them and they are most likely partly responsible for me becoming an animator, which I have been all my life. Having said that, narrowing down my list is going to be next to impossible, so I’ll be revisiting a lot of shows I loved, starting with the ’50s, working through to the present, and then trying to make up my top 10 list somehow.
let’s have fun with Chuck McCann it was a great Sunday morning show for kids and Chuck was a talented and versatile performer. The show was always entertaining and very funny.
The Ernie Kovacs Show It was a very funny and groundbreaking show. The things they did in terms of editing were way beyond the technology of the ’50s and Ernie was a comedic genius. It was taken from us too soon in a car accident. Who knows what he would have achieved if he had lived longer in an environment that was only in its embryonic stages.
Sid Cesar’s, your show of shows it was a classic show whose form has been emulated ever since. The cast of writers is a literal Who’s Who on The Comedy World: Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Woody Allen, Larry Gelbart, and Neil Simon, to name a few. How could a show like that not be great, not to mention Sid Cesar himself? He was a great interpreter who was a genius at dialects.
The Jack Benny Show It was a great show with a great cast of characters. Benny was the master of ‘face’ and no one could milk a longer laugh from just a single glance at the camera than him. The unique thing about the show was that the laughter turned more often on the ‘Second Bananas’ that fueled the show’s comedy.
Amos ‘N’ Andy It was a great show with such a variety of characterizations. Kingfish was always ripping off Andy in some way, which was a joy to watch unfold. Amos was the cab driver who narrated the show and there was Sapphire, Lightning and of course Algonquin J. Calhoun. Unfortunately, the show was ultimately canceled due to pressure from the NAACP wanting to show African Americans in a better light. It was a shame because the chemistry between Kingfish and Andy was priceless to watch.
The Red Skelton Show it was a fun show of skits and characters that Red acted out with an infectious laugh and was one of the first shows to have a weekly guest who would perform in the skits. Watching the show, Mr. Skelton was a sweet soul and we miss him so much. He always ended the shows with “Good night and God bless you.” Back with you, Red.
Tonight’s Original Show with Steve Allen It was one of my favorite shows of all time. Steve created the Talk Show format as we know it today and had a cast of unforgettable characters that were used in many ways. Steve was such a talented man with a fabulous laugh. I had the opportunity to meet him in Vegas once during a comedy convention and he was just as funny and friendly as I thought he would be.
Tonight’s Show with Johnny Carson It was a unique show with so much influence. If you appeared on that show, your career was intact and doors would open and your phone would ring off the hook. You could tell that Johnny was heavily influenced by his idol, Jack Benny, by the way he could make a face at the camera and the crowd would burst into laughter. I had the honor of appearing on the show and all I can say is that no talk show has come close to its popularity since. I think it was the chemistry between Johnny and Ed MacMahon and I also think that interviewing guests on a show is an art form in itself and Johnny was definitely the master at that. He knew how to make moments!
the newlyweds It was and still is one of the most watched syndicated shows of all time. I don’t think there is anyone, who knows anything about comedy, who hasn’t been influenced by this show. Many people can quote, word for word, many of the most popular scenes that came out of the series. Adding to the greatness of Ralph and Ed on the show, Audrey Meadows played Alice. She was just the best and I don’t think the show would have worked as well without her. In fact, in later years when they did the show with other people playing the part, it wasn’t as much fun. She had the best expressionless face and to paraphrase Ralph, “Alice, you’re the best!”
The Dick Van Dyke Show was another great ensemble show, as well as The Mary Tyler Moore Show. They both had fantastic cast members and strong storylines that fueled their popularity for many years. Neither show had a weak character in its cast. They were all equally funny and brilliant.
Monty Python’s Flying Circus It was a fantastic show for anyone going through their teens in the ’60s. It was so unlike anything else on American television at the time and they were like the Comedy Beatles in a way. It was comedy for the Boomer generation. He also became responsible for opening the door for English comedy on American television. Of course, it was on PBS back then, which made it even more underground in the psychedelic era.
MIXTURE it was a groundbreaking show in that its setting was the Korean War and during the Vietnam War era in this country. In addition, he had to overcome the popularity of the film itself, which was not an easy task, Y Be funny. She also had to survive cast changes throughout the series. She did all that and more.
saturday night live it is amazing in its survival. It’s had so many great and bad seasons, but one thing has always remained constant: a barrage of many, many talented performers who have gone on to become very prominent in the comedy mainstream. You have to give Lorne Michaels credit for having such an accurate comedic eye for talent. What a history!
Whose line is this anyway? It is one of my absolute favorites of recent times. I love improv comedy and these people are great at it. The chemistry between Ryan Stiles and Colin Mocharie is great and Wayne Brady is phenomenal with the musical comedy. Add in guests Brad Sherwood, Chip and Greg Proops and the show is a non-stop extravaganza.
the cosby show It was a great family show when families weren’t all the rage on television. All the other shows were about dysfunctional families and situations, but Cosby’s show was about mutual love and a warmth you could see while you were busy laughing.
The Carol Burnett Show it was one of my favorites. Watching Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, Carol, Lyle Waggoner, and Vicki Lawrence break up during skits was worth it. I loved watching Tim go out of his way to make Harvey laugh and lose himself, which was almost inevitable.
Seinfeld It was another character-driven show that was so well designed and constructed that it contributed to the genius of Larry David. Larry is one of the most prolific writers I’ve ever met and his talent for bringing different plot lines and somehow tying them together at the end is amazing to watch. He does the same in “Curb your enthusiasm” This day. She used to work with Larry at Improv in New York during the ’80s and he was the only one who had a full 20-minute set every week…and a brilliant 20-minute set. That’s almost impossible to do, unless you write constantly all the time like he does. The only other person I saw like this was Steve Allen.
The Abbott and Costello Show It was a great show for any age. The chemistry of the two and the cast around them was amazing to watch. Abbott was a serious big man and controlled the entire pace of comedy and don’t forget Sidney Fields, Boccagalupe, Mike the Cop, Hillary Brooks and Stinky.
phrases It is one of the best written comedies of today. Even though it was a spinoff of Cheers, I think Frasier was much better and I think it was a stroke of luck to have Niles, David Hyde Pierce, on the show. Watching the two of them try to ‘get snobbish’ was so much fun and so superbly acted.
My honorable mentions are Fawlty Towers, The Simpsons, The Tracy Ullman Show, The Dean Martin Show & The Dean Martin Roasts, Everybody Loves Raymond, Friends, Sanford and Son, The Burns and Allen Show, The Danny Kaye Show, Make Room For Daddy, The Andy Griffth Show, Boston Legal, Married With Children, Andy’s Gang, The Soupy Sales Show, Laugh-In, The Addams Family, The Munsters, The Colgate Comedy Hour, I Love Lucy, The Phil Silvers Show, In Living Color, Fridays, Will & Grace, All In The Family, Mork and Mindy, Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, Two and A Half Men, The Bob Newhart Show and Taxi.
So, after some serious thought, he is:
My 10 Favorite Comedy TV Shows
1. Tonight’s Show with Johnny Carson
2. The Dick Van Dyke Show
3. Monty Python’s Flying Circus
4. The Mary Tyler Moore Show
5.Seinfield
6. The Abbott and Costello Show
7. Tonight’s Original Show with Steve Allen
8. Whose line is it anyway?
9. The newlyweds
10. The Carol Burnett Show, MASH, The Jack Benny Show and SNL (tied for 10th place)
I’ve played with this list so many times already and no matter how much I change it, I’m not happy with it because it always seems like I’m leaving something off the list that definitely belongs there. It really should have made it a top 20 list or even better, a top 50 list. But that’s my problem and not yours. As always, thanks for reading, from THE TORNADO COMEDY!!