mgroves

Everyone has their favorite sitcom, their favorite episode, their favorite moment in sitcom television. Maybe you think the episode of Frasier in which Niles poses as Daphne’s husband. Or maybe the episode of Cheers where Cliff goes on Jeopardy. Maybe you think the Ellen “kiss” episode was a shocking and important event.

Regardless, I have combed the sitcom archives, pulled out the some of the best sitcoms ever made, tossed them into a YouTube meat grinder, and come up with the Top 10 Moments in Sitcom History.

10. I Love Lucy – The conveyor belt

A truly iconic moment in American comedy. There are many moments
from “I Love Lucy” that could be considered great, but this is probably
the one it is most known for.

9. Mary Tyler Moore – It’s a Long Way to Tipperary

A fitting, bittersweet end to perhaps the sweetest sitcom ever
made.

8. Fawlty Towers – The Germans

How do you deal with the touchy postwar relations between England
and Germany? With shocking jokes at the German’s expense, of course!

7. Taxi – Vic Ferrari

Latka took a big stack of American culture and absorbed it into
his being to become the smooth-talking Vic Ferrari.

6. Cosby Show – Ray Charles

Like “I Love Lucy”, there are so many great moments from the Cosby Show.
Rudy lip-syncing the Ray Charles song, “Night Time Is The Right Time” is
not only adorable, it’s hilarious. Cosby is also at his best in this
scene, sporting his trademark facial expressions.

5. Wings – Maybe it was Las Cruces…

Perhaps one of the greatest tertiary characters to ever grace a
sitcom, Carlton Blanchard is both absurdly hilarious and delightfully
annoying. What kind of drugs would they give you if a monkey
bit you?

4. MASH – Henry Blake’s plane crashes

Radar delivers a terrible
message to a shocked O.R. The most moving moment in the entire MASH
run.

3. Newhart – Series ending

At first, it seems like the whole episode has turned into a
“it was all a dream” cop-out episode. As it turns out, it was
all a dream…by a character in another sitcom.

2. Seinfeld – Yadda yadda yadda

It would be impossible to pick the greatest moment in all
of Seinfeld, because almost every episode has at least one
greatest moment. However, the premise of this list is to
pick just one moment. I could easily have picked
the Parking Garage, Serenity Now, Festivus, Muffin Tops,
or any other moment from 10 years of masterpieces. But I
humbly submit to you, dear reader, The Soup Nazi.

1. WKRP in Cincinnati – Flying turkeys

A harmless holiday promotion gone horribly, horribly wrong.

As God as my witness, that’s the list. Did I leave any out?

3 Responses to “Top 10 moments in sitcom history”