My Mt. Rushmore of Television Sitcoms

Since I’ve already regaled you with several Mt. Rushmores of stuff including Alternative Music, R & B Artists and others, I thought I’d list my Mt. Rushmore of TV Sitcoms. Admittedly I have a rather odd sense of humor, I prefer it to be a little off-beat and sideways. That said, after much whittling down and gnashing of teeth (not really) I came up with my Final 4. Here ye be:

The Office (2005-2013)

My favorite television show of all-time, hands down. The premise was that a typical American office was being filmed for a documentary. Michael, Jim, Pam, Dwight and the crew never failed to make me laugh. And the humor could be, well, uncomfortable. Just the way I like it. Favorite character: Steve Carell as Michael Scott of course. He was the usually the origin of all the awkward, cringe-worthy moments.

M*A*S*H (1972-1983)

As most of you older folks know, M*A*S*H was set during the Korean War and was based around the antics of a group of doctors taking care of injured soldiers. The dark humor against a horrors of war backdrop was, again, right up my alley. Favorite character: Alan Alda as Hawkeye, but McLean Stevenson as Colonel Blake was great as well.

The Larry Sanders Show (1992-1998)

Man, I loved this show. Still watch it in reruns when I can. It’s a behind the scenes look at a fictional late night talk show, and Larry Shandling played Larry exceptionally, and Jeffrey Tambor as sidekick Hank Kingsley was stellar. Several other notable actors had supporting roles, such as Rip Torn, Janeane Garofalo, Jeremy Piven and Bob Odenkirk (of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul fame). Favorite character: Larry, but Rip Torn as Artie is a close second. Piven was great as a writer for the show too.

Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000-2011)

Here’s another show that makes people a little, well, uncomfortable. It’s about the life of the irascible Larry David, one of the creators of Seinfeld, and it’s filmed without a script. Larry always seems to say the wrong thing, and what he says is often what the viewer is thinking but has the good sense not to say. Hence the uncomfortableness. Favorite character: Larry, of course.

I have to give Honorable Mention status to Taxi, WKRP in Cincinnati, I Love Lucy, Seinfeld, Parks & Recreation, Welcome Back Kotter, Frasier, 30 Rock, Archer, The Simpsons, and Cheers.

So, those are my choices for a Mt. Rushmore of Sitcoms. What are yours?