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Welcome to High Gravity, my new blog for daily nuggets of music, film and culture. I plan on using this space for quick, throughout-the-day updates on whatever comes across my desk or crosses my mind, from news about Thom Yorke making sure Prince's Coachella cover of "Creep" gets unblocked by YouTube or Liz Phair performing Exile in Guyville in its entirity (June 23rd at the Fillmore in San Francisco, 24th at The Vic Theatre in Chicago and 25th & 26th at the Hiro Ballroom in New York) to my own Top 10 lists, favorite new discoveries and, yes, beer recommendations.
My New Discovery of the Week
Johnny Flynn: Listening to 60-something entries for our Best of What's Next issue in September last week, the one that I keep going back to is Johnny Flynn. A bit Robyn Hitchcock, a bit Sixteen Horsepower, but with the exuberance of The Waterboys, this Londoner has won me as a fan. Only after visiting his MySpace page did I realize that I'd had his upcoming album sitting unlistened on my desk, courtesy of Lost Highway.
Best Sitcoms Since 1980
I don't have much of an opinion on sitcoms that predated me, so we'll go back to when I was nine. I'm curious to hear which ones you think I've overlooked, so let me know what rip-roaring laughs or laugh-tracks I've been missing. And before you say Taxi, just know that it debuted in 1978 (which is why I had to delete M*A*S*H, long may it rerun).
10. Malcolm in the Middle - Lois is one of the most realistic and endearing matriarchs of TVLand, despite being completely insane. There was nothing honorable—but everything relatable—about this family just trying not to be overwhelmed by life.
9. The Cosby Show - This would be higher on my list if Bill hadn't had to single-handedly carry this one on his very able shoulders, but every scene he was in was better than every scene he wasn't.
8. Curb Your Enthusiasm - Unconstrained by HBO, Larry David takes misanthropy to sub-Seinfeld levels. Respectable? No. But it is hilarious.
7. Scrubs - Death to the multi-camera sitcom. Toss out the laugh track and any sense of a fourth wall. Creator Bill Lawrence ignored all the rules and made traditional situational fare feel anything but traditional—and added a killer soundtrack to boot. I mean, The Polyphonic Spree made appeared in Season 3. Long live the janitor. Long live Scrubs on ABC.
6. Cheers - Norm. Cliff. Coach. Carla. And the best setting for a sitcom until...
5. The Office - Unbelievably, Ricky Gervais actually improved upon what was already a great British sitcom by bringing it to Scranton, Pa. Steve Carell's squirm-inducing Michael and Rainn Wilson's Dwight brought the Must-See back to NBC.
4. Sports Night - Aaron Sorkin developed his trademark whipsmart dialogue on what turned out to be the best of his three TV shows, a half-hour dramedy that just happened to take place at a sports news network, a location which sadly scared off a large portion of its target audience.
3. The Simpsons - It started solid enough, but when the central character shifted from Bart to Homer and the sketched world of Springfield became populated with characters like Mayor Quimby, Groundskeeper Willie and Comic Book Guy it became something truly special. Matt Groening's biting satire spared no one, giving his wit an unexpected sense of fairplay whether the topic was religion, politics or the media. Don't have a sacred cow, man.
2. Seinfeld - The comedy about nothing took Jerry Seinfeld's reasonably funny yet annoying schtick and turned it into sitcom gold.
1. Arrested Development - Mitch Hurwitz is a genius when it comes to creating memorable characters, weaving interlaced plot lines and making you feel like your constantly in on an inside joke (like having Scott Baio replace Henry Winkler as the family's lawyer, Bob Loblaw (say it fast)). Too short lived, it still made stars out of Will Arnett, Michael Cera and David Cross. God, I can't wait for the movie.
PS - Thanks everyone for the comments they've emailed me about News Radio, Martin, The Office (UK) and multiple mentions of Alf. But if you put them in the comments section below, everyone can enjoy your wit and wisdom...
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I love the blog! It's about time. Oh, you'll be feeling a lot of gravity the way you can pound them down... I enjoyed your Top Ten Sitcoms (since 1980) list. Great picks. Most would make my top ten. But as with any list, I have to strongly disagree with your comment about Sports Night being the best of Aaron's 3 TV shows. While I too am a HUGE Sports Night fan, I don't think it out does the first 2 or 3 seasons of the West Wing, and my personal fave is Studio 60. Studio 60 is one of my all-time favorite Television shows. I know I may be in the minority on that, and maybe it's the time in my life in which it hit, but it moved me like no other show ever has, and I think the dialogue was by far the best Aaron has ever written. Lots of great dialogue. Which is exactly what makes all of his shows fantastic and a cut above pretty much anything on television.
Regarding the sitcoms, it may not have fit your dating criteria, but Taxi is one of my favorite sitcoms of all time. Up there with Cheers, Seinfeld and The Office.
I'll watch anything Aaron Sorkin writes (including the underrated "Charlie Wilson's War), but it's like Wes Anderson films. Just because Rushmore is better than Bottle Rocket, doesn't mean Bottle Rocket isn't better than just about every other comedy in history.
If you're in the minority Tony, it's at least a minority of two. Studio 60 was a great show and I miss it tremendously.
Not a bad list Josh, but you need to make a list of all the bad stuff you've done and spend your days making up for it. The first thing on the list is leaving My Name Is Earl off this list. The premise is clever. The main characters are all great. And no one has ever done trailer park trash comedy better.
Buy me a drink at the Brick Store and you can cross this transgression of your list.
Joe
Joe, I've been impressed that NBC had put together another great Thursday night of comedy (before losing Scrubs to ABC). My Name is Earl and 30 Rock have both gotten very good. I've got a soft spot for Jason Lee since he's got the best-ever quote about Paste—"Paste is so sweet sometimes I put it on my waffles in the morning instead of syrup." They've definitely kept that show interesting with the prison time, the coma and now the marriage.
Not bad picks, Josh. Arrested Development was great, but the Simpsons should be a no-brainer for the #1 slot. Also, to me, smart, blue-collar fare like Rosanne and King of the Hill always get short shrifted on these lists... oh, and where's Family Guy? (OK, so Top Ten animated sitcoms could be its own list.) I would argue with your numbers -- Curb being too far down, Cheers being too far up (my, how overrated that one is!) -- but the content's pretty top notch overall. The problem with dating it from 1980 is that you miss truly groundbreaking stuff like All in the Family, the great British sitcom Fawlty Towers and, of course, I Love Lucy. But you have to set parameters, I guess, or you'd end up with a Top 100 sitcoms of all time. Hey... not a bad idea!
Oh, gosh, yes -- ALF!! Almost forgot. Thanks to the emailers in your PS!
Good blog start, Josh.
But about half of your choices would fall into the bottom of my Top 20. I'd replace Scrubs, Sports NIght, Malcom and Cheers with South Park, Mad About You, Entourage and the best sitcom of the 80s: NEWHART.
10.Entourage
9. The Office
8. Mad About You
7. Curb Your Enthusiasm
6. Cosby
5. South Park
4. Arrested Development
3. Simpsons
2. Newhart
1. Seinfeld
Tsk Tsk.
Where's FRASIER?????
But nice work.
Wow! You're the first person in ages get #1 right! Arrested Development was the smartest, funniest comedy ever. It's biggest problem was being so serialised it made no sense to casual viewers, but the boxset is the best TV material available.
Josh - great stuff. thanks for sending the info on the new blog.
see you at lollapalooza or bonnaroo?
Geoff
how many of those did you watch as a kid, again? I think you shouldn't leave out stuff you've seen only in reruns if you were seriously addicted. How many people watched Star Trek the first time around? I rest my basically pointless case.
Love that flipping page thingie on the mag.
Geoff, I'll be at Bonnaroo. Can't wait to see The Swell Season and Sigur Ros both for the first time.
Couldn't resist the temptation to weigh in here. Obviously my list wouldn't be like yours (for one thing I can't stand Scrubs), but here's a few omissions I thought were deserving:
1. Futurama: In terms of consistency, it's better than the Simpsons, and many of the better Simpsons writers (including Matt Groening for the most part) jumped ship when it began. Likewise, the way more obscure Mission Hill by Simpsons seasons 7-8 showrunners is very good for a very short-run show.
2. Speaking of short-run, Andy Richter Controls the Universe is something no one else seems to remember existing. Still, it's incredibly well-written and does something with the sit-com presence I haven't seen anywhere else.
3. Currently the best sit-com on television: 30 Rock. Especially considering that its writing staff consists of some ex-A.D. staffers (Ron Weiner!), this seems like a no brainer.
4. British shows are weird and short, but both Black Adder and Black Books (no relation) could use some love. Gotta give a shout out to Dylan Moran.
5. Larry Sanders Show or Newsradio? I'm not sure why these haven't been canonized in the way things like Seinfeld have, but they've aged very well.
6. You prefer the U.S. office over the British one, but what about Extras?
7. Titus: hard to ever catch when it was on, but this show was like Everybody Love's Raymond (more or less one set, family issues) done right.
I've also got this weird fondness for the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air that I can't really explain.
Sean, count me among those who don't remember the existence of Andy Richter's show. 30 Rock is one of the few sitcoms I watch, and it got a lot better this past season, mostly because of more Kenneth. I have watched the British Office and I know I'm in the minority, but I think NBC's version has actually eclipsed it, mostly thanks to Rainn Wilson and more seasons to let the characters develop. And I like Futurama, but it's not even in the same galaxy as The Simpsons.
Josh,
Great blog...
If you want to know what I find funny then you need go no further than CSI Miami. Now that's some great situational comedy.
The David Caruso Drinking Game:
Every time he puts on the shades, take a drink.
Everyone will be smashed in the first 15 minutes.
Paul M.
Wow, congratulations on being the #2 most read story on PasteMagazine.com (at least for right now)
Dead right, Arrested Development is the best sitcom since 1980. Bring on a movie.
HEAD OF THE CLASS. Best sitcom ever!!!!
Great call on Arrested Development. You got first choice right - never has a show been so funny or rewarding. I've been dying to hear they'll get back together, please say it's true. We love you Bluths!
Sports Night was better than Arrested Development. It was, in fact, better than any comedy on TV until 30 Rock came along.
Why isn't 30 Rock on this list?
I can't believe Friends didn't make this list.
Agree that Arrested Development is #1, if only because the Simpsons has gone on so long it has diluted itself.
Never saw the humor in Cosby Show-- it seemed overly moralizing to me. Roseanne had some great moments, as did 3rd Rock from the Sun. For sheer goofiness I would throw in Reno 911. Most missing from your list: Larry Sanders, in that it pioneered so much of the single camera method that has proven so fruitful in the years since.
I love you for putting Arrested Development #1, and for not including Friends. Man, that show is overrated. Please God, let there be an AD movie
Within the next season, 30 Rock could easily rival Arrested Development with their writing. It's one of the most quick-witted and smart comedy shows ever.
NEWSRADIO NEWSRADIO NEWSRADIO!!!!!!!
How can you possibly forget that one?! IMHO and in many other's it is the funniest sitcom of all time. Phil Hartman is tsk tsking you at this very moment.
Does somebody mind telling me what was so great about "Arrested Development"? I'm sorry, I didn't see it! I mean, I always had a slight crush on Portia De Rossi, but we all know how fruitful THAT is now, considering her lifestyle choice...but what I want to know is: Where's "Parker Lewis Can't Lose"? "Roseanne"? "Married With Children"? "Murphy Brown"? "Family Ties"? "The Simpson"?
How about new stuff, like "The Big Bang Theory", or "Two & a Half Men"? "How I Met Your Mother"? All I can see of "Curb" is its prominent use of foul language....c'mon....my picks are GOLDEN!!
Does somebody mind telling me what was so great about "Arrested Development"? I'm sorry, I didn't see it! I mean, I always had a slight crush on Portia De Rossi, but we all know how fruitful THAT is now, considering her lifestyle choice...but what I want to know is: Where's "Parker Lewis Can't Lose"? "Roseanne"? "Married With Children"? "Murphy Brown"? "Family Ties"? "The Simpson"?
How about new stuff, like "The Big Bang Theory", or "Two & a Half Men"? "How I Met Your Mother"? All I can see of "Curb" is its prominent use of foul language....c'mon....my picks are GOLDEN!!
I love seeing everyone's picks. Keep 'em coming. News Radio was great—certainly in my Top 20 thanks mostly to Andy Dick, but I never liked "Married With Children" or "Roseanne." I'll take Curb's foul language over their overall foulness.
By the way, did anyone else catch The Return of Jezebel James earlier this year? It was developed by Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and starred Parker Posey, which means it should have been great. Only it was terrible. Formulaic. I think I must be done with multi-camera sitcoms with a laugh track if those two couldn't make it work.
"Overall foulness"? I think you mean "overall REALISM"! The one thing that set "Roseanne" and "Married" apart is that they both represented people that we all know actually exist: plain old, garden variety, lower-middle class American schlubs. People trying to make ends meet...to make the mortgage payments...who keep a car until it falls apart...who work two and three jobs to keep a roof over their heads and food in their mouths...and they both did wonderful things with the characters. "Married" probably helped make Fox a broadcasting staple as much as "The Simpsons" did. "Roseanne" jump started I don't know how many careers: John Goodman's, Sarah Chalke's....Sarah Gilbert's....and the "outtakes' reels at the end of the show were usually great! However, like you, a LOT of people are very snobbish about "Roseanne". I wonder why....
"The Honeymooners" had to be AT LEAST as crude! I mean, a SEWER worker???
steve- "the big bang theory"?? seriously?? i can't beleive that show made it past the first week, let alone a whole season.
arrested development is by far the best show ever. you have to watch the dvd's to appreciate it though.
3 decades of sitcoms into a top 10 nigh on impossible but a welcome distraction
Its hard to say one is better than another as the good ones all have memorable characters
Becker
Spin City
Just Shoot me
The Young Ones
Drop the Dead Donkey
Yes Minister
One Foot in the Grave
What Sports Night at number 4.
It was far funnier than Seinfeld ever was and it got better once Sorkin realized that it was funny and didn't need the laugh track that was ever present in the first 6 or 7 episodes.
My favorite line, and one that ABC didn't pay attention to, from the last episode (and I am paraphrasing here)
"If you can't make money off of Sports Night you shouldn't be in television"
ABC missed the boat with this series.
Just had to post the opposite end of the spectrum...(25 worst sitcoms ever)
http://tv.popcrunch.com/the-25-worst-sitcoms-ever/
Great list, man! Like your Sci-Fi list, I agree with most of it, especially your number one. Most of your picks would make my top 20, although I never liked the Cosby Show as much as most people. I know Scrubs is funny, but I'm not sure it would even make my top 20, and Sports Night, while brilliant, isn't in my top 10 (and was not better than West Wing or Studio 60, IMHO). I enjoyed Malcolm a hell of a lot, but not top 10 material for me, either.
And, I know this is blasphemy, but I honestly don't see the Simpsons at number two. I love the show, and I think it's hilarious, I just think it's overrated.
As for ones I thought you missed, I agree with the guys above who mentioned Newsradio, and I can't believe Frasier isn't on there. I also have fond memories of Coach, but it's been so long since I've seen it, it may not have held up well. Great job, though.
Malcolm in the Middle can't touch FRASIER, where low-brow met high-brow brilliantly. The UK version of THE OFFICE is way better. And how could you possibly omit Jay Mohr's ACTION. I mean, (the brilliant) Arrested Development has Action's DNA written all over it.
But I am pleased you left the ubiquitous Friends off you list. Bless you.
Two that I would add to the list: Frasier, which I actually like more than Cheers, and 30 Rock, which I actually like more than Scrubs. My Top 10:
1. Arrested Development (good call)
2. Seinfeld
3. The Simpsons
4. Frasier
5. The Office
6. 30 Rock
7. Cheers
8. The Cosby Show
9. Scrubs
10. Sports Night
Seinfeld and Sportsnight suck and no That 70's show on here?! wow, here's my list
10. Arrested Development(havn't seen alot)
9. Married with Children
8. Roseanne
7. Home Improvement
6. Fresh Prince
5. Cheers
4. Spin City
3. That 70's Show
2. Simpson's
1. Scrubs (best show ever!)
you guys have got it all wrong, lol
1. Seinfeld (no doubt about it)
2. The Simpsons
3. The Office (US version)
4. Scrubs
5. Flight of the Conchords
6. My Name is Earl
7. Futurama
8. Family Guy
9. That 70's Show
10. Malcom in the Middle
I would have to say no to Arrested Development..
Tiffany (about 10 posts up) is crazy if she thinks "The Big Bang Theory" sucks... Boggle in Klingon?! GOLD!
Rob... (two posts up) "Home Improvement" and "That 70's Show"?!
Seriously? While the later has some good moments, I could never watch more than about a minute of "Home Improvement". Ugh.
Try "How I Met Your Mother" or "New Christine"... Soon to be on lists like this everywhere!
There are so many good ones. While I'm kinda pissed you didn't have Friends and shocked you didn't list 30 Rock, I absolutely love this list. Especially because of SportsNight.
My list (in no order)
Friends, Cosby Show, Arrested Development, The Office, Frasier, Cheers, Scrubs, 30 Rock, SportsNight.
Oh. Um...and How I Met Your Mother.