Welcome to a new Sitcom Tuesday! This week, I’m finishing up my rerun series celebrating the 25th anniversary of the 2000-2001 season, counting down my picks for its ten best sitcoms. Up for consideration was every comedy that I’ve ever covered from that particular TV year, both on Sitcom Tuesdays and Wildcard Wednesdays. In addition to directly comparing each show’s 2000-2001 output, my ranking also factored in how each season fares in the trajectory of their own individual series, along with how each show’s ultimate, overall (and average) quality measures up to the others. That is, I’ve mostly looked at what was produced in 2000-2001, but I haven’t ignored the broader intra-series and inter-series implications of such a list.

With all that reiterated, here’s the list:

#10. BECKER (Season Three)

#9. FRASIER (Season Eight)

#8. CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM (Season One)

#7. THE KING OF QUEENS (Season Three)

#6. WILL & GRACE (Season Three)

#5. TITUS (Season Two)

#4. FRIENDS (Season Seven)

#3. THAT ’70S SHOW (Season Three)

#2. MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE (Season Two)

And last, for the #1 spot, I have selected Season Five of EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, which I first wrote about here: https://jacksonupperco.com/2019/06/11/the-ten-best-everybody-loves-raymond-episodes-of-season-five/

Everybody Loves Raymond is the best sitcom from the 2000-2001 season, just as it probably is in 1999-2000 and most certainly is in 2001-2002. I discussed the reasons why I consider it so highly in my original commentary, but here’s a recap of my thoughts. For starters, the show’s trajectory pretty neatly divides into three equal trimesters. The first is the “discovering” era — three years of the show leaving behind generic family sitcom ideas to more fully embrace elements that make its situation more original and compelling. Namely, the fact that its title character lives across the streets from his parents — a source of tension that positions him between the family he grew up in, and the family he created himself. The two most potent characters that represent those families are the matriarchs, Marie and Debra, who are thus framed as rivals — something Season Two really locks into with a few key entries. But it takes until Four for the show to maximize this setup within story on a regular basis, and when it does, the series enters what I call the “being” era — its second trimester — where Raymond is simply the best version of itself, based on its unique situation. I think this climaxes in Six, the series’ gem-filled apex, but Five is part of this winning trimester, and despite a few lesser entries (e.g., I’m not fond of the on-location Italy two-parter, which is more gimmicky and sentimental than comedic and character-led), the show is more consistently impressive than anything else offered here in 2000-2001. And even though it’s not even at its personal best, it’s still close enough to peak form that there’s nothing else this year that feels as much of a triumph. Oh, I considered Malcolm, which is certainly the new hotness because of its more modern bona fides (and the fact that it is at its peak), but Raymond is a more brilliantly crafted show, with rich characters who have super-clear and strong relational dynamics that drive story. And with the multi-camera format forcing scripts to emphasize these leads in direct relation, the series is excellent with both situation and comedy — even in its final “continuing” era, which doesn’t explore the premise as well but is upheld by these strong foundations. So, there’s no better way to cap off this list — a celebration of 25 years since the 2000-2001 season, a fun collection to launch the change-filled 21st century, forward into which we now again march… next week!

Notable Episodes: “Wallpaper,” “Fighting In-Laws,” Humm Vac,” and “The Canister” 

Come back next week for the start of Community! And stay tuned tomorrow for a new Wildcard!