Welcome to a new Sitcom Tuesday! This week, I’m continuing my rerun series celebrating the 25th anniversary of the 2000-2001 season, counting down my picks for its ten best sitcoms. Up for consideration is every comedy that I’ve ever covered from that particular TV year, both on Sitcom Tuesdays and Wildcard Wednesdays. My ranking is based on a direct comparison of each show’s 2000-2001 output. But I’m also factoring in how each season fares in the trajectory of their own individual series, along with how each show’s ultimate, overall (and average) quality compares to the others. That is, I’m mostly looking at what was produced in 2000-2001, but I’m not ignoring the broader intra-series and inter-series implications of such a list.
#10. BECKER (Season Three)
#9. FRASIER (Season Eight)
#8. CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM (Season One)
For this post — #7 on the list — I have selected Season Three of THE KING OF QUEENS, which I first wrote about here: https://jacksonupperco.com/2019/07/30/the-ten-best-the-king-of-queens-episodes-of-season-three/
Let me be clear. The King Of Queens is not a better show than either Curb or Frasier, but it’s a fine and, frankly, underrated sitcom, with a healthy stretch of consistently good seasons that also include two years I’d even define as great by the series’ own standards. Those two years, Queens‘ peak, are its fourth and fifth seasons — not this, its third. However, the series is on the path to greatness here in 2000-2001, and that forward stride makes it a more interesting, exciting, worth-celebrating collection than expected, for it’s a success story in the context of this particular season, and specifically, it’s closer to its own peak conditions than the better series cited above are to theirs. In other words, I vault Queens over Frasier and, primarily, Curb, because it’s a better version of itself in 2000-2001 than they are of themselves… And yet, that’s even underselling it still. I also think this very good (and underrated) sitcom produces better samples here than those others do. This speaks to its bona fides as a worthy situation comedy, which I’ll briefly discuss again. You see, this show has always suffered because it pales in comparison to the similar Everybody Loves Raymond, which also boasts a “goofy guy, angry wife” at its core but enjoys better-defined characters within a much richer situation, entirely built to play to their comedic, story-sparking relationships. And yet, Queens, though not nearly on that level, has a terrific cast and a winning sense of humor — attributes that yield a surprising amount of funny ideas in episodes that are competitive with the best from otherwise better sitcoms. This is largely the result of a strong element inside its own situation: the central relationship between Doug and Carrie. They’re a seeming mismatch on the surface, but what the show realizes — starting in Season Two — is that they’re actually compatible because both are flawed. While he’s a lazy, lying slob, she’s a hot-tempered, vindictive schemer in her own right. And that not only enriches their interplay, it also allows her to push story as much as he does. So, with this evolved understanding, the show can then become about two great characters — with Jerry Stiller an added comic nuisance — and from there, everything clicks. This happens officially in Four, but Three is getting close, and that’s enough to get Queens a #7 spot on my list of 2000-2001’s best.
Notable Episodes: “Fatty McButterPants” and “Swim Neighbors”
Come back next week for #6 on my countdown! And stay tuned tomorrow for a new Wildcard!