Welcome to a new Wildcard Wednesday! This week, I’m sharing the results of last week’s classic sitcom poll, along with my own answers. Special thanks to all 364 of you who participated — this was a lot of fun, and in some cases, informative too…
I LOVE LUCY or THE HONEYMOONERS
69% of you selected I Love Lucy. I would have picked Lucy as well — it’s the first great television sitcom, with one of the best-defined characters in the genre’s early history making for truly supreme situation comedy. The Honeymooners is sublime also, but it less often uses its established elements for the generation of comedic story in the same individualized way.
THE LUCY SHOW or HERE’S LUCY
85% of you selected The Lucy Show. I would have picked The Lucy Show as well — specifically because of the Viv years, which are the closest that any post-1960 Lucille Ball series comes to delivering situation-specific fare that’s also near the comedic level of I Love Lucy.
BEWITCHED or I DREAM OF JEANNIE
68% of you selected Bewitched. I would have picked Bewitched as well — I wrote a long piece in 2020 as to why, but basically, Bewitched offers much stronger sitcommery as a result of its smarter, fuller premise and more character-supported design.
Dick York or Dick Sargent (BEWITCHED)
88% of you selected Dick York. I would have picked York as well — he’s a more active, unique performer, with a higher energy that elevates both the comedic and dramatic stakes.
Ginger or Mary Ann (GILLIGAN’S ISLAND)
78% of you selected Mary Ann. I would have picked Ginger — in terms of sitcommery, she’s much better defined and can therefore be a bigger, more regular contributor to both character-driven story and character-rooted comedy. And she’s played brilliantly.
THE MUNSTERS or THE ADDAMS FAMILY
63% of you selected The Addams Family. I probably would have picked The Addams Family as well — for although I’m more personally nostalgic for the broader, slapsticky Munsters, I think The Addams Family offers better examples of situation comedy.
THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES or GREEN ACRES or PETTICOAT JUNCTION
59% of you selected Green Acres, with The Beverly Hillbillies coming in second at 29%. This is a toughie — I think Green Acres is the best-premised sitcom of this trio, especially after Lisa Douglas assimilates into the zaniness of Hooterville, leaving Oliver to be the lone outsider. But the early years of The Beverly Hillbillies offer the best-written, most character-forward stuff from all of Paul Henning’s rural trilogy. So, I think I would have picked Hillbillies, even though I get it; Acres is a hilariously memorable, well-constructed option with sexy surrealistic gags.
Laura Petrie or Mary Richards (THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW / THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW)
75% of you selected Mary Richards. I would have picked Mary as well — she’s just a much more defined character. It’s not even close, frankly.
Barney Fife or Ralph Furley (THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW / THREE’S COMPANY)
78% of you selected Barney Fife. I would have picked Barney as well — he’s one of the primary comic characters of the 1960s and easily the highlight of the classic Andy Griffith Show.
The Ropers or Mr. Furley (THREE’S COMPANY)
70% of you selected The Ropers. This is an interesting one — Ralph Furley is a strong comic character who was much easier to work into farcical story as a result of his delightful comic specificity, but the Ropers, collectively, better uphold the series’ actual premise, and because they’re a package deal, they can carry scenes without the main trio in a way that Furley isn’t ever able to do. It’s hard to say who physically brought more to the table in terms of sitcommery… but because the show itself was ultimately better when the Ropers were on, I’ll allow that to give them a slight edge; I probably would have selected the Ropers as well.
Chrissy or Cindy or Terri (THREE’S COMPANY)
83% of you selected Chrissy, with Cindy coming in second at 11%. I would have picked Chrissy as well — she’s the best-defined option. Neither of her replacements can contribute as much.
THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW or ALL IN THE FAMILY
62% of you selected The Mary Tyler Moore Show. I would have picked Mary Tyler Moore as well — for although I recognize the immense importance of Lear’s flagship (and best) sitcom in evolving the genre, MTM’s flagship (and best) sitcom is a model of excellent sitcommery, in a way that so few series can actually boast. It’s one of my all-timers.
GOOD TIMES or THE JEFFERSONS
65% of you selected The Jeffersons. I would have picked The Jeffersons as well — it certainly ran too long, but it’s got a few good years. Good Times is pretty much always below average.
HAPPY DAYS or LAVERNE & SHIRLEY
62% of you selected Happy Days. This isn’t a clear-cut pick for me — I think Happy Days is more seminal as far as the sitcom genre is concerned (it’s Marshall’s flagship show), but Laverne & Shirley is frequently funnier and therefore the one I’d rather watch. Ultimately, you know I’m not crazy about either… but, in terms of personal preference, I’d have gone Laverne & Shirley.
THE BOB NEWHART SHOW or NEWHART
71% of you selected The Bob Newhart Show. I would have picked Bob Newhart as well — for reasons recently expressed here; mainly, its character work is much better.
Sue Ann Nivens or Rose Nylund (THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW / THE GOLDEN GIRLS)
59% of you selected Sue Ann Nivens. I would have picked Rose Nylund — for although I think it was absolutely genius to cast “America’s Sweetheart” Betty White in the role of the nasty Sue Ann Nivens, and I do consider Mary Tyler Moore the better-written of these two shows ultimately, Rose Nylund is nevertheless the better-defined, more dimensional character — largely because her show needs her to drive more stories, and on a much more regular basis. And while Rose broadens way too much as The Golden Girls’ run progresses, she’s always a fuller, more helpful character compared, in this direct context, to Sue Ann.
Diane or Rebecca (CHEERS)
65% of you selected Diane. I would have picked Diane as well — she’s brilliantly defined, and while Kirstie Alley elevates Rebecca in performance, that character is sometimes too malleable.
Coach or Woody (CHEERS)
51% of you selected Coach. This is a close one — Cheers is at its best during Coach’s era, and he himself is well-designed, capably supporting the series’ original Sam/Diane focus thanks to his established backstory with Sam (which gives both men increased emotional depth) and his paternal regard for Diane, but the Woody character is so much more fruitful for story because of his definition, and even early on, his presence helps the ensemble immensely. My heart is saying Coach here, but my head is saying Woody (and that’s who I’d probably pick right now).
CHEERS or FRASIER
55% of you selected Cheers. I would have picked Cheers as well — because while I love the character-rich MTM-ian setup of Frasier, Cheers’ low-concept ensemble design spotlights its characters and their relationships in stories where the show’s natural engagement with the three Aristotelian Unities basically guarantees textbook sitcommery in its purest, most basic form. And it’s indeed more influential — Frasier is one of the many shows that stands on its shoulders.
FAMILY TIES or THE COSBY SHOW
51% of you selected Family Ties. I would have picked The Cosby Show — mostly because Family Ties, despite boasting a great character in Alex P. Keaton, never has strong enough situation comedy around him, while The Cosby Show at least manages a couple of early seasons with decently funny family-oriented sitcommery in a somewhat smart, somewhat character-forward total package (and, to me, it’s therefore the best example of this subgenre from the 1980s).
MARRIED… WITH CHILDREN or ROSEANNE
56% of you selected Roseanne. I would have picked Married… With Children — both are intentionally rebellious blue-collar family sitcoms, but Married… With Children takes itself less seriously and is immensely funnier, skewering the bland domestic comedy of the 1980s with bolder laughs and bolder characters, plus an era-revealing dose of genre parody.
Steve or Jefferson (MARRIED… WITH CHILDREN)
60% of you selected Steve. I would have picked Steve as well — the show was designed to contrast the Bundys and the Rhoades, and he therefore satisfies the premise more directly.
SEINFELD or FRASIER
52% of you selected Seinfeld. This is the toughest choice I presented. I think Frasier was the better-written, more character-rich, easy-to-watch sitcom when the two were both on the air simultaneously (save only 1993-1994, when their mutual excellence poised them as truly equal rivals), but Seinfeld is the much more important and influential sitcom in the genre’s trajectory, and taken as a whole, it’s got a high enough baseline to perhaps justify calling it the sitcom of the 1990s. So, answering this question isn’t easy — I personally prefer the MTM-descended Frasier, but I believe Seinfeld is the decade’s deserved ambassador. Coin flip?
SEINFELD or FRIENDS
70% of you selected Seinfeld. I would have picked Seinfeld as well — Friends is solid, but Seinfeld is a supreme example of an idea-driven sitcom and one of the genre’s top-tier titles.
SEINFELD or CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM
81% of you selected Seinfeld. I would have picked Seinfeld as well — as recently discussed this past year, Curb stands entirely on Seinfeld’s shoulders.
EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND or THE KING OF QUEENS
76% of you selected Everybody Loves Raymond. I would have picked Raymond as well — its characters and their relationships are more richly defined and more specifically applied in story.
Come back next week for a new Wildcard! And stay tuned Monday for a new musical rarity!