Today I want to talk about some of the old television situation comedies with the great ensemble casts of characters that made us laugh and kept us coming back for more every week.
My cable company carries the TVLand channel with its classic old television series intermingled with TVLand original programming. And there's Nick At Night with its slate of newer sitcoms from the 1990s. One of the other channels I have on my cable is WGN out of Chicago. They have a Sunday evening schedule they refer to as Retro Television. They show several of the old situation comedies from the 1970s and 1980s … those shows with the terrific ensemble casts that never failed to entertain week after week.
Let me be a little more specific here. I'm not talking about the situation comedies where the main characters are the mother, father, and children with the stories revolving around the trials and tribulations of that family unit.
I'm referring to those sitcoms with a diverse group of characters where the circumstances throw them together, usually a work setting. WGN has been airing one of my favorites of this type of sitcom as part of their Retro Sunday night lineup…WKRP In Cincinnati. And then a couple of weeks ago I noticed they had added another favorite, Barney Miller, to their Sunday evening schedule which also currently includes ALF and Newhart.
Fun shows with marvelous performers portraying carefully crafted characters, each of whom could easily carry an individual episode of the series even if they aren't the primary star of the series, characters who each have their own distinct personalities and functions within the group.
Some of these ensemble characters are constantly befuddled and confused such as Mr. Carlson on WKRP. Others are the voice of reason amid periodic moments of chaos such as Barney Miller trying to deal with the many oddballs who file through the squad room of New York's 12th Precinct. And still others are totally outrageous such as WKRP's Dr. Johnny Fever. And a special nod to the character of Jennifer Marlow from WKRP, the beautiful sexy blonde who also happens to be highly intelligent and makes no effort to hide that intelligence behind the 'dumb blonde' persona—a refreshing change from the normal characterization of the sexy blonde woman at that time.
So many brilliant sitcoms from the 1970s and 1980s that were very successful thanks to a great ensemble cast portraying non-family members who functioned together week after week. In addition to the above mentioned WKRP in Cincinnati and Barney Miller, some of my favorite ensemble casts from those decades are Night Court (every character a true gem), The Bob Newhart Show (his first series where he played the psychologist), and the incomparable M*A*S*H.
I know there are several great sitcoms from that time frame that I haven't mentioned. What are some of your favorite sitcoms from the 70s and 80s? Let me know which ones you liked and who your favorite character is.
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12 comments:
Mama's Family, which started out on the Carol Burnett Show and moved into its own series. I love that show, the dynamics between the characters and no one would go up against Mama.
Linda
Sanford and Son, such a breakthrough show. I loved Fred's caustic wit. And he got away with it.
It showed us how human we all are.
Oh, man, I just sent a humongous list, and it isn't showing up! LOL
Mary, I have the whole series of Sanford & Son on cassette. LOVED that show. :-)
OMG: WRP! I LOVED that show.
But MTM was my all time favorite. I wanted to BE Mary - even though I was in my late 20s and had a toddler.
And Bob Newhart - great writing.
I also agree with Momma's Family - more great writing and acting.
All in the Family...
Maude
The Golden Girls...
Somebody STOP me!
Ah, "those were the days" when you wouldn't miss one of these shows.
Linda: Yes on Mama's Family. Vicki Lawrence was masterful in that part. She really had that character nailed.
Mary: Yes, I think the best of situation comedies plays on that basic humanity, regardless of how down to earth or outrageous the character is.
Donna: Sorry your list didn't show up. Maybe break it down into a couple of smaller notes instead of one big one?
Mitzi: Those are all good ones. MTM was breakthrough in a single career woman on her own. All In The Family most certainly was big time breakthrough that really pushed the envelope at the time and created major controversy. And Golden Girls ... look where the cast came from. Betty White from MTM and Bea Author and Rue McClanahan from Maude which was a spin off from All In The Family.
I loved Mary Tyler Moore, Night Court, The Odd Couple, WKRP in Cincinnati, ALF, Happy Days. What is so good about most of these is that they didn't have to use sex to get laughs. They could find laughs in so many things unlike so many sitcoms today. But one of my favorite sitcoms, in the late 90's or early 00's was Whoopie with Whoopie Goldberg. It was totally in the wrong time period (8 pm) but you could tell the cast had a good rapport and enjoyed working together. Funny!
I guess I was more "family oriented" in my tastes. I loved The Brady Bunch, Happy Days, and even its spin-ff Joanie Loves Chachi. And I don't know if this counts as a sit-com, but The Dukes of Hazzard was big on my list!
She: I don't recall ever seeing Whoopie Goldberg's sitcom. I sorry I missed it.
Debra: I always watched Happy Days, too. I feel like I've followed Ron Howard's career from little Opie Taylor to powerhouse movie director. In fact, my first experience watching Ron Howard was before the Andy Griffith Show. He played the little boy with the lisp in The Music Man starring Shirley Jones and Robert Preston.
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