Three of my favourite things: Star Wars, Tina Fey, and eye-rolling.
All together on NBC's 30 Rock.
Some shows of the 2000's started off strong then lost steam as they overstayed their welcome, like Community, My Name is Earl, How I Met Your Mother, The King of Queens, That 70's Show, Scrubs, and Two and a Half Men. All gone now.
Lately, I've gotten into some good newer shows, but they aren't even on TV; they are Netflix (streaming internet) productions. I guess this is a sign of the times.... TV is dying and internet entertainment is growing exponentially. Viewers the world over are jumping on board, many cutting the pricey cable services while they're at it.
I dropped cable a few years ago and haven't looked back. Occasionally I miss the odd thing about having that archaic yet nostalgic medium pumping into my home. Like the Turner Classic Movies and other movie channels, the Today show on weekend mornings, catching the traditional format news, and tuning in to the occasional made-for-TV movie (like the Jesse Stone crime series - which has since migrated over to Netflix... yay!).
WKRP's on-air DJ Dr. Johnny Fever.... the aliens have landed,
the aliens have landed!
I'm not in any way affiliated with Netflix nor am I accepting any money for plugging the "network", but I have found several series to love as much as, if not more than, what cable TV offered. The best I've seen so far is Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, brought to you by Tina Fey (of 30 Rock fame) and her comedic crew. A little while back I enjoyed Netflix comedy/dramedies like Lilyhammer, Derek (Ricky Gervais at his best, I think), and Master of None, The fun and slightly dramatic Flaked (with Will Arnett) caught my attention, too, as did Love (with Gillian Jacobs).
Oh, and I've also discovered TV shows of the 2000's that were later made available on the web service... like Weeds, Freaks and Geeks (the best show ever cancelled?), Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Mindy Project (though it's gone downhill quickly), and The IT Crowd. I got into the British series Spaced a few years back, and loved Simon Pegg and his pals doing Big Bang Theory UK style.
And now I ponder some of my favourite comedy shows of all time, somewhat in order of preference. It's tough to rank nostalgic oldies against newer gut-busters. Some entries feel a bit out of order, but I've at least tried to put my most-loved picks near the top of the list. Enjoy:
30 Rock (numero uno, without a doubt)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (a close second)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (good ol' Larry)
Frasier
Seinfeld
Newhart (and The Bob Newhart Show... all comedy gold)
Fawlty Towers (I may need a defibrillator on hand next time I watch this)
WKRP (so under-appreciated back in the day)
Freaks and Geeks (hey, that was me!)
Everybody Loves Raymond
The John Larroquette Show (dark, biting humour almost unequalled in TV)
Derek
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Futurama (way better than I expected)
Spaced
Mr. Bean (pantomime never gets old)
Big Bang Theory
King of Queens (a dopey guilty pleasure)
Community (early seasons are hilarious, but the quality drops over time)
Rules of Engagement (this one flew under the radar, but I loved Warburton's style)
The Simpsons
M.A.S.H.
Arrested Development
Californication
The Larry Sanders Show
The Office (NBC)
All in the Family
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Happy Days (I could re-watch the whole series now... well, up until Fonzie jumps the shark)
Get Smart (I'm pretty sure I'd still love this... as a kid, I wanted to work as a spy for Control)
Cheers
Fresh Prince of Bel Air
Home Improvement (dopey but likable)
Malcolm in the Middle
The Muppet Show
Fernwood Tonight (Martin Mull in his early TV satire days)
The Cosby Show (yeah, I know, but it's still funny, right?)
Kids in the Hall
Three's Company (what can I say? It's obvious....)
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