For pop culture fans best-of lists are our bread and butter. We love them. We love it when when one of our favorites is highlighted as a “best” and find it hard to believe when our favs are left off the list or placed too low. Best-of lists are also good to discover something you’ve never heard of, or something that you are aware of, have heard great things about, but haven’t gotten around to it yet. This new list from Rolling Stone magazine will check all those boxes. The top 50 is available in the glossy print magazine while #51-60 is on their website. Here’s some that stood out to me…
- # 100 – Schitt’s Creek – Wow, right off the bat, a head-shaker for me. I know this is an all-time list, so maybe it’s not top 10 or 20, but 100? Night Court, Buffalo Bill, and Frankie’s Place are just below in the 90s. Seems like the Roses deserve better.
- # 90 – Big Bang Theory – Believe it or not, I’ve been catching up and watching this for the first time over the last year. Not bingeing, but watching an episode a couple nights a week. TBS runs the show all evening long a few times a week. It’s a perfect, light TV nightcap.
- # 84 – Modern Family – This was one of my favorites as far as a network sitcom goes. It holds the Emmy record with five consecutive Most Outstanding Comedy awards.
- # 69 – Flight of the Conchords – Funny Moment Flashback: Manager and Deputy Cultural Attache Murray calling roll at each meeting with only the two band members in attendance.
- # 66 – Get Smart – Funny Moment Flashback: Maxwell Smart and the Chief in the Cone of Silence
- # 61 – Catastrophe – This was a surprise to see on the list. Man goes to London on business trip, has a one-week stand, goes home, woman is pregnant, man goes back to London, marries her, and starts a family. Love, hate, sex, life, and vulgarity ensue.
- # 45 – Broad City – Abbi Jacobson Ilana Glazer trying to make it in New York based on their real-life friendship and they aren’t afraid to try anything.
- # 44 – Veep – Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the trash-talking VP and her staff of misfits would be higher on my list.
- # 42 – Brockmire – Hank Azaria as the washed-up baseball announcer had its highs and lows, but is a worthwhile journey with Brockmire from his raging alcohol and drug days, through sobriety, to being Commissioner of Baseball.
- # 39 – Blackish – Dre Johnson (Anthony Anderson) aims to keep black history and cultural ethos alive in his family as he navigates the suburban lifestyle. Good cast all around.
- # 38 – Friends – The reunion special set for HBO Max is filming as we speak.
- # 36 – Sex and the City – Same as above, except this reunion is a sequel series and will not include one of the original stars (Kim Cattrall).
- # 29 – It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – This is one I’ve never seen and it’s been on since 2005! It always shows up on lists like this, so I think I’m going to check it out, but 154 episodes and counting is a lot to commit to.
- #22 – South Park – This would be way higher on my list. Just looking at them still cracks me up. Whether it’s Cartman assuming his “Au-thor-a-tay” as hall monitor, showing up at Butters’ house as Awesome-o, the cardboard box robot, or going to extremes to attend Casa Bonita, after 24 seasons it’s just as timely, hilarious, and offensive as ever.
- # 21 – Fleabag – Talk about sweeping awards. Phoebe-Waller Bridges seemed embarrassed after accepting her 10th award for this show.
- # 20 – BoJack Horseman – I need to see what all the fuss is about with this one. I haven’t watched it.
- # 15 – Arrested Development – I’m finally just watching this now on Netflix. I’m on season 2 which puts me in 2004. The show has held up well over time. The entire Bluth family has me laughing.
- # 12 – Curb Your Enthusiasm – One of my all-time favorites. Larry David arriving into a social encounter of any kind, at any place is a cringeworthy hoot waiting to happen.
- Now the Top 10 to speak for themselves
- #10 – The Larry Sanders Show
- # 9 – Parks and Recreation
- # 8 – The Honeymooners
- # 7 – Mary Tyler Moore Show
- # 6 – Mash
- # 5 – All in the Family
- # 4 – I Love Lucy
- # 3 – Seinfeld
- # 2 – Cheers
- # 1 – The Simpsons – As Rolling Stone says, “there is no other choice.” “D’oh!”
Trivia ? – How and when did The Simpsons get its start on TV?
Answer: As a series of animated short sketches on The Tracy Ullman Show in 1987 prior to its debut on Fox in December, 1989.