Blondie’s Children: The Best Domestic Sitcoms


Lynn20blondie2020dagwood20cvr20The domestic sitcom may be the signature American narrative form of the second half of the 20th century. Certainly it is the most dileberately reflexive - casting back to its audience an image of itself sometimes idealized, sometimes realistic.

The domestic sitcom functions as a catalog American life in the postwar years -most obviously in its representation of the changing American family from the Cleavers to the Munsters to the Bradys to the Conners to Will & Grace. But the shows also function as reflections of changing American style - from the sleek mid-century New Rochelle living room of the Petries to the hand-me-downs in the apartments on Friends.

Including Friends in a discussion about sitcoms raises an important point - some of the best domestic sitcoms live on the edge of the genre, a circumstance that begs the question of nomenclature -just what IS a domestic sitcom? And, by way of blog conversation, what are the Ten Best Domestic Sitcoms of All-Time? [Our lists follow...]
When trying to pull definitions together, history helps. The domestic sitcom starts with Blondie and Dagwood Bumstead. Chic Young’s comic strip about a bumbling husband and a not so dumb blonde wife who wears the pants in the family set the standard. Blondie made it first to radio, then to films, and finally TV in the late 1950s, but by then snappy wise cracking dialogue, zany powerful wives, and bumbling husbands were already TV staples.

For my purposes a domestic sitcom is any 1/2 hour comedy focusing on home life and the emotional workings of family, however we might define that.

With any top ten list the inevitable ‘best v. favorite’ conundrum raises its ugly head. My list and Tom’s each represents a little of both–a representation of the history of the domestic sitcom through the example of personal favorites.

Jason’s list:
1. The Honeymooners An atypical choice for best domestic sitcom in that it is principally about the relationship between Ralph and Ed, not the relationship between Ralph and Alice. It’s a buddy comedy as much as a domestic sitcom. But since it’s television’s best all time show it deserves top honors.

2. The Simpsons The Gunsmoke of sitcoms. May it run forever. Stunning that it may be better now than ever.

3. I Love Lucy As great as were the performances of Lucy and Desi, the hilarious writing, and the fabulous costumes of Edith Head, the enduring magic in Lucy comes from the way the show captures the gender dynamics of American marriage–in Lucy’s undying, zany ambition to be something more than a housewife.

4. (tie) Bewitched, The Munsters, I Dream of Jeannie The great 1960s domestic sitcoms capture the enormous social upheaval of the times by throwing disruptive supernatural forces into the middle of the nuclear family and letting insane scenarios play out in ways that confirm traditional values. Herman Munster has more in common with Ward Cleaver than he has with Al Bundy, that’s for sure.

Bewitched gives us a fantasy of repression–beneath the perfect 1950s TV suburban veneer the man in the gray flannel suit fights to keep disruptive supernatural forces from disrupting his bourgieous world. The prelude to the summer of love.

The Munsters, with it’s engagement of LA pop culture of the 1960s and manic performances, remains a goofball joy.

But my favorite is I Dream of Jeannie–one of those show that skirts genre definitions but Tony Nelson and Jeannie were a family and even wound up married. THE classic 1960s sitcom–two swinging bachelors in the heart of the military industrial complex try to hide their freaky, submissive, hot genie from the base psychologist. Jeannie proves that Sydney Sheldon was a genius.

7. All in the Family Archie Bunker was TV’s first great anti-hero. He made Tony Soprano possible. Thanks to the best ensemble acting in sitcom history, All in the Family proved that the form could be taken seriously without breaking convention.

8. The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show I told the first love of my life that she was like Gracie Allen. She asked her mother who Gracie Allen was. Her mom said: “Oh, honey, she’s just like you.”

I’m still in love with Gracie Allen, a performing genius with the greatest comic timing in human history. Her show with husband George made the leap directly from radio to TV where Burns came into his own, breaking the fourth wall with deadpan asides direct to the camera and retiring to the den to watch events taking place in the living room.

9. Curb Your Enthusiasm I’m not really sure that this is a domestic sitcom. The relationship between Larry and Cheryl is certainly as important as, and similar to, the relationship between Ralph and Alice. But Larry is Kramden after one of his ridiculous schemes miraculously pays off–a reflection of the new super affluent family and screamingly hilarious!

10. Mad About You Here’s the oddball outlying show on my list, included perhaps because the Buchman’s relationship is deeply recongnizable to me, but mostly because of Helen Hunt’s phenomenal portrayal of Jamie Buchman, particularly during the fourth season when Paul Rieser and the show’s writers took the Buchmans to the verge of divorce.

Near misses to make my list? Sanford & Son and Alf, believe it or not.

Tom’s List:

1. The Honeymooners. There’s no arguing with this one, it’s the model for scenes of uproar and domestic disharmony entertaining millions. How sweet it was.

2. The Simpsons. Longest running sitcom of all time, it continues to amaze with its rich characters and unending parody of local life.

3. I Love Lucy. Urban domestic life, the faux New York created to effortlessly in the Desilu studio, the innovative camera work, Desi Arnaz’s immense talent used so subtly as straight man and Cuban sidekick, the familiar sets, the Murtzes, and the wild, wacky, wonderful Lucy.

4. All in the Family. Forget the social commentary and ground-breaking political statements. Forget its timeframe in a time of protest and upheaval. Just watch this killer cast, the original foursome. And laugh out loud. As comedy, All in the Family holds up and Carroll O’Connor rides the role of a lifetime with perfect pitch.

5. Seinfeld. It’s genius, Jerry, genius! So many of the lines in Seinfeld have entered daily parlance, so many of Larry David’s wacky situations have become part of our consciousness - the Seinfeld moment - that this series may actually be underrated. Notice too that all the top five adhere to the same “rule of four” of the basis domestic unit; in Seinfeld, it’s not a marriage, but clearly a family situation.

6. The Dick Van Dyke Show. Quick, hum the opening theme. A hybrid really, because it’s almost a workplace comedy (again, another list) it tips toward domestic classic by one star’s presence - Mary Tyler Moore’s wonderful Laura Petrie. Ah, life in New Rochelle!

7. The Bob Newhart Show. Sexy, urbane, it seemed so adult when I was a kid. A swinging childless couple - clearly by choice - living the high life in Chicago with a bunch of wacky friends. All in brilliant Newhart deadpan.

8. The Flintstones. OK, it’s a cartoon Honeymooners rip-off, not really a classic, not particularly well-written, not all that funny. But the Flintstones had two great things - a wacky premise brilliantly executed, and a sympathetic, consistent style that stays with us 40 years on. And without Fred, there’s no Homer.

9. Bewitched. The sitcom, suburban version of Bell, Book, and Candle, this baby revved in 60s color along with Elizabeth Montgomery’s sultry, twitching nose and two - dig ‘em - two different husbands.

10. Curb Your Enthusiasm. Pure mayhem; no one gets comfortable around Larry David. The situations are literally painful to watch. And the house changes every season. The one current sitcom on the list, and the only new show I simply will not miss.

I’ve left off so many - the other magic-monster 60s classics (Munsters, Addams Family, I Dream of Jeannie), the softball suburbans (Dobie Gillis, Leave it to Beaver, The Brady Bunch), the 70s icons that really don’t hold up (Happy Days, Three’s Company), and some personal faves (Sanford & Son, My Three Sons, The Jeffersons). Love to hear yours.

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January 12th, 2007
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Viewing 18 Comments

    • ^
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    Theme song lyrics recited from memory: "There's a holdup in the Bronx!/Brooklyn's broken out in fights!/There's a traffic jam in Harlem/that's backed up to Jackson Heights!/There's a scout troop short a child!/Kruschev's due at Idlewild!/ Car 54, where are you?"

    A minority enthusiasm, I admit it, but "Car 54, Where Are You" was, in its brief two-year stint from 1961 through 1963, a breath of goofy fresh air and by far the most popular televison show among the young miscreants of St. Anselm's grammar school. It was essentially "Sgt. Bilko" transplanted to a Bronx precinct house, and its two lovably bumbling principals, rubber-faced Joe E. "Ooh! Ooh!" Ross as Officer Gunther Toody and hound dog visaged Fred Gwynne (a Harvard man, the Lampoon and everything!) as Officer
    Francis Muldoon, stamped their respective roles with almost archetypal authority. Also fondly remembered is Al Lewis in the role of Leo Schnauser, who made Toody and Muldoon Look like Lee marvin in "M Squad." My father was himself a New York city cop and somehow he didn't quite take the same delight that his son did in the
    municipal bumbling of these lovable nimrods. It's a pleasure to recall time when we could still affectionately send up the centurions in our midst. Now all the television cops strike self-important poses and stare out at us from billboards with the sternest of
    expressions. What a burden all that moral superiority must be to carry around.
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    I cna't believe that I totally forgot 'Good Times' - a personal fave, and a fairly influential domestic sitcom. It was dyno-mite!

    Gerry - Car54 will definately be a competitor when we tackle workplace sitcoms - oh yeah, we're very sub-genre here....
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    I'm going to do better with the workplace comedies.

    After Dick Van Dyke, what?

    All in the Family.

    The Bob Newhart Show.

    Seinfeld.

    Cosby, for the first few years.

    Andy Griffith.

    Mad About You, until the baby appeared on the horizon.

    Evening Shade. (Lost in the shadow of Murphy Brown and Newhart on Monday nights.)

    To me, I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners are museum pieces. I appreciate them for their place in history, but I don't really enjoy them.

    Well, ok, Art Carney was great.

    Hey, Ralphie Boy!

    And Gleason...humana humana humana...

    But the shows themselves?

    Give me Bilko. Sorry, started on the workplace list...
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    See, I still love to watch 'em - especially the Honeymooners. They'e like Twizzlers - I can eat 'em anytime.

    Andy Griffth - yeah I thought of that, but decided it was a workplace comedy after all - the best Don Knotts plots all revolved around sheriffin'
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    Yeah, to me the Hooneymooners is eternal. I watch it the way I watch the Marx brothers--over and over again, laughing at the same jokes every time. But it's the best because of the tragic elements.

    Andy Griffith I always hated and still hate--a show about accepting your lowly station in life. I hate it the way I hate Forrest Gump.
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    Interesting that the Golden Age of Situation Comedy was contemporaneous with rock and roll and the whole baby boom thing. I couldn't say whether rock or sitcoms had a greater influence on me, but I think it's a topic that might be right in the wheelhouse of your fine, new blog.

    Here's my 10:
    1. I Love Lucy
    2. Honeymooners
    3. Simpsons
    4. Seinfeld
    5. Dick Van Dyke
    6. Good Times
    7. Bob Newhart (both iterations)
    8. All in the Family
    9. Addams Family
    10. Green Acres. (How about some love for this Kafka-esque send up of rural America?)
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    I think some of the things off the list are classic, though timeless...well, not so sure. They're pretty dated. Welcome Back Kotter was a classic from my youth.
    Happy Days seasons 2-5 or before Fonzie literally 'jumped the shark.' Mork and Mindy. Chico and the Man stands out as an example of a smart hispanic who teaches the old white guy to be wise.
    The Flintstones and the Jetsons. Call them Cartoons, but Fred Siebert's comments here: http://frederatorblogs.com/post/2981 reminded me of how, while these may parallel the honeymooners, they were original in their own way (and with the Jetsons, visionary.)
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    Chico - yeah for a short time.But i'd say that's a workplace comedy....
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    I'd include the Addams Family and the (IMHO) highly under-appreciated Green Acres. And the Partridge Family, if for no other reason than the timeless beauty of Shirley Jones.
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    My list:

    1. WKRP in Cincinnati. This isn't just my favourite US sitcom of all time, it's my favourite show of all time. I especially loved the character of Les Nessman - possibly the most original character ever written for American TV. The acting from the ensemble cast, the dialogue ("As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly"), even the plots were great.

    2. Good Times. One of the biggest gripes I have with sitcoms are that they inadvertently show a very distorted picture of American society. Everyone lives in a 6,000 square foot home or a New York studio apartment; the women never wear the same clothes twice; the men all have important jobs; the big financial decisions are always things like "do we go on vacation twice or three times this year?"; every problem is solved in 30 minutes. Good Times was realistic, showing a section of American society that hadn't existed on TV before.

    3. Bewitched. For basically the reasons you gave. The idea was so surreal.

    4, 5, and 6. The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, and The Dick Van Dyke Show. All were so adult and sophisticated yet so funny.

    7. Gilligan's Island (yeah, I went there) for pure unadulterated childhood fun and a great theme song.

    8. The Simpsons for bringing back both animation and really funny dialogue that didn't obviously preach.

    9. Get Smart. I don't know if a parody can be considered a sitcom, but here it is. Great writing and acting.

    10. Major Dad for showing us that conservative sitcoms can be just as preachy and mind-numbingly dull as liberal ones like Maude.
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    The main addition I would make would be Green Acres. I look at Oliver as a comedic equivalent to a film-noir protagonist. He finds himself trapped in a world which has it's own internal logic that conspires to frustrate him. Everyone in Hooterville mispronounces the same word in the same way, everyone inexplicably knows the details of his life, etc...
    I would also go with Bewitched, but only with Dick York, who is one of Eddie Albert's few peers in exasperation. Another candidate would be the first couple of seasons of Soap. All right, I confess to a love of the absurd.
    Also, speaking of radio, I have listened to every extant episode of Jack Benny on the radio and a case could be made for that show being one of the defining programs in the development of the sitcom (especially if you get into the workplace sub-genre). Jack also loved to break the 4th wall; for example, guest star would come to his house and the crowd would applaud at his or her first line and Jack would comment on the number of people in his living room.
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    Boy, roxtar and out of context both w/ votes for Green Acres. I confess to having never quite gotten the appeal athough you guys make a good case, I'll have to re-examine the show.

    As to Jack Benny, I loved the Jack Benny show on TV. Broke all the rules before there were rules and for comics in a leading roll Benny can't be beat. Not really a domestic sitcom tho', ditto Blurgle a number of excellent shows on your list (Get Smart is among my all time favs, but not a domestic sitcom, which was the exercise at hand).

    Howard, Welcome Back Kotter is really a workplace comedy, I think, despite the framing sequences of Gabe and his wife. An underrated workplace comedy.
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    For workplace comedies, I'd like to add NewsRadio to the mix.
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    Any list of top domestic comedies must include The Cosby Show. It was funny for a long time, much funnier than those one-note '60s shows like Bewitched and Jeannie. And any discussion of workplace comedies has to include Cheers. And good call with Shirley Jones. As a middle schooler, the fact that I found her much more attractive than the more age-appropriate Susan Dey was very confusing to me.
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    Since apparently no one else will, I'm going to put in some love for Married With Children. The defining show of the first age of Fox, when it was actually funny. Excellent comic acting, particularly from Ed O'Neill, and sharp, underrated writing.
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    mmm.. nice design, I must say..
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    Murtz spelling is wrong. It is Mertz.
 

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