Classic Sitcoms by Vince Waldron, and the Best Sitcoms as of 1985

The year was 1985 and Vince Waldron, a plucky pop culture maven from Chicago, polled the nation’s TV critics to find out what they considered the best (and worst) sitcoms of all-time.  He took the Top 10 and made detailed episode guides, publishing them in the book “Classic Sitcoms,” which I probably read cover-to-cover numerous times while growing up.  In the back, one of the appendices showed which programs each critic selected.  I’ve gone through and crunched the numbers to show what TV critics were thinking in 1985.  Remember, this was just after “The Cosby Show” premiered, and just before “The Golden Girls.”  There was no “Friends” or “Seinfeld” or “30 Rock” or “The Office” to speak of, and British imports weren’t as readily available as they are now (so there aren’t any votes of “Fawlty Towers,” for example).

TOP 10:
Mary Tyler Moore Show (33)
All In the Family (26)
MASH (21)
I Love Lucy (21)
Dick Van Dyke Show (19)
The Honeymooners (17)
Barney Miller (13)
Cheers (11)
Bob Newhart Show (8)
Taxi (7)
These ten are in the book, with complete episode guides (except "Cheers," which stops at season 4… the other seven seasons are on Waldron’s website).  One critic, Bill Lane from World News Syndicate, is totally confounding to me.  He put "Barney Miller" on his "worst" list.  And he put "Archie Bunker's Place" (the inferior continuation of "All In the Family") on his "best" list?!  See below for his other odd choices, such as placing "The Jeffersons" as one of the best, when five other critics placed it worst.  He also selected the 1969-71 "Bill Cosby Show" over the then-hot (and current) "Cosby Show."

NEXT 5... these got multiple votes but aren't in the book.
Andy Griffith Show (6)
Phil Silvers Show (6)
Get Smart (4)
United States (3)
Soap (3)

With three votes, Larry Gelbart's short-lived and VERY, VERY over-rated "United States" takes up a valuable slot. The show was considered groundbreaking in 1980, so critics who wanted to keep their cred must have decided it belonged. At least Richard Hack of "The Hollywood Reporter" placed it on his "worst" list.  The snippets I’ve seen are totally pretentious.  Nothing else to really note except that "Andy Griffith" petered out a bit after Don Knotts left; otherwise, it may have placed higher.  The following shows each received two votes... too bad they all got shut out of the Top 15 thanks to "United States”:
Buffalo Bill; Burns and Allen; Green Acres; The Odd Couple; Sanford & Son
"Green Acres" also placed on one "worst" list, while "Buffalo Bill" was on two "worst" lists... including Tom Shales, probably the most respected TV critic ever.  Strange.  Unrelated (fortunately), "The New Odd Couple" was placed on two "worst" lists.

Each of these shows received one “best” vote:
Amos ‘n Andy; Archie Bunker’s Place; The Associates; Bewitched; Bosom Buddies; Car 54, Where Are You?; The Cosby Show; Courtship of Eddie’s Father; Dobie Gillis; F Troop; Fernwood 2-Night; Kate and Allie; Leave It to Beaver; The Lucy Show; Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman; Mr. Peepers; Paul Sand In Friends and Lovers; Police Squad; WKRP in Cincinnati

And now for the worst shows…
-My Mother the Car (16)
-Three's Company (13)... plus two for the continuation/spin-off, "Three's A Crowd"
-Hello Larry (10)
-Mr. T and Tina (8)
-Gilligan's Island (6)
-The Ropers (7)… man, critics hate the Jack Tripper universe, even though they gave John Ritter an Emmy in 1984
-The Jeffersons (5)... one top of that bizarre "best" placing from the aforementioned Bill Lane
-Me and the Chimp (5)

The following shows received four votes each:
Ball Four; Co-Ed Fever; The Flying Nun; The Hathaways; Joanie Loves Chachi; Laverne & Shirley; McLean Stevenson Show; Punky Brewster; We Got It Made… the only notable thing about these is that "Laverne & Shirley" also got one "best" placing from Lee Marksbury (Fresno Bee).

Two votes:
Baby, I’m Back; The Brady Bunch; AKA Pablo; Alice (one vote for the entire run, one from Bill Lane for the years without Flo, and one for "Flo" itself); Blansky’s Beauties; Bosom Buddies*; Car 54, Where Are You?*; Carter Country; Condo (another McLean Stevenson vehicle!); CPO Sharkey; Facts of Life; Family Affair; Gimme a Break; Hogan's Heroes; In the Beginning; Lotsa Luck; Mama Malone; The Mothers-In-Law; Partridge Family; Petticoat Junction; Rango; Roller Girls; The Ted Knight Show; Tammy Grimes Show; Welcome Back Kotter
*-also received some placings on "best" lists

One vote:
90 Bristol Court; ABC Evening News with Barbara Walters and Harry Reasoner (so clever); AfterMASH; Apple Pie; Benson; Beverly Hillbillies; Brian Keith Show; Bridget Loves Bernie; Brothers and Sisters; Busting Loose; Camp Runamuck; Debbie Reynolds Show; Detective School; Don’t Call Me Charlie; Doris Day Show; The Dumplings; Family Ties; Far Out Space Nuts; Filthy Rich; Fish (spin-off of "Barney Miller"); Girl with Something Extra; Happy Days; Holmes and Yoyo; I Dream of Jeannie; I Married Joan; I’m Dickens He’s Fenster; It’s About Time; It’s Not Easy; Jennifer Slept Here; Just Our Luck; Maude; Mr. Ed; Mr. Smith; The Monkees; The Montefuscos; The Munsters; My Little Margie; Open All Night; Ozzie & Harriet; Ozzie’s Girls; The Pruitts of Southampton; The Roller Girls; San Pedro Bums; Six O’Clock Follies; Sugar Time; Waverly Wonders; Webster; What’s Happening; When Things Were Rotten


GLENN ALBUN, Interview Magazine (New York)
Green Acres, Burns and Allen, Mary Hartman Mary Hartman, Get Smart, Bewitched
Happy Days, Three’s Company, Welcome Back Kotter, Family Ties, Facts of Life

JON ANDERSON, Chicago Tribune
I Love Lucy, Honeymooners, Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Mr. Peepers
My Mother the Car, Rango, The Munsters, We Got It Made, AKA Pablo

KEN BECK, The Tennessean
Andy Griffith, Car 54 Where Are You, Sanford & Son, Get Smart, Mary Tyler Moore
Family Affair, Partridge Family, Sugar Time, Doris Day Show, Maude

JEFF BORDEN, Columbus Dispatch
Barney Miller, MASH, Cheers, I Love Lucy, The Associates
Three’s Company, The Jeffersons, My Mother the Car, Carter Country, Ball Four

RUTH BUTLER, Grand Rapids Press
MASH, Mary Tyler Moore, Phil Silvers Show, Dick Van Dyke, Barney Miller
Laverne & Shirley, Three’s Company, AKA Pablo, The Jeffersons, The Hathaways

STUART D. BYKOFSKY, Philadelphia Daily News
Mary Tyler Moore, AITF, I Love Lucy, Get Smart, Barney Miller
Laverne & Shirley, Joanie Loves Chachi, The Ropers, The Ted Knight Show, Three’s Company

JOHN CARMAN, Atlanta Journal and Constitution
Mary Tyler Moore, Honeymooners, Bob Newhart Show, Cheers, United States
The Roller Girls, The Ropers, Punky Brewster, Gilligan’s Island, Co-Ed Fever

KENNETH R. CLARK, Chicago Tribune
Mary Tyler Moore, Dick Van Dyke, AITF, Honeymooners, I Love Lucy
Open All Night, Gimme a Break, Ozzie & Harriet, Flying Nun, Gilligan’s Island

JERRY COFFEY, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Dick Van Dyke, AITF, I Love Lucy, Honeymooners, MASH
Tammy Grimes Show, Debbie Reynolds Show, Mr. T and Tina, Me and the Chimp, Lotsa Luck

JEAN COLLOHAN, American Film Magazine (Washington, DC)
AITF, I Love Lucy, Dobie Gillis, Odd Couple, Mary Tyler Moore
Punky Brewster, Ted Knight Show, Bosom Buddies, Me and the Chimp, Hello Larry

DAVID CUTHBERT, New Orleans Times-Picayune-States-Item
I Love Lucy, Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart, Dick Van Dyke, AITF
When Things Were Rotten, Brady Bunch, Family Affair, I Married Joan, Hogan’s Heroes

GARY DEEB, News America Syndicate (Chicago)
Honeymooners, Barney Miller, AITF, Mary Tyler Moore, I Love Lucy
Three’s Company, Joanie Loves Chachi, Flo, Mr. T and Tina, What’s Happening

MICHAEL DOUGAN, San Francisco Examiner
AITF, MASH, Mary Tyler Moore, Paul Sand In Friends and Lovers, Dick Van Dyke
We Got It Made, Three’s Company, My Mother the Car, Petticoat Junction, Flying Nun

DAVID DRAKE, Columbus Citizen-Journal
Dick Van Dyke, Honeymooners, Mary Tyler Moore, Andy Griffith, Bob Newhart
Roller Girls, CPO Sharkey, Mr. T and Tina, Hello Larry, Co-Ed Fever

RICK DU BROW, Los Angeles Herald Examiner
Honeymooners, Barney Miller, AITF, Mary Tyler Moore, Phil Silvers
Hello Larry, Me and the Chimp, Camp Runamuck, The Mothers-In-Law, Blansky’s Beauties

MIKE DUFFY, Detroit Free Press
Honeymooners, Phil Silvers, Mary Tyler Moore, Taxi, Bosom Buddies
Hello Larry, My Mother the Car, The Jeffersons, Three’s Company, I’m Dickens He’s Fenster

PETER FARRELL, The Oregonian
MASH, Cheers, AITF, Barney Miller, United States, Soap
Mr. Smith, Three’s Company, Condo, The New Odd Couple, Laverne & Shirley

JUDY FLANDER, United Features Syndicate
Mary Tyler Moore, Buffalo Bill, Cosby Show, I Love Lucy, United States, AITF
The Ropers, Three’s Company, The Jeffersons, Carter Country, Hogan’s Heroes

BARRY GARRON, Kansa City Star
AITF, MASH, Mary Tyler Moore, Odd Couple, Dick Van Dyke
Brian Keith Show, McLean Stevenson Show, Joanie Loves Chachi, Ozzie’s Girls, My Mother the Car

TONY GENTILE, Newsday (NYC)
I Love Lucy, Honeymooners, Mary Tyler Moore, AITF, Taxi
Mr. T and Tina, My Mother the Car, The Dumplings, The Montefuscos, Mama Malone

MARC GUNTHER, Hartford Courant
Honeymooners, Mary Tyler Moore, MASH, I Love Lucy, AITF
We Got It Made, Flying Nun

RICHARD HACK, Hollywood Reporter
Mary Tyler Moore, Cheers, I Love Lucy, Courtship of Eddie’s Father, MASH
My Mother the Car, Punky Brewster, Me and the Chimp, Welcome Back Kotter, United States
KEN HOFFMAN, Phoenix Gazette
Cheers, Taxi, Honeymooners, Police Squad, AITF
Roller Girls, The Pruitts of Southampton, McLean Stevenson Show, Facts of Life, Joanie Loves Chachi

BARBARA HOLSOPPLE, Pittsburgh Press
MASH, Mary Tyler Moore, AITF, Barney Miller, The Lucy Show
Me and the Chimp, Blansky’s Beauties, Mr. T and Tina, The Mothers-In-Law, My Mother the Car

NOEL W. HOLSTON, Orlando Sentinel
Barney Miller, Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart, MASH, Andy Griffith
Mr. T and Tina, The Ropers, Co-Ed Fever, Baby I’m Back, Lotsa Luck

TOM JICHA, Miami News
AITF, Cheers, Honeymooners, MASH, Soap
The Hathaways, McLean Stevenson Show, The Ropers, Three’s a Crowd, Rango

BILL LANE, World News Syndicate (Los Angeles)
Archie Bunker’s Place, I Love Lucy, The Jeffersons, Amos ‘n Andy, Sanford & Son, Bill Cosby Show
Baby I’m Back, Barney Miller, Alice (without Flo), Bridget Loves Bernie, The Monkees

SYLVIA F. LAWLOR, Allentown Call-Chronicle
Mary Tyler Moore, AITF, Dick Van Dyke, MASH, Barney Miller, Cheers
San Pedro Bums, Holmes and Yoyo, Busting Loose, In the Beginning, 90 Bristol Court

JIM LYNCH, JDL Syndicate (Boca Raton, FL)
Barney Miller, AITF, Cheers, Dick Van Dyke, Taxi
Laverne & Shirley, Three’s Company, Mr. Ed, Gilligan’s Island, Bosom Buddies

JACK MAJOR, Providence Journal-Bulletin
Dick Van Dyke, Bob Newhart, I Love Lucy, Barney Miller, Fernwood 2-Night
Don’t Call Me Charlie, Mama Malone, In the Beginning, Apple Pie, Ball Four

LEE MARKSBURY, Fresno Bee
I Love Lucy, MASH, Mary Tyler Moore, Laverne & Shirley, Andy Griffith
Filthy Rich, I Dream of Jeannie, Three’s Company, My Mother the Car, CPO Sharkey

JOHN D. MILLER, South Bend Tribune
MASH, I Love Lucy, Dick Van Dyke, AITF, Soap
The Ropers, Beverly Hillbillies, My Mother the Car, We Got It Made, Hello Larry

WALLY PATRICK, Asbury Park Press
AITF, Buffalo Bill, Mary Tyler Moore, Taxi, Leave It to Beaver
Mr. T and Tina, ABC Evening News with Barbara Walters and Harry Reasoner

JON-MICHAEL REED, United Features Syndicate
Mary Tyler Moore, Kate and Allie, Dick Van Dyke, Burns and Allen, Bob Newhart
AfterMASH, Jennifer Slept Here, Hello Larry, Car 54 Where Are You, The Hathaways

HAROLD SCHINDLER, Salt Lake City Tribune
Barney Miller, Phil Silvers, MASH, F Troop, Dick Van Dyke
Buffalo Bill, Detective School, Fish, My Mother the Car, New Odd Couple

TOM SHALES, Washington Post
I Love Lucy, Honeymooners, AITF, Phil Silvers, Mary Tyler Moore
Buffalo Bill, Just Our Luck, My Little Margie, Gimme a Break, Hello Larry

RICK SHEFCHIK, Saint Paul Pioneer Press-Dispatch
Dick Van Dyke, MASH, Mary Tyler Moore, I Love Lucy, Green Acres
It’s About Time, Hello Larry, Tammy Grimes Show, Co-Ed Fever, Benson

DWIGHT SILVERMAN, San Antonio Light
Honeymooners, AITF, Get Smart, Mary Tyler Moore, MASH
My Mother the Car, Brady Bunch, Flying Nun, Gilligan’s Island, Partridge Family

STEVE SONSKY, Miami Herald
AITF, Mary Tyler Moore, I Love Lucy, Honeymooners, Bob Newhart
McLean Stevenson Show, Condo, My Mother the Car, Hogan’s Heroes, Hello Larry

VINCE STATEN, Louisville Times
Mary Tyler Moore, Andy Griffith, Dick Van Dyke, Phil Silvers, MASH
Alice, Mama Malone, The Ropers, Waverly Wonders, My Mother the Car

GUS STEVENS, San Diego Tribune
Barney Miller, Taxi, WKRP, MASH, Mary Tyler Moore
Hello Larry, My Mother the Car, Mr. T and Tina, Car 54 Where Are You, Girl with Something Extra

KARL VICK, St. Petersburg Times
Andy Griffith, Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, AITF, Cheers
Ball Four, Six O’Clock Follies, Carter Country, Brothers and Sisters, Far Out Space Nuts

KEITH WATSON, Houston Post
I Love Lucy, AITF, Cheers, Dick Van Dyke, Taxi
Brady Bunch, Webster, Punky Brewster, Petticoat Junction, It’s Not Easy

RON WEISKIND, Pittsburgh Post-Gaztte
AITF, MASH, Mary Tyler Moore, Honeymooners, Cheers
Gilligan’s Island, Three’s a Crowd, Three’s Company, Ball Four, Green Acres

BOB WISEHART, Sacramento Bee
Dick and Dyke, I Love Lucy, MASH, Mary Tyler Moore, Honeymooners
Gilligan’s Island, My Mother the Car, Three’s Company, The Hathaways, The Jeffersons

The "quintessential" episodes of SNL

These are not what I'd say are the best episodes, just ones that are indicative of what the show was like at the time, down to cast participation, level of writing, even the visuals (graphics, sets, etc.).  Some people may find this a dumb exercise, but... it's MY blog.

Era 1: Chevy (season 1-season 2, e6): Candice Bergen/Esther Phillips... the feel of a cabaret/sketch show, Gerald Ford jokes, an eclectic musical guest

Era 2: classic years (season 2, e7-season 4): Steve Martin/Blues Brothers... some classic sketches in the first half, followed by some more muted pieces in the second half

Era 3: Bill Murray show (season 5): Strother Martin/The Specials... some loooooong sketches (many conceptual), Reagan jokes, hostage jokes, a host whose fame is matched (or bettered) by the cast, and a musical guest point the way toward the 80s

Era 4: SNL 80 (season 6): Robert Hays / Joe 'King' Carrasco & The Crown, 14 Karat Soul... cheap jokes, the cast is trying too hard, Eddie and Joe have the few bright spots (in the news), a semi-forgotten host, and a general sense of doom

Era 5: Mr. Mike (season 6, ep13-season 7, ep8): Bernadette Peters/Billy Joel, Go Gos... some daring, almost experimental pieces, Eddie continues cementing his fame by talking directly to the camera, with Tim Kazurinsky being the secret utility player

Era 6: Ebersol years (season 7, ep9-season 9): Danny DeVito & Rhea Perlman / Eddy Grant... Eddie and Joe front and center with some more subtle pieces buried later in the show

Era 7: Steinbrenner (season 10): Ed Asner/The Kinks... lots for Billy Crystal to do, Harry Shearer still in the cold.

Era 8: Lorne returns (season 11): Dudley Moore/Al Green... a classy, established host and musical guest, with hints of the greatness to come from the writers, but overall an odd, flat show

Era 9: classic years 2 (season 12-18): Robin Williams/Paul Simon... a game host, an excellent, eclectic musical guest (since Simon was performing Graceland material), and a well-rounded cast

Era 10: Bad Boys (season 19-20): Patrick Stewart/Salt-n-Pepa... the ingredients for a great show that ultimately gives over too much time to the bad boys

Era 11: Ohlmeyer years (seasons 21-25): Pamela Anderson/Rollins Band... host-of-the-moment, excellent WU, Norm and Will Ferrell carrying the cast through some odd material

Era 12: Tina Fey years (seasons 26-29): Lucy Liu/Jay-Z... corporate comedy