Nineties - Golden Age Page 5

Well... there are certainly jokes and discussions about sex and other "low humour" subjects - and they're not particularly frank or adult - like they are in "Cybill", for example. On the other hand, they don't take the low humour to bold extremes. "Arrested Development" is great in that it manages to veer wildly from one end of this spectrum to another - "Friends" lingers perpetually in the middle ground. I guess that's why I don't find it funny, but it is also why it appeals to a wide demographic - it doesn't offend anyone or challenge them beyond what they expect from light entertainment.

Just caught up with Class Act from the 1990s - Joanna Lumley and co. are hysterical!

Quote: ToddB @ March 10 2011, 1:47 PM BST

British:
The Vicar of Dibley
Father Ted
Absolutely Fabulous
Bottom
Men Behaving Badly
The Thin Blue Line
The Office
Spaced

US:
Cybill
High Society
Frasier
Seinfeld (Haven't got into it - but seems clever and popular)
Married With Children
Murphy Brown
Roseanne (Okay - it sterted in '88 - bit was mostly nineties).

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I had forgotten the 90s were that bad.

Quote: Timbo @ April 28 2011, 3:49 PM BST

I had forgotten the 90s were that bad.

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There's some all time classics in that list! And lots more that aren't in that list.

There are a very few all time classics, some decent mediocrity and a lot of dross. But I agree it might be possible to make the case better.

Seinfeld, Frasier, Spaced, The Office and Father Ted would all make my classics list!

Though actually, a couple of those were only partially in the nineites.

I still think the 70s was the golden age of British Sitcom - so far!

Every decade has had good ones. For me the 2000s were the most lacking. But then I'm a fan of the classic style sitcom which has been out of fashion.

The 90s had some good ones for me - including 'One Foot' which is my second all time favourite. But not the large no. that the 70s offered.

Quote: Timbo @ April 28 2011, 4:04 PM BST

There are a very few all time classics, some decent mediocrity and a lot of dross. But I agree it might be possible to make the case better.

There are a very few all time classics, some decent mediocrity and a lot of dross. But I agree it might be possible to make the case better.

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In spite of your personal tastes, I think you'll find that many of the sitcoms listed were critically acclaimed and popular.

Things like "Frasier", "Absolutely Fabulous", "Bottom", "The Vicar of Dibley", "Father Ted", "Seinfeld" and "Roseanne" were both praised for their good writing and attracted huge followings that will willingly watch repeat episodes.

The others listed all broke down significant barriers and/or had consistently strong writing, even if they didn't attract huge followings.

Quote: Steve Charlie @ May 1 2011, 6:14 AM BST

I still think the 70s was the golden age of British Sitcom - so far!

Every decade has had good ones. For me the 2000s were the most lacking. But then I'm a fan of the classic style sitcom which has been out of fashion.

The 90s had some good ones for me - including 'One Foot' which is my second all time favourite. But not the large no. that the 70s offered.

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I think the nineties easily produced as many sitcoms as the seventies. Tastes vary - I like a lot of things from the seventies but, generally, I find the nineties stuff sharper and funnier.

Good points made by all above. I don't see there being a significant dip in quality in the 80s though, it was a period mainly of continuation of the studio sitcom with laughter track and built on the mainstream peak time model very well. The evening sitcom was extremely popular in the 80s, extremely. The family sitcom in particular was very strong indeed in the 80s.

There were some very memorable classic and semi classic sitcoms either born or had their best years in the 80s. As strong as the 90s or even the 70s? Well without analysing it in too much detail, just a list from the top of my head will show it compares very favourably with the lists from the two other decades:

Only Fools And Horses
Only When I Laugh
Keep It In The Family
Bread (A minor classic but I hate it)
Ever Decreasing Circles
To The Manor Born
Three Up Two Down
Hitchhiker's Guide
Fairly Secret Army
Don't Wait Up
The Young Ones
Yes Minister/Yes, Prime Minister
Hi-De-Hi!
Sorry!
'Allo 'Allo!
You Rang, M'Lord?
Red Dwarf
Blackadder
Whoops Apocalypse
Just Good Friends
Dear John...
The New Statesman
Rab C Nesbitt
Filty Rich and Catflap
...
That is not a bad decade for British sitcoms, not by my reckoning.

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ May 1 2011, 10:59 AM BST

Good points made by all above. I don't see there being a significant dip in quality in the 80s though, it was a period mainly of continuation of the studio sitcom with laughter track and built on the mainstream peak time model very well. The evening sitcom was extremely popular in the 80s, extremely. The family sitcom in particular was very strong indeed in the 80s.

There were some very memorable classic and semi classic sitcoms either born or had their best years in the 80s. As strong as the 90s or even the 70s? Well without analysing it in too much detail, just a list from the top of my head will show it compares very favourably with the lists from the two other decades:

Only Fools And Horses
Only When I Laugh
Keep It In The Family
Bread (A minor classic but I hate it)
Ever Decreasing Circles
To The Manor Born
Three Up Two Down
Hitchhiker's Guide
Fairly Secret Army
Don't Wait Up
The Young Ones
Yes Minister/Yes, Prime Minister
Hi-De-Hi!
Sorry!
'Allo 'Allo!
You Rang, M'Lord?
Red Dwarf
Blackadder
Whoops Apocalypse
Just Good Friends
Dear John...
The New Statesman
Rab C Nesbitt
Filty Rich and Catflap
...
That is not a bad decade for British sitcoms, not by my reckoning.

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Here here! I think that the eighties were great - particularly because they saw the birth of the 'Alternative Comedy' generation on television.
"Blackadder", "The New Statesman" and "The Young Ones" are favourites of mine and probably will be remembered as classics as will "Yes Minister/Prime Minister" and "Red Dwarf" which I am not so familiar with. The eighties saw the beginnings of "French and Saunders" (a classic sketch show, as well as a lot of other good sitcoms, particularly by the Alternative comedians - such as "Girls On Top", "Happy Families" and "Filthy Rich and Catflap".
I'm not sure that a lot of eighties shows will go down in the 'all time classic' category - but there were lots of good ones - and several classics.

Yes, the 80s had some goodies. I still reckon the 70s was more 'the golden age'.