Hm, The Simpsons... imo they kind of deserve their place for all their previous episodes, but since 1-3 seasons the quality and originality of the episodes is decreasing intensely :(
how could they not deserve their place? Even if the show was terrible, and it's never been terrible, they still have a commanding lead over everybody else in terms of the number of episodes produced. Quite an accomplishment, especially given that it's an animated show.
A lot of people would disagree with you on the "it's never been terrible " claim. I used to LOVE The Simpsons, but everything I've seen from it from the past 10 years just makes me cringe.
We tend to remember the good things and forget the bad, boring things. Then we compare the new episodes with the idealized pictures we have in our head.
I don't know. I'm not a huge fan. Sister's husband is and he still watches and loves the show. I never watched it regularly but every time I see an episode it's at least fairly funny. Never terrible. Same with Futurama. I'm surprised that one's not on here.
Simpsons doesn't have the edge and relevance that it once had, but, it's still never been as bad as, say... 2 1/2 Men, or The Big Bang Theory, or other laugh-track shows that are like them.
I'm a pretty hardcore Simpsons fan, and you are definitely the first person I've ever heard suggest that Seasons 1-3 are the best. It's a largely settled question that Seasons 3-9 are the prime years, and if you're the kind of fan who really gets into it (which, admittedly, I am), the first "great" episode is generally agreed to be "Homer at the Bat" from Season 3 (when Mr. Burns hires the ringers for the company softball team), and the end of the Golden Age was "the Principal and the Pauper" (when we discover, bizarrely, that Principal Skinner is not really Principal Skinner). Nonetheless, I think people are too hard on everything post-Season 9. There were some down years, but it's still reliably funny and clever, and it's still better than most comedy currently on TV.
Agreed. The ones I usually hear are seasons 2-8, though 9 and 1 still have some pretty great moments. Anyone who thinks they were better in season one than 4, 5 or 8 isn't paying attention.
I love the Simpsons, but season 1 was downright bad. "Primitive" is the most accurate term for it. They're still churning out great episodes, but the high point was probably in around season 8.
South Park peaked around the same time. Season 1 was brilliant. Seasons 3-6 were brillianter. But seasons 7-11 or so were simply some of the best stuff that's ever been on TV. They still do good work sometimes and I know there are people who think it's better than ever but last season was probably the weakest in the show's history IMO.
I sort of wish they had ended the show with the poignant and bittersweet two-parter "You're Getting Old" and "Assburgers"... which felt so much like an ending that many fans after watching it thought that the show was over and Matt & Trey had decided to pull the plug without warning us. They could have gone out while they were still near the top of their game back then. In the five years since they've only made 6 or 7 brilliant episodes and it often feels like they're just phoning it in.
I think it's just really hard to think of them with only the dates. The slightest clue would trigger 80% of these with me (like a single character name) but it's tough with a blank slate.
Awesome quiz! I'm kind of kicking myself for forgetting the Beverly Hillbillies, M*A*S*H, and That 70's Show... I only got 28. And just an idea, but if you make it to be the longest running NORTH American sitcoms, The Red Green Show (300 episodes, 1990-2005) could also be included!
I typed in 'The Danny Thomas Show' several times, not believing that it wasn't on the list. After I finished the quiz I went and looked it up. If 11 seasons and 351 episodes over 11 years (1953-1964) doesn't make the grade there's something wrong here! I remembered afterward that it was also known as 'Make Room for Daddy' but I don't see that on the list either.
That's the one thing I was going to comment on. Danny DeVito, Tony Danza, Andy Kaufman, Christopher Lloyd were all household names for years afterward. It seemed a huge show, hard to think it came and went so quickly.
The Flintstones were a prime-time show, and deliberately designed to appeal to adult audiences. I grew up watching it in the 70s as an after-school show, so I thought for a long time that it was a kids show, but it really is suitable to consider it a sitcom.
I remember what a landmark it was (even in the UK) for the 200th episodes of M*A*S*H, Cheers, The Simpsons and Frasier. What? They made more than 200 of King of Queens?!
I think it's time to update this quiz. Some of the shows that are still running would be further up the list now and Two and a Half Men has since been cancelled.
Like a lot of people before me, I missed a lot of shows that I knew and have watched. Also, for 'Mary Tyler Moore', I wrote 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' and it wasn't accepted, but this is the correct full title. Maybe this can be changed?
The people who brag about their ignorance on this site as some kind of badge of honor is ridiculous. Being aware of something doesn't need to mean a personal endorsement of it. There's a lot more to pop culture than it gets credit for.
Was hoping to score with 'Alf', 'Third rock from the sun' and 'Saved by the bell' but apparently they never made it into that high a number of episodes... #ninetiesteenager
Every girl I've ever dated would disagree with you. I even have one friend who credits the show for her fluency in English. It's definitely not a favorite show of mine but I even find myself quoting in certain situations.
I'll never forget walking the streets of Killarney in 2007 while on my honeymoon. It was about 3 o'clock and the high school let out as we were walking by.Nothing like hundreds of teenagers speaking with an Irish accent and then hearing someone say "How you doing" in a Joey Tribiani voice that Matt LeBlanc would have a hard time telling from his.
I mean, have you ever seen Small Wonder, Last Man Standing, or the later seasons of Family Matters? And that's only when considering scripted sit-coms. There's also "reality" TV, 90% of which is worse than the worst scripted shows.
Interesting that the update says July 2018 after The Middle ended its run with 215 episodes and it's still not on the list. My guess is the master list for this source hasn't been updated.
The Big Bang Theory needs to be updated to 2007-2019 with 279 episodes and moved up below South Park. Also, Two and a Half Men is out of order, needs to be moved up below Frasier.
I usually say things need less time, but on this one I could have used more time, I was still dredging up new answers from the murky recesses of my brain.
I sort of wish they had ended the show with the poignant and bittersweet two-parter "You're Getting Old" and "Assburgers"... which felt so much like an ending that many fans after watching it thought that the show was over and Matt & Trey had decided to pull the plug without warning us. They could have gone out while they were still near the top of their game back then. In the five years since they've only made 6 or 7 brilliant episodes and it often feels like they're just phoning it in.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpongeBob_SquarePants
Bob's Burgers now makes the list with 190 episodes