Friday, May 07, 2021

Fri-Yay: Rolling Stone's 100 Best Sitcoms of All Time; Marion Cunningham Greatest Classic TV Mom in New Poll

It's time for another edition of Fri-Yay! That means we will take a look back on some sitcom happenings in recent days or weeks or other fun sitcomy stuff. It's a sitcom lover's paradise! Happy Fri-Yay!

Rolling Stone's 100 Best Sitcoms of All Time

by Vincent

This week, Rolling Stone posted an article about the best sitcoms of all time. If your Twitter feed is like mine, it's been buzzing with discussion about it. Obviously, these lists are entirely subject, just a few critics opinions, and should only be taken light heartedly. But what’s the point of the internet if not to argue and give your opinion on something that ultimately is pretty inconsequential? So, in this column, I'll share my thoughts on Rolling Stone's Best Sitcoms of All Time list.

For the most part, there isn't too much I could quibble with. The show ranked first is The Simpsons, which would also be my #1 pick, if only for the unbeatable '90s seasons. Many of my other favorites - The Office, 30 Rock, Cheers, Community - also made the cut. Still, I would say the list leaned more heavily on modern shows - more obscure and short running modern series like, say, Baskets made the cut over older and perhaps equally strong obscure older shows. But it was still a solid list and I enjoyed reading a celebration of so many different sitcoms from many different eras. Check out the list, and see for yourself what you think of their ranking.


Marion Cunningham - Happy Days

With Mother's Day this Sunday, we leave you with a classic TV moms update. Marion Cunningham, beloved "Mrs. C" from TV's Happy Days edged out Shirley Partridge from The Partridge Family for Greatest Classic TV Mom in a nationwide tournament sponsored by BoomAgain.com . Greatest Classic TV Mom bracket paired moms from popular Boomer sitcoms including Carol Brady (The Brady Bunch), June Cleaver (Leave it to Beaver), Edith Bunker (All in the Family), Morticia Addams (The Addams Family), Florida Evans (Good Times), Jane Jetson (The Jetsons), and more. More than 6000 votes were cast during the 7-day tournament. In the finals Mrs. C handily defeated Shirley Partridge with 56% of the vote.

Fans also weighed-in on social media with ringing endorsements for their "other mothers." Shirley Partridge was revered for carrying the load as a single mom -- "Shirley Partridge didn't have a housekeeper or a husband but she made it work." Fans of Edith Bunker noted, "Edith wasn't just a doormat for Archie. She supported Gloria's feminism." But in the end Mrs. C was "...ahead of her time. She accepted her kids' friends and supported their dreams." Another crowned her as "...the Mom we all wanted." The tournament was sponsored by Boom Again, a pop-culture trivia game celebrating Baby Boomers.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, January 8

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 5)

Thursday, January 8

  • Denis Leary (Going Dutch/No Good Deed/Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll/The Job) - Catch Denis on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Rose Byrne (Platonic/Physical) - Rose appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Idris Elba (Turn Up Charlie) - Idris is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also talks about Hijack on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
  • Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
  • Lucy Liu (Joey/Pearl) - Lucy appears on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm. She chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Holly Hunter (Mr. Mayor) - Holly talks about Paramount+'s Star Trek: Starfleet Academy on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
  • Alan Cumming (Schmigadoon!) - Alan talks about The Traitors on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
  • Kenan Thompson (Kenan/Kenan & Kel) - Kenan talks about Unfunny Bunny on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and in the 10am hour.
  • Matt Rogers (No Good Deed/I Love That for You) - Matt co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - Valerie appears on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Cedric the Entertainer (The Neighborhood/The Last O.G./The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) - Cedric and Malik S talk about YouTube's Laughing Voodoo on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD) St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
09/30 - Touché Turtle and Dum Dum - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD)
10/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/28 - St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/04 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/16 - Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/16 - Wally Gator - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/20 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

01/08 - Netflix Orders Nick Kroll Comedy Series; Saturday Night Live January 2026 Hosts and Music Guests
01/07 - Saturday Night Live Bobbleheads from the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum; Fox Entertainment Signs Tracee Ellis Ross to Deal
01/06 - Emily in Paris Renewed for Season 6; Audible's New Comedy Series Starring Jenifer Lewis, Cedric the Entertainer, and Niecy Nash-Betts
01/05 - Trailer for The Muppet Show Special Event; Season 3 of Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal on Adult Swim
01/04 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 5, 2026)
01/03 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Premiere Date Set for Malcolm in the Middle Reboot; NBC Pulls The Paper
01/02 - Bridgerton Season 4 Details and Live Premiere Event; NBC Pulls The Paper from Mondays
01/01 - Happy New Year; Shrinking Season 3 Trailer
12/31 - In Memoriam: Remembering the Sitcom Stars We Lost in 2025
12/30 - Antenna TV and Rewind TV's New Year's Eve and Day Marathons; Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair Premieres April 10
12/29 - COZI TV Postpones The Jeff Foxworthy Show Launch; Netflix Releases Free Bert Trailer
12/28 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 29, 2025)
12/27 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Chevy Chase "Hurt" By Not Being Invited to SNL 50th Anniversary; New Lineups for Antenna TV and Rewind TV
12/26 - GET Acquires Psych for January 2026; Details on Netflix's A Different World Sequel
12/25 - Merry Christmas from Sitcoms Online; Interviews from 2025 Christmas Con in Edison, NJ
12/24 - 2025 Christmas Eve and Christmas Day TV Marathons
12/23 - Antenna TV January 2026 Schedule; Rewind TV January 2026 Schedule
12/22 - The Ms. Pat Show Returns January 7; According to Jim Christmas Day Marathon on Laff
12/21 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 22, 2025)
12/20 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Historical 19th Century Comedy in the Works at CBS; Bowen Yang Leaving Saturday Night Live After Tonight
12/19 - The Muppet Show 50th Anniversary Event in February on ABC & Disney+; Adult Swim Renews Haha, You Clowns for 2 More Seasons
12/18 - The Oscars Moving to YouTube in 2029; Celebs for Hollywood Squares Season 2
12/17 - MeTV Remembers Rob Reiner with Tribute Marathon; MGM+ to Make New The Magnificent Seven Series
12/16 - The Rob Reiner Story: A Hollywood Tragedy – ABC News Special; Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion Part 2 on CBS
12/15 - Remembering the Legendary Rob Reiner of All in the Family; Trailer for Netflix's His & Hers
12/14 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 15, 2025)
12/13 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Warner/Netflix Merger Gets Complicated; Steve Carell Comedy Rooster Coming to HBO Max in March
12/12 - Survival of the Thickest Final Season Guest Stars; Ted Season 2 Returns in March
12/11 - The Upshaws Final Season Premieres January 15; Mike Epps Gets 5th Netflix Special
12/10 - HBO's Rooster Premieres in March; Fox's Updated Winter 2026 Schedule
12/09 - 83rd Golden Globe Nominations; Paradise Returns on Hulu in February
12/08 - First Look at Bert Kreischer Netflix Comedy Free Bert; School Spirits Season 3