Friday, May 07, 2021
Fri-Yay: Rolling Stone's 100 Best Sitcoms of All Time; Marion Cunningham Greatest Classic TV Mom in New Poll

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.
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
Saturday, July 12
Mind Your Business - "Love Child" (Bounce TV, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Alfonso and Aaliyah's world is flipped upside down when their mother's secret love child comes into town, while Mia tries to figure out who is sending her gifts every hour on the hour.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 7)
Friday, July 11
- Aparna Nancherla (The Great North/Fairview/Corporate) and Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Aparna and Whitney are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Malachi Barton (Stuck in the Middle) and Meg Donnelly (American Housewife) - Malachi and Meg discuss Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires and perform on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am. They will also be on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Jean Smart (Hacks/Samantha Who?/Center of the Universe/In-Laws/Style & Substance/Designing Women) - Jean chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Patton Oswalt (A.P. Bio/The Goldbergs/The King of Queens) - Patton talks about Black Coffee and Ice Water on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Margaret Cho (All-American Girl) and Joel Kim Booster (Loot/Shrill) - CBS News contributor Lisa Ling talks with Margaret and Joel on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Krysten Ritter (Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - Tamron Hall (repeat) has a DAYTIME EXCLUSIVE sitdown with actress/director/author Krysten Ritter who recently released her new thriller/mystery novel Retreat, so check your local listings.
- Maggie Q (Pivoting) - Maggie Q talks about Prime's Ballard on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Tisha Campbell (Act Your Age/Uncoupled/Outmatched/Dr. Ken/Rita Rocks/My Wife and Kids/Martin) and Wendy Raquel Robinson (Poppa's House/The Game/Here We Go Again/The Steve Harvey Show/Minor Adjustments) - Tisha and Wendy chat about their film Operation: Aunties on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings. They will also be on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:30am.
- David Zayas (The Bear/Saint George) - David appears on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
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