The 10 greatest TV sitcoms of all time.

It's all in the writing...the 10 greatest sitcoms of all time might be mostly American, but it's for no other reason than the stark fact: they're funny. There's no other consideration here...if it's humorous, it's in the top 10. Simple.
10: Scrubs- This hospital set US sitcom is an inoffensive, light-hearted comedy that possesses its own unique brand of surreal humour. Following JD (Zach Braff) through his workaday life at Sacred Heart, the action is fast-paced, cutting between reality and JD's random fantasies. Scrubs is unique in its ability to surprise you with spikes of pathos among the laughs managing to be both touching and heartwarming. While Scrubs might not be for some people, they're missing out on a warm, funny sitcom. Just what the doctor ordered. Ha!
9: Friends- For some, it's cool not to like Friends. Maybe due to its enormous mainstream popularity, Friends doesn't seem to appeal to the sitcom cynic. What they fail to realise is that Friends was a sharp, often witty show, well-written and perfectly performed by a strong cast. Friends' biggest crime is giving birth to a torrent of sub-par xeroxes such as Will and Grace and such like, but when Friends is also guilty of being consistently funny, who cares? After all they'll always be there for you.
8: Frasier- The Cheers spin-off that actually managed to transcend its source material, Frasier is another brilliantly well written US sitcom that does the light farce schtick disturbingly well. Sure, its a bit far-fetched, even a bit daft at times, but it's also sophisticated and effortlessly charming and witty in equal measure. It's impossible not to relate to the proud radio shrink, his luck in life and love is as unpredictable and unfortunate as anyones...if you're a single male that is...ahem.
7: The Young Ones- Anarchic...there that's that word out of the way. It's the single word synonomous with The Young Ones because that what it was: the most groundbreaking and anarchic comedy to hit British television during the Thatcherite 80's. The Young Ones was a refreshing change from the dull, predictable sitcoms that plagued the BBC during the 70's (Fawlty Towers excepted) bringing unsubtle, cartoonishly violent, explosive and incredibly random and surreal comedy to audiences, it was like nothing before it. That's why The Young Ones is arguably the most important comedy to ever hit the British TV.
6: Curb Your Enthusiasm- The somewhat farcical misadventures of Seinfeld co-creator Larry David and his hapless manager, Jeff make for the funniest US comedy in years. Shot in a documentary, verite style Curb sucks the viewer into the twisted world of Larry David and invites you to meet all of his celebrity friends who play fantastic caricatures of themselves. There's 1001 reasons why Curb is as brilliantly funny as it is. Firstly, there's the neurotic, socially underdeveloped, tactless and self-loathing Larry David, a walking id who says exactly what he's thinking with little thought as to what the results of his hapless comments might be. Then there's the outlandish, ever-spiralling events which reach a head by the climax of each episode, building to such dangerous levels of farce, that it shouldn't work. That it does work incredibly well, is testament to Curb's brilliance. The fact that the show is primarily improvised and yet still works from minimal scripting just makes the feat even more impressive. A one-of-a-kind.
5: Seinfeld- The show about nothing that went on to become one of the biggest hits of all time, Seinfeld's success came from its awesome creative team, writers and actors alike. The ensemble cast was in place from the very beginning, offering characters in situations that can immediately be related to from the outset. Seinfeld taps into all of life's trivial idiosyncracies, amplifies them and draws comedy from things that we ourselves encounter in everyday life (sometimes). The show's success came as a result of its vivid, memorable characters that are just great fun to watch and the consistently fantastic writing throughout each and every episode. Most sitcoms simply don't come much more perfect than this.
4: Arrested Development- This was a really close call, and on the strength of the third and last season this shouldn't be this high up in the top ten. But then there's just an inexplicable something about Arrested Development that makes it very special. Nevertheless, here's an attempt at an explanation anyway. Following the riches to rags story of the Bluths, AD is host to a mix of the most eccentric and hilarious characters in TV sitcom history. Gob and Tobias are particular stand-outs in a flawless cast of crazies who are forced to adjust to a less frivolous life as the Bluth company faces imminent bankruptcy. Whether it's Tobias' attempts to act or join the Blue Man Group or Gob's overly flamboyant magic acts and stunts, there's always something hilarious and intriguing going on. AD has no boundaries and the plot takes some unexpected turns injecting a modicum of drama into the show. Arrested Development stands as an underrated work of genius that deserved to reach a wider audience and was cancelled by Fox as a result of the show's lack of mainstream popularity. Here's hoping they see sense and commision a fourth season.
3: The Office- This is Spinal Tap had done the mockumentary thing before The Office came along, yet the show is one of the best, most original sitcoms to come out of the UK. The brain-child of Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais who later followed up with the also ace Extras, The Office focuses upon Wernham Hogg paper merchants in Slough, depicting the daily grind of work in a mundane office environment. A cast of endearing, recognisable characters are what makes The Office work so well. We know these characters, anyone who's ever worked for a living does. That the show is so relentlessly funny is down to the absurdity of office boss David Brent and his unending quest to be popular. Brent will go to any lengths to garner approval as a cool "chilled out entertainer" that he invariablyends up making a fool of himself, giving rise to some truly cringeworthy moments. Yet, despite all of Brent's flaws and foibles, we still root for him and he emerges as a likeable, misunderstood buffoon. Then there's that dance...
2: Fawlty Towers- Without a doubt the absolute pinnacle of the British sitcom, no matter what anyone says, Fawlty Towers is timeless, flawlessly written and expertly performed. Anyone else who tells you otherwise is a pea-brained idiot. FT has it all, pitch perfect farce, slapstick, verbal comedy: it's all there, it couldn't be any better than it already is. Heavy on the hyperbole this may be but there's simply no other way to convey the unparallelled brilliance of John Cleese and Connie Booth's creation. In simple terms, no Britcom has come close to eclipsing it: FT is 12 episodes of pure perfection. That's not opinion, that's cold, hard fact.
1: The Simpsons- 18 seasons and counting, The Simpsons is still going strong after 16 years on televisions all over the world. A sublime synergy of writing, voice performances and quality animation has allowed The Simpsons to stay the most consistently funny sitcom for the longest period of time. Sure, recently not every episode's a winner, but even the weak shows beat the hell out of the majority of flaccid sitcoms on TV at the moment. Being an animated show means near infinite possibilities in terms of story, which has contributed to the longevity of the series. Also key to the show's unrivalled success is an expansive cast of brilliantly well-realised characters. Even the peripheral characters have there own place in the show and contribute to the richness of The Simpsons universe. Homer Simpson alone is unarguably the single greatest character in any sitcom ever.
Created by Matt Groening, creator of the underrated and almost as brilliant Futurama, The Simpsons was something truly unique from the very beginning. Starting as a short cartoon on The Tracy Ullman Show it developed beyond its boundaries and the potential was always apparent despite the relatively crude visuals. That it would become the all-conquering behemoth that it is today was maybe unexpected, but no other show is more deserving of it's uber-incredible status. THE GREATEST SITCOM OF ALL TIME.