I can't help that I'm obsessed with lists, so look out: 60 Minutes conducted a poll in tandem with Vanity Fair that asked viewers to name their favorite sitcom of all time. Here were the seven available options and the percentage of votes each garnered:
1. Seinfeld 22%
2. The Honeymooners 20%
3. Friends 16%
4. Cheers 14%
5. Arrested Development 7%
6. The Mary Tyler Moore Show 6%
7. 30 Rock 5%
Am I the only one who would rank those in the exact opposite order? It's never not alienating to see people line up and agree that your taste is diametrically opposed to theirs. My instinct is to invite all gay men under this pariah umbrella, but fine, maybe you think Seinfeld is the best too. But do you? I wonder if you do.
I know Seinfeld has long been declared the greatest sitcom ever (TV Guide ranked the Top 50 sitcoms in 2002 and Jerry came out on top), but this poll is yet another reminder that most people prefer a dude protagonist. But maybe I Love Lucy would've clocked in higher than The Honeymooners if it were an available option? That reminds me: Why wasn't I Love Lucy an available option? Or Get Smart? Or Daria? Or Strangers With Candy? Fine, I just want to conduct my own polls by myself for eternity.
Sincerely, my choice for the greatest sitcom of all time is 30 Rock. Everyone in the cast is indispensable, the writing isn't afraid to be as bizarre or straightforward as it wants, and -- screw Dexter! -- Jenna Maroney is the most fearsome sociopath in modern television. And still, after seven seasons, it gives you the best one-liners in TV history.
I like Seinfeld, but here's one thing that's always bothered me: The whole "Not that there's anything wrong with that!" was a term used decades prior to Seinfeld's existence, yet we treat it like Larry David came up with it himself. I literally saw Richard Dawson utter it once on Match Game PM. I'm sure Charles Nelson Reilly approved, with a flick of his pipe.
Do you agree with this poll? What would go on top for you?
