2024 the best sitcoms review
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(as of Dec 05, 2024 04:32:15 UTC - Details)
Describes the best and worst comedy series of the 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's, provides information on the basic plot and cast, and includes brief selections from critical reviews.
Publisher : Harmony Press; First Edition (May 25, 1988)
Language : English
Paperback : 144 pages
ISBN-10 : 0517569221
ISBN-13 : 978-0517569221
Item Weight : 10.4 ounces
Reviewer: Anton Karidian
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Helpful Guide to Sitcoms Through the 1980s
Review: I stumbled across THE BEST OF TV SITCOMS about 5 years ago at a used bookstore, and I'm glad I took a chance on it since it's now one of my favorite guides to sitcoms (a.k.a., situation comedies). Since the book was published in 1988, it naturally only includes shows up to that time, but that's fine with me since I'm mostly interested in sitcoms from the 1950s through the 1980s, which is the time span the book covers. For each of those decades, author John Javna includes 4 pages on each of the 5 best sitcoms of that decade, and 2 pages on each of the 3 worst ones. There are additional shows covered in 1-page sections entitled "Buried Treasures" and "Chamber of Horrors," and there are also 10 fun 1- or 2-page asides on subjects like animals in sitcoms, dads, moms, characters' jobs, and so on. Included too is a scoreboard of the polling results for best and worst shows, and for the 5 best shows in each decade it also shows the 5 runners-up, but those runners-up are not discussed much. A few of them get a paragraph or 2 in "Buried Treasures," but most of them are mentioned occasionally or not at all. It seems unfair, but at 144 pages there just isn't room to discuss all of them.The book is a joy to read with its wealth of information and knowledgeable discussion on each show. The pages devoted to each show are broken up into several sections, including a general discussion; "vital stats" with characters, background, and so on; interesting tidbits on the making of the show, and "critics comments." The interesting TV critics' comments (which includes other people too such as cast members) is one of my favorite parts of the book, and this runs from half a page to a full page about each show. I do think that the discussions and comments tend to make too much of a sitcom's social relevance. For instance, the 1950s and '60s shows are often chided for portraying women as housewives without careers, as though there is something wrong with that. The most important thing to me about a sitcom is whether it's funny and fun to watch, while social relevance is sometimes important too but is not the reason I watch a show.The several dozen critics, some of whom make comments, also voted to choose the best and worst shows that the book covers. For the most part, I agree with the choices of best and worst shows, although I should note that the vast majority of them were made in the United States. Occasionally a British show like "Fawlty Towers" slips in for discussion, but that's rare. The discussions on the worst shows of each decade are very funny as Javna and the TV critics describe how bad each show was. Also, there are many good black-and-white photos to enjoy, from 1 to several on each page. There is also 1 page each on other recommended reading and on sources of photos and collectables, but there is not an index.So, if you're mainly into sitcoms from the '50s through the '80s as I am, I recommend THE BEST OF TV SITCOMS as a fun and informative book. My favorite sitcom book is Sitcoms: The 101 Greatest TV Comedies of All Time from 2007, which at 335 pages covers a lot more shows than this one and includes color photos, but does not cover the worst shows or include many critics' comments as THE BEST OF TV SITCOMS does. The 2 books are both good to have.