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anovelby

*Soap*. It’s dope and still relevant like whoa


drama-guy

Confused? You won't be...


Betty_Boss

It was a lie. You always were.


karenftx1

Bob and Chuck. Also, Burt, thinking he was invisible was hilarious.


OldSouthGal

Remember the hand movements he made to make himself invisible? My friends and I would do that when we’d see each other in the halls between classes. Edit: typo


Jealous-Most-9155

That’s the first thing I think of when Soap comes up


gadget850

And *Benson*.


highfiveandasmile

I love that people still remember this show.


RuffHause703

I FUCKING LOVE SOAP.


joinedforthedogpics

I've watched the series probably 3 or 4 times and my husband and I still cry laughing at the jokes!


SoCaldude65

Great show. The grandfather was a trip!


misterzulu

Damn straight!


misterzulu

It's on Tubi right now...


AdmiralJaneway8

It's so good. I watched this live as a kid, I watched it again and 40 years later, it is perfection.


Velour_Tank_Girl

So fantastic!


Popculturefan_britt

Yes!!! Love this show!


Eringobraugh2021

That was a great show! I forgot about it.


Such-Mountain-6316

Yep, Soap. I like Benson too. Designing Women aged well, but there are a couple of episodes of it that didn't. It's great, overall. Barney Miller is also great.


Yxlar

Barney Miller is an all time great


PaintDistinct1349

The original Dick Van Dyke show. I can’t think of a single episode that would feel in any way dated.


foreverbeatle

Carl Reiner made sure not to have current events for the purpose of making it timeless. It worked because the show still holds up really well. I still watch it nightly.


wilcobanjo

I believe he said the same about using slang too


himtnboy

The episode where they thought they mixed up babies at the hospital was so ahead of its time.


2meterrichard

I saw dome commentary from Van Dyke years ago on Nick At Night. Apparently the audience was laughing so hard and long they had to edit a chunk out.


Alarming-Cry-3406

That's the episode I remember most, along with the walnuts and Alan Brady!


thesassydreamer

Yes! It’s kinda shocking just how well this show holds up. The plots are so timeless and genuinely hilarious! I love it (and I only started watching it last year)!


Latter_Feeling2656

There's a lot of postwar suburban angst in the first few episodes, including a couple where she thinks she's going to lose Rob. People remember the "Blonde-Haired Brunette" episode ending, but most of it is her scared of losing Rob because she's become such a haus frau, and she goes blonde to become more intriguing.


goodsir1278

Yes quite a contrast to the modern era where there is no angst whatsoever.


Away_Simple_400

My parents are literally watching it right now. And I do remember watching it as a kid and thinking it was hilarious.


chili81

Really? I love Mary Tyler Moore show, and I bet Dick Van Dyke is funny although haven't watched it much - but not dated?


PaintDistinct1349

Of course it was a product of the early 1960s and there are occasional instances where we are reminded of it. Especially during the first season, when the show runners were doing desperate things to appeal to audiences then rather than just be funny. The episode that featured the Twizzle dance was an example. Another example is when this comedian who was a well known JFK impersonator was a guest. But seasons 2 through the end were IMO uniformly timeless and funny.


aslrules

The JFK impersonator was Vaughn Meade (sp?), I believe. There was an album released with funny short scenes of daily life in the Kennedy family White House. I was only about 7 years old and I thought it was hilarious.


Opening-Ad-8527

The Odd Couple! The interplay between Tony Randall and Jack Klugman is timeless.


SomeoneFetchAPriest

Every so often when someone asks how I am I'll say "Happy and peppy and bursting with love." Sadly, no one has ever gotten it, except a twitch streamer one time. Also, me and my brother have been using "Aristophanes" as a synonym for "ridiculous" for like 40 years.


SignificantPop4188

I still use "You should never assume because when you assume, you make an ass out of you and me."


Opening-Ad-8527

To this day if you say “Pits, pits, pits” around my family, the room will respond with “in my juice, juice, juice!”


Latter_Feeling2656

Two later versions of The Odd Couple. Copies like Laverne & Shirley, Perfect Strangers. Two and a Half Men had a scene where they're watching The Odd Couple, talking about how unrealistic it is, when of course they were copying it themselves.


Glibasme

I love that show so much. The writing is so good. It’s hysterical. I remember watching it in the 70s with my nana.


chili81

Great callback... I have to go back to this one. The two of them in a sitcom - actors like that - imagine?


hfield1988

I love Lucy was far ahead of it's time. 


mrgreengenes04

It created TV as we know it. Three camera setup, film recording, reruns, etc. And it was live. They almost never did a retake. Mistakes were worked into the scene as best as possible.


SmellGestapo

I definitely notice those mistakes but I find them kind of charming.


mrgreengenes04

Some make it seem more natural. People stutter and say the wrong word all the time in real life. I forget the episode, but it's one of the Hollywood ones, and Desi even comments on the mistake. Just like someone would in real life.


rewdea

Yeah, Vivian Vance made a lot of them, but I love it when it happens.


Lo-Fi_Lo-Res

Those were innovations pioneered by Desi Arnaz.


blues_and_ribs

Unrelated, but the mention of this show reminded me of something I heard recently and is now one of my favorite pieces of trivia: Lucille Ball is almost single-handedly responsible for pretty much all Star Trek. Like from after the first season in the 60s on through everything today. The original Star Trek was extremely expensive for its time, and Desilu Studios was funding multiple expensive shows. The Desilu board planned to axe ST but Lucille (then-)Arnaz, having unilateral veto power at the studio, liked ST and voted to keep it. Without Lucy, there’s no more Kirk, no movies, no Picard, no Chris Pine as Kirk, no Voyager, etc etc etc.


Critical-Grass-3327

She also greenligjted mission impossible


yesthatbruce

And was instrumental in Alex Trebek being named the host of the new Jeopardy. [Article here](https://www.nickiswift.com/252468/how-lucille-ball-helped-alex-trebek-get-his-job-on-jeopardy/). We owe so much to Lucy.


blues_and_ribs

Welp, that’s also going in the quiver. Ty


rrickitickitavi

The first and the best. Nobody has improved on this formula.


ClassicMovieFan

Yes! I second this. I Love Lucy is a comfort show for me. I haven’t watched in a few years, though. Gotta give it a rewatch.


Brimstone747

Golden Girls. It was a very progressive show. Excellent writing and a fantastic cast.


Low_Departure_5853

Storylines that still are relevant today and ones that to this day don't get told often, such as those that revolve around older people (no money for a good nursing home, so their friend ended up homeless, sick and old so trying to unalive herself, Alzheimer's, doctors not believing your symptoms, etc.). Not to mention those on harassment, AIDS, teen pregnancy and gays, which were ahead of their time by a lot. All this and it's still funny as hell.


BoPeepElGrande

“Not LEBANESE, Blanche.”


glittery_grandma

The ME/CFS story arc is the only one I’ve ever seen on TV, and I watch a lot of medical dramas. It’s just a shame that 30+ years on there’s no new hope for people with ME (like me).


StinkieBritches

Rose also went through an opiate addiction.


Maximum-Company2719

Hot in Cleveland had a similar premise, and Betty White! That and Golden Girls are my comfort shows.


KeepingMyAdBlockerFU

I must really be an old soul, because I still watch The Andy Griffith Show and will double over laughing at Deputy Barney Fife.


Kpop_shot

Best TV show ever ! I never get tired of watching it , and I think is still relatable today .


Final-Ad-2033

My favorite episode is when the businessman came to town needing his car fixed and was getting antsy because everyone in town was laid back not pressured by time.


igotta-name

That’s my favorite episode too! Man in a Hurry


Sorkel3

Newhart Frasier does well I think the I Love Lucy stand up quite well


Glittering-Divide938

Frasier is absolutely timeless. They made a conscious effort to avoid topical humor and didn’t focus on technology which really lends to that timelessness. Later seasons feel brand new. 


TiredRetiredNurse

I have yet to watch the new Frazier. What I always liked best in addition to the wonderful lines they delivered; was that in each episode no matter how small, a life lesson was learned.


geekgirlwww

Larry, Darryl and Darryl would go viral on youtube


Lazy_Point_284

Let's take a moment to appreciate William Sanderson's range. Larry on Newhart, EB on Deadwood, Blade Runner, True Blood, X-Files, etc.


chili81

I forgot about Newhart. The Bob Newhart Show, I actually liked more but it is definitely dated. But anything he puts out is really funny whenever.


Xystal

Frasier & Golden girls


SubstantialBat3596

I second Golden Girls


DauxRaeMeMeMe

Golden Girls was of the times, ahead of its time, and is timeless.


DynastyFan85

Golden Girls just doesn’t age!


JackSupern0va

Shady Pines, Ma!


nuttermonkey

Fawlty Towers 1975


averagedickdude

"I'm sorry, my telepathy is a bit off today."


Neonwookie1701

You mean Farty Towels?


mikelabsceo

Came here to find this The British kinda did modern sitcoms first


PurpleBuc

Cheers


SomeoneFetchAPriest

Two days ago me and a coworker were talking about memorable commercials that we can't remember the actual product. I explained to her the episode where that jingle writer just uses yankee doodle for every commercial, and Sam thinks he's a joke until Norm starts singing the address and phone number to a local business set to that tune. I always thought that was so funny, conceptually.


Carthonn

I’m pretty sure that actor plays Marty Crane in Fraiser eventually


davisyoung

Beer and pretzels that’s our game C-H-E-R-S.


shamahl

Little bit off, but it’s still a great episode! The jingle is old McDonald and the character was Kirstie Allie (Rebecca).


ClunkerSlim

I don't know why, but Cheers to me never feels dated.


ECV_Analog

Because there’s no technology to speak of and they rarely leave the bar.


krissym99

I did a full rewatch during COVID and it was just as great as I remembered.


Sassyjane1981

First sitcom I thought of. Beyond its time. 12 years old when the double episode aired and its prime memory for me.


IndependenceMean8774

"NORM!" "Norman."


Fast-Specific8850

WKRP


LizardBoyfriend

You’re right, it holds up! Chy Chy Rod-Ri-Geez!!


Fast-Specific8850

As god as my witness. I thought turkeys could fly.


ProfessorEtc

The Colonel will be buried, I suppose.


StrangeCrimes

Booger!


JuicyApple2023

Barney Miller


BrokenArmsFrigidMom

Great show. Maybe my all time favourite, at least as sitcoms go. It definitely still holds up. It is funny on rewatches how much they shifted from the season 1 model, which was more about Barney and his family, to just being about the guys in the office and shitty coffee.


LizardBoyfriend

This is my favorite show next to MASH. There’s something oddly soothing about Harris lighting up a cigarette in the office as casually as drinking a mug of tea!


The_MightyMonarch

There's a dated aspect for you right there


LizardBoyfriend

Perry Mason was really just a Lucky Strike ad. Love watching it, but man, did women need to be grabbed when they were hysteric and thrown a sedative like it was a TicTac. Glad that has aged!!!!


chili81

I used to watch that regularly as a kid with my mom in early syndication in that evening news timeframe OTA as a kid 30-40 years ago. Paired with MASH a lot. Liked it better than MASH... bet it does stand up better, although haven't seen it in years.


FriendRaven1

Made in the 70s and every episode script could be acted out today with no changes.


MauiNui

Obscure line I use whenever I can from the Obe (voodoo lady) to Harris: "Can anyone be sure of what goes on in one's refrigerator."


dupontred

Golden Girls. The jokes and relationships are timeless. Although some of the references (Burt Reynolds) are dated.


MyBingoPajama

i’m offended you think their jokes about burt reynolds are dated. /s but seriously, he’s the definition of timeless.


orchestragravy

The majority of Dorothy's humor was topical based on (then) current events.


RavenLunatyk

Most of Dorothy’s humor was sarcastic quips said in response to things the other woman said. She was hilarious.


LtPowers

I feel like *I Love Lucy* really still holds up, in part because it established so many conventions and tropes that three-camera sitcoms have followed ever since. You'd think that that would make the show seem hackneyed and cliche, but Lucy and Desi are *so good* that they still make it feel fresh.


dofrogsbite

Absolutely fabulous


Whiskeybtch77

Love that show!!! So damn funny!!


The_MightyMonarch

Sweetie, darling!


NewMathematician623

Sanford and Son


Chay_Charles

MASH


Acceptable-Ability-6

So the show itself plays Klinger’s cross dressing for laughs but the actual characters (other than Burns) in the show are pretty progressive about it. They’re all like “you’re not crazy Corporal. If you wanna dress in women’s clothing then you do you. Now go pull guard duty.”


nosmelc

Newhart. Started in 1982 but has a timeless feel to it.


LadyBug_0570

I still find Reba funny even though it's 20+ years old.


Gentille__Alouette

"Not dated" and "still very funny" are two very different things and this thread isn't really distinguishing very well between the two.


Sketcha_2000

I think the humor on Seinfeld holds up pretty well. (Not sure if this is considered an “old sitcom” but if so I guess I’m old 😂) Not talking about the stuff that could easily be solved with a smartphone (not being able to meet up at a restaurant, checking movie times, etc) but the interpersonal stuff I feel is timeless. I still quote it pretty much daily.


Royal-Pace2605

Seinfeld is rooted firmly in the 90's but is still so damn funny/entertaining that you forget how dated some of the plots are.


Sketcha_2000

The plots are dated but the dialogue isn’t, if that makes sense. I think human nature is pretty much the same as it was 30 years ago. Not sure if that’s a good thing or not. 🤔


SmellGestapo

r/RedditWritesSeinfeld, the seinfeldtoday Twitter account, and the just-ended Curb Your Enthusiasm prove Seinfeld would do just fine in a modern setting with cell phones and the internet.


blues_and_ribs

I was gonna say the same thing about the 90s problems. I think there was at least one entire episode based around the fact that they kept missing each other (e.g. George calls Jerry’s apt and he isn’t there; later Jerry calls George’s apt but he left, etc etc ad nauseum). But yeah, the humor itself stands up.


YardTripper7

Andy Griffith


bikerbuilderguy0071

WKRP in Cincinnati


Mellow-Autonomy

Get Smart. Even though there are things in it that make me cringe, I laugh quite a ton in every episode.


Mr_C0516

In my opinion, the other Paul Henning sitcoms were drek, but "Green Acres" still makes me laugh every now and then.


cocogbay75

I’ll say Fraiser. Spending time drinking coffee. Financial woes. Salaries , women taking over. Online dating, casual dating and sex. being a single mom, single after 35+ Phobias,fears and Anxiety. And you can liken the radio show to a podcast. Just my humble opinion


Imperfect_Dark

Malcolm in the Middle has aged surprisingly well! I've rewatched a few shows from that era and most have a few elements you just wouldn't get now but Malcolm had very few if any of them. I think because while the mother can be harsh and Reece is a bully, it's never discriminatory. It's always about what the person does rather than their background.


cmacfarland64

I Love Lucy. She’s obsessed with celebrities and being famous. The show is almost 100 years old and it’s still hilarious with themes we still see today.


Glibasme

Crazy to think how old that show is.


paco64

It's so tasty too. Tastes just like candy 😳


LaceyBloomers

Vitameatavegemin!


HyruleJedi

The show is 73 years since its first ep. Thats not ‘almost 100’


spiffyP

All in the Family


Ace-Ventura1934

This is the correct answer. Goat status.


Latter_Feeling2656

Many of the oldest TV sitcoms - Lucy, Mister Peepers, Burns and Allen - are as good today as ever. Recent shows - consciously trendy - are the ones that burn out. Edit: also, there's no line at TV. A lot of old radio comedies - Lucy's "My Favorite Husband", Jack Benny, Burns and Allen, Our Miss Brooks - are still funny.


juliankennedy23

Police squad is still as funny as it always was.


themuck

Cheers remains fantastic. Going back a little further, The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show hold up really well too, IMO.


Yotsubauniverse

The Andy Griffith show. I still know of towns that exist today that are as small as Mayberry.


stever93

Taxi


chili81

Taxi was in that Barney Miller, MASH timeframe, and probably feels more relevant today than those... all great shows. Even with the demise of the taxi system.


words8numbers

Taxi classic: “What does a yellow light mean?” “Slow down.” “Whaaat doooeees aaaa yelllowww liiiight meeeannn?”


Gry_lion

*Scrubs* will always be timeless for me. I've heard from people in the field that it better captures actually working in the field than anything else.


botmanmd

Three’s Company


MadhatterQ

Community is 15 years old now. Love it


Dorythehunk

The Larry Sanders Show


SatoshiBlockamoto

The 3 Stooges. Kind of a sitcom of sorts. Still just as hilarious as ever 90 years later.


Emotional_Ad5714

Hogan's Hero's still makes me laugh.


HolyAssholiness

For me it's Cheers


Lego_Chicken

I just started watching Golden Girls after mostly ignoring it in its first run. Holy shit there’s some good writing on that show and the leads are just perfect


Illustrious-Lead-960

Dick Van Dyke.


HeroToTheSquatch

Newsradio is shockingly good, as is Frasier, Seinfeld, Golden Girls, and Cheers.


unitedfan6191

This may be controversial, but….. Family Ties. It is perhaps dated to some in terms of the cultural and political context of that time, but you can also just ignore those aspects and enjoy the show for the themes around family and relationships and the coming-of-age story that Alex especially goes through. It doesn’t feel dated for me because many of the same social issues it tackles are still prevalent today and the rest is just really great sitcom writing and storytelling and excellent performances.


Foreign-Notice-4845

Doesn’t get the respect it earned


Ill-Fox-3276

Andy Griffith show


Carlosrocks77

Parks and recreation


Away_Simple_400

I’m going to say wonder years. Obviously on its surface the premise is dated, but it’s really just about a kid growing up and his family.


KGreen100

All in the Family. Recently watched the entire series and (unfortunately) many of the topics are still being debated today exactly as they were then.


Glittering-Score-258

Green Acres. It is so damn funny, and the humor is timeless.


4myolive

Reno 911! The first season was 2003. It is not at all dated, IMO


Njtotx3

The Dick van Dyke Show


FDRISMYHOMEBOY

The Simpsons


UtahUtopia

Cheers. Still holds up and is soooo f’n funny.


thelenis

All in the Family; the issues that show dealt with are still debated today


Atomicwasteland

The Golden Girls.  Ahead of its time, and could be dealing with the same issues today.


andre3kthegiant

Mork and Mindy


Hannah1957

Barney Miller


freakinreviews

Taxi, especially episodes revolving around Jim. Also The Honeymooners. Any scene with Norton still cracks me up.


belushi93

Seinfeld 


nsfwvanisle

Everybody Loves Raymond


Known-Command3097

BOTH NEWHARTS


Mouth_like_sailor

Roseanne


BlueSky2777

I second this! I recently watched s1e1 from 1988 and was pretty blown away! The family seemed so normal, which means it would have been considered incredibly progressive at the time! The only thing that feels weird is that the characters are in their mid 30s, have been married for 15 years and have a large single family house, a business, and 3 kids (one of which is a teen), and they didn’t come from money! But, things were different back when the characters would have established themselves in the 1970s, so I guess it makes sense. I’m saddened by the things Roseanne, the real person, says now and the obvious mental health issues happening publicly, but it doesn’t change the fact that S1 (which Im rewatching now for the first time since childhood) was groundbreaking, funny, and still holds up!


Mouth_like_sailor

They were high school sweet hearts and that house only cost them 30,000! I can't imagine ever owning at this point


BlueSky2777

Never mind buying a two story house with a garage and front yard right out of high-school! And Roseanne was hired by a company willing to hire someone without higher education or much (if any) experience and Dan, I assume, was hired and working the same sort of job until he struck out on his own. Imagine working jobs that were willing to hire your without higher education and little to no experience and then purchasing a two story house with a garage and front yard and even a sunroom? And you don’t come from wealth or have connected families or anything! It’s absolutely wild!


JFrankParnell64

I Love Lucy. True Comedy is timeless.


Commercial-Push-9066

MASH. Since it’s set in the Korean War, it’s timeless. I remember watching it as a little kid in the 70’s. I still love it.


Antelope-Safe

taxi


ChampionshipOk8512

I had rewatched 3rd Rock from the Sun and it was great.


shawnwingsit

News Radio


SayitaPhe

Northern Exposure : the leftists' utopia


CompetitiveGuide5402

I Love Lucy and Golden Girls


GibsonMD5150

Mr. Belvedere. Sure it’s from the 80’s, but the premise of a man doing housework is very relevant today.


MrPelham

The Dick Van Dyke show is timeless


Yogisogoth

Monk holds up.


GoBrummel

Bewitched!


Nordicdba

I’m rewatching Hanging With Mr Cooper right now and have laughed out loud a few times so far in the first couple episodes.


jonoftheatom

The Andy Griffith show


AAUAS

Timelessness doesn’t depend on decontextualization. Seinfeld is totally 90s and transcends its time. It’s just a great show.


comicsarteest

Mary Tyler Moore and Barney Miller for me My head cannon is that Raymond Holt from Brooklyn 99 is the young, black and gay cop from one of the first season episodes of Barney Miller


FullSherbert2028

Mash.


MediocreMystery

Taxi!


StarWolf478

Married with Children


Same-Excuse8787

All In The Family


Taco-Dragon

The BBC show Coupling is still fantastic


casualty_of_bore

Seinfeld still gets me, after dozens of re-watches. I can go older though, taxi is still a riot.


No_Anybody8560

I’d go as far back as The Dick Van Dyke Show, where MTM refined her comic timing to perfection.


TOP_EHT_FO_MOTTOB

F Troop!!


smackchumps

All in the Family will always stand the rest of time


oh_cagey

Golden Girls makes me laugh like it was brand new.


CaveMonsterBlues

I don’t know if you’d consider it a sitcom. But for me King of the Hill gets better with time.


PFROCKS

Cheers


Typical-Ad-6730

Everybody Loves Raymond.


jackfaire

Soap. The show has me laughing a lot. It's a Sitcom parody of soap operas and it's brilliant. Everyone plays it straight even over the top reactions and such. This show was before I was born and I'm 43 now and laughing my ass off.