For the love of the situation comedy aka sitcoms, this is the sub for those fans. Whether it's American or British, multi-camera or single, animated or live action - this is the place to talk about it.
Lucille Ball
Desi Arnaz
Mary Tyler Moore
Alan Alda
Bob Newhart
Dick Van Dyke
Jackie Gleason
Carl Reiner
Jerry Seinfeld
Penny Marshall
Larry David
Bill Cosby (unfortunately)
Redd Foxx
Norman Lear
Betty White
Marla Gibbs
Sheldon Leonard
Garry Marshall
Roseanne Barr
Jackie Gleason
John Ritter
Andy Griffith
Dihanne Carroll
Freddie Prinze
Beatrice Arthur
Garry Shandling
Matt Groening
Marlo Thomas
James Burrows
Martin Lawrence
Greg Daniels
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Lucille Ball. Full stop.
26 years back to back. She’s the GOAT.
the It’s Always Sunny creative gang.
Jeff Franklin for the family sitcom.
Controversial opinion: Lena Dunham (she’s insufferable but Girls was a moment)
Mike Schur
Greg Daniels
100% I just posted about this a few days ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/sitcoms/s/WB8Wdfx1KQ
Archie Bunker himself, Carrol O’Connor!
Alan Alda
Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon
People around the Dick van Dyke show - Carl Reiner, Sheldon Leonard, Danny Thomas - exerted enormous influence on American sitcoms through the end of the century. Most influential of all may have been Grant Tinker, who was an advertisers' rep on the show.
Jackie Gleason
Carl Reiner
Bea Arthur. Maude did bring the issue of abortion to prime time.
Phil Silvers
Seinfeld brought observational comedy to the mainstream
Hey, where's Parker lewis, Corin Nemec. Basically brought the single cam sitcom back after 2 decades of multi cam dominating the field, with sound effects and quick camera movements, scrubs, ally McNeal and more owe Parker for his service...also made sitcoms about school cool again...
Without Lucille ball the rest may never happen
Jackie Gleason,Lucille Ball,Mary Tyler Moore,Norman Lear,Carroll O'Connor,Sherman Hemsley
Bea Arthur as Maude
Norman Lear brought real life to tv and also helped to add diversity.
I feel like this is a very very strong choice. A huge list of shows created and produced, including shows like The Jeffersons, which bucked stereotypes by featuring a successful black businessman.
And All in the Family changed TV, and opened the doors for many shows that followed.
I think excepting Maude, Lear didn't take creative credit for his major shows. Obviously, concepts for Sanford and Son and All in the Family were purchased from the UK, Good Times created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans, One Day at a Time Whitney Blake and Allan Manning. Lear usually just took a "developed for television" credit.
No Don Knotts? Barney Fife! Come on!
Ted Knight
Flip Wilson. I LOVED his show and always screamed with laughter when he did Geraldine.
David Letterman (late night and produced some blockbuster, some lesser known sitcoms).
Hawkeye
Jack McFarland (Sean Hayes) and Karen Walker (Megan Mullally). They were caricatures which many would find offensive today and probably even did back then, however, they introduced humor and acceptance to the friendship dynamic that can exist between gay men and straight women. Will & Grace were annoying.
Not one non-American huh
Okay, the whole cast of Rock Follies.
Tina Fey, Ricky Gervais
Matthew Perry Don Adams Ted Knight John Larraquette Markie Post
This may sound elementary in comparison to some of the heavy hitters like Lucille Ball or Diahann Carroll, but Raven Symone. The first black woman to have a tv show named after her(this is excluding Variety Hours and Television Specials) with That’s So Raven. She also changed the format of children’s television that existed on networks like Disney Channel and Nickelodeon.
She helped but I think having a TV show with the actress' (and character's) name in the title seems kind of arbitrary, especially when A Different World, Living Single, Girlfriends, Moesha, and Sister Sister already existed.
Susan Harris Norman Lear