Pet Rock, like the rest of you, grew up watching television and continues to do so in our slightly later years.
So when Big Bank Hank suggested we do a 64-show tournament to determine television's best sitcom, the only question was "How the heck do we narrow down the field?"
Well, the bubble burst on about 25 shows, but such is life. This is Sitcom Madness, where there's no mercy for the marginally funny shows. Bring the funny or get off the air.
We know we've angered some folks with our field of 64, but again, such is life when you attempt these massive tournaments. Unlike the real March Madness, there's no consolation NIT tournament for TV shows. We call that "Canceled because of low ratings." The field of 64 considered all 30-minute sitcoms from across all eras. We go all the way back to "The Honeymooners" and stay current with "How I Met Your Mother."
You may be partial to the shows you grew up watching, which is fine with us. But the beauty of Sitcom Madness is that people of all ages grew up watching TV shows, including people right now who see "30 Rock" and "Entourage" as the best television can offer. Embrace all walks of life, we say here at Pet Rock.
Here's how Sitcom Madness works: We've got 64 shows and one giant bracket, just like the NCAA March Madness tournament. In each round of Sitcom Madness, you'll have a few days to vote as many times as you like for your favorite show. Pretty basic stuff. The real excitement here is seeing which shows advance. There are some extremely tough battles in the first round.
The four brackets are named after random characters, concepts and/or recurring themes from the bracket's No. 1 seed. Here's the breakdown:
Seinfeld is the No. 1 seed in the Art Vandelay bracket.
The Cosby Show is the No. 1 seed in the Hillman College bracket.
M*A*S*H* is the No. 1 seed in the 4077th bracket
Friends is the No. 1 seed in the Fun Bobby bracket.
The Voting Schedule
First round: Polls close at noon Monday, March 24.
Second round: Polls open from 12:15 p.m. March 24 to noon March 27.
Sweet Sixteen: Polls open from 12:15 p.m. March 27 to noon March 31.
Elite Eight: Polls open from 12:15 p.m. March 31 to noon April 3.
Final Four: Polls open from 12:15 p.m. April 3 to noon April 7.
Championship: Poll open from 12:15 p.m. April 7 to noon April 9.
We'll announce the big winner and celebrate at 12:30 p.m.
The Voting Booth
• Vote: The Art Vandelay Bracket
• Vote: The Hillman College Bracket
• Vote: The 4077th Bracket
• Vote: The Fun Bobby Bracket
Comments (13)
where the hell is the odd couple?
Taxi? F-Troop?
Where's All In The Family ???? My all time favorite
]]
Where's All In The Family?
[[
It's in the "The Art Vandelay bracket"
]]
Where's All In The Family?
[[
It's in the "The Art Vandelay bracket"
The Odd Couple and Taxi were both good calls. But like we said, the bubble burst on a lot of good shows in the final minutes.
However, I probably will get called in front of the House Reform Committee for leaving off The Odd Couple and I'll have a worse defense than Clemens.
I'm sure I'll be mocked harshly, but where is Designing Women???
This is a very clever and timely contest. I hope you do it for other tv genres right after this one is finished.
Where's, The Dick Van Dyke Show?! Or, The Andy Griffith Show?! These shows ruled in the late 60's and endure today. You picked, What's Happening? over these gems? What an insult.
What about Good Times, Diff'rent Strokes, and Who's the Boss?
And to What????..."What's Happening?" was a good show!
What a dumbass waste of Newsday's resources. Why don't you actually go and reports some news?
Re: LaMonica's March 21 comment:
There is absolutely no excuse for omitting The Odd Couple. It is far superior than almost anything airing today, and the writing still holds up. Just incredibly taut writing (including some of the best throw-away lines ever) and two giants as leads. Marvin Kitman would disown Newsday for this one.
How could you rank How I Met Your Mother higher than 2 1/2 Men? You gave 2 1/2 no chance!! Or Full House higher than The Addams Family!!!!!