Simply The Best

When I got married, I told my husband I never wanted to fall into the trap of sitcom humour. He asked what I meant. I said that I was referring to the over done cheap shots that spouses often take at one another for a laugh on sitcoms. I grew up in the era of laugh tracks and Tim the Tool Man Taylor. There were some gems in the era as well, but the older I got, the less I wanted to spend 30 minutes of my time watching people make fun of one another in such a predictable manner.

An inherent element to a sitcom is exaggeration. The sitcoms of days gone by had trouble balancing those exaggerations with real life relatability. Characters like Steve Urkel and Kimmy Gibbler - while seemingly well loved, were nauseating to me. Their shallow depth of character made them hard to watch week after week. But that seemed to be the trend. That girl is pretty, let’s make her the ditzy one. That guy likes tools, let’s make everything about tools. That guy’s a geek, let’s put tape on his glasses, make him wear suspenders and give him a ridiculous laugh. People will love it (and they did). But I didn’t.

The laugh track is the single greatest affront to public intelligence I know – David Niven

Beyond the fat jokes, stereotypes and laugh tracks, there was also some important ground being broken. Ellen opened the door to gay and lesbian characters in mainstream television, racial and equality issues were dealt with and the tides of tolerance were beginning to shift.

Despite the progress sitcoms made back in the day, inching their way towards more tolerant times, I breathed a huge sigh of relief when a new wave of television began hitting the airwaves in the early 2000’s. Creators, writers and producers who trusted their audience enough not to cue laughter, emerged. They began to allow humour through subtleties and awkward moments, perfectly captured. Facial expressions, effortlessly taking the place of obvious punchlines. Characters with more depth, while still maintaining the lightness we look to experience with a sitcom.

If you disliked sitcom humour as much as I did in the 80’s and 90’s, here are my top 5 picks for you:

5. The Office – BBC

If you have never indulged in the original Office (BBC), do yourself a favour and spend the few dollars to purchase the first episode and give it a go. I promise, you will be hooked. The American version of the Office is wonderful as well, but nothing beats the original for me.

Each character is perfectly cast, and delivers a truly enjoyable experience to the viewer. Despite the usual exaggerations in sitcoms, nothing is over-acted or contrived. There is nothing as wonderful as comedy so perfectly crafted to hold your attention and spark genuine laughter.

My favourite moments in the show are some of the most subtle details, just a hint away from being out of frame. Every time I watch, I discover a gem I had previously missed. The show pushes boundaries without being in bad taste. The talented team of writers, directors and actors who put this masterpiece together play with humour in ways I had never before seen before in sitcom form. Even today, I still find it to be one of the best sitcoms I have ever seen.

4. Arrested Development

Not long after The Office (BBC) came out, Arrested Development came along and provided another one of my favourites. I revel in finding humour in the absurd, and this show spoke to me. With an impressive cast of comedic geniuses, it is no wonder this show had the following it did. From Ron Howard’s narration to the naming of the characters (George Michael – I can’t even.. ), this show is perfectly hilarious.

3. Life in Pieces

While I don’t love the format, and I will admit I did not as easily get drawn in long term - the show is still killer funny. If you watch nothing else, watch Season 1, Episode 3. There wasn’t a minute that went by in that episode that did not have me laughing. It keeps getting better until the tree scene at the very end, at which point, I was in tears.

2. Parks and Recreation

The scene in the first episode where Leslie Knope falls down that hill made me laugh so hard I cried, and I was hooked. Honestly, I don’t know how they made it through the taping of most episodes without anyone breaking a straight face. There are scenes from that show that I cannot think about without breaking into laughter, to this day.

This show gets top marks for originality and character development. Once again they strayed from the old sitcom formula of forced humour and refreshingly allowed subtleties and silence to take main stage. The talent of the cast and writers shines, weaving an impressive mix of humour and emotion throughout the series.

1. Schitt’s Creek

With canned laughter just a speck in the rear view mirror and offbeat, modern humour no stranger to the air waves, Schitt’s Creek still managed to enter the sitcom scene as a fresh face. I don’t love this term, but I will use it here – Schitt’s Creek is a masterpiece. Hands down, it is the most thoughtfully crafted sitcom I have ever seen.

Eugene Levy and Dan Levy, the creators of the show who wrote, acted and produced brought a more elevated format than the average sitcom. From the actors, to the wardrobe, the writing, the sets, Moira’s manner of speaking… it was superb.

Rarely can I say that a show made me cry as hard as it made me laugh, but the scene when Patrick sang a stripped down, acoustic version of Tina Turner’s Simply the Best will bring you to your knees. The beauty in both Moira and David’s reaction as it begins is as stunning as the performance itself. If there was ever a scene to sum up love, in under 2 minutes, this would be it.

The chemistry between characters is palpable. It’s not often that on-set chemistry comes across as genuine as this. Maybe it was having 3 members of the Levy family in the show, or perhaps it was just one of those rare moments in time when the exact right mix of people and talent are brought together for an experience that you could never re-create if you tried. In the after special (Best Wishes, Warmest Regards) they show fellow cast members watching the scene where Alexis and Ted break up. They are in tears, just like we were while watching it. The chemistry was every bit as special as it seemed, and the show was something much more profound than an acting job for the cast. It was a labour of love.

Schitt’s Creek also gets credit for closing out the series before the magic of the show faded, which can’t be said for all of my faves. In the final episodes, you could see Annie Murphy (who played Alexis Rose) struggling through some of the scenes. It wasn’t the character’s tears being held back, it was her own.

If ever there has been a time when I felt a connection with actors in a sitcom that felt genuine and true, this was it. If they made the show and it connected with no one, it would not have been what it was. It was the love we had for what they created that made it real. It was the way the show inspired parents of LGBTQ children to understand and accept, without preaching. It was the way the cast made us all feel we had a place in this world, whether we relate most to Roland Schitt, Stevie Budd, David Rose, Moira or any of the other beautifully crafted characters in the show. In that way, we got to be a part of the magic that it was, simply by being affected by it.

This one will be tough to beat.