Top 10 Sitcoms That Were Ahead of Their Time
#10: “The Nanny” (1993-99)
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On the one hand, “The Nanny” does feel like a product of its time. It has an expository intro and the set-up of a brash, outgoing nanny caring for a stuffy, British family feels almost more like a show from the ‘80s rather than the ‘90s. However, creator-star Fran Drescher helps the show feel years ahead of its time, both in front of and behind the camera. Sitcoms created by women were still incredibly rare at the time (and still are now, to be honest). Not only that, but her character Fran Fine’s fabulous fashions still slap today! Plus, the show’s razor-sharp wit is fantastic no matter the decade!
#9: “Arrested Development” (2003-06; 2013-19)
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“Arrested Development” was one of several single-camera sitcoms to popularize the format in the early 2000s. The show’s dry, mockumentary view of the Bluth family is hysterical throughout. Its use of recurring gags and foreshadowing may have proven hard to get into for casual audiences on network TV, but it found much more success once streaming became a thing. With audiences able to binge the show now, it became much easier to pick up on all the little details that watching week-to-week made everyone miss. “Arrested Development” was just a few years too early for streaming. Thankfully, a revival gave it the platform it deserved.
#8: “Family Matters” (1989-98)
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While there are definitely some aspects of “Family Matters” that can feel dated, this sitcom was still ahead of the curve in some ways. The Winslow family often tackled some serious topics, including racial profiling, respectability politics, gun violence, and alcoholism, among other things. Many of these topics remain relevant and/or taboo decades later, so “Family Matters” certainly was ahead of its time when it tackled them. Although most people remember the show for Steve Urkel - and he’s great, don’t get us wrong - it’s the heart of the characters and their everyday struggles that still resonate today.
#7: “Will & Grace” (1998-2006; 2017-20)
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Although there were sitcoms with gay lead characters before “Will & Grace,” it was one of the first breakout, mainstream hits to feature LGBTQ characters. Following the two titular characters, a gay lawyer and his interior designer best friend, “Will & Grace” not only paved the way for more TV series to feature gay characters, but it also served as an education on gay people for a heteronormative society. LGBTQ characters had primarily been depicted using stereotypes, and while the show does engage in them, it also helps show that they’re just regular people. Will is just a guy, who happens to be gay. Of course, the less down-to-earth characters, like Karen and Jack, are wildly entertaining too.
#6: “The Simpsons” (1989-)
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It can be easy to forget, given that it’s still airing, just how influential and trendsetting “The Simpsons” was and still is. Although there had been animated sitcoms before it, “The Simpsons” broke the mold in other ways. Its humor is incredibly clever and makes extensive use of homages and parody, lampooning contemporary pop culture, politics, and even history. Its rise to global popularity was meteoric. “The Simpsons” influenced not only its imitators, but just about every adult animated series that has aired since it began - as well as plenty of live-action sitcoms too.
#5: “Seinfeld” (1989-98)
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To truly understand the impact of “Seinfeld,” you have to look back at the sitcom landscape of the ‘80s. Most sitcoms were set in a workplace or were about families, and there was usually a hopeful message involved. But “Seinfeld” eschewed all these conventions. The characters don’t learn a lesson by the episode’s end. They’re all flawed, relatable people who spend most of their time discussing pop culture or social conventions. “Seinfeld” also tackled several progressive topics before they entered most discourse, as well as going for subjects that are still somewhat dicey today. “Seinfeld” may have been a “show about nothing,” but its impact on TV was really something.
#4: “All in the Family” (1971-79)
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On the surface, “All in the Family” may look like any other family sitcom of its era. But look twice and you’ll see that it’s one of the most impactful ever made. While we doubt it would be made today, the show broke new ground by discussing issues never before seen on television. And although the Bunker family’s patriarch Archie may be a narrow-minded bigot, by using him as an example of what not to do, “All in the Family” got people talking about progressive issues and taboo topics alike.
#3: “The Golden Girls” (1985-92)
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Even today, a sitcom about four elderly women living together would stand out from the rest, so back in the ‘80s, “The Golden Girls” was quite the uncommon sitcom. Not only was the show’s premise progressive, but it also features storylines whose content remains relevant today. The series delves into topics like ageism, sexual harassment, homelessness, and addiction. It was so ahead of its time that even today the show is attracting new fans. In much the same way as its leads, “The Golden Girls” has aged like fine wine.
#2: “Maude” (1972-78)
While we’re on the subject of sitcoms starring Bea Arthur, “Maude” is another one that proved ahead of the curve. A contemporary and spin-off of “All in the Family,” “Maude” follows the titular character, a progressive feminist whose outspoken, bossy nature sometimes gets her into trouble. Like its parent show, “Maude” tackles some tricky subject matter, including drug and alcohol abuse and depression. Most famously though, Maude has an abortion in an episode that aired shortly before the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in the United States. “Maude” was miles ahead of the cutting edge when it aired and remains topical today.
#1: “I Love Lucy” (1951-57)
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There were sitcoms before “I Love Lucy,” but it’s easily the most influential TV comedy of all time. It was the first multi-camera sitcom shot in front of a studio audience on 35mm film. Because of its choice of format, “I Love Lucy” became one of the first shows for which reruns were possible, which has aided its enduring popularity compared to some of its contemporaries. The show was one of the first to feature a Hispanic lead and an interracial couple, which are both still comparatively uncommon. And while parts of it certainly feel dated - it was made during the ‘50s after all - “I Love Lucy” is still an entertaining and funny show today, thanks to some of television’s most famous comedic moments.
