My Favorite Sitcoms of All Time

  

        You know what they say, "Laughter is the best medicine" and I think I speak for everyone when I say that comedy is something that most people love and I think sitcoms are the perfect shows when it comes to that.  Situational Comedy or Sitcoms are radio or television comedy series that involves a continuing cast of characters in a succession of episodes.

        I personally like sitcoms because they're very light and I find them very helpful especially if I'm feeling a little down, or even when I'm just not doing anything at all. However, aside from that, one thing about sitcoms as well is that I can personally relate myself with the characters and the situations that they are going through.

        Without further ado, here are my favorite sitcoms, in no particular order:

Friends (1994-2004)

        I think you can call this one a “classic”. The thing with Friends, is that it transcends generation. I personally wasn’t even alive when the show aired, and yet watching all these characters interact and go through so much with each other is just something that is really joyous and precious to watch. I can almost remember each and every scene from each episode of its 10 seasons as I’ve rewatched the series for like 3 times now.

        Its story basically revolves around six friends in their 20s and 30s who live in New York City. We have Monica Geller, who is basically the “older sister” of the whole group known for her perfectionist and competitive nature; Rachel Green, a fashion enthusiast and Monica’s childhood best friend; Ross Geller, Monica’s geeky older brother that works as a paleontologist, who also has a crush on Rachel since childhood; Phoebe Buffay, who works as a masseuse and a musician who had a tragic childhood; Joey Tribbiani, a struggling actor who despite his womanizing nature, is also very innocent and caring; Lastly, we have Chandler Bing, who I can say is my favorite character from the series, is Ross’ best friend from college who has a habit of cracking jokes at any moment.

        Together, this group of six friends navigate their way through life as they grow up and approach their 30s, helping each other to get them through the obstacles that life has in store for them.

        There are many episodes from the series that I absolutely love, but if I had to choose one as my most favorite (yes, most, because I have a lot of favorite ones), it would have to be Season 5, Episode 14, entitled “The One Where Everybody Finds Out”. To give a little context (and a bit of a spoiler too), Monica and Chandler has been seeing each other for quite a time, but they are keeping it a secret from the group. Joey found out after the couple accidentally made a slip, and eventually Rachel found out when she answered a phone call from Chandler that was supposed to be for Monica. Phoebe then accidentally saw the couple making out from the window of Ross' apartment just across the street. 

        Now, everyone except Monica's brother Ross now knows that Chandler and Monica are secretly together, but they decided to play with them before the truth is out in the open. Rachel planned for Phoebe to seduce Chandler to test if the couple would crack, while Monica also refusing to lose, called their bluff and instructed Chandler to play along with it. At the end of the episode, Ross also found out about the couple and hilariously reacts upset before eventually accepting the two after learning that the two love each other

        I don't know if you've seen it before, but this episode is also the reference of this internet meme:

    

        In retrospect, watching this series resonates with me on a personal level as it reminds me of my own group of friends. Watching how all these characters interact with each other, share all these invaluable moments and experiences together, grow up and develop as individuals, is just the magical thing about the show for me and if anything, this show just made me appreciate my friends even more. Even now, I still sing along and do the claps when the show's theme song "I'll be there for you" plays. And I know, that even after a long time, no matter how many times I rewatch the show, I will still laugh the same way as I did the first time.

        If you want a series you can watch and laugh with your friends and family, as well as a series that can just lighten up your mood immediately when you're feeling a little blue, then I would definitely recommend this show for you.

The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019)

        

        As a science enthusiast myself, I find this particular series not only entertaining, but also very educational as well. Its very rare that you find a show where you can laugh and also learn at the same time. I still remember looking up each term that the characters says which I don't know or completely understand and then nodding after knowing the answer.

        The show is centered around physicists Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter, whose lives are forever changed when Penny, a cute waitress and aspiring actress, moved into the apartment across theirs. Rounding out the main characters with them are Howard Wolowitz, a Jewish engineer who lives with his mother, and his best friend and Indian astrophysicist Rajesh Koothrappali. As the series progresses, two more additional main characters are introduced: Bernadette Rowstenkowski, Penny's coworker and later Howard's love interest, and Amy Farrah-Fowler, a woman selected by an online dating site as Sheldon's perfect mate.

        Most of the series revolves around science, particularly physics. The characters frequently banter about scientific theories or news and make science-related jokes. Aside from that, the series is also notable for its portrayal of "nerd" media, with the main characters being socially awkward, avid science fiction and comic books fans.

        Here is a sample clip from the show which is also one of my favorite funniest scenes from the show:

        Although the show features an ensemble casts like most sitcoms, arguably one of the most focal characters in the series is Sheldon Cooper, a genius prodigy who grew up in eastern Texas where he started writing academic papers at the age of 5 and started high school at the age of nine. He often comes off as condescending and unreasonable to his friends, especially Howard as Sheldon makes fun of his educational attainments, but over time his character slowly develops from the brainiac, germaphobe and antisocial person into a loving boyfriend and a better friend.

        As of the time that I am writing this, I am actually in the middle of rewatching this series, which I already finished just last year and to be honest, i still laugh as hard as the first time. 

The show features many relatable characters, endless memorable and hilarious moments, and on top of that, you get to see cool science stuff, so if you're into that, then you should definitely watch this show!

        

How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014)

        This particular series, in my opinion, out of all the sitcoms in this list, stands out as the one that had a more clear direction to the story compared to the other due to its premise. The series basically follows the main character, Ted Mosby and his group friends in New York City. At the start of the show, Ted,  in the year 2030, tells his two kids the story of his life leading up to the day he met their mother.

        The flashback starts with 27-year-old Ted Mosby living in New York City and working as an architect. The narrative of the story primarily revolves around Ted and his best friends, the couple Marshall Eriksen and Lily Aldrin who has been together since college, playboy Barney Stinson , and Canadian news reporter Robin Scherbatsky who is struggling to make a break in her career. 

        The series follows Ted as he goes on many experiences trying to find his "one true love". In a nutshell, the series explores many storylines, including an on off relationship between Robin and Ted/Barney (spoiler alert),  Marshall and Lily's relationship, and the ups and downs of each of their careers.

        When I first started watching the show, I really wanted to know, "so who's the mother?", "will she show up after a few episodes or seasons? will she even show up at all?", questions which was all answered of course upon watching the entire series. That urge to know how it all ends just hooks you up more on the show as the episode goes on.

        One iconic scene from the series which I've also stumbled upon frequently on social media is this clip of Ted preparing and going on a 2 minute date with Stella, his love interest at the time, as she is too busy with her work. You can watch it here below:

        What I love about this show is that it has this magical dynamic where it intertwines humor, as well as hard hitting truths and dramatic elements together so well.  Watching Ted grow and develop with each and every relationship before eventually finding and meeting his future wife, is something that I really enjoyed following.

        But more than that, the series for me introduce a story that explores relationships, stories of love, accidents, errors, fears, vulnerabilities which is both amusing and challenging. Compared to the previous sitcom Friends, for example, there are moments for sure where HIMYM is more heavy and has more hard hitting and emotional scenes. Scenes like Marshall receiving the news of his father's death, for example, shows that the show can also be heavy at times.

        Even if the ending was kind of controversial, which I won't divulge much into (no spoilers here), I still think that the performance of the cast did the show justice, and if anything the ending just shows another side of reality which I can see most people being upset about.

        If you want a melodrama-esque series with a unique structure, humor and love as well as life stories which you can relate to, then this series is definitely for you.

The Office (2005-2013)

        This series basically depicts the everyday lives of the employees working in a branch of a fictional paper company called Dunder Mifflin in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

        The Office, compared to other sitcoms, is different, you could say. First of all, its structure, the show itself is filmed like a documentary. But the most notable difference I would say is the humor that is presented on the show, its more of like a deadpan or awkward even, style of comedy but I assure you, you will burst out laughing so many times throughout the show.

        I personally wasn't that into the show in the first season, but upon watching the show more and more, I've come to find each and every character to be very charming and funny.

        The main focus of this show I would say is in the main character Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell who is the boss of the branch. He often creates uncomfortable but hilarious situations for his employees.  You might recognize him as the person most often seen in memes viral on the internet as well

        The show, like I mentioned before is full of awkward and offensive humor which is bound to give some hearty laughs to those who know how to be good sports. The jokes as well are also written and presented very well.

        Here is a clip of Michael Scott with his employees Dwight and Andy that I personally find really funny:

        I think The Office is a very hilarious show, particularly because of Michael's antics, but apart from that what I love about the show is how unique each character is, you have all these employees as characters who have all these unique personalities and watching them develop, interact and sometimes clash together is so much fun to watch. 

Conclusion

             

        At the end of the day, I just wanted to share this with you in case you wanted to give sitcoms a try. It really does lighten up your mood, well at least for me. In fact, just writing this blog and rewatching these short clips from these shows still makes me laugh so hard.

        I actually started watching sitcoms last year, when the pandemic started and school was cancelled for a long time. I remember staying up late each night binge watching season after seasons. For me, they became so much more than shows, they became something that I can turn to whenever I am having a bad day, or when I just wanted to have a good laugh. 

        Especially in the midst of the pandemic, where our mental health is something that is greatly affected but mostly neglected, I think watching these kind of shows help ease and put a smile on our faces at the very least.