It’s that time again guys. It’s that time when I, Charles Adamu, lover of TV shows, get to reveal to you all who amongst the world of sitcoms will make it onto my “big five” list. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I will be confessing to myself as well as everyone else, the TV sitcoms that I consider the best of the best. But before I start yapping, let’s remind ourselves of those featured in my first article that revealed what I like to call the “close five”, because, let’s face it, if these guys I am about to reveal now didn’t exist, then those guys I revealed last time would probably be featured in this article. Anyway, let’s get into this rundown. We had New Girl in tenth place, One Day at a Time in ninth, Modern Family in eighth, Black-ish in seventh, and so close to featuring in the big five list, The Office, in sixth place. Deep breaths, Charles… deep breaths… this revelation is not the end of the world. Okay! Let’s get into it, let's stop beating around the comedy and begin this tragedy. Here I go!
5. Brooklyn 99
“Cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool” - this might sound like a broken record but that’s just Jake Peralta trying to convince himself that something absurd that he most likely did, is just fine. Ladies and gentlemen, in fifth place, a round of applause for Brooklyn 99. I had a similar experience trying to watch this show as I did The Office. For some reason, I just found it hard to tap into the sense of humour; but once I did… it hit hard! Having won two Creative Arts Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series in the Musical or Comedy genre, Brooklyn 99 spans eight hilarious and emotional seasons which will keep you glued to your screens. The show follows the exploits of the lead character Jake Peralta and his diverse, lovable colleagues as they police the NYPD’s 99th precinct. At the start of the show, the 99th precinct is taken over by a new Captain named Raymond Holt, which includes Jake Peralta who was always so used to doing whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. The other employees included Amy Santiago who, after being irritated by the childish character of Jake Peralta, begins to see him in a different light as the seasons progress; Detective Rosa Diaz, a tough, overachieving, and competitive partner who, mind you, also starred in One Day at a Time, as well as Modern Family; Detective Charles Boyle, Jake’s best friend; Detective Sergeant Terry Jeffords, who was recently taken off the field after the birth of his twin girls; and Gina Linetti, the queen of sarcasm and confidence. Together, they navigate the day-to-day life of being part of the police force as well as trying to have a life outside work. Brooklyn 99 does a good job of tackling a lot of sensitive issues while retaining an amazing sense of humour through all eight seasons. If you have yet to watch Brooklyn 99, then I really don’t know what you’re waiting for. It’s on Netflix and I don’t think it is a Netflix original, so I advise you to watch it now before it gets taken off. (Boo Netflix!)
4. The Big Bang Theory
“Knock knock knock, Penny”, “Knock knock knock, Penny”, “Knock knock knock, Penny”. Ladies and Gentlemen, in fourth place, is no other than the legendary The Big Bang Theory. The Big Bang Theory is hands down one of the greatest sitcoms of all time. The show originally centered around four nerds: Sheldon Cooper, Leonard Hofstadter, Rajesh Koothrappali, and Howard Wolowitz as well as a beautiful aspiring actress, Penny, who moves in next door to roommates (and best friends) Sheldon and Leonard. I’d like to start by saying that the person who played the character Sheldon Cooper is one hell of an actor. Jim Parsons, you are an amazing actor. The character, Sheldon Cooper, somewhat sweet, incredibly smart, but incredibly unaware of social cues. Having entered college at 11, graduated college at age 14, attained his first Ph.D. at 16, and worked as a Senior theoretical physicist at The California Institute of Technology (Caltech), he was on his way to uncovering and proving String Theory. The show's sense of humour is amazing, because many jokes are so relatable. This show nailed it in so many ways but most memorable for me is Sheldon’s proposal. Look, I have watched a ton of sitcoms and they have all had their peak of romance moments but that of The Big Bang Theory is just something that remains with you forever. Whoever wrote that scene, my hat off to you. The show is such a good one that I felt like they just had to give viewers even more in the form of the spinoff show, Young Sheldon. Young Sheldon didn’t happen to make my list, but trust me, it was close. And so, if you were to find yourself craving more after watching The Big Bang Theory, then hop on Young Sheldon and I assure you that you’ll love it as well.
3. Seinfeld
This will surely not come as a surprise to anyone reading this article. Seinfeld is seen by a lot of folks as the GOAT of sitcoms. Unfortunately, I do not share that same opinion, but Seinfeld is definitely one of the greatest-s. What might come as a surprise, though, is the fact that as old as this show is, I just watched it this year. Jerry Seinfeld’s ability to use real-life situations and instances to create comical scenes is just top-notch. In fact, after watching the show, he immediately became one of my favourite comedians, because his comedy is just so relatable. The show featured four main characters: Jerry Seinfeld as himself, Elaine, George, and Kramer. And all four characters were hilarious. Seinfeld was comedy in its purest form. From Jerry who was also a stand-up comic in his show, to Elaine who got irritated by the littlest of things, all the way to Kramer who lived across from Jerry who was, in my opinion, the strongest character in the show, down to George who was just outright ridiculous. You have to watch Seinfeld. It’s like a rule of life. My favourite scene would have to be Elaine breaking up with her boyfriend because he wrote down a message for her on paper and he didn’t include an exclamation mark at the end of the message. Apparently, Elaine felt that the content of the message required an exclamation mark, and since he didn’t put one, she couldn’t be in a relationship with a guy who couldn’t decipher exclamation-worthy messages. This is how ridiculous the show is! You’ve just got to watch Seinfeld guys!
2. Friends
“So no one told you life was going to be this way. Your job’s a joke, you’re broke, your love life’s DOA….” — just me humming the intro song of Friends.
“Oh My God”
“Pivot… pivot!”
“Seven… seven… seven…”
“I know!”
“How you doing?”
“We were on a break!”
If you wake up any Friends lover and you make any of these statements… you’d definitely leave a smile on their face, even if it’s snowing and it is 5 a.m. Friends is like an international anthem when it comes to sitcoms. Friends is everything a sitcom should be. Friends is the second on my big five list! Friends was one of the first few sitcoms I ever watched, and it’s so amazing that I still watch it to date. I have now completed the show four times and am on my way to completing it a fifth time. Go ahead and say it: “Charles, you are obsessed.” When it comes to jokes, especially jokes in relation to how it was acted out, Friends is king. I watched a couple of videos where they showed some parts of the script and how plain some jokes seemed on paper, but they were transformed into some of the most ridiculous Friends scenes. The actors and actresses suited their roles perfectly. It was like these guys were engineered for their roles. The show features five main characters: Ross Geller, a palaeontologist/professor, who had a high school crush on a lady who also plays a lead role in the show; His sister, Monica Geller, a cook/caterer who is so organized and uptight to some extent; Rachel Green, who almost got married at the beginning of the show but left the altar; Mr. “How you doing?”, Joey Tribianni, a sweet innocent soul who is also a certified playboy; Pheobe Buffay, who I think is loved by all who lay eyes on that show; and my favourite character, Chandler Bing, who was King of Sarcasm and “brilliant” jokes. Together, like in most sitcoms, they navigate the ups and downs of life and love. I still recall watching the reunion and going, “Damn, what a show this was!”
1. How I Met Your Mother
I bet you all were wondering, what in the world is the sitcom that I have decided to put ahead of shows like Friends, Seinfeld, and The Big Bang Theory? Drumroll please, and a standing ovation, as I introduce you all to the first on my Big Five list……. How I Met Your Mother. How I Met Your Mother is the first sitcom I ever watched. You might say that I perhaps introduced some bias in this list, given that it’s the first sitcom I ever watched, but I don’t think that’s the case. How I Met Your Mother, in my opinion, is one of the best written shows I’ve ever laid my eyes on. How I Met Your Mother is not just a comedy, How I Met Your Mother is not just a good watch, How I Met Your Mother is not just a way to have good laughs and pass the time, How I Met Your Mother is a beautiful, emotional, and well-written story, in which the lead character, Ted Moseby, spends 9 seasons telling his two kids a story of how he met their mother. 9 seasons! Weren’t those kids tired?! The show does an amazing job of showing the viewers the struggles of love and life. It centres around five main characters: Ted Moseby - the guy who was a low-key playboy but high-key spent the 9 seasons looking for true love. Ted Moseby was an important character to me because at times it felt like I was watching myself on TV. I had never related to a character on TV like I did Ted Moseby. He was the storyteller/narrator for most of the show, telling his kids in almost all honesty, all the trials, tribulations, good, bad, and ugly times he had gone through before he met their mother; Barney Stinson - the guy who to a lot of viewers, made the show what it was. Barney Stinson, just like Joey Tribianni of Friends, was the certified playboy of the show, but he was not just talented at flirting. Rather, he had developed a skill just to get the ladies. Barney, who was always in a suit for most of the series, and who always wanted his friend Ted Moseby to put on a suit, was himself a highlight of the show. Marshall Eriksen and Lily Aldrin - the high school sweethearts were an important part of the show, as they show us that love is not just pure bliss. Lily and Marshall spent most of the show as a couple but that never caused their characters to be diminished. Individually, they were both strong characters in the show and were just as ridiculous as the rest. Robin Scherbatsky - The star lady of the show. We see how it’s not always straightforward when men and women always hang out as friends. Emotions start to arise, hearts start to get broken, and best friends start to doubt themselves — Robin Scherbatsky being at the core of it all.
How I Met Your Mother is such an amazing show that it’s been more than 5 years now and I still cannot get myself to complete the show. I still have three episodes left and I just can’t get myself you watch those last three. How I Met Your Mother is a story to hear, a story to watch, and a story you’d want to tell after you’re done watching it. So what are you waiting for?!
I did it guys! I finally revealed my top 5 sitcoms of all time. Before I conclude this article, I’d like to share with you the list of shows that were considered that didn’t make the top 10:
Girls, Atypical, The Ranch, Pretty Smart, Two and a Half Men, Grown-ish, Mixed-ish, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Superstore, Dead To Me, Kim’s Convenience, Mom, Bob Heart’s Abishola, and Young Sheldon.
Anyway, it was awesome sharing with you all my love for TV shows, especially in the genre of sitcoms. I hope you try some of the ones I’ve listed here out. My name is Charles Adamu, and I hope to share with you my top TV shows in some other genre soon.