Sitcoms You Can and Can’t Go Back To

When they’re good, sitcoms are little time capsules. The best ones live in the moment, or recreate a moment. And they stay true to everything from slang to pop culture. I think that’s why so few of them hold up for re-watching decades later.

It isn’t fair to judge a show from the past with today’s standards and terminology. We know better so we do better. People from decades ago didn’t know better yet. Compared to life today, these shows can demonstrate have far we’ve come.

Good, Bad, and Don’t Even Go There

We started slowly watching Cheers from the beginning a few months ago. It is steeped in the 1980s and still has some laugh-out-loud moments. But it’s also a little cringey. Almost everyone bullies know-it-all mail carrier Cliff Clavin. And there are jokes about people’s weight, looks, financial status, race, etc. Still, it’s more good than bad, and having lived through that era, we have empathy for the writers. They were only reflecting the times, as ignorant as they sometimes were.

Seinfeld holds up well. We watched it from start to finish and there’s still a freshness and belly laughs. Of course, it started airing at the end of the 80s and times were changing.

Two and a Half Men – I’m a bit embarrassed to say we watched this one front to back, too. It took ages because our viewing was sporadic. It’s often funny, but lowbrow comedy. For me, Jon Cryer makes the show. His character Alan is such a weasel. It’s fun to watch him almost, but never really, change.

That 70’s Show. Early years, yes. Later years, ugh, no. I still don’t think it reflects young lives in the 1970s but once Topher Grace leaves the show, it’s garbage.

Will and Grace. It perfectly captured the moment but now the complaints about being gay in the world come off like whining. When it first aired, it helped open minds. Now, life is better (I certainly hope) for most LGBTQ+ people.

Three’s Company is hard to watch. Its production values and all of the old gay stereotypes feel icky. WKRP in Cincinnati will never get old for us old radio folk. The Cosby Show. Don’t even…

Friends. My fave sitcom of all time still offers big laughs although it’s getting a lot of criticism. Young people now don’t seem to enjoy it. Ross bugs them. (He always bugged me) and the show is very white. (A valid criticism of it at the time, too.) Rachel’s throat-clearing grated then and it still does now. But those quibbles were minor compared to the joy and laughs that came from it. I’m loving another round of viewings. Derek doesn’t remember every plot and subplot like I do. It’s like watching it for the first time. Sort of.

Are there any shows you’ve tried to re-watch and found they held up or didn’t? Let me know. We’re always looking for good recommendations.