Classic TV Comedy
My choice of what I consider the best TV comedy from the last 60 years.
List activity
279 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
150 titles
- StarsJohn CleesePrunella ScalesAndrew SachsHotel owner Basil Fawlty's incompetence, short fuse, and arrogance form a combination that ensures accidents and trouble are never far away.
- StarsWilfrid BrambellHarry H. CorbettFrank ThorntonBritish sitcom about a father-and-son rag-and-bone business in London. The intergenerational divide between the miserly Steptoe and his ambitious son results in comedy, drama, and tragedy.
- CreatorJimmy PerryStarsArthur LoweJohn Le MesurierClive DunnA ragtag group of Home Guard volunteers prepare for an imminent German invasion during World War II.
- StarsTony HancockSidney JamesJohnny VyvyanTV version of the popular BBC radio show of the same name, with Tony Hancock as the modern man of the world (in his own eyes). Sid James is there to bring him back to earth.
- StarsLeonard RossiterDon WarringtonFrances de la TourPopular sitcom set in a seedy bedsit lorded over by the mean, vain, boastful, cowardly, racist landlord Rigsby. In each episode, his conceits are debunked by his long-suffering tenants.
- CreatorSimon NyeStarsMartin ClunesCaroline QuentinLeslie AshTwo early thirties best friends live together while having completely different personalities. While their girlfriends try to help them take on more responsibilities the boys seldom respond well and usually end up drinking together.
- StarsRichard BriersFelicity KendalPenelope KeithTom Good quits the rat race, and with wife Barbara turns the garden of their Surbiton house into a smallholding. Their neighbours, snobbish Margo Leadbetter and her conventional husband Jerry, feel variously amused, offended and impressed.
- StarsRonnie BarkerBrian WildeFulton MackayThe prison life of Fletcher, a criminal serving a five-year sentence, as he strives to bide his time, keep his record clean, and refuses to be ground down by the prison system.
- StarsEric MorecambeErnie WiseAnn HamiltonThe Morecambe & Wise Show was a long running and massively popular sketch series starring British comedy duo Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, plus a string of top-name international celebrity guests (of a bygone age), like André Prévin.
- StarsPaul EddingtonNigel HawthorneDerek FowldsThe Right Honorable James Hacker has landed the plum job of Cabinet Minister to the Department of Administration. At last he is in a position of power and can carry out some long-needed reforms, or so he thinks.
- CreatorRichard FegenAndrew NorrissStarsChris BarrieHarriet ThorpeMichael BurnsGordon Brittas is the manager of the Whitbury-Newtown Leisure Centre. Despite his good intentions, everything seems to go wrong when he's around, despite the best efforts of the center staff and his long-suffering wife, Helen.
- StarsSpike MilliganJohn BluthalAlan ClareSpike Milligan's groundbreaking yet largely unknown surreal comedy sketch series that inspired Monty Python's Flying Circus.
- CreatorJohnny SpeightStarsWarren MitchellAnthony BoothUna StubbsA working-class Cockney bigot with a biased and experienced opinion of everything shares them bluntly and carelessly.
- CreatorJames BurrowsGlen CharlesLes CharlesStarsTed DansonRhea PerlmanJohn RatzenbergerThe regulars of the Boston bar "Cheers" share their experiences and lives with each other while drinking or working at the bar where everybody knows your name.
- CreatorJames L. BrooksStan DanielsDavid DavisStarsJudd HirschJeff ConawayDanny DeVitoThe staff of a New York City taxicab company go about their job while they dream of greater things.
- StarsKenny EverettCleo RocosSheila SteafelZany antics and sketches by the anarchic camp comic.
- CreatorJohn SullivanStarsDavid JasonNicholas LyndhurstRoger Lloyd PackComedy that follows two brothers from London's rough Peckham estate as they wheel and deal through a number of dodgy deals and search for the big score that'll make them millionaires.
- StarsPaul NicholasJan FrancisSylvia KayA bittersweet sitcom about a couple who meet again five years after he jilted her at the altar.
- StarsRalph BatesPeter BlakePeter DenyerJohn Lacey comes home one evening to discover a letter from his wife, starting with "Dear John" and informing him that she is leaving him. Lonely and now divorced, John joins a club where lonely divorced people can meet.
- StarsKarl HowmanMike WallingJackie LyeJacko is a house painter who "appreciates" women. He sees the best in each one of them and they in turn, like him. Will he find true love? Will he settle down as he gets older?
- StarsRonnie BarkerRonnie CorbettThe Fred Tomlinson SingersThis long-running BBC comedy show consisted of sketches and humourous musical routines.
- CreatorJeremy LloydDavid CroftStarsMollie SugdenJohn InmanFrank ThorntonThe misadventures of the staff of a retail floor of a major department store.
- CreatorBrian CookeJohnnie MortimerStarsRichard O'SullivanPaula WilcoxSally ThomsettSitcom exploring the trials and tribulations created by one man and two women flat-sharing in the 70s.
- StarsBernard HeptonKen JonesAlan DavidSitcom based in the accounts office of International Rentals, a television hire company.
- CreatorAlan PlaterBill MaynardStarsBill MaynardMegs JenkinsBob KeeganSelwyn Froggitt, a well read clumsy buffoon smashes his way through his sleepy Yorkshire village of Scarsdale.
- StarsBill MaynardPat AshtonRussell HunterThe misadventures of Fred Moffatt (Bill Maynard), the owner of a run down light engineering firm, Moffat Engineering Company.
- StarsLeonard RossiterPauline YatesJohn BarronHe story concerns a middle-aged middle manager, Reginald "Reggie" Perrin, and is driven to bizarre behaviour by the pointlessness of his job at Sunshine Desserts.
- StarsRichard WilsonAnnette CrosbieDoreen MantleVictor Meldrew is a retiree who attracts bad luck. If he's not driving his long suffering wife Margaret crazy with his constant moaning, he's fighting with neighbours.
- StarsJames BolamRodney BewesDon McKillopTerry and Bob have been friends since childhood. Bob is the sensible one, trying hard to get on with his job and life. Terry is the wild one, always ready to lead Bob astray.
- DirectorBob KellettStarsFrankie HowerdPatrick CargillBill FraserRoman slave Lurcio inadvertently becomes the possessor of a scroll naming the proposed assassins of the Emperor Nero. Administering to the participants of his master's orgy guests seems small compared to the trouble the scroll brings, but all are in for a nasty shock when Mount Vesuvius decides to erupt.
- CreatorJerry BelsonGarry MarshallStarsTony RandallJack KlugmanAl MolinaroTwo men, a neat freak and a slob separated from their wives, have to live together despite their differences.
- CreatorDavid CraneMarta KauffmanStarsBrian BenbenDenny DillonWendie MalickMartin Tupper is a book editor in Manhattan, recently divorced from Judith, a psychologist. Martin's life is filled with fantasies and sexual thoughts, many times coming in the form of black-and-white shots from old TV shows and movies.
- StarsPatricia RoutledgeClive SwiftGeoffrey HughesA snobbish housewife is determined to climb the social ladder, in spite of her family's working class connections and the constant chagrin of her long suffering husband.
- StarsAdrian EdmondsonRik MayallSteven O'DonnellTwo perpetually bored and broke flatmates waste their days in a futile struggle to get laid, earn cash, and not kill one another.
- StarsWindsor DaviesAnna DawsonSean ChapmanPompous George Vance (Windsor Davies) finds his life turned around when he inherits a Lordship from his Uncle. Yet the title makes George even more unbearable for everyone around him.
- StarsAlexei SayleTony MillanAngus DeaytonComedy sketch show which ran on BBC2 for a total of 18 episodes over 3 series from 1988 to 1991.
- StarsDavid HaigHenry GoodmanChris LarkinThe modern version of British comedy 'Yes, Prime Minister'.
- CreatorRon LeavittMichael G. MoyeStarsEd O'NeillChristina ApplegateKatey SagalAl is the quintessential working class dad. Peggy, his wife, always wants more from him. With their children, they go through the highs and lows of ordinary life.
- CreatorGraham ChapmanEric IdleTerry JonesStarsGraham ChapmanJohn CleeseTerry GilliamThe original surreal sketch comedy showcase for the Monty Python troupe.
- StarsDave AllenMichael Sharvell-MartinJacqueline ClarkeComedy show by Irish comedian
- CreatorHarry DriverVince PowellStarsHylda BakerJimmy JewelJoe GladwinOn the death of their father Joshua, siblings Eli and Nellie Pledge inherit the family business, Pledge's Purer Pickles, at Colne, Lancashire, in the north of England. Their faithful workers include the myopic Stan Hardman, Bert Taylor and Grenville. Transport is provided by Storm the cart horse. Never far away are second cousin Lily and her husband Walter. While Nellie works hard to keep the business going, Eli prefers to indulge in the delights of beer, cigarettes and young women.
- StarsHarry EnfieldKathy BurkePaul WhitehouseThe BBC sketch show that while continuing to show the misadventures of a series of popular characters now introduces a slew of new oddballs and misfits, including Tory Boy and The Lovely Wobbly Randy Old Ladies.
- StarsHarry EnfieldPaul WhitehouseKathy BurkePopular BBC sketch show that introduced a whole host of memorable characters such as Tim-Nice-But-Dim, the Slobs, Smashie and Nicey, The Old Gits and teenagers Kevin and Perry. The show spawned a slew of spin-off series and films.
- CreatorRicky GervaisStephen MerchantStarsRicky GervaisMartin FreemanMackenzie CrookThe story of an office that faces closure when the company decides to downsize its branches. A documentary film crew follow staff and the manager David Brent as they continue their daily lives.
- CreatorPeter FluckRoger LawStarsSteve NallonKate RobbinsChris BarrieA satire show using puppets that are caricatures of major public figures.
- CreatorRonald ChesneyRonald WolfeStarsPeter JonesMiriam KarlinReg VarneyFenner Fashions makes women's clothing. Reg Turner (Reg Varney) is the downtrodden foreman on the shop floor. The machinists are all women, led by their union rep, Paddy Fleming (Miriam Karlin). The stories are all about the schemes the machinists get up to to make life hard for the boss, Henry Fenner (Peter Jones). The foreman's life is also made hard by the women, who have him around their little finger. Each week there is a special order to complete, and the machinists make heavy work of things.
- StarsPeggy MountSidney JamesJohn Le MesurierColonel Maynard has a problem when it comes to housekeepers - his chauffeur. George has an eye for the ladies, and his behaviour has seen sixteen housekeepers hand in their resignations. One solution is to find somebody that he couldn't possibly fancy, and Gabrielle Dragon fits the bill perfectly.
- CreatorRonald ChesneyRonald WolfeStarsAnna KarenBob GrantStephen LewisJack-the-lad bus driver and conductor Stan and Jack enjoy the female employees more than their work and Inspector Blake is relentless in his attempts to make their lives a misery.
- StarsRonnie BarkerDavid JasonLynda BaronArkwright is a miserly and eccentric shopkeeper with a stammer, who longs to marry his lifelong love Nurse Gladys. He runs a small town grocery store along with his errand boy and nephew, Granville and a particularly dangerous till.
- StarsPaul WhitehouseCharlie HigsonArabella WeirUK comedy sketch show depicting most forms of stereotypical British society.
- StarsCaroline AherneCraig CashSue JohnstonA British sitcom about the everyday life of a working-class family in Northwest England: watching telly, smoking, drinking, and bickering.
- StarsTommy CannonBobby BallRitzA long-running British TV series showcasing the comedic talents of Tommy Cannon and Bobby Ball through a variety of sketches and performances.
- DirectorDavid ZuckerStarsLeslie NielsenPriscilla PresleyO.J. SimpsonIncompetent police Detective Frank Drebin must foil an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.
- StarsEric SykesHattie JacquesDeryck GuylerEric Sykes and Hattie Jacques portray twins who live together in East Acton and enjoy a slightly surreal life, bothering their snobbish next-door neighbour Mr. Brown and getting into frequent difficulties with the local constable.
- CreatorJohn EsmondeBob LarbeyStarsDeryck GuylerNoel HowlettJoan SandersonA hapless but caring teacher tries to control his class of unruly kids. The teacher sees much good and potential in his pupils, much to the dismay of his fellow teachers who have lost hope in these kids.
- StarsBelinda LangGary OlsenJulia HillsFollows the lives of the Porters; a seemingly average family whose world is frequently turned upside-down, due to bad luck and bizarre occurrence.
- CreatorMaurice GranLaurence MarksStarsNicholas LyndhurstVictor McGuireChristopher EttridgeBritish sitcom in which an unhappily married man discovers he can time travel back to 1940s war-torn London where he masquerades as an MI5 agent and part-time songwriter whilst courting the local barmaid.
- CreatorDavid CroftJimmy PerryStarsPaul ShaneRuth MadocJeffrey HollandComic goings-on in this series. Ted's the camp comic but is always on the lookout for a way to make money. Gladys has her eye on the boss, and Peggy wants to swap her mop and cleaner's outfit for a 'yellow coat.'
- StarsRonnie CorbettBarbara LottWilliam MooreA 41-year-old man is unable to leave home because of his domineering mother.
- CreatorSteven LevitanStarsLaura San GiacomoEnrico ColantoniGeorge SegalHot-tempered journalist Maya got herself fired yet again. Unable to find a job anywhere else and facing eviction, she is forced to go work for Blush, her father's fashion magazine.
- CreatorLarry GelbartStarsAlan AldaWayne RogersLoretta SwitThe staff of an Army hospital in the Korean War find that laughter is the best way to deal with their situation.
- StarsDermot MorganArdal O'HanlonFrank KellyThree misfit priests and their housekeeper live on Craggy Island, not the peaceful and quiet part of Ireland that it seems to be.
- StarsMatthew CottleSamantha WomackNeil StukeThe misadventures of three twenty-something flatmates, bound together by circumstance. Mandy is sexually active, Martin is sexually inactive, and their troubled landlord Matthew never leaves the flat.
- StarsJack DavenportGina BellmanSarah AlexanderSix best friends talk about all aspects of sex and relationships on their never-ending quest to find true love.
- StarsMichael CrawfordMichele DotriceJessica ForteAccident-prone Frank Spencer fails to navigate the simplest tasks of daily life, while also trying to look after his wife and baby.
- StarsDavid FrostRonnie CorbettRonnie BarkerTalk show and light entertainment.
- StarsWendy CraigGeoffrey PalmerBruce MontagueRia, a happily married suburban housewife, reaches the age when she feels like life is passing her by.
- StarsSidney JamesSydney TaflerRonnie BrodyIn the first series of this comedy programme, Sid James played a rather immoral man whose schemes never worked out. In the second and third series, his character became more sympathetic and well-intentioned.
- StarsArthur HaynesNicholas ParsonsLeslie NoyesHobo Haynes and a series of other working class characters fight back against the authorities and anybody else who might look down on them. Many musical acts of the time also appear to add a little variety to proceedings.
- StarsRik MayallAdrian EdmondsonNigel PlanerThe crazy and sometimes surreal comedic adventures of four very different students in Thatcher's Britain.
- StarsKathy BurkeJames DreyfusBeth GoddardRaucous 90s sitcom starring Kathy Burke and James Dreyfus as awful flatmates. Tom is an out-of-work actor with a sharp tongue, and Linda La Hughes is his dysfunctional friend.
- StarsWarren MitchellCarmel McSharryArthur EnglishAlf and Else are getting old, Rita's left home, Else's confined to a wheelchair. Alf must now do battle with the Social Security system.
- StarsJames BolamPeter BowlesChristopher StrauliA rather naive, middle-class man is admitted to a hospital ward and finds that he is sharing it with a working-class layabout and an upper-class hypochondriac. All three of them cause headaches for the hospital staff.
- StarsKeith BarronGwen TaylorJoanna Van GyseghemDavid and Amy are on holiday in Spain, where they meet Robert and Linda, who are also holidaymakers. David and Linda spend their holiday trying to find some time alone together away from their spouses.
- StarsJennifer SaundersJoanna LumleyJulia SawalhaThe wild misadventures of Edina "Eddy" Monsoon and her best friend Patsy Stone, who live in a nearly constant haze of drugged, drunken selfishness.
- CreatorPaul HenningStarsBuddy EbsenDonna DouglasIrene RyanA nouveau-riche hillbilly family moves to Beverly Hills and shakes up the privileged society with their hayseed ways.
- CreatorRonald ChesneyRonald WolfeStarsThora HirdFreddie FrintonBarbara MillerThe humorous ups and downs of a middle-aged married couple.
- StarsRonnie BarkerDavid JasonJoan SimsAn anthology of single plays starring actor-comedian Ronnie Barker. Two of the plays were developed into their own sitcoms: Open All Hours and Porridge.
- CreatorDavid CroftJeremy LloydStarsGorden KayeCarmen SilveraVicki MichelleIn France during World War II, René Artois runs a small café where Resistance fighters, Gestapo men, German Army officers and escaped Allied POWs interact daily, ignorant of one another's true identity or presence, exasperating René.
- CreatorRichard CurtisStarsRowan AtkinsonBrian BlessedElspet GrayIn the Middle Ages, Prince Edmund the Black Adder constantly schemes and endeavors to seize the crown from his father and brother.
- StarsRowan AtkinsonMel SmithPamela StephensonBritish sketch comedy starring the likes of Rowan Atkinson and Mel Smith.
- CreatorRowan AtkinsonRichard CurtisStarsRowan AtkinsonMatilda ZieglerRobin DriscollBumbling, childlike Mr. Bean has trouble completing the simplest of day-to-day tasks, but his perseverance and resourcefulness frequently allow him to find ingenious ways around problems.
- StarsWindsor DaviesMelvyn HayesDonald HewlettThe comic adventures of a group of misfits who form an extremely bad concert party touring the hot and steamy jungles of Burma entertaining the troops during World War II.
- CreatorPaul MendelsonStarsEmily JoyceGeraldine McNultyHugh DennisThermoman is a multiple-powered superhero who originates from the planet Ultron. In an attempt to do his best to fit in with life on earth, he creates the human alias of George Sunday.
- CreatorMaurice GranLaurence MarksStarsLinda RobsonLesley JosephPauline QuirkeComedy series following the lives of sisters Tracey and Sharon who are left to fend for themselves after their husbands are arrested for armed robbery.
- CreatorMilt JosefsbergRay SingerStarsLucille BallGale GordonLucie ArnazLucy Carter, a widow with two teen children, takes a job as a secretary for her stuffy brother-in-law.
- StarsRobert LindsayMike GradyHilda BraidWolfie Smith is an unemployed dreamer from Tooting. He leads a small group called the Tooting Popular Front with aspirations to create a communist Britain. However, as a result of being disorganised, his chances range from slim to none.
- CreatorCarla LaneStarsJean BohtNick ConwayJonathon MorrisThe series set in working-class Liverpool. Meet the Boswells: they're penniless, jobless and with little hope of things improving, but life's never stale.
- CreatorArmando IannucciStarsChris AddisonJames SmithPeter CapaldiThe Minister for Social Affairs is continually harassed by Number 10's policy enforcer and dependent on his not-so-reliable team of civil servants.
- StarsYootha JoyceBrian MurphyNorman EshleyGeorge and Mildred Roper have just moved into a middle-class neighborhood.
- CreatorRichard GordonStarsBarry EvansRobin NedwellGeoffrey DaviesMedical students' antics and flirtations with nurses exasperate their professor, despite their good intentions
- StarsPeter KayPaddy McGuinnessLisa HammondHopeless doormen Max and Paddy leave clubland and embark on a series of wild and exciting adventures in their prized motorhome, "Easy Rider" style.
- StarsPeter KaySian GibsonDanny SwarsbrickAssistant manager John Redmond and promotions rep Kayleigh Kitson are forced to commute together every day. But will they get along?
- CreatorAndy HamiltonGuy JenkinStarsNeil PearsonJeff RawleDavid SwiftPolitical satire about television news company Globe Link and its team of workers such as anchors Henry and Sally, reporter Damien, editor Dave, execs George and Helen, assistant Joy and manager Gus Hedges.
- StarsNerys HughesPolly JamesMollie SugdenThe lives and loves of Beryl Hennessey (Polly James) and Sandra Hutchinson (Nerys Hughes), two young, single women sharing a flat in Liverpool.
- StarsJohn AldertonPauline CollinsJames BerwickCharming British comedy series starring real-life spouses Pauline Collins and John Alderton as Clara and C.D., reflecting on how they met and fell in love. Each show begins with a short dialogue, followed by the story. Clara is sweetly eccentric; each show ends with her saying "No, Honestly!"
- StarsBenny HillHenry McGeeJackie WrightA skit based show with Benny Hill, often containing smutty humour.
- StarsMark GatissSteve PembertonReece ShearsmithAn interweaving narrative chronicling the antics of such diverse characters as: a transgender taxi driver, a family obsessed with hygiene and toads, a fiery reverend, a carnival owner who kidnaps women into marriage, and a xenophobic couple who run a local shop for local people.
- StarsDick EmeryPat CoombsVictor MaddernComedy skits featuring the talents of Mr Dick Emery.