Top 5 TV comedies

Hi everyone.
Just finished the TV series Party Down and wanted to share my list of my top 5 TV comedies. All of the shows must fit in the 30 minute time slot and be live-action. These are shows I can watch over and over and still thoroughly enjoy and savor the laughs.

5. Party Down

There are a lot of stories out there about trying to make it big Hollywood. Personally I'm kind of tired of Hollywood self-reflexive nature. I think they take the saying "write what you know" too seriously. However Party Down is not all about trying to make it in Hollywood. The protagonist Adam Scott gave up on Hollywood a while ago and is settling into a mundane life of bartending at what has to be the worst catering company ever. The staff is rude, crude and hilarious. The show adequately portrays the shallow and malignant underside of Hollywood without being preachy. Party Down has a humorous cast and great guest stars throughout it's two seasons.

4. Flight of the Conchords
The first time I heard of this show I replied, "Come again, what is that? What's a Conchord? New Zealand? A band? Is it a band or a show?" Flight of the Conchords is unique. Jermaine and Brett's New Zealand naiveness is fun and keeps the show moving. However the original (yes Glee, I said original) musical numbers that are placed throughout the show really seal the deal. The boys learn life lessons about friendship, romance, professionalism while playing terrible gigs set up by their clueless band manager Murray. Everything in the show seems to have a positive spin and the characters are so likable. There really isn't another show like it.

3. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Simplicity can work wonders. Put together a show about a few guys that run a bar in Philadelphia and make it funny. That's what these guys did. The three main actors created and developed the show and they have an uncanny chemistry between them. Sweet Dee and Danny Devito help round out the cast. The gang goes through ridiculous hijinks while running the worst bar in Philly. Unaplogetic and boisterous, It's Always Sunny is comedic gold.

2. The Office (american version)

One of the few popular comedies on TV that is (or atleast was) really funny, the office was a show that started small and ballooned into pop culture icon. Borrowed from Ricky Gervais and the Britts, The Office started as a show with a simple premise and clever mockumentary style. The first few episodes seemed to be shortened and Americanized versions of the British episode (which are excellent) but after that the show takes off and comes into it's own. Steve Carell makes the viewer squeamish as he commits the most blatantly embarrassing actions possible. Dwight is consistent, and Jim and Pam were so much better before they became a boring nagging couple. The series definitely started to fade after the fourth season, but seasons 1-3 are unstoppable. I hope they end the show before they completely run out of laughs.

1. Arrested Development

OK, maybe you think you've heard about this show too much and you're tired of people whining that it got cancelled. Fine then, I see your point, but damn it, just watch the show. The show is brilliant. It's not pretentious like some of it's followers, it's just funny. Every single episode of it's 3 seasons, funny. You can't beat it and it's enjoyable over and over and over again. Everytime you watch an episode, you catch some little joke in the script, you didn't catch before. The cast is perfect with such a great mix of different kinds of characters. I glad it got canceled while it was still fresh and hilarious rather then Hollywood beating the funny out of it like some many other shows (The Office, Scrubs, Simpsons). So next time you are watching some crap on TV (which is atleast 90% of it), please pop in a DVD or download an episode of Arrested Development or any of these other shows. You will not regret it.