60 best sitcoms of all time

56. The Critic

Jay Sherman’s catchphrase on his TV show was “It stinks!” but for the two seasons it was on the air, The Critic did not stink. Al Jean and Mike Reiss’s next project after showrunning The Simpsons, the series sent up the entertainment industry through the character of Jay, a bitter film critic who hated every movie. (To be fair, almost all of the films put in front of him were terrible.) His world was populated by his egotistical boss, vain movie star best friend, cynical makeup artist and of course, the insane family that proved why Jay had turned out that way.

The Critic was packed full of hilarious references, impressions and even a few appearances (Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert played themselves) that made it amazing for anyone who even kind of liked film. At the same time, there were oddball gags that were giggle-worthy, such as Jay’s weird ability to play an instrument with his own belly and his daughter’s friend from Easter Island whose head resembled one of that location’s famous statues. The laughs continued through the closing credits, which were always revealed to be in a movie theater. An usher would come in and try to get Jay to leave, and he would have a hilarious reply like, “I’m stuck in the chair.”

The series was never a commercial success; it flopped on both ABC and FOX, and thus only lasted two seasons. But if you took a chance on watching it, you found that it was really funny and truly creative in a variety of ways. Jay was no Homer Simpson, but he still has his own place in the comedy world.

Next: 55. Family Guy