By and by, my answer to that question…
is undoubtedly Cheers — the less popular response among other people my age, I discovered. I think Seinfeld is brilliant humor-wise, but it’s missing the feelings part of the equation, which I’ve discovered I need in a TV show (see also: my disinterest in It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia).
The creator of my current favorite sitcom (Michael Schur of Parks and Rec, obvs) explained why, perfectly and in happy detail:
It’s been said about Parks and Rec that the characters generally like each other, which I love hearing because it’s true, and it’s also partly that the actors really like each other. I have that same feeling about the food fight. You could almost see the delight in everyone’s face in the moments leading up it, you can really see they know what they’re going to do and they’re really excited for it, and when it finally erupts it’s so cathartic. One of the reasons I suggested that episode and remember it so fondly is I remember thinking that looks like so much fun, like it’s a bunch of people who are incredibly lucky that this is their job. It’s also easily the only episode in the history of television of any show that mentions Caravaggio, Emily Dickinson, and Joan of Arc and also has a food fight.
