The Honeymooners
Jackie Gleason starred in the show he created alongside Audrey Meadows. Initially, the series had everything it took to be a success as it raked in the viewing numbers. Despite a promising start, ratings swiftly dropped, thanks in part to direct competition from NBC’s popular program “The Perry Como Show.”
Interesting fact, Gleason wanted to make “The Honeymooners” a success so badly that he paid the majority of production costs out of his own salary.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
One of the most beloved, sharply written, and well-performed sitcoms about the newswoman who could turn the world on with her smile. The show didn't shy away from more pressing issues and focused on something that had hitherto been ignored in TV: a single, career-centric woman.
Many spin-offs were generated on the back of its success, including one with Rhonda and Lou Grant. Moore and Grant Tinker decided to gracefully bow out after seven seasons, ending the show on a high in 1977.
Cheers
Before "Friends" was even a spark of an idea, there was "Cheers." The astonishingly popular series debuted in 1982, bringing together stars like Ted Danson and Shelley Long into the view of public cognizance. At first, the first season brought in poor ratings, and the show was almost axed, but the network carried on, and "Cheers" became one of the greatest comedies ever to grace our TV screens.
The show carried on for 11 seasons, scooping up awards across the board. The series would probably have continued for a lot longer if Ted Danson hadn't decided to leave.
The Simpsons
The subversive, animated satire about Springfield's unfortunate family soon became a favorite when it premiered in 1989. That was then; now it's the TV longest-running comedy. For a cartoon series to draw such a broad adult audience is quite a feat. with "Time" magazine calling it the best TV show of the 20th century in 1999.
It's been decades since it first aired, and the cartoon is still one of the most popular shows of its kind.
M*A*S*H
It's definitely a show worth a watch as it was very progressive for its time, and the writing is top-notch. The war comedy-drama was in equal parts moving as well as hilarious thanks to the efforts of Alan Alda and his cast of superb actors. The creators pulled the concept from Richard Hooker's 1968 novel and turned it into one of the highest-rated shows in history.
Viewers couldn't get enough of the exploits of Hawkeye and his crew. Just in the finale, over 125 million viewers tuned in to watch the spectacular 2-and-a-half hour conclusion.