Well, being a kid of the 50’s and 60’s, I can definitely say that I’ve been watching, absorbing and enjoying comedy TV shows pretty much since their inception. I can also say that, without a shadow of a doubt, I have been heavily influenced by them and they are most likely partly responsible for my becoming an entertainer, which I have been my whole life. Having said that, narrowing down my list will be next to impossible, so I’ll be going through a lot of shows that I loved, starting with the ’50s, working through to the present, and then trying to compose My Top 10 list somehow.

let’s have fun with Chuck McCann it was a great Sunday morning show for kids and Chuck was a talented and versatile performer. The show was always entertaining and a lot of fun.

The Ernie Kovacs Show It was a very funny and groundbreaking show. The things they did as far as editing were way beyond the technology of the ’50s and Ernie was a comedy genius. It was taken from us too soon in a car accident. Who knows what he would have achieved if he had lived longer in an environment that was only in its embryonic stages.

Sid Cesar’s, your show of shows it was a classic show whose form has been emulated ever since. The cast of writers is a literal Who’s Who in The Comedy World: Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Woody Allen, Larry Gelbart, and Neil Simon, to name a few. How could a show like that not be great, not to mention Sid Cesar himself? He was a great interpreter who was a genius with dialects.

The Jack Benny Show It was a great show with a great cast of characters. Benny was the master of the ‘face’ and no one could milk a longer laugh out of just a simple glance at the camera than him. The only thing about the show was that the laughter revolved most frequently in the ‘Second Bananas’ which fed into the show’s comedy.

Amos ‘N’ Andy It was a great show with such a variety of characterizations. Kingfish was always ripping off Andy in some way, which was a joy to watch play out. Amos was the cabbie who narrated the show and there was Sapphire, Lightning and of course Algonquin J. Calhoun. Unfortunately, the show was eventually canceled due to pressure from the NAACP to want to show African-Americans in a better light. It was a shame because the chemistry between Kingfish and Andy was priceless to watch.

The Red Skelton Show it was a fun show of skits and characters that Red portrayed with an infectious laugh and was one of the first shows to have a weekly guest perform skits. You could tell from watching the show that Mr. Skelton was a sweet soul and we miss him dearly. He would always end shows with “Good night and God bless you.” Back to you, Red.

The Original Tonight Show with Steve Allen It was one of my favorite shows of all time. Steve created the Talk Show format as we know it today and had a cast of unforgettable characters that were used in so many ways. Steve was a man of so many talents with a fabulous laugh. I had the chance to meet him in Las Vegas once during a comedy convention and he was just as funny and friendly as I thought he would be.

The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson it was a unique show with so much influence. If you were on that show, your career was intact and the doors would open and your phone would ring off the hook. You could tell that Johnny was heavily influenced by his idol, Jack Benny, by the way he could wince at the camera and the crowd would erupt into laughter. I was honored to appear on the show and all I can say is that no talk show has come close to its popularity since. I think it was the chemistry between Johnny and Ed MacMahon and I also think interviewing guests on a show is an art form in itself and Johnny was definitely the master at it. He knew how to make moments!

the newlyweds It was and still is one of the most watched syndicated shows of all time. I don’t think there is anyone, who knows a little bit of comedy, who hasn’t been influenced by this show. Many people can quote, word for word, many of the most popular scenes that emanated from the series. In addition to Ralph and Ed’s greatness on the show, Audrey Meadows played Alice. She was just the best and I don’t think the show would have worked as well without her. In fact, in later years, when they did the show with other people playing the part, it wasn’t as much fun. She had the best deadpan face and to paraphrase Ralph, “Alice, you’re the best!”

The Dick Van Dyke Show was another great ensemble show, as well as The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Both had fantastic cast members and strong storylines that fueled their popularity for many years. Neither show had a weak character in its cast. They were all equally funny and bright.

Monty Python’s Flying Circus it was a fantastic show for anyone going through their teens in the ’60s. It was so unlike anything else on American television at the time, and in a way, they were like the Comedy Beatles. It was comedy for the Boomer generation. He also became responsible for opening the door for English comedy on American television. Of course, it was on PBS at the time, which made it even more underground in the psychedelic era.

MIX it was a groundbreaking show in the sense that its setting was the Korean War and during the Vietnam War era in this country. Plus, it had to outpace the popularity of the movie itself, which was no easy feat, and Be funny. She also had to survive cast changes throughout the series. She did all of that and more.

Saturday night live it is amazing in its survival. It’s had so many great and bad seasons, but one thing has always remained constant: a barrage of many, many talented performers who have become very prominent in mainstream comedy. You have to give Lorne Michaels credit for having such an accurate comedic eye for talent. What a record!

Whose line is this anyway? It’s one of my absolute favorites of recent times. I love improv comedy and these people are great at it. The chemistry between Ryan Stiles and Colin Mocharie is great and Wayne Brady is phenomenal with musical comedy. Add in guests Brad Sherwood, Chip and Greg Proops and the show is an extravaganza without limits.

the cosby show It was a great family show when families weren’t all the rage on TV. All the other shows were about dysfunctional families and situations, but the Cosby show was about mutual love and a warmth you could see while you were busy laughing.

The Carol Burnett Show it was one of my favourites. Seeing Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, Carol, Lyle Wagoner, and Vicki Lawrence break up during skits was worth it. I loved watching Tim do everything he could to make Harvey laugh and lose himself, which was almost inevitable.

Seinfeld It was another character driven show that was so well designed and built, that it contributed to the genius of Larry David. Larry is one of the most prolific writers I’ve ever met and his talent for bringing different plot lines and somehow tying them together at the end is amazing to watch. He does the same in “Curb Your Enthusiasm” today. She used to work with Larry at Improv in New York during the ’80s and he was the only one who had a full 20 minute set every week…and a brilliant 20 minute set. That’s almost impossible to do, unless you’re constantly typing all the time like he does. The only other person I saw like that was Steve Allen.

The Abbott and Costello Show It was a great show for any age. The chemistry of the two and the cast around them was amazing to watch. Abbott was a big no-nonsense man and controlled all the comedy pacing and don’t forget Sidney Fields, Boccagalupe, Mike the Cop, Hillary Brooks and Stinky.

phrases It is one of the best written comedies of today. Even though it was a Cheers spin-off, I think Frasier was much better and I think it was a fluke to have Niles, David Hyde Pierce, on the show. Watching the two try to ‘outsnob’ was so much fun and so superbly acted.

My honorable mentions are Fawlty Towers, The Simpsons, The Tracy Ullman Show, The Dean Martin Show & The Dean Martin Roasts, Everybody Loves Raymond, Friends, Sanford and Son, The Burns and Allen Show, The Danny Kaye Show, Make Room For Daddy, The Andy Griffth Show, Boston Legal, Married With Children, Andy’s Gang, The Soupy Sales Show, Laugh-In, The Addams Family, The Munsters, The Colgate Comedy Hour, I Love Lucy, The Phil Silvers Show, In Living Color, Fridays, Will & Grace, All In The Family, Mork and Mindy, Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, Two and A Half Men, The Bob Newhart Show, and Taxi.

So after some serious thought, he is:

My 10 Favorite Comedy TV Shows

1. The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson

2. The Dick Van Dyke Show

3. Monty Python’s Flying Circus

4. The Mary Tyler Moore Show

5.Seinfield

6. The Abbott and Costello Show

7. The Original Tonight Show with Steve Allen

8. Whose line is it anyway?

9. The newlyweds

10. The Carol Burnett Show, MASH, The Jack Benny Show and SNL (tied for 10th place)

I’ve played with this list so many times already and no matter how much I change it, I’m not happy with it because I always seem to leave something off the list that definitely belongs there. It really should have made it a top 20 list or even better, a top 50 list. But that’s my problem and not yours. As always, thanks for reading, from THE TORNADO COMEDY!!