In some ways I think a list like that is even more difficult to do than a Best Albums type list because TV comedy has changed SO much from the 50s to today and there's a larger core issue in terms of what makes a great sitcom, adding in the subjectivity of humor. Some people will judge sitcoms on a laugh per minute basis, some will judge it as you would judge a movie or dramatic show, some are more mixed, etc. Really tough job.
(Edit: Agree with TLK, Sepinwall's book is great as is Sepinwall)
My higher level thoughts on the list
- The Office (US) is a bit too low. It is certainly a flawed show and it went too long but it's the defining sitcom of a decade by a good margin to me (you can argue BBT or Modern Family but aging is already showing on those).
- The sitcom definition is pretty darn arbitrary there. I get it's tough, but how you decide something like The Wonder Years or Freaks and Geeks isn't a sitcom but You're The Worst or Fleabag is, for instance, is a muddled line (nothing against any of these shows btw).
- Married With Children is probably the biggest snub on the list
- I think that including shows that aren't complete with less than, like, 5 seasons is a mistake. Several shows on the list took huge hits or rose up based on how good they stuck the landing. Imagine if The Office was cancelled after S4? I bet it'd be higher. What if HIMYM didn't completely bungle their ending? What if P&R was cancelled after S3, etc. Too much can change.
- There is a lack of generational diversity and I don't necessarily think it's wrong. Like, the 60s are kind of left out there, and the late 80s-mid-90s like wise, but I'd be hard pressed to come up with too many snubs in that area either.
- There's definitely an element of reverence here. Like, maybe I'm just being too young snotty here, but a lot of these older sitcoms just aren't as clever or funny as newer ones. I really wonder if you re-watched, say, The MTM Show or The Honeymooners or I Love Lucy, if you'd tumble them down the list compared to some of the complex, clever comedies of the modern day. (Edit: I really enjoyed MTM and Lucy when I watched them, never really watched a ton of the Honeymooners)
- Streaming definitely affected some of this. It's not lost on me that both modern comedies and classic ones on streaming services were helped by this.
- New Girl is underappreciated still. Go back and watch it, still great through and through.
- I'm very split on including animation. Like, if you do include it there's no real quibbling with those choices and I wish they found a place for Archer among others, but animation is just a very different beast with different expectations. Shows like The Simpsons or KotH or Futurama can run for 10+ seasons with the same characters, same age, and no real expectations among fans for plot movement, in some ways its the last standing traditional sitcom. Like, it's gotta be a bit easier when you can just age up Bart 20 years if you gotta or fly into space for a fun episode right?