I can't pretend anymore. I hate How I Met Your Mother. I've watched a season and a half and the Britney eps, and I hate this fucking show. It's NOT funny. Barney is NOT funny. It sickens me that some people compare this to Friends, or even Will & Grace when it comes to "funny". I have to disagree.

The characters are cute but they do not capture any of the "chemistry", writing, and brilliance Friends had. I know its wrong to compare, but there are no more good sitcoms anymore. Even when Friends ended Will & Grace was starting to stumble.

I agree on How I Met Your Mother, but can't write off sitcoms altogether. While The Office has gotten quite weak lately, there's still 30 Rock, which is the best show on TV.

HIMYM isn't that funny. I agree. But it's smart, and entertaining, for the fans at least. But Sitcoms are dead. Seriously. Outside of Old Christine.. I don't watch many. They're so generic and bland. When I mean sitcoms I mean in the vein of Friends, King Of Queens, Sienfeld.. those types are dead.

I suppose it's how you define a sitcom. I find anything with a "laugh track" to be primarily sitcoms.

I don't consider The Office, 30 Rock etc, as sitcoms because of this. I consider them "comedy" even though they are structured similarly, sans the laugh track.

The funniest traditional old fashioned type sitcom is Big Bang Theory. Other than that they are pretty much dead for now. HIMYM is fun, and I'm glad it's around, but often gets by more on charm.

BBT though might only be funny to you if you've spent a lot of time around science/engineering types or are one yourself.

HIMYM has never been hysterical, really. It can be that way occasionally, but I love it because it just has a lot of heart and is very charming.

I've compared it to Friends, but Friends was always hysterically funny to me. Like someone else said, as much as I love HIMYM, it's not funny in the same way as Friends.

I think the funniest "traditional" sitcom on right now is The New Adventures of Old Christine, which is tragically underrated. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is amazing.

Actually, the only two shows that I watch with laugh tracks at this point (other than endless Friends episodes on DVD or Will & Grace reruns or whatever) are HIMYM and Old Christine. I used to watch Two and a Half Men, but I gave up after the show started to suck incredibly this season.

Friends didn't have a laugh track, did it? I know it incorporated laugh tracks when the laughs went to long. It's on one of the DVD's explaining that.

It did. Makes it unwatchable for me now. Unless you mean canned laugh track vs live studio. They sound exactly the same and are used interchangeably.

Yeah Friends does have a laugh track. you can tell this one female that tries too hard to laugh. I've heard her basically on most sitcoms nowadays. But I think they put it together with the live audience laughter, especially for Friends.

Ya there's always the one laugh, and I know it to. But I'm also certain Friends was always live audience, but mixed in with either canned laughter or laugh track.

friends was good for about 2 seasons.


BBT, HIMYM, Scrubs, Office, sometimes 30 rock, sitcoms might be dying but Comedy is still alive

Pity none of you watch Eveyrbody Hates Chris. It's reeeeeally good.

Everyone who hasn't watched The Big Bang Theory is missing out.

It's the funniest show on TV and maybe even the best show, period.

Nothing will ever top "Friends," but "30 Rock" is pretty amazing (though not a "traditional sitcom").

I really enjoyed the first season of "How I Met Your Mother" and am looking forward to starting the second season.

"The Office" used to be phenomenal as well but the fourth season was undeniably weak.

And "Samantha Who?" and the recently-cancelled "Miss Guided" ( ) are also great sitcoms.