Rolling Stone today unveiled its list of the top 100 sitcoms of all time. It's a strong list and as I went through them, I was curious to know what would place at number one - Seinfeld, Cheers, or The Simpsons. I'll leave the surprise for you.

The only real issue I have with the list is: what even really is a sitcom? How do we differentiate a sitcom from a comedy? One used to see a sitcom as a traditional 3-wall live studio stage show with an audience or laugh track following every gag. But nowadays that's an unusual format with most TV comedies now single camera affairs. Is it maybe just time to retire the term and just refer to 'scripted comedies' or 'narrative comedies' if you want to exclude sketch comedy or presenter-led comedy shows? Sitcom is such a nebulous phrase nowadays that just doesn't have any real meaning.

I'm also not quite sure why Happy Days isn't on the list. It's certainly not top 50, but it deserves a look in. Especially when this list is adding SpongeBob SquarePants to the top 100. Really?

Check out the top 100:

100 Best Sitcoms of All Time
From family stories to band-of-misfits hangouts, classic rom-coms to workplace mockumentaries, cringe comedies to antihero showcases, and some shows that defy definition, these are the hundred series that have made us laugh, think, occasionally cry, and laugh all over again.
Rolling StoneAlan Sepinwall

RIP Conan

Conan O'Brien told viewers of his show that it will be coming to an end on June 24th. It brings to an end his career as a nightly talk show host after 28 mostly-continuous years.

This wasn't exactly news, with WarnerMedia announcing some time ago that Conan would be moving to HBO Max where he'll host a weekly series along with his ongoing series of travel shows.

I find it weird that there is no launch date for the new series mentioned as part of this announcement. It's not like he is moving to a competitor.

WandaVision star signs for grown-up TV show. For adults.

TV's second best Wanda, Elizabeth Olsen will star in new HBO Max series Love and Death. Not to be confused with her Facebook Watch series Sorry For Your Loss. Grief just seems to follow this lady...

Inspired by the book Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs and a collection of articles called “Love & Death In Silicon Prairie, Part I & II” from Texas Monthly, the series follows two churchgoing couples in a small town in Texas whose lives take a dark turn when someone picks up an axe.

Source:

Elizabeth Olsen to Star in ‘Love and Death’ Limited Series at HBO Max
WandaVision star Elizabeth Olsen is set to lead the new Love and Death series from creator, writer and executive producer David E. Kelley.
/FilmEthan Anderton

TeeVee Snacks

  • The Irregulars has been cancelled by Netflix after one season. Read: Deadline
  • Why YouTube ever thought it needed to spend money on original series continues to be baffling to me, but it has gotten out of the scripted business with its final series Liza On Demand set to launch its third and final season. Read: Deadline
  • But YouTube continues to spend on unscripted shows, such as the upcoming Best Shape of My Life which follows young ingenue Will Smith as he seeks to get shredded. Read: Uproxx
  • TV band turned real band The Monkees has announced a farewell tour. Read: Rolling Stone
  • Big Sky will continue for a second season, with David E Kelley handing showrunner duties to Elwood Reid. Read: Deadline
  • Speaking of David E Kelley, the final episode of his series ***Chicago Hope ***aired 21 years ago. Watch: Primetimer

New Japanese game show

Who doesn't love a Japanese game show?

Red Arrow Studios International (RASI) and Japanese broadcaster TV Asahi have teamed for a new one called Crazy Elevator.

Crazy Elevator (working title) is a gameshow that sees players trying to reach the top of a tower to claim the treasure that awaits them. However, each floor presents a different challenge they must successfully complete and make it back inside the elevator before the doors close.

Great concept. Would watch.

Read:

Japan’s TV Asahi & Red Arrow build ‘Crazy Elevator’ gameshow
Red Arrow Studios International (RASI) and Japanese broadcaster TV Asahi have struck a co-development partnership for entertainment formats, with their first IP in the works.
TBI VisionRichard Middleton

Trailer Park

Natalie Morales debut feature Plan B debuts on Hulu May 28.

After a regrettable first sexual encounter, a straight-laced high school student (Kuhoo Verma) and her slacker best friend (Victoria Moroles) have 24 hours to hunt down a Plan B pill in America's heartland.

The Last Letter From Your Lover debuts on Netflix July 23.

The forbidden love affair between a 1960s couple (Shailene Woodley and Callum Turner) is uncovered by an ambitious present-day journalist (Felicity Jones) after she finds a trove of secret love letters.

High on The Hog debuts on Netflix May 26.

Black food is American food. Chef and writer Stephen Satterfield traces the delicious, moving throughlines from Africa to Texas in this docuseries.

Gomorrah returns to HBO Max for its fourth season May 20.

The new season clearly turns the spotlight on Genny (Salvatore Esposito), the lone Savastano dynasty survivor: a character who has shed countless skins in the process of morphing from Don Pietro's spoiled brat into family boss, husband and father.

Pause with Sam Jay debuts on HBO May 21.

Created by Sam Jay and Prentice Penny, the series features a new take on the late-night talk show format and uses a fresh lens to plunge into the cultural issues that divide us.

Leverage returns to TV with revival series Leverage: Redemption debuting on IMDbTV July 9.

What's next? Tomorrow.