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Looking at some of the great TV sitcoms

AP photo Cast members, from left, Patton Oswalt, Victor Williams (rear), Gary Valentine, Leah Remini, Kevin James and Jerry Stiller celebrate the upcoming 200th episode of the CBS situation comedy ‘The King Of Queens’ on the set at Sony Studios in Culver City, Calif., Jan. 25, 2007.

It’s truly over. The good ole days of having a large compilation of great TV sitcoms with the consumer being just a click away — unless you’re binging re-runs on Paramount+.

Let’s take a gander at some of the best sitcoms to reach our TV screens during the 1990s and 2000s.

The King of Queens (1998-2007)

Led by comedian Kevin James, this sitcom brought attention to a New York couple (James and Leah Remini) as Jerry Stiller played James’ father-in-law. Stiller’s character lived in the couple’s basement and created plenty of hijinks.

Patton Oswalt, Victor Williams and Gary Valentine also starred in the comedy.

Guest stars included Ray Romano, Adam West, Adam Sandler and Lou Ferrigno.

The sitcom was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. They were also nominated for People’s Choice Award for Favorite Network TV Comedy.

Writers included David Litt and Michael J. Weithorn. Directors of the series included Rob Schiller, James Widdoes and Pamela Fryman.

Friends (1994-2004)

Another show about friends in New York brought together actors Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow. What a cast.

The program was created by Marta Kauffman and David Crane. James Burrows was the executive producer and directed some episodes. Schwimmer, Kevin Bright, Gary Halvorson and Michael Lembeck directed the majority of the show.

This show addressed relationships in and out of the six-person friend group with popular guest stars popping in like Jeff Goldblum, Robin Williams and Bruce Willis.

The show earned awards like the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series and People’s Choice Award for Favorite New TV Comedy.

Home Improvement (1991-1999)

Comedian Tim Allen fueled the sitcom, but Earl Hindman, Richard Karn and Patricia Richardson all brought their own energy to the program.

Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Taran Noah Smith and Zachery Ty Bryan also helped out the cast.

The show was directed by Andy Cadiff, John Pasquin, Peter Bonerz and Geoffrey Nelson, just to name a few.

The main writers were Carmen Finestra and David McFadzean.

The series followed a bumbling toolman and the life he shared with his family and coworkers. Of course, Tim’s neighbor in the show, Wilson was an unforgettable character who would only show half of his face.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-1996)

A young Will Smith led this series, but Alfonso Ribeiro, James Avery and Joseph Marcell also were highlights.

The show focuses on the life of Smith after he goes from Philadelphia to Los Angeles and lives with his wealthy uncle and aunt’s family. Let the chaos ensue.

The show was created and written by Andy and Sue Borowitz primarily. Jeff Melman and Shelley Jensen directed the most episodes of the series.

The show earned the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards.

This program brought some emotional moments to the screen which included Will meeting his dad and having Will deal with disappointment afterwards. We saw one of the more touching scenes as Will was consoled by Uncle Phil.

Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2005)

We head to another New York based show as the Barones brought countless laughs to the small screen.

Comedian Ray Romano, who also made guest spots on The King of Queens, led the sitcom. Like other shows, this one focused on family drama.

Romano was joined in the cast by Brad Garrett, Patricia Heaton, Peter Boyle and Doris Roberts.

Kevin James, Tom McGowan, Fred Willard and Andy Kindler also appeared in the show. Maggie Wheeler (also known as Janice on Friends) made several guest appearances, too.

The sitcom was mainly created by Phil Rosenthal and Romano. The series was directed by Gary Halvorson (also on Friends), Will Mackenzie and Jerry Zaks most of the time.

Honorable mentions include Full House (1987-1995), That ’70s Show (1998-2006) and Scrubs (2001-2010).

I really appreciated the heartfelt messages in these shows, the comedy and the theme songs. Sure newer shows may have these things, but nothing compares to the good ole days in TV sitcom history. The impact these shows had were too good to duplicate.

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