Old sitcoms you get into

[Famous Mortimer]

A little before all that, and not a parody (so I'm really just describing a show I like more than one you're looking for) but "Barney Miller" is absolutely worth watching. Some of the attitudes haven't aged so well, but it's not as bad as other shows of the era, definitely, and is often brilliant.

You might be thinking of "The Last Precinct", though. Created by Steven J Cannell (who wrote or produced a lot of great shows in the 80s), starring Ernie Hudson, Rick Ducommun and Wings Hauser, and it sounds pretty interesting even though it only made it to 8 episodes.

[tourism]

Love Taxi and Steptoe & Son. there's something about the sedate, dreary mood that's weirdly comforting to me but I enjoy them in their own right.

Sort of want to see the american version of Steptoe & Son now

[studpuppet]

Sledge Hammer!

Every time David Rasche's face appears in Succession I shout, "Sledge!!" at the screen.

One sitcom I always go back to is Brass. The writing and the performances are both brilliantly over the top. I think they did a Comedy Connections episode on it, where everyone had such a great time making the original they were all desperate to do a reunion one, and ended up making another whole series.

[Small Potatoes]

Hmm - it was none of those, and was American live action. It is entirely possible that I'm mistaken though, and there was no such show.

Bakersfield PD maybe? It was a couple of years later than Sledge Hammer, I think.

[pigamus]

You don't just mean Police Squad do you?

[Gurke and Hare]

No, I don't. I think I was probably mistaken, please, don't anybody waste any more time trying to remember a possibly non-existent show.

[BeardFaceMan]

TJ Hooker?

[phantom_power]

TJ Lazer?

[Ron Maels Moustache]

My thought was Lookwell, starring Adam West. But that was only ever a pilot, didn't make it to a series.

[timebug]

Recently caught a few episodes of the old US sitcom 'Soap'. Still quite funny after all this time! Also caught an episode of 'Taxi'. Not worn as well (IMO) but still the odd chuckle!

[Swoz_MK]

Really want to start watching Sanford & Son after hearing Laff Records faves Skillet & Leroy appear in six episodes (plus its obviously legendary and referenced in pretty much every show ever). Can't find the bastards anywhere (not looked anywhere naughty, been so long since I've done that I wouldn't know where to look. Hint hint).

[oggyraiding]

As a teen, Everybody Loves Raymond was on every morning at a time perfect for watching over breakfast, without missing school. I don't think I ever liked it, as most of the main cast are horrible people but not in a knowing way like in Seinfeld, but it was easy watching and had some good performances. Also in same time slot at a different year, Friends which was good, King Of Queens which I found charmless, and Just Shoot Me which was shite.

[Famous Mortimer]

Really want to start watching Sanford & Son after hearing Laff Records faves Skillet & Leroy appear in six episodes (plus its obviously legendary and referenced in pretty much every show ever). Can't find the bastards anywhere (not looked anywhere naughty, been so long since I've done that I wouldn't know where to look. Hint hint).

If you're happy with a fairly random selection of episodes, then some of them are on Youtube.

[Swoz_MK]

Those were the very first I tried but there's a little lad streaming in the corner and oddly zoomed in sometimes (both to avoid copywrite strikes I guess), but thank you!

[Famous Mortimer]

Checking Youtube is not my finest internet sleuthery, agreed.

[Edgar Balloon III]

I only knew of 1986's Hardwicke House by it's terrible reputation and the fact it was pulled from the air after two episodes, so I was surprised to find all seven episodes on YouTube - and that I ended up really enjoying it. The first episode is the weakest, not helped by being double length, but once I got into it I was wishing they had made more.

It's very, very 1980s in every way, tremendously grim, and has a real mean streak - but I found it funny and the cast is great. Gavin Richards is especially good as the amazingly terribly named Dick Flashman and Granville Saxton is brilliant as the slimy Mr Fowl. Roy Kinnear is a bit wasted as the headmaster, but he has some good moments.

Even if you don't like it, it's worth watching episode 5, as Rik and Ade crop up as two former pupils - and are, naturally, excellent.

Full Playlist

Episode Five

And also a bonus Rik and Add outtake

[TheMonk]

Rewatching Porridge at the moment on BBC and it is bloody brilliant. Apart from the odd dubious by todays standards joke it is absolutely timeless.

[KennyMonster]

Hmm - it was none of those, and was American live action. It is entirely possible that I'm mistaken though, and there was no such show.

Get Smart, American secret agent spoof maybe?

It was repeated on C4 about 6:30 pm in the mid to late 80s.

[gilbertharding]

On The Buses on ITV4 or whatever. I think I like it because it's a snapshot of a time that I never lived through (born in 1980), and one that's strangely alien now. I also like the outdoor shots taken from the buses, which seem to be recorded using film so you get that slightly dreamlike quality as you look at the 70's roads, cars and people go by.
I suppose it's got a tragic feel to it as well, knowing that Jack hosepiped himself in his garage, and Olive died in a house fire recently.

I wouldn't say it's particularly funny or anything, I'm just watching it with a detached air, like it's a historical document. There's also plenty of crumpet in it, and Blakey does a face sometimes.

I saw that one of the cheap channels was rerunning Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt, which I'd absolutely never seen before. It has all the good bits of On the Buses (like you say - the bleak, grainy film sequences, along with the almost palpable stench of piss, fag smoke and stale beer slops which, believe me, the permeated the entire 1970s) without too much of the really rank stuff you get in OTB.

[Better Midlands]

Margo is way sexier

Seconded

[mippy]

I've been watching KITH recently if that counts, and was really digging the home-made Super 8 footage, complete with that heavy redecale tone you used to get on consumer film back then, played between sketches that made me want to go and live in 1988 Toronto...then started Season 2 and it's all monochrome and slick for some reason. Booooo.

[JesusAndYourBush]

Until last week Drama were repeating Butterflies and I've enjoyed watching them, it still stands up very well. A lot of nuances which I missed first time round as I was only young when it first aired.  I noticed they'd blurred out a couple of "Page 3"-type posters on one of the sons walls which amused me as it would have gone out uncensored in the early 80's..

For some reason they didn't air the last 2 episodes but I found them on Dailymotion, intact and without any zooming malarkey, so that's a site people might like to check for their old sitcoms as well as youtube.