Ten Funny Family Comedies that Could Vie for the Top Ten

There were a number of families that were hilarious. There were some that even got you belly-laughing.

Ten of my favorite funniest television families (but certainly not all) include in no particular order:

The show "Married...With Children." Al Bundy was a shoe salesman. He had been doing that since he got married and on a part-time basis before. He was a stereotypical loser and people treated him as such. He had a son named Bud who was interested in girls and their build more than their brains. His wife Peg was a spendthrift and self-centered woman who did no cooking or housework and little if any parenting. Finally his daughter Kelly was a very sexy young lady who was a stereotypical "dumb blonde" and her looks and comments at times could make you roar with laughter. The actors were Ed O'Neil as AL, Katey Sagal as Peg, David Faustino as Bud and Christina Applegate as Kelly.

Perhaps a more unique and very funny show was "Third Rock from the Sun." The family in question was aliens. In order to avoid detection they take on human form. John Lithgow is Dr. Dick Solomon, Kristen Johnston as Sally Solomon his sister, French Stewart as Harry Solomon who was the family "radio" and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tommy Solomon the teenage son even though he is the oldest alien. What makes the show so funny is that these people have no idea about the right way to interact on earth so they are constantly running into problems and making fools of themselves.

Of course one of the legendary families was the Bunker family featured in "All in the Family." Archie and his wife Edith were the parents of Gloria. Gloria was married to Mike. They lived with Archie and Edith while Mike attended college. He was a liberal and Archie was a bigot leading to funny exchanges and ultimately causing Archie to call Mike "Meathead."

To make matters more intriguing their neighbors were black. This was a cutting edge comedy at a time when there was a lot of social upheaval.

Archie Bunker was played by Carol O'Conner; Edith Bunker was played by Jean Stapleton; Gloria Bunker Stivic was played by Sally Strothers and Mike Stivic was played by Rob Reiner.

The Bunkers lived in a working-class neighborhood and, their neighbors the Jefferson's, had a spin-off comedy called appropriately "The Jefferson's." They owned some dry cleaning stores and as a result they were able to move to a rich neighborhood where George and his wife Louise along with their son Lionel faced and gave out prejudicial treatment.

"Everybody Loves Raymond" featured Ray Barone who was a sports writer. His long-suffering wife Debra helps him raise their daughter Ally and twin boys Jeffrey and Michael. The fly in the ointment is that Ray's parents live across the street and are constantly coming over and butting in. Also, Debra is always trying to get Ray to help. This sitcom is loosely based on the life of "Ray" who is Ray Romano in real life and its outstanding character is Debra played by Patricia Heaton.

Of course no television family comedy would be complete without the "Simpsons." Homer Simpson is a dolt married to a down-to-earth and always hopeful Marge Simpson. They have a son named Bart who is a trouble maker but is endearing. Daughter Lisa is very smart and is a bit of a tattletale and they have a self-sufficient baby named Maggie. Homer's boss is Mr. Burns who is hilarious as an amoral nuclear plant owner and Homer's neighbor is the unswerving God-fearing Ned Flanders. He's a "goodly, woodly guy."

Back in the 1960's "The Dick Van Dyke Show" introduced an upwardly mobile couple. He was talented as a television writer and she was very attractive and could sing and dance. They both often performed singing and dancing. They had a son named Rich who actually played a minor role. The action was about a family that reflected the baby-boomers and both Rob and Laura Petrie were definitely materialistic but they also, in trying to keep a good marriage they had their problems.

While it didn't have children, a sophisticated and hilarious comedy was "The Bob Newhart Show." Additionally "Newhart" was a great show. In the first one Newhart played a psychiatrist who was surrounded by crazy people and in the second he owned a hotel and as an example had country bumpkins around him like brothers named "Larry, Darrel and Darrel." They had a company called "Anything for a Buck."

Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball were really married and starred in "I Love Lucy." Husband Ricky was a band leader while Lucy found new and different ways to get into trouble with sidekick Ethel Mertz. Her husband Fred was hilarious. The stars were Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley.

Finally, there was an old sitcom "Make Room for Daddy" that starred Danny Thomas and Marjorie Lord as well as Rusty Hammer and Angela Cartwright as the daughter Linda. Rusty was a wise guy and Danny was always put upon.

There are so many funny television families in the history of the small screen it is impossible to pick the very best. These are a sampling.