The 10 Funniest TV Families of All Time

The real problem with putting together a list of the funniest TV families of all time is figuring out who to leave off of the list. Comedy, like art, is in the eye of the beholder. Perhaps, it would be better said to be in the mind of the watcher. At any rate, few would argue that these 10 families are not funny.

10. Starting at the bottom of the list is "The Jeffersons." George, Louise, and their adult son Lionel who was not a large part of most episodes. The family also included a housekeeper, Florence. As a spinoff of "All in the Family," this family was a scream largely because of the arrogant self-centered actions and words of the dry-cleaning mogul, George Jefferson. The dialogue at times would keep you holding your stomach as the laughter poured out.

9. "Hope and Faith" is the number 9 selection. This show centers around the Shanowski family with Charlie and Hope as the parents. Sidney, Haley, and Justin are their three children. Hope's sister, a former soap star, Faith lives with them. Much of the humor centers around Faith trying to regain her stardom and creating problems for the entire family. Straight-laced Hope has a constant struggle trying to be the good sister to the delinquent, Faith, while maintaining a reasonable relationship with her dentist husband.

8. Herman Munster with Lily, Eddie, Grandpa, and Marilyn are the Munsters. With Frankenstein, Dracula, the Wolfman, and a bride of Dracula in the mix, this family set up the comedy with their belief that they were normal and the world was strange. It was always good for a quick laugh when Lily dusted the furniture by adding dust to it. When Spot, the family pet dragon, breathed fire from under the stairs, strangers were sent flying out the door they had just entered. The Munsters never understood why.

7. "The Beverly Hillbillies" in the early years made easily one of the funniest families ever. The family featured Jed, Granny, Ellie May, and Jethro, who graduated from the sixth grade at about 20 or so years old. The Clampets get their humor from believing themselves to be worldly wise while coming across as being dumb as rocks. In the later years of the show, the humor declined as the Clampets lost some of their ability to seem like anyone could stay that ignorant for that long.

6. Probably this show needs to be higher than number 6, but it is hard to know just where to put "The Dick Van Dyke Show." Rob, Laura, and Richie Petry are the family members who shell out the laughs. These transplants from Danville to New York are not yokels, but with their blunders, they could be. The cast with Rose Marie as Sally and Morey Amsterdam as Buddy constitutes just about as close to a comedy machine as you can get. This show builds its humor from physical comedy and many, many online gags.

5. "Home Improvements" starts the top five funniest families. The Taylor family with Tim "the Tool Man," Jill, his wife, and their 3 boys, Brad, Randy, and Mark gave viewers a look at a somewhat normal wife married to somewhat abnormal husband. The boys were not such a force in the early years but grew into more significant parts of the plot as the show evolved. The laughs seemed to come from everywhere on this show. In one show a multiple ton beam was dropped on Jill's classic Nomad. In another, Tim blows up the dishwasher trying to increase the power. He darkens the neighborhood trying to outdo the neighbors with lights at Christmas.

4. The next family on the list comes from "All in the Family." Just the theme song, "Those Were the Days" sets off laughter with the Archie and Edith Bunker singing it with the patented screech at the end. Michael, the son-in-law, and Gloria, their daughter, round out the Bunker family. This show was one of the earliest to play off of irreverent characters whose prejudices caused the audience to laugh at themselves as much as the characters.

3. The Cunninghams on "Happy Days" hit this list at number 3. Richie, Joanie, Howard, and Marion are the children and parents on this sitcom, respectively. With Ron Howard playing Richie, this show just seems like a laugh machine. The cast of characters including the Fonz, Potsy, Ralph the mouth, and numerous others who joined in the fun produced great comedy plots year after year. Like all television families, the Cunninghams had just enough reality for the audience to be able to identify with them. They were just dysfunctional enough to keep the humor in high gear.

2. "I Love Lucy" is at number two mostly because of the outlandish physical comedy of Lucille Ball. The family is Lucy, Ricky, and little Ricky, but they are not complete without Fred and Ethel. Whether Lucy walks on a ledge in a rain storm amid pidgeons or is stuffing her face with chocolates from a conveyor belt, this show delivers laughs that just keep coming.

1. Ward, June, Wally, and Beaver (Theodore) Cleaver land as the funniest family ever to cross the air waves. "Leave It to Beaver" sits among the top of the all-time television classics. Between "the Beaver" and his problems with lying and being game for anything suggested by his friends, and Wally being led about by Eddie Haskel, this show hits high on the laugh meter. It continues to be a timeless source of family entertainment year after year.