5 Classic '70s Sitcoms That Are Too Perfect To Remake

While the sitcom wasn't invented in the '70s, it certainly feels like this was the decade that perfected the genre. From expertly written workplace comedies to shows that make you think and laugh at the same time, the '70s were the first golden age of television sitcoms. So many of these series produced iconic characters and scenes that still live rent-free in our minds today, so much so, they don't need remakes to hold up for modern audiences.

These days, nostalgia has become a driving force in TV production, with the common thought being that if it worked once, it will surely work again. Although a few reboots have been mild successes recently, audiences and critics just as often walk away feeling like some stories are better left untouched. These five '70s sitcoms are some of the greatest shows of all time and are perfect just as they are. They definitely do not need to be remade, rebooted, or revisited at all.

When "Taxi" premiered in 1978, both audiences and critics fell in love with the eclectic group of characters working for a New York City taxi cab company. Little did they know at the time that they were watching one of the greatest ensembles of all time.

The cast included Judd Hirsch and Marilu Henner, who became mainstays on television. Then there were Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd, who would both go on to have massively successful movie careers. There were also two younger actors just breaking into the business: Tony Danza and Andy Kaufman. Pair that with the writing of Glen and Les Charles (who would go on to create "Cheers") and you had all the ingredients for an expertly crafted sitcom.

The setting of "Taxi" was also important to the show's success. The eccentric New York cab driver was a familiar archetype at the time, giving the cast and crew plenty of fertile ground to create memorable characters. And while they were all talented enough to get laughs on their own, it was the way that the cast played off each other that really set the show apart.

Considering cab companies are slowly turning into a thing of the past, it's hard to imagine a reboot of "Taxi" working in today's world. And the thought of trying to bring together a cast as talented as this one is also daunting enough that it wouldn't be worth it to bother.

There have been countless workplace comedies throughout the years, but not many are as chaotic and zany as "WKRP in Cincinnati." Created by Hugh Wilson, the show centers around a radio station trying to survive in the ever-changing world of '70s media. Every archetype you'd see at a typical radio station is represented, including the buttoned-up newsman, sleazy salesman, wild disc jockeys, cautious boss, and the station manager trying to keep it all together. All of these characters are played wonderfully by one of the best ensemble casts we've ever seen.

What makes "WKRP in Cincinnati" such a fantastic snapshot of life in the '70s is that it's primarily set around a locally owned and operated radio station, which was commonplace back then, but has become a mostly extinct entity. Many of the best episodes tackle situations that only locally owned stations would come across, like handing out turkeys as part of a holiday promotion. It also handled more serious and topical matters for the time, like whether or not to play controversial music that would cause advertisers to pull their money.

While we'd love to see more shenanigans from the WKRP crew, it's hard to imagine a station like that even existing these days. It's probably for the best that we leave this show alone as a time capsule of an era gone by.

Multiple television shows have gone back in time to give fans a snapshot of what life was like in another era, but arguably none managed to do it as hilariously as "Happy Days." Since the '70s were a rather tumultuous time, there was a strong call to hearken back to the sanitized, nostalgic days of the '50s. Enter "Happy Days," created by one of the all-time greats, Garry Marshall. At its core, the show was about a normal family dealing with normal family trials and tribulations, covered in poodle skirts and letterman jackets.

Then there was the Fonz. Arthur Fonzarelli, played to perfection by Henry Winkler, is the epitome of cool, and quickly became the show's breakout star. His greased-back hair, black leather jacket, and borderline magical powers made him instantly iconic and the catalyst for many of the show's more outlandish plotlines, like when he actually jumped a shark and inadvertently created a TV trope that we still talk about to this day. 

While taking another trip back to the '50s could be enjoyable, it's hard to imagine that any sort of reboot would capture that era so perfectly, or find anyone with the charisma that Winkler brought to the Fonz. It's better to leave this series as is and revel in its greatness rather than attempt to recapture it.

When it comes to nailing the intersection of comedy and social commentary, there might be no better example than "All in the Family." Created by the legendary Norman Lear, the show helped define the entire decade of the '70s, thanks in part to its lead character, Archie Bunker. In a move that was revolutionary for its time, Archie was bombastic, politically incorrect, and woefully behind the times that were changing all around him. Lear used him as an example of who not to be and surrounded him with far more open-minded characters, a move that created both fans and haters of Archie.

That dichotomy not only makes "All in the Family" great, it also makes it virtually unrepeatable. The novelty of a show revolving around a character that's always wrong may have been shocking to audiences at the time, but would be tricky to pull off again in modern times. The nuance of wrapping bigotry in a comedic package would take an extremely delicate touch that has far more potential to go wrong than right. That's why we're more than happy leaving this show as a shining example of television excellence and not seeing a reboot at all.

It should be no surprise that "M*A*S*H" tops our list here. For starters, it's considered one of the greatest sitcoms of all time. The cast was assembled to near perfection, which is impressive since there were multiple exits over the years. The writing balances humor, grief, longing, desperation, and insanity like no show before, and its impact is still being felt today. When "M*A*S*H" debuted, America was still dealing with the Vietnam War. Even though the show is set during the Korean War, the writers used "M*A*S*H" to promote their thoughts on war and helped viewers deal with its harrowing realities. 

To say that "M*A*S*H" was a product of its time would be an understatement. While the early seasons took a lighter approach to highlighting the absurdities of war, the show got far more heavy-handed as it wore on. It offered up weekly deep dives into what soldiers, doctors, nurses, and everyone else who was sent overseas had to deal with. In the pre-internet, pre-24 hour news cycle, these were lessons the average American wasn't privy to, so the messages hit home hard.

A reboot nowadays would be hard-pressed to have the same cultural effect that "M*A*S*H" had, thanks partly to myriad documentaries and news programs that have peeled back the curtain of war for us since the show went off the air. These days it would be nearly impossible to break new ground that "M*A*S*H" hadn't already perfectly tackled years ago.