As another fall television season gears up, we furrow our brows and shake our fist-clenched remotes at the latest batch of comedies that won't be getting a Season Pass anytime soon (Sorry, Last Man Standing). There are several exceptions -- including standouts like 30 Rock , Community, Modern Family and Parks & Recreation -- but overall, comedy isn't the dominant force in TV that it once was.

But looking at the history of television, there are plenty of classic programs that have cracked us up through the years. And with that in mind, we were inspired to go back through our TV Guides and DVD collections to assemble a list of the Top 25 Funniest TV Shows of All Time.Our list spans almost 60 years of television, and our criteria includes legacy factor, impact on the genre, re-run factor (does the comedy still work today?), and that 'ol chestnut Editor's Choice. We should also note that as much as we love series like Parks & Rec and Community, we feel like they are on their way to potential Top 25 status but aren't quite there yet. But let's see what happens if and when we revisit this list one day!Behold another list of things all of you will agree with absolutely! For those against-the-grain folk out there, drop your personal Top 25 lists in the comments section below.

A show crafted by geeks, for geeks, Spaced launched the careers of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost while at the same time introducing the world to the joy of the slo-mo finger gun-fight. Written by Pegg and co-star Jessica Hines, proceedings kick off in typical sitcom fashion with strangers Tim and Daisy pretending to be a couple for the sake of their apartment lease.That plot-point becomes an irrelevance when we are introduced to their friends and neighbors, however, with the likes of horny landlady Marsha, unhinged artist Brian, and gun-obsessed simpleton Mike taking the plot in deeply weird places. But while the characters are great, it's the countless cultural references -- from Star Wars to Resident Evil to Night of the Living Dead -- that makes the show so special. Combined with Wright's inspired, kinetic direction, Spaced is visually stunning, consistently hilarious, and actually improves with repeat views.

In 1999, Seth MacFarlane struck gold when he created another animated FOX sitcom that centered on an odd overweight husband, his suspiciously attractive wife and their "normal" family. Fueled by a ton of funny pop culture references and a wonderfully sadistic baby named Stewie, Family Guy caught on with audiences who were so loyal, they succeeded in helping get the show resurrected in 2005 after it had been cancelled.Since then, Stewie has become as popular a mascot as Bart Simpson for FOX, while other characters like Quagmire have also broken out, thanks to Family Guy's anything goes, "yes we're going there" sense of humor. The show may be formulaic, but that doesn't detour its fanbase, as long as the laughs keep coming.

After airing old episodes of Monty Python's Flying Circus from '87 to '89, MTV tried its own hand at sketch comedy with The Idiot Box and the prototype version of The Ben Stiller Show . But the network didn't strike true gold -- and a series that went more than one season -- until a bunch of mid-'90s NYU scamps came along and made every shoe-gazer in flannel shirts and ripped jeans howl with laughter. The vast talent pool in The State caused a ripple effect that can still be seen today in movies and shows like Wet Hot American Summer, Role Models, Reno 911! and Childrens Hospital. After 15 years, most of this crew still works together and creates some of the best comedy around.But not only was The State totes hilar, they managed to carve out their own slice of zeitgeist when they decided to honor/skewer SNL's overuse of recurring characters by creating "Louie" -- a dimwit who carried two golf balls so that he could walk into situations (house parties, last suppers with Jesus, etc.) and repeat his catchphrase ("I wanna dip my balls in it!") over and over again.

Writer James L. Brooks and his unique brand of situational comedy found further success with Taxi, which ran from 1978 to 1982 on ABC, and then from 1982 to 1983 on NBC. The show, centered around the lives of those working for the fictional Sunshine Cab Company in NYC, delicately juggled farcical comedy and dramatic plots in a way the then-TV landscape hadn't seen before. The show also gave us then-breakout star Christopher Lloyd in the terrific role of eccentric cabbie Jim 'Iggy' Ignatowski, an arguable predecessor to Seinfeld's Kramer.Taxi also launched Judd Hirsch and Tony Danza while providing audiences with a new "in" into the workplace comedy, one that would inspire future shows like Cheers to follow in its footsteps. All that, plus the producers dared to put someone as brilliantly unpredictable -- not to mention hysterical -- as Andy Kaufman in a sitcom!

The Muppet Show proved that puppet-heavy television isn't just for children. Jim Henson and his iconic workshop crafted a large cast of memorable characters, including Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and many others. Each week, the Muppets performed an eclectic variety show, with copious amounts of singing, dancing, backstage antics and bizarre satire. Much like Saturday Night Live , hosting the show became a badge of honor, and everyone from Mark Hamill to Elton John had their turn.Unless you're a Statler and Waldorf-type, it's impossible not to have a blast with The Muppets. Thankfully, the franchise is making a cinematic comeback later this year.

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