5. One Foot in the Grave (1990-2000) / Cosby (1996-2000)
Over a span of 11 years (six series, seven Christmas specials, and two Comic Relief specials), the British sitcom One Foot in the Grave featured the exploits of the grumpy old man Victor Meldrew and his long suffering wife Margaret in their battle against the trials of modern life. Unlike most traditional sitcoms, One Foot in the Grave subverts the norm and was deemed rather controversial for utilizing elements of black humor and surrealism into the everyday life stories. It nonetheless won heaps of BAFTA and British Comedy awards and is still considered one of the best British sitcoms ever. When one thinks of controversial, dark humor and surrealism, Bill Cosby does not instantly jump to mind. Yet he was tapped as the star of the American remake, simply titled Cosby. Four years after the end of the highly successful/landmark The Cosby Show, Cosby and co-star Phylicia Rashd reunited in this new show. The show also starred Sinbad, Doug E. Doug, and comedy legend Madeline Kahn. Premiering to tremendous numbers, the show, which was neither as biting nor as funny as the original, steadily declined in viewership for four seasons and likely kept alive mostly thanks to Cosbys name and his clout with CBS. In the end, the show is a mostly forgotten footnote of Cosbys career.