Picture it: A married couple named Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns live in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. He works at a bank; she takes care of the baby. They also share a lot of laughs together—in front of a live studio audience. That was the premise of Mary Kate and

Johnny, a 15-minute situation comedy (later bumped up to 30 minutes) that premiered on the Dumont Television Network in 1947. The real-life Stearnses, who played fictional versions of themselves, didn’t realize at the time that they were creating a new genre that would change the medium forever—and provide infinite joy to TV watchers all over the world.

Indeed, after 75 years, it’s still a great feeling to sit back and be entertained by characters hilariously trying to get through life in their workplaces, at home and in the great beyond (shout out to The

Good Place!). Unlike heavy serial dramas, “each sitcom episode is like a piece of chocolate in that you know what you’re getting, and it goes down easy,” says David Bianculli, the TV critic of NPR’S Fresh

Air With Terry Gross and author of the

2016 book The Platinum Age of Television.

And especially during such chaotic times, Bianculli adds, “It’s comforting to spend some time with these people [who make us] feel better and reassured.”to celebrate the big anniversary, we share some fun facts about a bunch of our favorite sitcoms. Cue the applause sign!

I LOVE LUCY

(CBS, 1951–57; watch on Hulu) “At its core, it’s a show about unconditional love,” says Lucie Arnaz, 70, the daughter of co-stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, who played Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. “After you’ve laughed until you cried, you feel good watching someone who can screw up that bad and still get a hug. That kind of acceptance is what we all want out of life.” Lucy could make anything funny, like the episode where she’s stomping grapes in a vat. “She was game for it because she saw the comedy in the situation,” Arnaz says. Everything got a laugh, even when Ricky would say, “Lucy, I’m home!” or, later, “Honey, I’m home!”

THE HONEYMOONERS

(CBS, 1955–56; watch on Prime Video) “We’re talking about television comedy that was impeccably performed [in front of a live audience],” Bianculli says. Fun fact: Jackie Gleason originally declared Audrey Meadows was too young and pretty to play his blue-collar wife. She went home, removed her makeup and put on a house dress, then messengered the photos of her new look to the star. He reportedly declared, “That’s Alice!” without realizing the two had already met.

For the quintessential wholesome comedy, Leave It to Beaver (CBS and ABC, 1957–63; watch on Peacock), Jerry Mathers (“the Beaver”) charmed producers when he wore his Cub Scout uniform to his audition.

Among the guest stars on The Andy Griffith Show (CBS, 1960–68; watch on Philo): Jack Nicholson (twice) and Barbara Eden.

THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW

(CBS, 1970–77; watch on Hulu) For a sea change in TV land, “Mary was proud of her independence as a single woman and of her job,” says Bianculli. The show’s creative team envisioned Mary as a woman newly dumped by her husband. But CBS network researchers warned series co-creator Allan Burns that mainstream audiences would never accept a divorced woman as a TV heroine in their living rooms.

The Odd Couple (ABC, 1970–75; watch on Hulu) Mickey Rooney as Oscar the slob? That’s who Tony Randall (Felix) wanted, but producer Gary Marshall opted for Jack Klugman.

ALL IN THE FAMILY

(CBS, 1971–79; watch on Hulu and Prime Video) In Queens, N.Y., Archie Bunker (Carroll O’connor) was constantly up in arms over his “dingbat” wife, Edith (Jean Stapleton), rebellious daughter, Gloria (Sally Struthers), and her husband, Mike (Rob Reiner, the son of Carl, who created The Dick Van Dyke Show), whom he nicknamed “Meathead.” Says Struthers, 74, “All the subjects we explored on the show are still relevant today.” When Sammy Davis Jr. plants a big kiss on Archie’s cheek, “that moment became the longest laugh in the history of the sitcom!” she says. “Archie was both a flawed and loveable character, and we all have someone like that in our family.”

The Jeffersons (CBS, 1975–85; watch on Prime Video). It wasn’t until Isabel Sanford (Louise) and Sherman Hemsley (George) reprised their characters on a 1995 episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-air that “Weezy” told George that she was sensitive to her nickname because of her asthma.

(NBC, 1982–93; watch on Hulu, Peacock, Paramount+) “The comedy showed that anybody can come into this bar and be your family,” Bianculli says. And Ted Danson’s Sam Malone character “is this perfect everyman. There’s nobody who can’t relate to him.” Though the bar on set was functional, the cast drank “near beer,” a weakened strain of ale mixed with a bit of salt to keep a sudsy head in the glass.

CHEERS

The Golden Girls (NBC, 1985–92; watch on Hulu) Leslie Nielsen gueststarred as Lucas Hollingsworth, who married Dorothy (Bea Arthur) in the finale.

Friends (NBC, 1994–2004; watch on HBO Max) Best laugh: the season five episode where Ross yells “Pivot!” while trying to get a couch up the apartment steps.

The Simpsons (Fox, 1989– ; watch on Disney+) Elizabeth Taylor voiced baby Maggie’s only spoken word: “Daddy.”

SEINFELD

(NBC, 1989–98; watch on Netflix) The show about nothing was really something, with hilariously interconnected subplots in 180 episodes.

The Office (NBC, 2005–13; watch on Peacock) Everybody recognizes the exaggerated characters in this workplace comedy set in Scranton, Pa.

(ABC, 2014–22; watch on Hulu). Who on the show has famous parents in real life? That would be Tracee Ellis Ross (Diana Ross) and Rashida Jones (Quincy Jones and Peggy Lipton), who plays her sister.

BLACK-ISH

Schitt’s Creek (Pop TV, 2015–20; watch on Netflix) starred Eugene and Dan Levy, Catherine O’hara and Annie Murphy.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX, 2005– ; watch on FX), The show recently topped The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet as the longest-running liveaction sitcom.