March Rad-ness

So although it’s April, and Garz hates basketball, March Madness is undeniably still under way. But here at Charz2k, do we care who wins the NCAA title? No. What we care about is what sitcom is the most “90s.” The 90s was undeniably the golden era of the situational comedy, and it’s time to settle this question, tournament style. The selection committee has placed 32 sitcoms in 4 brackets: NBC Must See TV, “Lessons Learned,” Black, and Other 90s Classics. The competition was stiff, but without further ado, the competitors, with their seeding:

Must See TV Bracket:

1. Seinfeld
2. Friends
3. Mad About You
4. Wings
5. Caroline in the City
6. Just Shoot Me
7. Suddenly Susan
8. Veronica’s Closet

Lessons Learned Bracket:

1. Saved by the Bell
2. Full House
3. Step by Step
4. Home Improvement
5. Boy Meets World
6. Dinosaurs
7. California Dreams
8. Hang Time

Black Bracket:

1. The Fresh Price of Bel-Air
2. Family Matters
3. Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper
4. Martin
5. A Different World
6. The Wayans Brothers
7. Living Single
8. Malcolm and Eddie

Other 90s Classics Bracket:

1. Rosanne
2. Frasier
3. Blossom
4. The Nanny
5. Grace Under Fire
6. Married With Children
7. News Radio
8. Herman’s Head

As always, there were some bubble shows that just missed the cut. The bubble consisted of:

Ellen (pfft)
Parker Louis Can’t Lose (classic, but got inspiration from 80s movie)
Perfect Strangers (too much of series in 80s)
Salute your Shorts (I didn’t have cable as a child)
Clarissa Explains it All (see above reason)

The tournament is single elimination. Let Round 1 Commence!

Must See TV Region:

1. Seinfeld vs 8. Veronica's Closet
WINNER: Seinfeld!
2. Friends vs 7. Suddenly Susan
WINNER: Friends!
3. Mad About You vs 6. Just Shoot Me
WINNER: Mad About You!
4. Wings vs 5 Caroline in the City
WINNER: Wings

RECAP: No need to go into detail on any of these. The first round of the Must See bracket was not very "must see-" no surprises here.

Lessons Learned Region:

1. Saved by the Bell vs 8. Hang Time
WINNER: Saved by the Bell! Hang Time is pretty damn 90s, but this Peter Engel knock off cannot compete with the original. I can still sing the theme song to Hang Time in my head though... which is surprising, since I have literally not thought about this series once in the last 9 years.
2. Full House vs 7. California Dreams
WINNER: Full House! California Dreams is in the same league as Hang Time, trying to go up against an elite 90s powerhouse. Uncle Jesse rocks harder than the entire California Dreams band- 'nuff said.
3. Step by Step vs 6. Dinosaurs
WINNER: Step by Step! In the closest match of the tourney so far, Step by Step nudges out Dinosaurs by... a step. Patrick Duffy and Susanne Summers vs "I'm the baby, gotta love me!" Wow, so much 90s in this match up, for an early round match.
4. Home Improvement vs Boy Meets World
WINNER: Home Improvement! This one starts close, but Tim, Al, and the gang easily pull ahead late. 3 letters: J T T.

RECAP: An exciting round of action, although no upsets yet.

Black Region:

1. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air vs 8. Malcolm and Eddie
WINNER: The Fresh Prince! Malcolm and Eddie was a pity selection, inspired by Garz. Uncle Phil throws them both out of the house at the same time.
2. Family Matters vs 7. Living Single
WINNER: Family Matters! A show about women friends can't possibly win in this tourney.
3. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper vs 6. The Wayans Brothers
WINNER: Coop! The Wayans are so 90s, but I'd rather Hang with Mark Curry.
4. Martin vs 5. A Different World
WINNER: Marrrrrtttiiin! I never much cared for a Different World. Martin wins easily.

RECAP: No surprises... on to the final first round match ups!

90s Classics Region:

1. Rosanne vs 8. Herman's Head
WINNER: Rosanne! Herman's head put forth a noble effort, but it was going up against a freight train in Rosanne.
2. Frasier vs 7. News Radio
WINNER: News Radio! In the biggest first round upset of the tournament, News Radio takes down the long-running and popular Frasier! How did this happen??! 2 names: Andy Dick and Phil Hartman... now THEY are 90s!
3. Blossom vs 6. Married... With Children
WINNER: Blossom! Woah!
4. The Nanny vs 5. Grace Under Fire
WINNER: Grace Under Fire! We probably remember Fran Drescher most vividly, but Grace Under Fire was just so formulaicly 90s.

Survivors:

1. Seinfeld, 2. Friends, 3. Mad About You, 4. Wings
1. Saved by the Bell, 2. Full House, 3. Step by Step, 4. Home Improvement
1. The Fresh Prince, 2. Family Matters, 3. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, 4. Martin
1. Rosanne, 7. News Radio, 3. Blossom, 5. Grace Under Fire

Round 2!!!

1. Seinfeld vs 4. Wings
WINNER:
WINGS! Wow, what an upset! Seinfeld dethroned! Seinfeld is one of the most influential comedy shows of all time, and does have a 90s feel. So how did it get beaten by Wings??? Watch an episode sometime... you'll see why.


2. Friends vs 3. Mad About You
WINNER: Mad About You! Happy 52nd birthday Paul Reiser! You and Helen Hunt have been deemed more 90s than Ross, Rachel, and the gang. While in Peru recently, I watched both an episode of Friends, and an episode of Mad About You. Mad About You is so fucking 90s it's unbelievable. Nice win!







1. Saved by the Bell vs 4. Home Improvement
WINNER: Saved by the Bell! Two 90s titans collide. I'm so excited! I'm so excited! I'm so... Scared! Congrats Saved by the Bell. I think you have just possibly established yourself as a tourney favorite. You took down the Tool man without batting an eye. You fucked Wilson the hell up. Look at this image! 90s 90s 90s! Honestly, Home Improvement was beaten on the open credits of SBTB alone. That credit sequence and song screams 1990s!







2. Full House vs 3. Step by Step
WINNER: Step by Step! Many considered Full House a tourney favorite. Michelle, Danny Tanner, Uncle Joey, Uncle Jesse, Kimmy, Stephanie. Wow, how did Full House lose? This match was tight all the way. But never underestimate Patrick Duffy, Susanne Summers, and a family full of stereotypical formulaic characters! And look at that photo... very 90s!







1. The Fresh Prince vs 4. Martin
WINNER: The Fresh Prince! Martin was great, but this is the Prince we're talking about here!







2. Family Matters vs 3. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
WINNER: Family Matters! Urkel. 'Nuff said.
















1. Rosanne vs 5. Grace Under Fire
WINNER: Rosanne!

Grace Under Fire was lucky to make it this far. Rosanne is very 90s. One of the highest rated shows of the 90s. Grace Under Fire... pshh, get outa here.












3. Blossom vs 7. News Radio
WINNER: Blossom!
Look at that cast! Move over Andy Dick, THAT'S what the 90s are about! I could go for a special episode of Blossom right about now!











The Elite Eight:

Mad About You vs Wings
Saved by the Bell vs Step by Step
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air vs Family Matters
Blossom vs Rosanne

Eight fantastic teams remain... how will this finish?! Well, that's up for YOU to decide. I challenge a 2k contributor to finish this tournament! I have my vision of how it ends, but I want to see yours! (and this needs a fresh mind... this was really exhausting)

Good luck, and I can't wait to see who wins the tournament!