by Karina Fuentes

Created on: May 20, 2009

Do a quick Google search and you'll find umpteen articles trumpeting the death of the sitcom. Yes, there are still those network heavyweights who can pull in the ratings, such as Two and a Half Men. But with the proliferation of reality shows, cable networks, and online media, the days of eagerly anticipating the latest episode of a sitcom are over.

In tribute to this fading but beloved television format, here are my top 5 (in no particular order):

1. Archie Bunker.

From mangling the most common of sayings to spouting rhetoric that would have been hateful coming out of anyone else's mouth, no one could generate a laugh from risky material the way Archie could.

In the hands of a lesser actor, Archie would have been nothing but a crude, bigoted moron. Thanks to Carroll O'Connor's brilliant acting, Archie could make us cry just as easily as he could make us laugh. Somehow, that made the laughs even better.

2. Fred Sanford.

I recently rediscovered Sanford and Son on late-night television. Much to my surprise, the show still makes me laugh. Fred clutching his chest and stammering skyward to his beloved Elizabeth that he's coming to meet her is old news, but when you least expect it he'll unleash a subtle zinger on Esther or Lamont that you can't resist.

3. Bill Cosby.

I struggled about whether or not to include Bill's role on the Cosby Show in my list. In a jaded, post-Married With Children world, Bill is a quaint and dusty relic from the '80s. The sweaters. Doling out bits of droll advice while pursing his lips like a constipated turtle. Could there be any lasting relevance?

If you watch a Cosby Show rerun with an open mind, you'll see that he was a funny character. In situations where other parents would have hit the roof, he cracked a joke. His lectures were equal mixes of laying down the law and finding the humor in whatever mess his kids created. It may seem boringly tame by today's standards, but there's a reason his show was #1 for so many years.

4. Maude Finlay.

Maude was a groundbreaking show built around a groundbreaking character. Originally introduced on All in the Family as Edith's cousin, Maude went on to have her own series. And thank goodness she did.

Maude was an outspoken, over-the-top feminist in a television landscape starting to reflect the changing values of the early 1970s. Like Archie Bunker, Maude could have easily been more of a headache than a source of laughter. But with Bea Arthur's deadpan delivery and signature "God will get you" lines, Maude made us laugh just as much as she made us think about societal issues.

5. Cosmo Kramer.

All the characters on Seinfeld are gems, and it was hard to pick just one to represent this memorable '90s sitcom. But Kramer brings the funny in a way that no other character can.

From his bizarre electrified hairdo to his outlandish schemes (remember the Japanese tourists sleeping in drawers?), there's never been a character quite like Kramer.

Equal parts naive child and scheming hipster, Kramer managed to unintentionally create all kinds of hilarious chaos. His obliviousness, paired with his innocent anguish when something backfired on him, is what made it all funny.

No commentary about Kramer would be complete without a mention of his superhuman physical slapstick skills. I'm generally not a fan of wacky clumsiness-no offense, Jack Tripper, but there's only so many times that watching someone walk into a door is funny.

Kramer somehow always made it funny. Whether it was skidding into Jerry's apartment unannounced or having a full-body fit about something, he always had a line or a twitch that brought the laughs.

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