Bracket Challenge: Greatest American Comedy Series (Second Round - Part Two)

Second round action rolls on as we winnow our field down to the Elite Eight.

To get the full scoop on this edition of the Bracket Challenge, you can check out the introduction to our tournament here.

Welcome back to the second round of the Greatest American Comedy Series Bracket Challenge. This week’s quartet of contests will get us to our field for the Elite Eight of the tournament.But, before we head on to the matchups for this week, let’s take a look back at last week’s action and get the lay of the land on our bracket.

The behemoth that is The Simpsons ran roughshod over the gang at The Bob Newhart Show in our first contest last week. While Newhart was a worthy opponent, The Simpsons is a barreling steam train that will keep on rolling for a while longer.

30 Rock cruised to a surprisingly easy win over fellow NBC sitcom, Fraiser. It wasn’t necessarily a surprise to see Liz Lemon and Co. moving on, but the authority of the victory came as a bit of a shock to the seeding committee.

In one of our closest contests of the tourney, the trailblazing I Love Lucy just eked out a victory over the plucky Golden Girls. For many, this matchup felt like bit of a Sophie’s Choice, but in the end it is Lucille Ball and her genre defining sitcom that will move on.

In our final matchup last week, Larry David beat himself as Seinfeld managed to cruise to a massive victory over his follow-up hit show, Curb Your Enthusiasm. Seinfeld managed to garner votes at a 3-1 clip over Curb, making it appear to be one of the frontrunners for the crown.

This is what the bracket looks like as we roll into the last of our second round action.

In this back half of the second round bracket, we have got a foursome of terrific matchup featuring genuine heavy hitters facing off against one another. From here snout these will not be decisions of the faint of heart.

In our leadoff contest, the crew at the 4077th leads the charge against George and Weezy as M*A*S*H faces off against the upwardly mobile The Jeffersons in a matchup of titanic 70’s sitcoms.

Another iconic 70’s show takes the stage in our second matchup as Archie Bunker and All In The Family come head to head with Michael Scott and the gang from Dundee Paper on The Office. This one feels like it will run along generational lines. I expect a tight matchup here.

In what might be our most intriguing face-off of the week, Parks & Rec pits the hapless Pawnee Parks Department up against the conning but compromised Bluth family from Arrested Development. This contest features a pair of the most critically lauded comedies of the last two decades. Pay attention to this one.

Our final matchup of the week finds The Mary Tyler Moore Show’s intrepid journalists of WJM-TV in Minneapolis coming face to face with the bar crowd from Cheers. I expect Sam Malone to come out on top here, but perhaps the gang at MTM will put a stronger fight than expected.

Alright, let’s get to those polling stations.

Cheers,
Matty C