• Vulture/New York magazine, Monday, March 11, 2013 4:28 PM

New York magazine's Vulture is now the site of a March Madness-type contest, the Sitcom Smackdown, which aims to name the best sitcom of the past 30 years as decided by various critics each comparing two shows. While all signs seem to point to the probably inevitable "Cheers" vs. "Seinfeld" final throwdown, along the way we've been treated to some very good analysis of what makes a particular show a classic. For example, today's quarter final match, led by culture writer Ken Tucker, pits  "Friends" against  "Roseanne" -- both of which "began [their] existence looking more conventional than [they] proved to be," writes Tucker.

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