#1 Cheers vs. #16 Home Movies

While everybody surely knew the favorite’s name–and its squigglyvisioned nemesis is far from a household name–this was the closest so far of the 1-16 matches. Outside of Bob’s Burgers, H. Jon Benjamin has not had the greatest of luck in this tourney so far, and Coach Mcguirk joins Ben Katz and Sterling Archer on the sidelines as the gang from the Cheers Tavern emerge from their basement stools victorious and ready to destroy a bunch of awkward teens because…

#8 Freaks & Geeks vs. #9 The Colbert Report

Judd Apatow’s starmaking dramedy does not get canceled too soon this time as they become the first eighth seed to take down a nine in this tournmanent, a bit to my chagrin as like Dante Hicks, “they aren’t even supposed to be here.” This is a bit of a screwup on my part, because the show technically does not fit the “half hour” part of the rules. However, if anyone is going to flaunt the rules it’s a collection of gawky nerds and disconnected stoners who have gone on in adulthood to populate a who’s who of movies and TV. In the end, they win by one vote on each platform. Well done, freaks! Well done, geeks! 

# 2 Community vs. #15 Shrill

It was almost six seasons and an early tournament exit as the Greendale Seven, over which the sword of Damacles dangled its entire run before they made it to their arbitrary Abed-predicted TV survival length at the cost of the existence of the nascent Yahoo! Screen. Dan Harmon’s plucky show that may be less of a classic than it is in many fans’ (and my own) mind earned a comeback one-vote victory on this site, although it did pull away with a 3-pointer and a free throw on GBOAT. Jeff, Abed, Annie, Britta, Troy, Pierce, and Shirley (and Chang, the Dean, Leonard, Magnitude, Fat Neil, Garrett, etc.) will have to hope it’s just a bump in the road as they enter the Spectacular Sixty-Four to face another plucky show in…

#7 Insecure vs. #10 Silicon Valley

Issa Rae’s Black girl is no longer so awkward as her frequent Emmy nominee of a program can add first-round Screen Scholars tournament to its resume–we’re sure its significant even if it likely won’t end up on its Wikipedia page. Issa, Molly, Kelli, Tiffany, and even Lawrence can pour out onto the L.A. seeds to rejoice before sometime in maybe July(?) sparring with the motley crew of community collegers from Colorado. 

#3 Party Down vs. #14 The Andy Griffith Show

For a comedy show, Party Down has very few pictures of them looking particularly excited–and if you know the show that checks out! This article’s banner is a major anomaly. More often, the show’s occupants have the confused, maybe bemused look above. No matter, the catering crew sent them Mayberry folks packin’ quicker’n dew on a gumdrop. Andy Griffith, Don Knotts, and the rest whistle back to the 1960s and the short-lived high-seeded cult classic goes on to play a slightly longer-lived, a bit lower-seeded cult classic in…

#6 Broad City vs. #11 Big Mouth

It’s the two potty mouth youngsters who take this day. Of course, we’re talking about Abbi & Ilana from Broad City. While it was close, the Comedy Central show came out the successful one of the two former 2016 March Madness Comedy Final Four residents and former Screen Scholars Annual Top Shows. See below for what the hell I’m talking about. This is what happens when I write these backwards. Are we having fun yet? Big Mouth isn’t because it’s bounced from our tourney despite a strong showing for Nick Kroll and Adam Goldberg’s fun and inventive (and often gross) Netflix comedy. Well, Kroll will get another bite at the apple (what apple?) tomorrow.

#4 Chappelle’s Show vs. #13 Master of None

Game: sketches! Oh, how the mighty have fallen. In our 2016 go at March Madness, Master of None made it to the Comedy Final Four. Just two+ years ago, Aziz’s plaintive look on love was our number one show of the year. Whether it’s the star and creator’s indiscretion or just absence making the heart forget more than grow stronger (coincidentally enough its third season begins tonight) or most likely just a rough low seed setting it up against one of the greatest sketch shows of all time, it’s out, Chappelle is in and we kind of have to feel that Aziz would be fine with losing to a man he called “so far ahead of everyone else” in a small website’s 2021 tournament. Now we’ll see how Dave Chappelle does against a comedy legend who had the number nine rated show the year he was born. 

#5 The Mary Tyler Moore Show vs. #12 Family Guy

She certainly turned our voters on with her smile–although we have no proof voting for the classic 1970s show took your nothing days and suddenly made them all worthwhile. We know your days aren’t nothing to begin with. Despite its two decades of crudity, Seth MacFarlane’s cutaway gags-a-go-go a-goes-goes home early and it was never even close. The show’s iconic Peter vs. Chicken fight lasted longer than Family Guy did. But let’s talk about brighter things and listen that joyful theme song referenced in the first sentence. 

We’re sorry for the hiccup, but we’ll be back with Section G tomorrow morning promptly at 10am, so as the Sneaker Pimps and Screen Scholars agree on, watch this space!