Must See #TBT: Kick Back With 4 Emmy-Winning NBC Comedies Tonight

To prepare for the 2014 Emmy Awards, airing Monday, August 25 on NBC, the Decider team will be breaking down the nominees in each major category. Check back here for all our Emmys coverage. 

For a solid 25 years, NBC ruled over Thursday nights and reigned over sitcoms with their “Must See TV” line ups. Between 1982 and 2006, NBC’s 8pm-10pm Thursday night schedule boasts such classic sitcoms as The Cosby Show, Cheers, Seinfeld, Friends and The Office, as well as lesser known outliers like Veronica’s Closet, The Single Guy and Boston Common.

Nobody does comedy like NBC used to, but thanks to streaming, you can catch a classic night of NBC Must See TV comedy any Thursday you want.

Enter Decider’s Must See #TBT. Every Thursday, we’ll focus on a specific time period (or theme) and deliver a custom Must See TV line up.

In honor of Emmy week, we’re looking back at four big Emmy winners and we’re slotting them in chronological order: Cheers, The Cosby Show, Frasier and The Office.

Cheers, Season 1, Episode 1: “Give Me A Ring Sometime”
Original Air Date: September 30, 1982
1983 Emmys: Outstanding Comedy Series for Cheers, Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actress for a Comedy Series for this specific episode

Cheers was great from the start. To wit, the series took home the Emmy for Best Comedy in its freshman year and nabbed two additional Emmys for its perfect pilot episode.

Stream “Give Me A Ring Sometime” [Netflix]

The Cosby Show, Season 1, Episode 21: “The Younger Woman”
Original Air Date: March 14, 1985
1985 Emmys: Outstanding Comedy Series for The Cosby Show, Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for this specific episode.

The first season of The Cosby Show was critically-lauded for its ability to inject humor and heart into complex social issues. In “The Younger Woman,” Cliff and Clair have to deal with their discomfort with the fact that their friend is dating a woman who is their eldest daughter’s age.

Stream “The Younger Woman” [Hulu]

Frasier, Season 1, Episode 1: “The Good Son”
Original Air Date: September 16, 1993
1994 Emmys: Outstanding Comedy Series for Frasier, Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for “The Good Son”

Like its prequel series, Cheers, Frasier was fantastic right out the gate. It established that even though Frasier would be smart and witty like Cheers, it would have a completely different tone.

Stream “The Good Son” [Netflix] or [Amazon Prime Instant Video]

The Office, Season 2, Episode 10: “Christmas Party”
Original Air Date: December 6, 2005
2006 Emmys: Outstanding Comedy Series for The Office, and nominations for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Single-Camera Editing for a Comedy Series for this specific episode.

NBC’s American adaptation of The Office was a little bit lost in translation in its first season, but by its second season, it totally found its groove. The series took home the Emmy for best comedy and while this specific episode didn’t win any awards, it was nominated for two — and it’s pretty damn funny.

Stream “Christmas Party” [Netflix]

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Photos: NBC