One Foot in the Grave (1990)

David Renwick took the oldest sitcom figure there is, the grumpy retiree, and built farce around him with the patience of a crime writer. Richard Wilson plays Victor Meldrew, pushed into early retirement with far too much time on his hands, and the scripts plant small details that detonate scenes later. It also went darker than most BBC One comedies of its day, letting real sadness sit alongside the slapstick. If you only know the catchphrase, the show is far sharper than its reputation.