Top 5 Oscar Madisons of all-time

The latest version of “The Odd Couple,” which premiered Feb. 19 on CBS, must be funny, because the people on its laugh track are the loudest on television and it has generated impressive ratings over its first month.

Just kidding. It is lazy and derivative and an affront to the classic TV original, whose series finale aired 40 years ago Saturday. But to each his or her own. Given the ratings, the show will be with us for a while.

At least Oscar Madison, the greatest fictional sportswriter of all time, is back with us once more.

True, this time, played by Matthew Perry, he is a sports talk radio host. (This is Perry’s second consecutive series playing a sports radio host, following “Go On.”) But in the second episode, the character was slated to ghost-write a baseball player’s autobiography. Close enough.
<br<Here’s our list of the best Oscar Madisons: