If you’ve been following our Sitcom Smackdown, which ends its first round today with the face-off between stand-up comedian shows Seinfeld and Louie, you’ve probably noticed that each entry has produced passionate opinions from article commenters, Twitter followers, and Facebook users alike. None more so than yesterday’s Sex and the City and 30 Rock match. When the HBO show emerged victorious, people got angry. They got really, really angry. Observe below:
* “Vulture, this is getting hilariously terrible. Not even worth clicking through any more.†—Regular commenter 77BC
* “YOU CAN’T COMPARE THE TWO!!! SATC ISN’T A SITCOM! IT’S A DRAMEDY!†—@itsamandaross
* “Did the author re-watch the entirety of both shows for this? Because otherwise there’s no way anyone can trust these results.†—Commenter vicomtepicabia
* “SATC is not a sitcom - I don’t understand! And it went nowhere after the first year, and the characters became repulsive. 30 Rock is up there with in the comedy stratosphere. The “characters not evolving†arguent is NOT RELEVANT TO THE SITCOM AS A GENRE! This writer does not understand the form!†—Commenter magnetschool
* “Sharpest writing in recent memory vs 94 episodes of puns and shoes. Yes, this victory makes total sense.†—Facebook user Justin Finnegan
* “As a woman, I’m kind of offended whenever anyone suggests that I am supposed to find Sex and the City relatable. I’m sorry, but the characters are nothing but stereotypes and they are awful, miserable people. Schmaltzy voice overs relating everything to shoes only make it worse.†—Commenter McJecca
* “Seriously, Vulture, can we have a do-over? That whole spunky gals thing that was SATC was not comedic, it was dire. You have let down the contest, the magazine, the site, the school. I wish the best to Starlee Kine, who is a fine writer, but this thing just zinged past her, a giant category error. 30 Rock is a cultural high point. Not laughing, Vulture!†—Commenter charlenecolbert
* “You’re killin’ me, smalls! Sex and the City is a better sitcom than 30 Rock? Shenanigans!†—@flavorwire
* “One of the most intelligent and thoughtful shows ever vs. a Pantheon to the worst personality traits in all of humanity. Sex in the City is a program so shallow and pointless that it makes me, a person who made a news years resolution to be more superficial, feel as if I will never be clean after viewing mere seconds of an episode by accident. This has to be a landslide victory for 30 rock. (reads article) there is no god.†—Facebook user Erik Simon
* “I don’t know why i am getting so mad about this. to compare the insightful, topical, intelligent comedy PACKED into every episode of 30Rock to carrie bradshaw’s groan-inducing puns is so outrageous!!! SATC isn’t even a comedy!!!!! this insults both shows.†—Commenter cub247
* “What a crass and cynical way to garner pageviews and comments. Do let me know when you want to be serious about this, Vulture.†—Commenter Vulteur
* “Let’s look at it this way: Starlee Kine is, at the most, only as foolish and misinformed as the Academy is as, in 1941, Citizen Kane failed to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.†—Commenter HeddaGabler
* “Of course someone named Starlee would go for Sex and the City….†—Commenter HeddaGabler
* “This makes me want to sit on a knife!†—Commenter HeddaGabler
* “What a hateful thing to do to all the women who came of age during the SATC era and love the hell out of Tina Fey’s blood sweat and jeers.†—Facebook user Jordan Thompson
* “This bracket is now DEAD TO ME.†—Commenter Cleverusername
* “I thought some of the earlier decisions in this bracket were questionable, (and don’t even get me started on the rationale for omitting Parks n Rec), but while I could see fans getting upset about the decisions, I wasn’t too bothered. Until now. This is insane. And just to rub salt in the wound Vulture publishes that awesome Jeff Richmond piece which is another example of 30 Rock’s unmatched originality, creativity and intelligence.†—Commenter thatsnotthatmuchcheese
* “Vulture just jumped the shark.†—Commenter jw2000
* “Holy WTF. There are ways to build credibility. This is not one of them.†—Commenter  drunkenhopfrog
* “1. What is the qualification to become a television writer for Vulture? Do you put on the application: ‘Write a few sample things you would say on our blog just for the sake of enraging our readers, and riling them up enough to leave hundreds of comments?’†—Groundbreaking/legendary/inspiring/acclaimed commenter rebeccarose2004*
* “I couldn’t help but wonder when this contest spiraled out of control.†—Commenter eastsidegal
* “Wow. Really? “Characters evolving†is one of the criteria for a great sitcom, in a contest that everyone assumes Seinfeld will win? NO LONGER INTERESTED IN THIS DUMB SMACKDOWN.†—Commenter andersontimmm
* “These brackets are pure click-bait. Stop trolling us, Vulture!†—Commenter topquark
* “I can see the editors sitting around now contemplating whether to kill this Smackdown now or drag it out for another week and hope the torch wielding villagers don’t storm the castle.†—Commenter snarky404
* “I try not to take blogs personally, but F*CK YOU, teenaged writer.†—Commenter Miss_Priss
* “Vulture’s getting what they want. Angry comments and page clicks.†—Commenter efs120
* “Are you f-ing kidding me!? Vulture, you and I are OVER!†—Commenter Ingrid85
* “I didn’t actually read the article, I just scrolled down to see who won and then swore.†—Commenter blizzardkrieg
* “Not a fair comparison mainly b/c we’ve had 9 years to digest SATC, we have no idea how @nbc30rock will age! (prediction: very well)†—@melissa0sue
* See below.