Jack Klugman & Tony Randall

They were entertaining enough (although its been over 20 years since I've seen an episode of "The Odd Couple"), but I wouldn't go so far as to call them "great". Certainly, they weren't Laurel and Hardy. They weren't even Abbott and Costello. I don't mean to demean either one of them. Each actor was (and still is, in the case of Klugman) fine and effective in their own way (I believe Randall actually started as a voice actor in the days of old-time radio). They were often very funny together, and, given the state of TV then and now, they were superior to much of everything else on there. But great? Classic and timeless, in the manner of Jackie Gleason and Art Carney? No.

Broadway and movie audiences might have considered the bickering pairing of Lemmon and Matthau ideal for Neil Simon's play, but for the long haul of a TV series, audiences might prefer to share in the delightful company of Klugman and Randall.

The chemistry was great,and the Odd Couple stands as one of the best sitcoms ever.Let's not forget the excellent supporting charachters such as Murray the Cop and Oscars secretary played by Penny Marshall (?)Later famous as Laverne.

Poor man's Matthau and Lemmon. Stick with the original.