Which iconic TV show was the inspiration for the cartoon "Top Cat"?

Made by Hanna-Barbera Studios; the original run of the animated TV series "Top Cat" covered only a year, from 1961-1962.

Although the characters can be traced back to the "East Side Kids" who featured in 1940s B-movies, their more immediate and detailed inspiration came from the "Phil Silvers Show", more usually known, after its lead character, as "Sergeant Bilko". Arnold Stang, who provided the voice of Top Cat ("close friends got to call him T.C.") based it on Bilko, and Top Cat's side-kick, Benny the Ball, was actually voiced by Maurice Gosfield, who played Private Dobermann (the canine surname could be seen as ironic, but is purely coincidental!)

T.C. and his gang spend most of their time outwitting the somewhat obtuse Officer Dibble. Though the series is comedic, it could fairly be said to offer a degree of social comment on the urban conditions of the time.

A couple more "Top Cat" facts - in some countries it has been known by the alternative title of "Boss Cat" as there was a brand of cat food called Top Cat. In a precursor to guest appearances on "The Simpsons" other cartoons, and their characters, including Yogi Bear and the Flintstones, can be seen in some episodes.