Here is the list of the top 50 TV sitcoms which you can watch. Nevertheless, we’ll do our best. Take a look at the following list of the best sitcoms of all time.
Quite challenging. As a way to summarize this list, these are the words that apply. It has been a long and happy life for situational comedies since their inception. There have been drastic changes in sitcoms’ style, structure, and content over the past two generations.
Not only has the number of cameras increased, but so has the number of settings. Conventional sitcoms of the past drew heavily from stereotypical themes. However, nowadays, sitcoms of the modern era tend to steer away from stereotypical themes and instead focus on social issues that are relevant to the day.
50. Police Squad!
- Director: Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker
- Writer: David Zucker Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker, Tino Insana
- Cast: Leslie Nielsen, Alan North, Peter Lupus
- IMDb Ratings: 8.4
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90
- Streaming Platform: N/A
There are many fantastic TV program adaptations that have been made into films, but not many people are aware that the hilarious comedy Naked Gun first appeared on television. Leslie Nielsen plays tough investigator Frank Drebin in Police Squad! who also solves confounding cases.
The series was just six episodes long before it was canceled, but those six episodes are jam-packed with sight gags, absurd ideas, and brilliant one-liners that make them funnier than some sitcoms that run for a hundred episodes.
49. You’ll Never Get Rich
- Director: Sidney Lanfield
- Writer: Michael Fessier, Ernest Pagano
- Cast: Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, Robert Benchley
- IMDb Ratings: 8.4
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80
- Streaming Platform: N/A
From Hogan’s Heroes to M*A*S*H, there are a number of classic sitcoms that feature military characters. You’ll Never Become Wealthy is one that many TV watchers could overlook, though.
The story revolves around the exploits of Sgt. Bilko, an army officer in charge of a camp who is much more interested in his various get-rich-quick schemes and being a scam artist. The ancient series is full of charm and enjoyment, from the interesting setting to the endearing and funny main character.
48. Scrubs
- Director: Bill Lawrence
- Writer: Bill Lawrence, Eric Weinberg, Gabrielle Allan
- Cast: Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, Donald Faison, Neil Flynn
- IMDb Ratings: 8.4
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83
- Streaming Platform: Hulu
Even though some viewers believe Scrubs has many similarities to medical dramas like The Resident, it was also a very hilarious and eccentric show. The program, which was set in Sacred Heart Hospital, followed the many staff members there as he witnessed the unusual and occasionally terrible world, they worked in. It was narrated by intern J.D.
The show has creative energy and is always willing to be silly and absurd. The sorrowful times blended surprisingly well with this.
47. Derry Girls
- Director: Michael Lennox
- Writer: Lisa McGee
- Cast: Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Louisa Harland, Nicola Coughlan
- IMDb Ratings: 8.5
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Derry Girls was able to quickly rise to fame despite the fact that its third season recently ended. The series, which is set in the 1990s, centers on a group of female friends who attend a Catholic school and live in a small Irish village with one ignored male buddy.
While dealing with the unrest in Ireland at the time as well as the struggles these ladies faced, the show is humorous thanks to its endearing characters, crazy misadventures, and obvious Irish charm.
46. Louie
- Director: Louis C.K.
- Writer: Louis C.K., Pamela Adlon
- Cast: Hadley Delany, Ursula Parker, Robert Kelly, Edward Gelbinovich
- IMDb Ratings: 8.5
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93
- Streaming Platform: Amazon
The audience’s enjoyment of a presentation can occasionally be marred by events that occur outside of it. Louie, a witty and ambitious sitcom by Louie CK, exemplifies this. His life as a comic was fabricated for the show, which led him to progressively pitiful mishaps.
Sadly, the comedian’s real-life indiscretions make it difficult for many fans to watch the show again after it was abruptly canceled, but it was still a highly regarded series prior to its unfortunate conclusion.
45. Futurama
- Director: Matt Groening
- Writer: Matt Groening, David X. Cohen, Bill Odenkirk
- Cast: Billy West, Katey Sagal, John DiMaggio, Tress MacNeille
- IMDb Ratings: 8.5
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93
- Streaming Platform: Hulu
Futurama, from the talented brains behind The Simpsons, transported viewers into the 30th century with lots of laughter and distinctive characters. The plot centers around 1999 pizza delivery kid Philip J. Fry, who is unintentionally frozen and awakens in the year 1000.
The program featured nonstop humor that explored the futuristic world’s bizarre and amusing inhabitants as well as brand-new planets and animals. Fans won’t soon forget the very moving and tragic moments that balanced the hilarity.
44. Silicon Valley
- Director: Mike Judge, John Altschuler, Dave Krinsky
- Writer: Mike Judge, Alec Berg, John Altschuler, Carrie Kemper
- Cast: Thomas Middleditch, T.J. Miller, Josh Brener, Martin Starr, Kumail Nanjiani
- IMDb Ratings: 8.5
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94
- Streaming Platform: HBO Max & Spectrum
The startup tech industry seems to have been ripe for mockery, and Silicon Valley masterfully lampooned this society and its inhabitants. A group of young software entrepreneurs are followed in the sitcom as they fight to survive in a high-stress environment where things are constantly going wrong.
The series was improved by some very clever writing that produced hearty laughs, compelling plot developments, and numerous surprises. And for six praised seasons, the fantastic ensemble continued to make people laugh.
43. The IT Crowd
- Director: Graham Linehan
- Writer: Graham Linehan
- Cast: Chris O’Dowd, Richard Ayoade, Katherine Parkinson, Matt Berry
- IMDb Ratings: 8.5
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Another British series, The IT Crowd, portrayed a three-person tech support team working in a larger company’s basement. The nerdy misfits were made up of two traditional computer geeks and their manager, who was largely uninformed about computers.
The show’s relatively small core group was frequently joined by equally talented supporting characters, but the straightforward setup allowed the main trio of actors to really stand out, especially Richard Ayoade as the unusually nerdy Maurice Moss, a character who would turn out to be an interesting forerunner to the awkward Dr. Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory.
42. Community
- Director: Dan Harmon
- Writer: Dan Harmon, Jim Rash, Megan Ganz, Chris McKenna
- Cast: Joel McHale Gillian, Jacobs Danny, Pudi Yvette, Nicole Brown, Alison Brie, Donald Glover
- IMDb Ratings: 8.5
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88
- Streaming Platforms: Netflix, Hulu
Co-creator Dan Harmon established himself with sitcom lovers with the incredibly self-referential series Community before going on to even greater popularity with the animated comedy series Rick and Morty.
The series, which was filmed in a fictional community college, tracked the academic progress of a close-knit study group of endearingly eccentric characters, led by an unethical former lawyer who frequently acts more like a conman. Both its high-concept genre parody episodes and its emphasis on meta-humor helped Community establish a cult following. The next Community movie will provide all the answers that fans have been waiting a long time for.
41. Broad City
- Director: Christopher Lloyd, Steven Levitan
- Writer: Christopher Lloyd, Steven Levitan, Vali Chandrasekaran
- Cast: Ed O’Neill, Sofía Vergara, Julie Bowen
- IMDb Ratings: 8.5
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85
- Streaming Platform: Hulu
Broad City might appear to be a very traditional sitcom with its focus on two female friends navigating the realms of love and career while living in New York City. This premise, however, does not adequately prepare viewers for how bizarre and outrageous the show is.
Stars and creators Being best friends, Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson, have great chemistry, and neither one of them is afraid to talk about the cute and awkward things they get up to throughout the series. Yet despite how ludicrous Broad City is, its main focus has always been that friendship.
40. Modern Family
- Director: Christopher Lloyd, Steven Levitan
- Writer: Christopher Lloyd, Steven Levitan, Vali Chandrasekaran
- Cast: Ed O’Neill, Sofía Vergara, Julie Bowen
- IMDb Ratings: 8.5
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Families in modern-day California often find themselves in hilarious situations as they cope with their kids, spouses, and jobs, each in their way. With a talented cast and a sharp angle on how the concept of the family had changed over time, Modern Family launched with a refreshing fusion of a traditional family sitcom and the kind of single-camera comedy that emerged in the ’00s.
39. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
- Director: Andy Borowitz; Susan Borowitz
- Writer: Jeff Pollack, Susan Borowitz
- Cast: Will Smith, James Avery, Alfonso Ribeiro
- IMDb Ratings: 8.2
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
It’s a good-natured NBC sitcom where Will Smith mostly plays himself. Based on the theme tune from the show, the fictional Will’s mom sends him to live in Bel-Air with his wealthy Uncle Phil and Aunt Vivian after he leaves his rough Philadelphia neighborhood. Carlton and Hilary are often ridiculed by Will at the expense of their sticky-up cousins. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is surely Will’s best work!
Smith’s portrayal of his streetwise, round-the-edges character is transplanted to a tony Los Angeles neighborhood with his rich aunt and uncle, loosely based on the Philadelphia native’s life. Fish out of water has long been a sitcom trope, but Smith’s comedic chops carried the series for six years, and he was given opportunities to develop his dramatic acting skills in the series as well.
It is a wonderful combination of comedy and heart with performances by Alphonso Ribeiro (of the Carlton dance fame), Tatyana Ali, and Karyn Parsons as Will’s relatives, and James Avery as Uncle Phil. In addition to the many cameos of world-famous actors, such as Boyz II Men, Oprah Winfrey, and Milton Berle, it also features dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of musical and film appearances, thanks to executive producer Quincy Jones.
38. The Big Bang Theory
- Director: Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady
- Writer: Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady, Lee Aronsohn, Jim Reynolds
- Cast: Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco
- IMDb Ratings: 8.2
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81
- Streaming Platform: Netflix, Prime Video
Sheldon and Leonard are brilliant physicists, but they don’t know how to behave around women—until they meet a gorgeous woman.
After Leonard and Sheldon meet Penny, their lives take a dramatic turn when they meet the beautiful and free-spirited Howard. Leonard, Sheldon, Howard, and Raj are four socially awkward friends who eventually become dysfunctional families.
37. Gravity Falls
- Director: Art Wolff; Tom Cherones
- Writer: Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David
- Cast: Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards
- IMDb Ratings: 8.9
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89
- Streaming Platform: Hulu and Disney+
From 2012 to 2016, Disney Channel and Disney XD aired two seasons of this highly acclaimed mystery-comedy series. Despite targeting older kids, the show was not aimed at children only. As Dipper and his twin sister, Mabel enjoys their summer vacation with their great uncle in Gravity Falls, Oregon, the series is centered on them. As they uncover the truth about paranormal activity in town, they run a local tourist trap.
The show received many positive reviews for its wit, warmth, pop culture references, and charm.
36. Seinfeld
- Director: Art Wolff; Tom Cherones
- Writer: Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David
- Cast: Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards
- IMDb Ratings: 8.9
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89
- Streaming Platform: Netflix, Prime Video
In Seinfeld, a comedy series, a fictional version of comic Jerry Seinfeld lives life in New York City with a group of friends who are often referred to as a show about nothing.
In the nine seasons between 1989 and 1998, 180 episodes were produced, contributing to a legacy that’s no less impressive. The sitcom paved the way for the future of the genre by breaking the conventional rules of sitcoms.
35. M*A*S*H
- Director: Larry Gelbart
- Writer: Alan Alda, Mike Farrell
- Cast: Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, Loretta Swit
- IMDb Ratings: 8.4
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90
- Streaming Platform: Hulu
A CBS series called “M*A*S*H” (roughly translated as “Mobile Army Surgical Hospital”) featured doctors and nurses working at a hospital in South Korea during the Korean War, namely Drs. “Trapper John” McIntyre, “Hawkeye” Pierce, and Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan.
34. The Office
- Director: Greg Daniels
- Writer: Mindy Kaling, Michael Schur
- Cast: Steve Carell, Jenna Fischer
- IMDb Ratings: 9
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81
- Streaming Platform: Netflix, Amazon Video
Inspired by the British television series of the same name, the show follows Michael Scott, head of Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton office, and his employees as they deal with his everyday life and eccentric behavior.
There was something for everyone in this sitcom, from funny situations to memorable characters to a touch of romance. From 2005 to 2013, it aired on NBC for nine seasons, ending with an incredible finale. The final episode made everyone cry. It surely is one of the best sitcoms of all time.
33. Friends
- Director: David Crane, Marta Kauffman
- Writer:
- Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry
- IMDb Ratings: 9
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix, HBO Max
It is none other than Friends that ranks highest among all live-action sitcoms as it is one of the oldest and best sitcoms of all time by comedy central. In 2021, the reunion episode drew a lot of attention. The show aired for ten seasons between 1994 and 2004.
Six young adults who eventually become best friends describe their everyday lives in the heart of Manhattan. It has a laugh track though. The show’s theme song is loved by many.
32. Rick And Morty
- Director: Justin Roiland, Dan Harmon
- Writer:
- Cast: Justin Roiland, Dan Harmon
- IMDb Ratings: 9.2
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94
- Streaming Platform: Netflix, HBO Max
See, Rick and Morty are probably one of the best tv sitcoms of all time. Rick Sanchez and his grandson Morty, who have journeyed through many dimensions and realities for their high-concept adventures in this animated sci-fi comedy, travel through various dimensions and realities.
With its fifth season now underway, the show debuted on Adult Swim in 2013 and its original network was Cartoon Network. Fans continue to love the animated series because of its offbeat humor and original writing.
31. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
- Director: Dan Goor, Michael Schur
- Writer:
- Cast: Andy Samberg, Stephanie Beatriz, Terry Crews
- IMDb Ratings: 8.5
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95
- Streaming Platform: Netflix, Hulu
Andy Samberg’s immature Jake Peralta, a detective on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, is faced with the antics of a serious captain and the antics of his detectives.
Due to its likable characters and chemistry between the talented cast, the show was widely acclaimed and developed a devoted fan base. Even though the series is considered one of the best sitcoms of all time, production was not as smooth as it might have been. Although the beloved series was canceled by Fox after five seasons, NBC picked it up shortly thereafter, and it remained on the air for several more seasons.
30. The Simpsons
- Director: James L. Brooks, Matt Groening
- Writer: Matt Groening, Dan Castellaneta,
- Cast: Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright, Harry Shearer
- IMDb Ratings: 8.7
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85
- Streaming Platform: Disney+
Among the list’s top sitcoms in tv history is The Simpsons. This is no surprise. In terms of television shows, it has been the grandpa of pop-culture references. There is no room for melancholy or brevity in the lives of the dysfunctional Simpson family, who leave Springfield as the playground for their bizarre and charming adventures.
In some ways, ours as well. The show might be remembered as one of the greatest creations of emotions and future events on the small screen.
29. The Good Place
- Director: Michael Schur
- Writer: Michael Schur, Joe Mande
- Cast: Kristen Bell, William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil
- IMDb Ratings: 8.2
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
There is only one sitcom that combines deep philosophical teaching with a sitcom about “dirtbag human beings.” At the beginning of the NBC comedy series, Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell) is hit by a truck after dropping her margarita mix in the liquor store parking lot.
“The good place,” which she is led to assume is heaven, is introduced to Michael (Ted Danson), its “architect.” Eleanor, along with her fellow inhabitants of a good place (William Jackson Harper and Manny Jacinto) learns that they’re trapped in hell; they thought the good place was a good place. Can they make themselves more decent by reconstructing their pasts?
28. Parks And Recreation
- Director: Greg Daniels; Michael Schur
- Writer:
- Cast: Amy Poehler, Jim O’Heir, Nick Offerman
- IMDb Ratings: 8.7
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Video
The show may have had its share of quirky characters and shallow personalities, but at its heart, Parks & Recreation was about kindness and community. The workplace comedy takes place in the local government building in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana.
Leslie Knope (Poehler) does her best to inspire others with her good deeds, but her coworkers are less pleased with their work. Comedy was plentiful, like making older people as middle school students, but the show did not shy away from getting weird, either.
27. The Honeymooners
- Director: Frank Satenstein
- Writer: Danny Jacobson, David Sheffield
- Cast: Cedric the Entertainer, Mike Epps
- IMDb Ratings: 3.4
- Rotten Tomatoes Score:
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
It is best to start and end with the original run. This is proof that, yes, the rich are different from the rest of us. Their cluelessness is so delightful that it’s amusing to watch them ignore anyone not looking back at them.
A newcomer’s introduction to the surreal saga of the hapless, helpless Bluth family is a show that’s rich, layered, and self-referential, and one that won’t let you put it down after the very first episode as they all spend time together, thanks to a cast that knows they’re in a once-in-a-lifetime project and enjoys it immensely, especially Jessica Walter’s spoiled matriarch, Lucille.
26. The Golden Girls
- Director: Susan Harris
- Writer: Susan Harris, Terry Grossman
- Cast: Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan
- IMDb Ratings: 8.2
- Rotten Tomatoes Score:
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Several contests take place, and girls from across the country compete to win the coveted title. This show has clever writing and amazing humor. Here’s a show that was never meant to succeed. According to 1980s network and demographic rating experts. A comedy story involving four elderly women living in a pastel-hued Miami house who tell hilarious double-entendres.
In addition to showing the experts that there is an underserved audience for this kind of comedy, the cast included stars like Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty. It was actually what they needed.
25. Arrested Development
- Director: Mitchell Hurwitz
- Writer: Mitchell Hurwitz, Barbie Adler
- Cast: Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Portia de Rossi
- IMDb Ratings: 8.7
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 74
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
After the family patriarch is convicted of fraud, the Bluth family loses everything. It is now Michael’s responsibility to make sure there is peace in the family. While viewers of Fox’s series were relatively low between 2003 and 2006, the show’s first three seasons received critical acclaim for their dense humor, talented cast, and outlandish scenarios. In 2013, Netflix released the fourth season.
The fifth season was released on Netflix in 2018 and 2019.
24. The Jeffersons
- Director: Norman Lear, Don Nicholl, Michael Ross
- Writer:
- Cast: Isabel Sanford, Sherman Hemsley, Roxie Roker
- IMDb Ratings: 7.5
- Rotten Tomatoes Score:
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford starred in a spinoff of All In The Family titled The Jeffersons, a series that chronicled the lives of Black couple George and Louise Jefferson after they moved from Queens to Manhattan due to George’s dry-cleaning business thriving. Black people were only ever depicted on television as poor in Lear’s series as a response to criticism from the Black Panthers.
Roxie Roker and Franklin Cover brought to the screen one of the first interracial couples to appear on television, and the show dealt with topics including gun control and suicide. The social commentary in The Jeffersons seems almost shocking when rewatched today.
23. Everybody Hates Chris
- Director: Ali LeRoi, Chris Rock
- Writer:
- Cast: Terry Crews, Tichina Arnold, Tequan Richmond
- IMDb Ratings:
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Comedy legend Chris Rock narrated this sitcom (which was inspired by his own life) and served as executive producer. Based on an early 1980s Brooklyn teen growing up, the show follows him as he adjusts to life in the big city.
22. Mr. Bean
- Director: Rowan Atkinson, Richard Curtis
- Writer:
- Cast: Rowan Atkinson, Robin Driscoll, Matilda Ziegler
- IMDb Ratings: 8.6
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
It is renowned for its universal physical comedy, and it follows Rowan Atkinson’s childlike title character as they cause havoc and amuse through simple everyday situations, such as dental appointments and dinners out. Twenty years after the popular series ended, Bean and Mr. Bean’s Holiday was released in 1997, attributed to the series’ phenomenal success.
21. Cheers
- Director: James Burrows, Glen Charles
- Writer:
- Cast: Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger
- IMDb Ratings: 8
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Video, Disney+
It seems like every Cheers episode starts with a new way to twist that premise into something unexpected and brilliant.
There are two parts to this show, which takes place at a Boston bar run by former Red Sox pitcher Sam Malone (Ted Danson): The first features the romantic tension between Sam and his love interest grad student Diane (Shelley Long); the second featuring the sexual tension between Sam and hilarious trainwreck Rebecca (Kirstie Alley).
20. Family Guy
- Director: Seth MacFarlane, David Zuckerman
- Writer:
- Cast: Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green
- IMDb Ratings: 8.2
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Video, Disney+
Family Guy that made Seth MacFarlane a household name, and the one he will never be able to top. That’s for sure. Even though he included a talking dog (sniff) and a bloodthirsty infant inexplicably British, MacFarlane created a family audience can relate to.
A cartoon with a cast of eccentric characters and never-ending jokes makes it one of the most important cartoons of all time. This animated comedy is surely one of the funny sitcoms.
19. Veep
- Director: Armando Iannucci
- Writer:
- Cast: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tony Hale, Anna Chlumsky
- IMDb Ratings: 8.1
- Rotten Tomatoes Score:
- Streaming Platform: HBO Max
What’s left for an encore when you star in one of the best sitcoms of the 90s? Julia Louis-Dreyfus sure followed up Seinfeld with this self-aggrandizing satire. Selina Meyer is played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, a woman who uses clever insults to cover her ineptitude and whip her staff and rivals like a howitzer as she holds the most thankless job in politics. This series went on for seven seasons.
18. The Bob Newhart Show
- Director: David Davis, Lorenzo Music
- Writer: Tom Patchett, Michael Zinberg, Jay Tarses
- Cast: Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, Bill Daily
- IMDb Ratings: 8.1
- Rotten Tomatoes Score:
- Streaming Platform: Hulu
Most comedies on television aim for the cheap seats in the back with jokes or punchlines. It feels like this smart sitcom was filmed on a different planet when starring the buttoned-up Newhart, who didn’t do either of these things. He was a dry, bemused Chicago psychiatrist who had a wide variety of bizarre patients.
It was as if he was an alien who had not yet figured out the world. She was as cool and composed as he was quietly neurotic outside the office, especially when it came to his wife, Emily (Suzanne Pleshette). The Bob Newhart Show is worth giving a try.
17. Curb Your Enthusiasm
- Director: Larry David
- Writer: Larry David, Jeff Schaffer, Carol Leifer, Justin Hurwitz, David Mandel, Alec Berg, Steve Leff, Nathaniel Stein
- Cast: Larry David, Cheryl Hines, Jeff Garlin
- IMDb Ratings: 8.8
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92
- Streaming Platform: HBO Max
The greatest cringe comedy of all time. Larry David played an exaggerated replica of himself in this HBO masterpiece, interacting awkwardly with friends and strangers who dared to challenge him on civilized behavior.
His universe defies politeness. David inspired Seinfeld’s character George, and the film Curb shows that his outbursts were real. Despite all the odds, David somehow manages to make you dislike him at the same time as you love him because he stays true to himself.
It is a cult classic.
16. The Larry Sanders Show
- Director: Dennis Klein, Garry Shandling
- Writer: Garry Shandling, Judd Apatow
- Cast: Garry Shandling, Jeffrey Tambor, Wallace Langham
- IMDb Ratings: 8.5
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100
- Streaming Platform: HBO Max
Garry Shandling’s Larry Sanders Show offered a funhouse mirror to the backstage drama of the ’90s when the biggest news in entertainment was Leno, Letterman, and Arsenio. Bravo! A show that mocked Hollywood egos without mercy; it was brilliant and petty. He has almost Zen-style self-awareness, an insatiable desire for his jugular, as the always-insecure talk show host of the title.
Artie is Larry’s guard dog, and Lin plays his clueless sidekick Hank, a drunken producer who loves scotch. The supporting cast of the show is perfect, especially Jeffrey Tambor’s Hank and Rip Torn’s Artie. There was nothing but greatness between the start and the end of this show.
15. The Dick Van Dyke Show
- Director: Carl Reiner
- Writer: Carl Reiner, Bill Persky, Sam Denoff
- Cast: Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie
- IMDb Ratings: 8.5
- Rotten Tomatoes Score:
- Streaming Platform: Hulu
Dick Van Dyke plays Rob Petrie, head writer for a New York comedy/variety show. Subsequent scenes depict his work and home lives. The fictional Alan Brady Show (written and produced by the show’s creator) gives viewers a glimpse of how a television program was created.
14. ’Frasier’
- Director: David Angell, Peter Casey
- Writer: Christopher Lloyd, David Angell, David Lloyd, Ken Levine
- Cast: Kelsey Grammer, Jane Leeves, David Hyde Pierce
- IMDb Ratings: 8.2
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95
- Streaming Platform: Hulu
From 1993 to 2004, the TV show “Frasier” aired on NBC. As psychologist Frasier Crane, Kelsey Grammer reprises his role in the “Cheers” spinoff.
He moved to Seattle to host a radio show, along with his father (John Mahoney), who was recently injured doing his job as a Seattle police officer, and their physical therapist (Jane Leeves), after the end of “Cheers” and the dissolution of his marriage. In addition, Frazier’s brother (David Hyde Pierce) visited him frequently.
13. I Love Lucy
- Director: Marc Daniels, William Asher, James V.
- Writer: Madelyn Pugh, Jess Oppenheimer, Bob Carroll Jr., Bob Schiller, Bob Weiskopf
- Cast: Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance
- IMDb Ratings: 8.5
- Rotten Tomatoes Score:
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
The show I Love Lucy revolved around Lucy Ricardo (Ball), a young, middle-class housewife residing in New York City. Along with her best friends, Ethel and Fred Mertz (Vance and Frawley), she planned appearances at Ricky Ricardo’s nightclub to support her husband.
In addition to being the first scripted television show filmed in front of a live studio audience, Lucy and Desi were also the first show with an ensemble cast, featuring Vivian Vance and William Frawley as the neighboring Mertz brothers.
12. Cobra Kai
- Director: Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz
- Writer: Jon Hurwitz, William Zabka, Josh Heald, Ralph Macchio
- Cast: Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, Xolo Maridueña
- IMDb Ratings: 8.6
- Rotten Tomatoes Score:
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
This sequel follows 34 years after the events of the first film in the Karate Kid series. A former rivalry between Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso becomes rekindled when he decides to reopen the Cobra Kai dojo.
For its fleshed-out characters and for bringing back the excitement of the original movies, the YouTube Premium show has been praised by viewers.
11. The Mary Tyler Moore Show
- Director: James L. Brooks, Allan Burns
- Writer: Allan Burns, James L. Brooks, David Lloyd
- Cast: Mary Tyler Moore, Edward Asner, Gavin MacLeod
- IMDb Ratings: 8.3
- Rotten Tomatoes Score:
- Streaming Platform: Hulu
When Mary Richards separates from her partner, she moves to Minneapolis to pursue a career. Despite this, she still struggles with finding a meaningful relationship. The book follows the trials and tribulations of a young single woman and her peers, both at the office and the house. The Mary Tyler Moore Show is one of the best tv sitcoms.
10. Bojack Horseman
- Director: Raphael Bob-Waksberg
- Writer: Raphael Bob-Waksberg, Mehar Sethi, Alison Tafel
- Cast: Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie
- IMDb Ratings: 8.8
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Against the odds, Bojack Horseman proved that animated programming could be both humorous and dark. In a world where most people consider animated programming to be children’s programming, he introduced viewers to a world where anthropomorphic animals and humans are interchangeable and visual puns are abundant.
The Netflix series, which follows the troubled life of its main character thoughtfully, stunned audiences with a strong first season and steady quality throughout its run.
9. Freaks And Geeks
- Director: Paul Feig
- Writer: Judd Apatow, Paul Feig
- Cast: Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley, James Franco
- IMDb Ratings: 8.8
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100
- Streaming Platform: Hulu
An intelligent high school student in the early 1980s becomes friends with a group of slackers at a Detroit boarding school in Freaks and Geeks. Due to the inconsistent scheduling of the series, the 1999-2000 season was canceled soon after its debut.
Despite this, Freaks and Geeks provided an early career boost to actors like James Franco, Seth Rogan, Jason Segel, and Busy Phillips. It has sketch comedy in it too!
8. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
- Director: Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton
- Writer: Charlie Day, Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, Megan Ganz, Lance Krall, Becky Mann, Rob Rosell
- Cast: Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney
- IMDb Ratings: 8.9
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94
- Streaming Platform: Fubo TV
This series began airing in 2005, and it’s still going strong 14 seasons later. The show follows a group of egocentric friends who run an Irish bar in South Philly.
As of May 2020, Always Sunny became the longest-running live-action American sitcom of all time, surpassing The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. With clever writing and quirky humor, fans will want to come back time and again.
7. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
- Director: Amy Sherman-Palladino
- Cast: Rachel Brosnahan, Alex Borstein, Michael Zegen
- IMDb Ratings: 8.7
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Video
It received critical acclaim after it was released on Amazon Prime Video and centered on an American housewife in the 1950s who becomes a standup comedian in New York.
A compelling female-centric story and fresh dialogue make The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel a very attractive show. There will be a fourth season following the third season, which was released in December 2019. It is an amazing sketch comedy show.
6. All in the Family
- Director: Norman Lear
- Writer: Rob Reiner, Norman Lear
- Cast: Carroll O’Connor, Jean Stapleton, Rob Reiner
- IMDb Ratings: 8.3
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Video
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, millions of people watched CBS on Saturday nights to see what Archie Bunker was going to say. Many of them agree with his ideology of the outer borough, but most would recognize it as the best TV satire ever made.
The show All in the Family was created by Norman Lear and reinvented what a TV show could say and be about. Our nation’s divisions and wounds were aired out through a simple 30-minute formula that pushed the envelope.
5. 30 Rock
- Director: Tina Fey
- Writer: Tina Fey, Donald Glover
- Cast: Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan
- IMDb Ratings: 8.3
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78
- Streaming Platform: Hulu
Tina Fey, formerly the head writer of Saturday Night Live, spoofs late-night variety shows, the self-absorbed eccentrics who work on them, and the absurdity of network politics in this rat-a-tat series that somehow squeezes in more laughs between commercial breaks than most shows do in an entire season. Throughout the movie, Fey beautifully mixes antisocial awkwardness with slapstick humor.
4. Sex And the City
- Director: Darren Star
- Writer: Alexa Junge, Darren Star, Candace Bushnell, Judy Toll
- Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis
- IMDb Ratings: 7.3
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 70
- Streaming Platform: HBO Max
Most people attribute HBO’s success to The Sopranos, but Carrie Bradshaw & Co. also deserve credit. Sarah Jessica Parker is a Manhattan sex columnist turned urban anthropologist. She spends the weekend with her three best friends: the prim Charlotte (Christin Davis), the uptight Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), and the sex-hungry Samantha.
3. Black-ish
- Director: Kenya Barris
- Writer: Kenya Barris, Jonathan Groff,
- Cast: Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Marcus Scribner
- IMDb Ratings: 7.2
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92
- Streaming Platform: Hulu
This network sitcom has always been perceived as a whites-only club, which is one of the biggest complaints. Kenya Barris’ family comedy, which nearly always hits the bull’s eye of humor and topicality during the Obama years, was one of the linchpins in that change.
Tony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross are both well-cast, playing a successful and happily married couple worried about their family’s not being “Black enough” to fit in at this point in history. It’s probably a massive overstatement, but the series’ resonance lies in the careful balancing act it strikes in balancing its timeliness with traditional screwball humor. It is one of the best family sitcoms.
2. The Odd Couple
- Director: Gene Saks
- Writer: Neil Simon
- Cast: Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, John Fiedler
- IMDb Ratings: 7.7
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97
- Streaming Platform: Hulu
A mismatched-roommate comedy starring Tony Randall’s persnickety neat freak Felix Unger and Jack Klugman’s rumpled, walking pigsty Oscar Madison, adapted from Neil Simon’s classic play starring Walter Matthau and Art Carney, and subsequently turned into a phenomenal movie with Matthau and Jack Lemmon. As you can see, opposites don’t always attract.
These divorced men, under their superficial snob versus slob façades, find a kind of reluctance to tolerate their long-gone partners that they never achieved with them. In other words, when they don’t drive each other crazy.
1. Will & Grace
- Director: David Kohan; Max Mutchnick
- Writer: Max Mutchnick, Gary Janetti, David Kohan
- Cast: Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Megan Mullally
- IMDb Ratings: 7.3
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 74
- Streaming Platform: Disney+
Debra Messing is Grace, a slightly daffy interior director, and Eric McCormack is Will, a well-dressed lawyer. They are the best friend of one, he is gay, and she is straight. Sean Hayes plays the flamboyantly loud and proud Jack, and Megan Mullally plays the loaded (both literally and figuratively) Karen.
It’s not exaggerating to say that this comedy, which premiered on NBC in 1998, played a major role in the push for gay rights in America as it has gay characters, including the legalization of same-sex marriage. It is one of the best sitcoms.
