10 Essential Sitcoms Everyone Should See At Least Once (original) (raw)
Published Nov 2, 2024, 8:00 PM EDT
Jennie Richardson is a TV Features and Lists Writer for Collider, and a graduate student pursuing an MFA in Fiction Writing. In other words, she really loves stories.
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Sitcoms are some of the most beloved shows for a reason. It is an unbeatable formula, making fans laugh with goofy things happening in each half-hour-long episode. Somehow, all the characters' problems always seem to be resolved by the end of the episode, and then the characters go back to their usual lives. Sitcoms are a comfort and a joy, and they are perfect for both watching and rewatching.
There are many phenomenal sitcoms out there, from traditional hangout comedies to more experimental ones. The best sitcoms honor the typical, traditional structure of the genre, while also doing something a bit new and inventive. They have characters that fans get to see grow and change, and relationships that evolve over time. These are 10 essential sitcoms that everyone should see at least once.
10 'The Office' (2005-2013)
Created by Greg Daniels, Ricky Gervais, and Stephen Merchant
Steve Carell and Ed Helms in The Office "Dinner Party" episode
Image via NBC
The Office is a classic and one of the most popular sitcoms of all time for a reason. It is a true workplace comedy, showing a group of people working at a boring day job while dealing with the antics of their unusual boss, Michael Scott (Steve Carell). The Office shows the employees of Dunder Mifflin trying to do their jobs, and always somehow getting distracted by everything from office rumors to bizarre safety drills.
What makes The Office such an essential sitcom is how well it captures the classic workplace setting. It takes the ordinary aspect of working at a boring job in an office, and it makes it extraordinary through sharp humor, hilarious running jokes, and a surprisingly sweet found family dynamic. The Office has some of the most iconic sitcom scenes, like Michael's uncomfortable dinner party, and Dwight's destruction of the CPR dummy.
The Office
Release Date
2005 - 2013-00-00
Network
Cast
Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Angela Kinsey, Kate Flannery, Phyllis Smith, Creed Bratton, Oscar Nunez, B.J. Novak, Mindy Kaling, Ed Helms, Paul Lieberstein, Craig Robinson, Ellie Kemper, Zach Woods, Melora Hardin, Andy Buckley, Catherine Tate, David Denman, Rashida Jones, James Spader, Robert R. Shafer, Hugh Dane, Jake Lacy
Showrunner
Main Genre
Comedy
Seasons
9
9 'Sex and the City' (1998-2004)
Created by Darren Star
Charlotte York, Samantha Jones, Carrie Bradshaw, and Miranda Hobbes in Sex and the City.
Image via HBO
One of the most essential personality category questions is this: are you a Carrie, a Charlotte, a Miranda, or a Samantha? Sex and the City's legacy is powerful and far-reaching, and it has been, even before the show was rebooted. The show follows sex columnist Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and her three best friends as they experience all the nuances of sex and dating in New York City.
Sex and the City is a classic sitcom. It expertly balances sharp comedy with touching bits of emotion, exploring the women's lives through their friendships, their heartbreaks, and each one of their continued attempts at finding love. Sex and the City is so memorable, because even though a lot of it is exaggerated for comedy, it is also very realistic. At the center of it all is the bond between the four women.
Sex and the City
Release Date
1998 - 2004-00-00
Cast
Kim Cattrall, Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, David Eigenberg, Chris Noth, Willie Garson, Kyle MacLachlan, John Corbett, iO Tillett Wright, Rochelle Aytes, Amy Sedaris, Ted King, Katie Maguire, Greta Cavazzoni, Liam Broggy, Peyton List, Casey Killoran, Sarah Pratt, Sarah Pratt, Adrian Rieder, Lucy Liu, Gary A. Jones, Kat Dennings, Peggy Gormley, Jeffrey Nordling, Scott Bryce, Donna Hanover, Bruce McCarty, Bill Sage
Seasons
6
8 'Friends' (1994-2004)
Created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman
Joey, Chandler, Rachel, and Monica sit on the couch, leaning forward, ready to play trivia on Friends.
Image via NBC
There are so many iconic aspects of Friends that have since become embedded in pop culture. Some examples include the "Rachel" haircut, the concept of "lobsters" to refer to soulmates, and the phrase, "We were on a break!" The show follows six friends over the course of ten years, focusing on their romantic relationships, their jobs, and every little aspect of each of their lives.
Friends is a true comfort sitcom. Through all the weird things that happen in the friends' lives, they all have each other at the end of the day, and they prioritize their friendships. They also give each other a lot of grief, and it is always hilarious to watch. Friends is one of those iconic sitcoms that is still very funny. It also has great romantic arcs and some really emotional and meaningful friendship scenes.
Network
Cast
Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer, James Michael Tyler, Elliott Gould, Lisa Thornhill, Steve Zahn, Michael McKean, Jana Marie Hupp, Carlo Imperato, Brittney Powell, Lea Thompson, Isabella Rossellini, Alec Baldwin, Elinor Donahue, John Allen Nelson, Anita Barone, Jill Goodacre, Jason Graae, Taylor Negron, Lilyan Chauvin, Nicky Katt
Seasons
10
7 'Arrested Development' (2003-2019)
Created by Mitchell Hurwitz
Lucille and Lindsay look angry while Michael stands behind them at a party on Arrested Development.
Image via 20th Century Fox Television
Arrested Development is genuinely one of the smartest and funniest sitcoms of all time. The show follows the delightfully bizarre Bluth family, after their patriarch is arrested for using the family business to commit crime. It shows the weird and complicated dynamics of the Bluths as they constantly scheme, get at each other's throats, and cause chaos for everyone in their lives.
What makes Arrested Development special are its self-centered central family, as well as its extremely clever jokes that play with language and words in the way no other sitcom does. For example, Buster (Tony Hale) loses a hand in Season 2 when a seal bites it off. Witnesses try to warn him of a "loose seal," but Buster stays in the water, thinking that they are referring to his mother, "Lucille." It is a must-see show for sitcom fans who appreciate wordplay.
Arrested Development
Release Date
2003 - 2019-00-00
Cast
Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Alia Shawkat, Tony Hale, David Cross, Jeffrey Tambor, Jessica Walter, Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, John Beard, Liza Minnelli, Mae Whitman, Alan Tudyk, Allan Wasserman, Andy Morrow, Andy Richter, Anne Bellamy, Ben Stiller, Blaine Pate, Bobby Lee, Carrie Preston, Chad Einbinder, Charlie Hartsock, Cheryl Howard, Chris Diamantopoulos, Cici Lau, Craig Robinson, Dave Thomas, Ed Begley Jr., Elise Robertson, Eric Zuckerman, Ethan Phillips, Frankie Muniz, Gloria Sandoval, Harry S. Murphy, Heather Graham, Jake Hoffman
Seasons
5
6 'The Good Place' (2016-2020)
Created by Michael Schur
Eleanor Shellstrop and Chidi Anagogne in The Good Place 'The Answer'
Image via NBC
Among the classic sitcoms that everyone should see is an especially unusual one that takes place in the afterlife and tackles moral philosophy. The Good Place initially follows Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell), a self-declared "medium person" who ends up in The Good Place by mistake. In an effort to get to stay without destroying the neighborhood, Eleanor gets moral philosophy tutoring from her accidentally-assigned soulmate, Chidi Anagonye (William Jackson Harper).
The Good Place should be mandatory viewing for all sitcom fans. It is incredibly inventive and full of massive plot twists, cliffhangers, and unexpected turns. It never gets too comfortable or repetitive, and instead is always changing things up and moving the plot forward at an incredibly fast pace. It follows the four humans through a variety of settings, as they all slowly become better people.
Cast
Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, Manny Jacinto, D'Arcy Carden, Marc Evan Jackson, Tiya Sircar, Emily Arlook, Jill Remez, Paulina Lule, Hayden Szeto, Amy Okuda, George Basil, Sandra Cevallos, Jamie Denbo, Lynnette Gaza, Noelle E Parker, Will McLaughlin, Mary Holland, Avery Hayes, Dax Shepard, Ross Bryant, Dah-uh Morrow, Jim Meskimen, Behzad Dabu, Seth Morris
Seasons
4
5 'How I Met Your Mother' (2005-2014)
Created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas
Robin, Lily, Marshall, Ted, & Barney dressed up in a hotel at Robin & Barney's wedding on How I Met Your Mother
Image via CBS
What makes How I Met Your Mother stand out from other sitcoms, even after its disappointing ending, is its incredibly inventive and clever format. The show follows Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) as he tells his kids the story of how he met their mother decades earlier. It takes the premise of a hangout comedy, and adds emotional depth through Ted's nuanced and thoughtful narrations from the future.
How I Met Your Mother uitilizes this narrative device for incredibly beautiful and smart storytelling, dropping clues and pieces of the story throughout the way as Ted gets closer to meeting Tracy (Cristin Milioti). It reveals massive pieces of the story long before they happen, like Ted being the Best Man at a wedding in Season 7's flash-forwards. It hangs over the entire season before revealing that it is Barney's (Neil Patrick Harris) wedding, and eventually that it is his wedding to Robin (Cobie Smulders).
How I Met Your Mother
Release Date
2005 - 2014-00-00
Network
Cast
Josh Radnor, Neil Patrick Harris, Jason Segel, Alyson Hannigan, Cobie Smulders, Lyndsy Fonseca, David Henrie, Cristin Milioti, Marshall Manesh, Dan Lauria, Jacob Witkin, Joe O'Connor, Valorie Hubbard, Ambrit Millhouse, Angela Martinez, Caitlin Wehrle, Christine Woods, Daniel Kash, Janet Varney, Mircea Monroe, Pedro Miguel Arce, Ptolemy Slocum, Blake Bertrand, Grace Parra Janney, Kazu Nagahama, Will Shadley, Bob Barker, Joanna Leeds, Meegan E. Godfrey
Showrunner
Craig Thomas
Directors
Michael J. Shea
Writers
Chris Harris, Stephen Lloyd, Joe Kelly, Robia Rashid, Greg Malins, Chris Marcil, Phil Lord, Sam Johnson, Tami Sagher, Gloria Calderon Kellett
Seasons
9
Story By
Carter Bays; Craig Thomas; Rob Greenberg
Streaming Service(s)
Amazon Prime Video
4 '30 Rock' (2006-2013)
Created by Tina Fey
Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy in 30 Rok "Black Tie"
Image via NBC
As sitcoms go, 30 Rock is easily one of the most essential ones for viewing. The show follows Liz Lemon (Tina Fey), creator and head writer of TGS with Tracy Jordan. It regularly shows Liz trying to make the show work, while usually getting distracted by whatever is going on in the lives of herself and her boss, Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin). 30 Rock is truly one of the greats, and it is the epitome of a witty sitcom.
30 Rock has sharp and wacky humor that gets even weirder and over-the-top as its seasons go on. In Season 1, Jenna (Jane Krakowski) almost marries a prince, who then dies that very night after drinking champagne. In Season 3, Liz is nervous about going to her high school reunion after having been picked on back then, but it turns out that she was the bully all along. The show has incredible humor both inside and outside** its show-within-a-show**, as well as the wonderfully codependent friendship between Liz and Jack.
30 Rock
Release Date
2006 - 2013-00-00
3 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' (2005-)
Created by Rob McElhenney and Glenn Howerton
Charlie, Dee, Dennis, Mac, & Frank hiding from a robber in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Image via FX
The longest-running live action sitcom of all time is an essential sitcom by default anyways, but it is also just a phenomenal piece of television. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has the simplest premise: five terrible people own a bar together, but they spend all of their time scheming and ruining other people's lives. The show has since gone on to showcase some really inventive and over-the-top episodes.
There was the time that Mac (Rob McElhenney) and Dennis (Glenn Howerton) moved to the suburbs, which pushed them both over the edge, culminating in Mac feeding their dead dog to Dennis. The gang have also broken into houses, started a cult, burned down an apartment, held a man hostage, and caused more than a few deaths. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is not for those looking for a sweet and comforting sitcom, but it has some of the funniest and wildest jokes on television.
Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Release Date
August 4, 2005
Created by Dan Harmon
Community starts out as a show about Jeff Winger (Joel McHale), a lawyer with a fake college degree, who gets exposed and is forced to go to community college. It quickly branches out into a one-of-a-kind sitcom, exploring science fiction elements like multiple timelines and a zombie epidemic. Community is also a great show for film and television fans, honoring some of the classics with homage episodes and meta humor.
Greendale Community College is the perfect sitcom setting. It takes what should have been ordinary, and turns it into a weird and lovely place where they have school-wide paintball and hot lava competitions. The best sitcoms have a central friendship group that are a little too close, and Community understands that. The study group's dynamic is ever-evolving, especially due to its rotating cast of characters in the later seasons. However, they are the core of the show, from the beginning and to the end.
Community
Release Date
2009 - 2015-00-00
Cast
Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Ken Jeong, Yvette Nicole Brown, Jim Rash, Donald Glover, Chevy Chase, Aaron Himelstein, Aaron Takahashi, Abraham Benrubi, Adrian Sparks, Alfred Dennis, Bubba Dean Rambo, Carl Ciarfalio, Carlos Moreno Jr., Charles Walker, Christopher Boyer, David Jean Thomas, Derwin Jordan, E.J. Callahan, Gloria Sandoval, Gwen McGee, James Martin Kelly, John Michael Higgins, Lee Weaver, Lisa Long, Mark Ryan, Matt Besser, Michael McCafferty, Michelle Krusiec, Mitchell Hurwitz
Main Genre
Comedy
Seasons
6
1 'New Girl' (2011-2018)
Created by Elizabeth Meriwether
New Girl characters right to left: Winston (Lamorne Morris), Nick (Jake Johnson), Jess (Zooey Deschanel), Coach (Damon Wayans Jr.), Cece (Hannah Simone) and Schmidt (Max Greenfield).
Image via FOX
If you can only watch one sitcom, then let it be New Girl. The show starts with Jess Day (Zooey Deschanel) moving in with three guys she found on Craig's List after a bad breakup. The dynamic of the loftmates is truly one of the very best in sitcom history. They all have their weird traits that make for really entertaining television, particularly with them all living under the same roof. New Girl never shies away from the strange, and it is always very funny.
New Girl has some of the best and more unique sitcom characters, and some really great sitcom romances. The most iconic is the romance between Jess and Nick (Jake Johnson), who have arguably the greatest first kiss in a sitcom, ever. New Girl makes Loft 4D seem like the perfect place to live. There are always funny antics occurring, and the group is always up to something.
Cast
Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Lamorne Morris, Hannah Simone, Damon Wayans Jr., Nasim Pedrad, Nelson Franklin, Clark Duke, Eva Amurri, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kay Cannon, Lamont Johnson, Natalie Dreyfuss, Peg Shirley, Ryan Kwanten, Tig Notaro, Alexandra Daddario, Dan Olivo, Jack Yang, Maitland McConnell, Morgan Krantz, Rakefet Abergel, Sarah Baker, Billy Eichner, Joel Gelman, Kiersey Clemons, Medalion Rahimi, Lori Greiner, Ralph Ahn
Seasons
7
Website
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