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While the primetime slot that was once home to Friends and Seinfeld is no longer the make or break (thanks, Netflix), there's no shortage of must-watch comedy TV—even if our definition of TV has changed. Animated series' like Big Mouth have followed in the footsteps of South Park and Family Guy, and mockumentary TV series have been taken to the next level with Netflix's American Vandal. You've also got more wholesome, feel-good shows like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, stoner comedies like Broad City, and post-Seinfeld, we're still being blessed with the comedic stylings of Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Veep.
If you're looking for a new funny TV series for late-night binge-watching, you've come to the right place. These are the funniest comedy TV shows of all time.
The Good Place
Network: NBC
Air Dates: Sept. 19, 2016–present
Stars: Kristen Bell, William Jackson Harper, Ted Danson, Jameela Jamil, D'Arcy Carden, Manny Jacinto
Every time I try to explain The Good Place, I manage to make it sound like the dweebiest show of all time: "A woman named Eleanor dies and goes to heaven, but realizes she was supposed to go to Hell." Doesn't exactly sound like a must-watch comedy, right? Explanatory difficulties aside, The Good Place is a fantastic show that does the most within the 30-minute (technically 23-minute) constraints of the network comedy. Bell's Eleanor is the worst, but also kind of the best, which can be said of most of the show's main characters, save for Carden's Janet, who is actually just the best. The show also manages to pose important questions about morality and good versus evil, including the most important one: "What do we owe each other?" Queue this one up if you like a side of philosophy with your laughs. —CB
Atlanta
Network: FX
Air Dates: September 6, 2016–present
Stars: Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, Lakeith Stanfield, Zazie Beetz
Part of what makes Atlanta succeed is how it quietly debases that otherness. Easily one of the decade’s best shows of any genre, Glover’s most essential work is a piece of surreality that grounds itself in a realistic perspective of blackness that’s as fertile as the city that lends the series its name. Glover dials back the nerdy histrionics to become Earn, a college dropout who sees a new opportunity in managing his cousin, Alfred, AKA already-over-it rapper Paper Boi. Rounding out the core characters is Earn’s baby mother Van, who’s caught between responsibilities to her daughter and herself, and Alfred's best friend, Darius, who’s just... Darius. In short, they’re all fuckups to an extent.
Atlanta is basically a new show with every episode, but even as it chicanes through a dark comedy variety show (“B.A.N.”), straight-up horror (all-timer “Teddy Perkins”), and bildungsroman (“FUBU”), it centers on the idea of the impossibility of self-improvement. The parade of absurdities—who could forget Black Justin Bieber?—lends Atlanta its charm, but it’s the attention paid to humanity that makes the series resonate. —Khal
Veep
Network: HBO
Air Dates: April 22, 2012–present
Stars: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, Reid Scott, Timothy Simons, Matt Walsh, Sufe Bradshaw, Kevin Dunn, Gary Cole, Sam Richardson
Though not shot in the mockumentary style of The Office and Parks and Recreation, Veep is home to plenty of its own cringe-worthy moments, reminiscent of the aforementioned classics. Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Selina Meyer is, to put it lightly, cracked out of her damn mind, and definitely has no business being anywhere near the White House (then again, neither does our IRL president). Her antics are helped along (and often one-upped) by those of her at times equally incompetent colleagues, including her Chief of Staff (Chlumsky), personal aide (Hale), and Director of Communications (Walsh). At its heart, it's a workplace comedy, heightened by the fact that that workplace is the highest office of the United States government. In JLD we trust. —CB
Broad City
Network: Comedy Central
Air Dates: Jan. 22, 2014–present
Stars: Ilana Glazer, Abbi Jacobson
There's nothing I can say about Broad City that hasn't already been said, so I'll keep it simple: keep letting women be fuck ups on television! OK, maybe fuck ups is a little harsh—but let us be lost, directionless, and a little stressed out, in a way that doesn't manifest in the pursuit of a man who will fix all our problems, or scary, self-destructive behavior. Broad City is special because at its center is a strong female friendship, one that provides laughter, comfort, forgiveness, and accountability, like all good friendships should. We're gonna miss this one when we have to say good-bye. —CB
American Vandal
Network: Netflix
Air Dates: Sept. 15, 2017—Sept. 14, 2018
Stars: Tyler Alvarez, Griffin Gluck, Jimmy Tatro
We will look back on the premature cancellation of Netflix's American Vandal as one of the gravest pop culture injustices of our time—personally, I already am. Criminally terminated by the streaming giant after one incredible season and one not-as-good-but-still-pretty-damn-good season, American Vandal is a mockumentary series that effortlessly blends the ridiculousness of high school with the drama of a true crime doc. The first season, which starred Jimmy Tatro as a hopeless stoner accused of spray-painting dicks onto his teachers' cars, was a masterpiece that captured the millennial consciousness in a way few of today's comedies have been able to do. The second season stumbled a bit, but certainly not enough to warrant a flat-out cancellation. We'll remember this, Netflix. —CB
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Network: HBO
Air Dates: Oct. 15, 2000–Sept. 11, 2011, Oct. 1, 2017—present
Stars: Larry David, Jeff Garlin, Cheryl Hines, Susie Essman
It's OK, you can admit it: Curb Your Enthusiasm is funnier than Seinfeld. Though the latter is regarded as television's greatest sitcom, co-creator Larry David's HBO follow-up series has enhanced the proven Seinfeld formula (characters pissing people off in multiple, seemingly random storylines that somehow congeal together by the episode's end) by upping the ante. The humor is nastier (thanks, cable television), the situations more exaggerated, and, yes, David is a more interesting and likable lead than the blander Jerry Seinfeld.
LD's genius derives from a combination of no-fucks-given selfishness and an endearing aloofness to his rampant inappropriateness. If you were to meet TV alter-ego him in real life, you'd probably want to snuff David in the jaw, but, thankfully, Curb Your Enthusiasm is fiction. Hilarious fiction, at that. —MB
30 Rock
Network: NBC
Air Dates: Oct. 11, 2006–Jan. 31, 2013
Stars: Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer, Scott Adsit, Katrina Bowden, Judah Freidlander, Keith Powell, Lonny Ross, John Lutz, Kevin Brown
There was a time when NBC's 30 Rock was unbeatable at every major television accolade event, from the Primetime Emmys to the Golden Globes. And for good reason—overseen by the undeniably funny Tina Fey, this satirical look at a fictional variety show, not unlike Fey's old Saturday Night Live stomping grounds, fired hilarious quotables at viewers with tireless ferocity. Many came from Alec Baldwin, whose work as the wonderfully egotistic, Lorne Michaels-like executive evolved into one of this generation's top sitcom characters. —MB
Seinfeld
Network: NBC
Air Dates: July 5, 1989–May 14, 1998
Stars: Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, Jason Alexander
You know they're awful people. You wouldn't have them as your friends' friends. The four main characters of Seinfeld were joined together in miserable neuroses, in a bizarro world of uncompromising (but unfathomable) ethics, with codes incomprehensible to the people outside the circle.
You know they're hilarious, too. They filled American culture with shorthand we can't escape. Man hands. A puffy shirt. Sponge worthy. Man fur. Candy line-up. That's to name a few and forget a score, so all the more reason to return to the episodes, where four terrible New Yorkers cut funny paths through their city, the strands eventually crisscrossing. For a time, it was the standard. —RS
Martin
Network: Fox
Air Dates: Aug. 27, 1992–May 1, 1997
Stars: Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, Carl Anthony Payne II, Thomas Mikal Ford, Tichina Arnold
Very few programs remain every bit as entertaining over 15 years after their conclusion as Martin, a show about a big-eared radio DJ from Detroit with enough personality for an entire cast. Comedian and actor Martin Lawrence played Martin Payne, a DJ for WZUP (and eventually the host of his own talk show, "Word on the Street"). Central to the show was Martin's relationship with Gina Waters, the large-headed (literally) love of his life. They broke up and got back together throughout the series, but their genuine love provided a complement to the show's constant comedy. Also important were Martin's relationships with his biggest adversary, Gina's best friend, Pam James, and his two best friends, the comically inept Cole Brown and the tall, bald, and possibly unemployed Tommy Strawn.
Martin also had numerous amazing guest stars like Richard Pryor, Billy Dee Williams, Keith Washington, Snoop Dogg, Tommy Hearns, Randall Cunningham, Method Man, Jodeci, and even Biggie. No show today is landing cameos like that. Not only was Martin instrumental in African-American culture and hip-hop culture, it played a role in popular culture that can't be argued. —K
Arrested Development
Network: Fox
Air Dates: Nov. 2, 2003–Feb. 10, 2006, May 26, 2013, May 3, 2018—present
Stars: Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Alia Shawkat, Tony Hale, David Cross, Jeffrey Tambor, Jessica Walter
What did we do to deserve Arrested Development, what with its incredible ensemble cast, intricate narrative threads and callbacks, jokes that built for entire episodes to culminate in brilliant punch-lines like goddamn Grandmaster chess moves?
If you aren't familiar, Arrested Development tells of the Bluth family, a superficially selfish bunch of affluent layabouts that enters the crucible of a white-collar criminal case when the patriarch, George Bluth Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor), is arrested. His most competent son, Michael (Jason Bateman), tries to keep things together.
Fox cancelled the show after three seasons, despite protests from critics and the show's cult following. Six years ago, Netflix revived the show for a fourth season, which was recut last year and will be followed by a fifth season this year. Justice is served. —RS
The Office
Network: NBC
Air Dates: March 24, 2005–May 16, 2013
Stars: Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Rainn Wilson, Mindy Kaling, B.J. Novak, Craig Robinson, Melora Hardin, Ed Helms, Leslie David Baker, Ellie Kemper, Angela Kinsey, Paul Lieberstein, Oscar Nunez, Phyllis Smith, Amy Ryan, Brian Baumgartner, Creed Bratton
Based on the British comedy of the same name, the American version of The Office has introduced us to some of the most original characters and writing in TV history. Like the show, the characters are so beloved and accessible because they're people you know, just exaggerated to hilarious extremes. Who hasn't had the boss who would buy himself a mug stating that he is, in fact, the best boss? There's always a woman obsessed with her cats a few cubicles over. And there's always a Dwight, someone who cares way too much about the job, and may or may not have the potential to be a serial killer. The gang's all here! —TA
I Love Lucy
Network: CBS
Air Dates: Oct. 15, 1951–May 6, 1957
Stars: Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, William Frawley, Keith Thibodeaux
Lucille Ball's face was an elastic wonder, capable of overflowing pouts, wide and tight smiles. It could hold quantities of chocolate that would OD the most seasoned trick-or-treater. You laughed at her face and fell in love with it, whatever she needed from you at the moment. For six years, she accumulated laughter and adoration as Lucy Ricardo, wife to Ricky (real-life husband DesiArnaz), friend to Fred and Ethel, eventual mother to Little Ricky.
During a time when TV was still figuring out whether it was just a means to keep viewers alert during advertisements or could be art, the majority of Americans watched I Love Lucy—during its second season, nearly 70 percent of the country was tuning in. Since it first began, there has not been a time when it was not airing. Even today, you can find it, and it's all because of the woman in the title. —RS
Parks and Recreation
Network: NBC
Air Dates: April 9, 2009–Feb. 24, 2015
Stars: Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Chris Pratt, Aubrey Plaza, Rob Lowe, Adam Scott, Paul Schneider, Jim O'Heir
Back when it premiered, in April 2009, NBC's Parks and Recreation, which was shot in the same reality TV style as The Office, met lofty expectations with an unevenly funny debut season. The cast, including Amy Poehler and Rashida Jones, promised greatness, and several of the early episodes are indeed hilarious. But it wasn't until Parks and Rec's knockout second season that the intelligently subversive sitcom came into its own. Today, the nuances and one-liners of its beloved characters remain part of popular jargon, and it's remembered for its side-splitting jokes and overall warmth. —MB
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Network: NBC
Air Dates: Sept. 10, 1990–May 20, 1996
Stars: Will Smith, James Avery, Alfonso Ribiero, Karyn Parsons, Tatyana M. Ali, Janet Hubert-Whitten, Joseph Marcell, Daphne Maxwell Reid, DJ Jazzy Jeff
During its six-season run on NBC, The French Prince of Bel-Air was a juggernaut. Viewers learned the theme song without trying. Smith even allowed "Summertime," his classic track recorded with DJ Jazzy Jeff, to fuel the show's popularity and vice versa. Hell, the legendary DJ landed a role on the show as Will's friend, the one whose undying love for Hilary got him regularly ejected from the Banks' residence.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was the perfect complement and eventual successor to The Cosby Show, as it depicted an upper-class African-American family that wasn't out of touch with the realities of black America. It wasn't quite as funny as Martin, but it dealt with a broader range of subjects. That makes it one of the better television shows of all-time-period. -—JK
Cheers
Network: NBC
Air Dates: Sept. 30, 1982–May 20, 1993
Stars: Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Nicholas Colasanto, Rhea Perlman, George Wendt, John Ratzenberger, Woody Harrelson, Kelsey Grammer, Kirstie Alley, Bebe Neuwirth
Cheers was a beloved show that handled the serious stuff just like your bartender does: with humor. The main character, Sam (Ted Danson) ended his pro baseball career because of alcoholism, before finding himself as a bartender. If that sounds like an awful way to recover, we'd invite you to go to a bar at 2 a.m., completely sober, and watch everyone's poor choices. It'll probably be enough for you to give up the devil juice all together.
Despite its humorous portrayal of addiction, class conflicts, and homophobia, Cheers will always be about finding the one place where you do belong. We're still looking for a place that will joyfully greet us every time we enter, and hand us a beer. Maybe we'll change our name to "Norm." —TA
The Three Stooges
Network: Syndicated
Air Dates: June 7, 1934–April 6, 1959
Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Shemp Howard, Joe Besser, Joe DeRita
Moe, Larry, Curly—what a bunch of dumbasses. Poking each other in the eyes, falling over one another, beating each other up, and for what? Fame? Fortune? International recognition as being the founding fathers of physical comedy? Ugh, genius. Genius, idiots. Try to think of a slapstick act that the Three Stooges didn't do first, in one of the 190 shorts. Their shorts have never left TV since first airing in 1958—that's staying power. —TA
The Abbott and Costello Show
Network: Syndicated
Air Dates: Dec. 1, 1952–May 1, 1954
Stars: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Sidney Fields, Gordon Jones, Joe Besser, Hilary Brooke, Joe Kirk
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello defined the old adage "opposites attract." In terms of their comedic stylings, the two New Jersey natives couldn't be any more different: Abbott was the perennial "straight man," while Costello, one of Hollywood's all-time great physical comedians, was the lovable doofus. Together, they created 52 episodes' worth of situational greatness in The Abbott and Costello Show, a free-spirited series that revolved more around extended routines and gags than plot-driven cohesiveness. There aren't any life-affirming resolutions or major character arcs—instead, episodes go by with three or so long, punchline-heavy scenes that just end. Abbott and Costello's dedication to laughs over lessons will forever be appreciated. —MB
The Honeymooners
Network: CBS
Air Dates: Oct. 1, 1955–Sept. 22, 1956
Stars: Jackie Gleason, Audrey Meadows, Art Carney, Joyce Randolph
Any man who's ever worked hard for meager earnings while dreaming of bigger things should relate to, as well as feel for, Mr. Ralph Kramden (played by the great Jackie Gleason). The main character on The Honeymooners, Kramden exemplified lower-class unhappiness throughout the classic sitcom's 39 episodes, collecting paychecks as a bus driver before returning home to his humble Brooklyn apartment, where he'd see his wife, Alice (Audrey Meadows), and lovable but often irritating best friend, Ed Norton (Art Carney).
At any given moment, Kramden appeared ready to go postal, and few actors have nailed near-explosion combustibility with Gleason's kind of screen presence and knack for comedic timing. —MB
The Bernie Mac Show
Network: Fox
Air Dates: Nov. 14, 2001–April 14, 2006
Stars: Bernie Mac, Kellita Smith, Jeremy Suarez, Camille Winbush, Dee Dee Davis
It all began with a segment from The Original Kings of Comedy, where Bernie Mac took in his sister's children after she entered rehab. Fox turned the situation into a weekly sitcom that was much different from what fans of Mac were used to, specifically his loud, animated tirades. Mac stayed true to his signature humor as much as the constraints of broadcast television permitted, but just like in real life, his love for his family was more than apparent.
The show was also famous for Mac's frequent breaking of the fourth wall, which he did to relay the importance or absurdity of a given moment to the audience. The Bernie Mac Show went strong on Fox for five seasons, seeing a 100th episode before the series ended. —JK
Sanford and Son
Network: NBC
Air Dates: Jan. 14, 1972–March 25, 1977
Stars: Redd Foxx, Demond Wilson
The South Central L.A. neighborhood of Watts received a surprising amount of love from TV during the 1970s, with the most coming from Sanford and Son. The U.S. version of the British show Steptoe and Son, Sanford and Son gave black America a slightly less abrasive answer to Archie Bunker. Played by the legendary Red Foxx, Fred Sanford was a wily old coot who constantly insulted others with his quick wit. The most frequent target of his jabs? His son, Lamont, who helped him sell antiques and, well, junk. Lamont longed to step out on his own and live a life free of his father's critiques, but his genuine love for his old man—and Sanford's constant threats—kept him around.
In addition to providing a model for the successful African American sitcom, Sanford and Son was a smash hit across audiences. Even when Foxx temporarily left the show because of a contract dispute, its popularity never flagged. The show lives on through the character of Fred Sanford, and through every rap song that's ever sampled the theme. —JK
Will and Grace
Network: NBC
Air Dates: Sept. 21, 1998–May 18, 2006
Stars: Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Megan Mullally, Sean Hayes
We don't want to get too political about this, but Will and Grace has educated more people about homosexuality than most schools. A lot of people said the now-classic sitcom was doomed to fail, because who wants to watch two main characters who have no chance in being sexually attracted to each other? Uh, lots of people, because it's hilarious.
Will and Grace was groundbreaking; it was the first TV show to have openly gay main characters. Plus, it had different kinds of soul mates, like flamboyantly and fabulously gay Jack (Hayes) and the borderline-alcoholic sass-machine, Karen (Mullally). —TA
Modern Family
Network: ABC
Air Dates: Sept. 23, 2009–present
Stars: Ed O'Neill, Sofia Vergara, Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, Sarah Hyland, Ariel Winter, Nolan Gould, Rico Rodriguez
As progressive as it is hilarious, Modern Family follows the hijinks of the three related families (one "traditional," one May-December, and one same-sex) that routinely screw things up for one another (see: Ty Burrell's man-child patriarch Phil Dunphy) but always come together through shared love and affection. Just not in the insufferably cutesy ways Full House used to wrap story lines up, thank heavens. —MB
Scrubs
Network: NBC (2001–2008), ABC (2009–2010)
Air Dates: Oct. 2, 2001–March 17, 2010
Stars: Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, Donald Faison, Neil Flynn, Ken Jenkins, John C. McGinley, Judy Reyes, Eliza Coupe, Kerry Bishe, Michael Mosley, Dave Franco
There's a secret behind the success of Scrubs. Throw the medical jargon, flashbacks, slapstick, will-they-won't-they romances, and episodes that make you cry as hard as you laugh out the window, and you have a show about two bros who love each other. JD (Zach Braff) and Turk (Donald Faison) are full of love, and the appeal of Scrubs' was in this relationship. That's rare for a comedy. Scrubs is one of those comedies that showed it was possible to move from sight gags to heart-wrenching drama, all in under 30 minutes. —TA
Friends
Network: NBC
Air Dates: Sept. 22, 1994–May 6, 2004
Stars: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry
Friends was a phenomenon, to say the least. Despite a slow start, the NBC sitcom gained a loyal following that would carry it for ten whole seasons. For its fans, Friends wasn't just another sitcom to fill a Thursday night. It was the equivalent of going to your parents' house once a week for a home-cooked meal—cozy, familiar, a way to escape. Not only was the chemistry of the cast amusingly palpable, but the show's also consistent rom-com-esque storylines allowed people to become invested in the characters. Proof? Every other person can tell you what exactly a "Ross and Rachel" relationship means. —TA
Married... with Children
Network: Fox
Air Dates: April 5, 1987–June 9, 1997
Stars: Ed O'Neill, Katey Sagal, Christina Applegate, David Faustino, David Garrison, Ted McGinley, Amanda Bearse
What's not to love about Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill), the patriarch of Married... with Children's incredibly dysfunctional family? He's quick to berate his equally cold-hearted wife (Katey Sagal), uses his job selling women's shoes to ogle beautiful ladies who aren't his old ball-and-chain, and wants nothing more than to drink beers with his fellow unhappily married men. OK, so he's basically the genuine article for divorce lawyers of all types, but so what? Married... with Children is rude, crude, and damn proud of it. —MB
Reno 911!
Network: Comedy Central
Air Dates: July 23, 2003–July 8, 2009
Stars: Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garant, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Cedric Yarbrough, Niecy Nash, Carlos Alazraqui, Wendy McLendon-Covey, Joe Lo Truglio, Ian Roberts, Mary Birdsong
Quick to yell "Fuck the police!" whenever a cruiser rolls by and the uniformed driver grills you down? Then Reno 911! is the show for you. The brainchild of The State veterans Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garant, and Kerri Kenney-Silver, the Comedy Central mockumentary series tossed pies at police officers with its dumbass characters and their knack for busting comically inept criminals. If cops were this idiotic in real life, the streets truly wouldn't be safe. —MB
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Network: FX
Air Dates: Aug. 4, 2005–present
Stars: Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney, Danny DeVito, Kaitlin Olson
Good taste means nothing to characters on FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia—hell, they don't even care if the beer they serve inside the rundown Paddy's Pub is drinkable. Thus, it's no surprise that TV viewers seeking a little edginess in their half-hour comedy servings continue to regularly watch the series seven years after its premiere.
Whether they're sleeping with each other's moms, snorting coke, or spicing things up with LSD, the Sunny gang's business is moral corruption, not beer sales. And business is always thriving. —MB
Flight of the Conchords
Network: HBO
Air Dates: June 17, 2007–March 22, 2009
Stars: Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie, Rhys Darby, Kristen Schaal
What began as two Kiwis—Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement—playing joke-folk as a stand-up act became an acclaimed HBO original series; you know it as Flight of the Conchords. The program found Bret and Jemaine in NYC, trying to find an American fanbase beyond devoted follower Mel (Kristen Schaal). Ostensibly, their manager Murray Hewitt (Rhys Darby) was supposed to help them with that. But Murray was only good for laughs.
Across two seasons, the Conchords wrote novelty songs that also worked as pop music. In fact, the music worked so well that the show almost became too omnipresent. But if you revisit it now (for instance, put on "Business Time" right this second), you'll be pleasantly surprised to find that the jokes still work. The American university system could not kill Kiwi comedy. —RS
Everybody Hates Chris
Network: UPN (2005–2006), The CW (2006–2009)
Air Dates: Sept. 22, 2005–May 8, 2009
Stars: Tyler James Williams, Terry Crews, Tichina Arnold, Tequan Richmond, Vincent Martella, Imani Hakim
Chris Rock's always been candid about his upbringing in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, often explaining that the hardships of his childhood fueled his career. In the fall of 2005, he brought those memories to TV with Everybody Hates Chris.
Set during the 1980s, Everybody Hates Chris chronicled Rock's painful fight for respect, a battle that started in his own home. On the show, his parents constantly harass him; he lives in the shadow of his younger brother; even his little sister gets the best of him. He's bullied in his neighborhood and at school, and everything that he wants always seems out of reach. The show was praised for using humor to interrogate race and class problems in America, garnering several Golden Globe and Emmy nominations, in addition to claiming several NAACP Image Awards. In 2007, Tyler James Williams (who played the lead), became the youngest person to win an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series. He was just 14. —JK
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Network: CBS
Air Dates: Sept. 19, 1970–March 19, 1977
Stars: Mary Tyler Moore, Edward Asner, Valerie Harper, Gavin MacLeod, Ted Knight, Georgia Engel, Betty White, Cloris Leachman
Almost all women in comedy have The Mary Tyler Moore Show to thank. Without Mary iconically tossing her hat in the air, we'd have no Murphy Brown, and certainly no 30 Rock. The Mary Tyler Moore Show did one thing that changed television forever: It had a single working woman in her thirties as the main character, and she wasn't widowed or divorced. That was groundbreaking. Plus, it was really funny. It's regarded as the most acclaimed television show ever produced, and made the situation comedy something more than recycled plots and characters. —TA
That '70s Show
Network: Fox
Air Dates: Aug. 23, 1998–May 18, 2006
Stars: Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Laura Prepon, Danny Masterson, Wilmer Valderrama, Kurtwood Smith, Debra Jo Rupp, Tanya Roberts, Tommy Chong, Don Stark
For its eight-season run, That '70s Show succeeded on its ability to mix dumb fun and toilet jokes with the awkwardness of real teenage issues, like college and virginity. Not to mention, it gave us one of the most memorable characters to ever grace television: delusional ladies' man, Fez (Wilmer Valderrama), i.e. the Screech of the new generation. The show also launched the careers of a couple of the funnier actors in Hollywood, namely Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis. Evidently, no similar sitcom could live up to the precedent it set, and that includes the quickly canceled dud, That '80s Show. —TA
Malcolm in the Middle
Network: Fox
Air Dates: Jan. 9, 1999–May 20, 2005
Stars: Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, Christopher Masterson, Justin Barfield, Jane Kaczmarek, Erik Per Sullivan
Bryan Cranston's always been a great actor. The pent-up rage that he exhibited as Walter White germinated in his Hal character, especially in scenes that had him talking about his job. Of course, Hal wasn’t the star of the show, neither was Jane Kaczmarek, even though she played Malcolm’s mother, Lois, and nabbed seven Emmy nods and three Golden Globes in her breakout role.
No, the star of the show was Frankie Muniz, who played the fourth-wall breaking title character, Malcolm. What the title song says is true: Life is unfair. Like so many kids, Malcolm suffered the injustice and humiliation of everything from bullying to his first kiss to an unhinged, but loving mom. In other words, the injustice and humiliation of being a kid. —IA
The Wayans Bros.
Network: The WB
Air Dates: Jan. 11, 1995-May 20, 1999
Stars: Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, John Witherspoon, Anna Maria Horsford
Doing it on your own terms is a Wayans family trait, so from the moment Shawn and Marlon ditched the average sitcom setting and Tribe's "Electric Relaxation" kicked off the shows' opening sequence, it was clear what The Wayans Bros. was about. Viewers tuned in week after week to watch the two youngest brothers wade through life's bullshit while living in Harlem. Shawn, the elder sibling, owned a newsstand in Manhattan's Niedermeyer Building, where Marlon also worked. Just a few feet away, their father had a diner called Pops' Diner. Over the course of the series, Dee, a security guard who worked in the building, acted as an older sister to the pair. In between, they were occasionally annoyed by White Mike (R.I.P Mitch Mullany), and hung out with T.C. and Dupree.
The Wayans Bros. enjoyed a five-season run on The WB before being unceremoniously cancelled in 1999. As mentioned in Scary Movie, it didn't even get the respect of a proper final episode. —JK
Workaholics
Network: Comedy Central
Air Dates: April 6, 2011–March 15, 2017
Stars: Anders Holm, Blake Anderson, Adam DeVine, Kyle Newacheck
Obviously smarter than the characters they play, Workaholics' stars, and creators, Anders Holm, Blake Anderson, and Adam DeVine kept the underachiever sect of comedy alive and well on their hilarious Comedy Central series. For the uninitiated, you can first read our in-depth digital cover story with the fellas. But here's an appropriately simple Workaholics synopsis: It's about three disenchanted employees working for the fictional telemarketing company Telamericorp who'd rather get high and goof off than work. That's precisely what they do, too, and lovers of mindless laughs are all the better for it. —MB
Eastbound & Down
Network: HBO
Air Dates: Feb. 15, 2009–Nov. 17, 2013
Stars: Danny McBride, Steve Little, Katy Mixon, John Hawkes, Andrew Daly, Jennifer Irwin, Ana de la Reguera, Michael Pena, Marco Rodriguez, Efren Ramirez, Don Johnson
You don't watch Easbound & Down for its setting, cast (though Will Ferrell’s Ashley Schaeffer deserves his own show), or even the story. You watch for Kenny Fuckin’ Powers.
Television is littered with assholes, but Kenny Powers was a next level dirtbag, the type of guy who convinces a woman to leave her husband, only to abandon her at a gas station after having second thoughts (that's some Flannery O'Connor-style nastiness). He's selfish to an insane degree, and it is hilarious. Plus, he's got great catchphrases. —IA
Freaks and Geeks
Network: NBC
Air Dates: Sept. 25, 1999–July 8, 2000
Stars: Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley, James Franco, Samm Levine, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Martin Starr, Becky Ann Baker, Joe Flaherty, Busy Philipps
Before Judd Apatow laid bare the heart in raunchy sex comedies like The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, he injected brains and feeling into the high-school series with Freaks and Geeks, one of the sweetest (and shortest) TV experiences of all time.
Set in the early '80s in a Detroit suburb, the 18-episode-long series introduced viewers to the two children of the Weir family. Lindsay's the freak, and Sam's the geek. From there, the show followed the two outcasts to look into the depths of the high-school experience with compassion and humor. It's not a joke machine, but you'll remember the show's inclusive warmth. —RS
How I Met Your Mother
Network: CBS
Air Dates: Sept. 19, 2005–March 31, 2014
Stars: Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan
How I Met Your Mother is kind of like It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia except instead of crazy people, the characters are just yuppies. The humor has always been more eccentric than the cast, save for Barney Stinson (played by Neil Patrick Harris).
The role of Barney led to career boom for Neil Patrick Harris, not just because the character is so great, but because of the irony of the performance: Soon after signing up for a the role where he played the ultimate womanizer, NPH came out as gay. The show has also served as a vehicle for Jason Segel (who plays Marshall Eriksen) before he became a full-fledged movie star. Lots of talent here. —IA
Community
Network: NBC
Air Dates: Sept. 17, 2009–June 2, 2015
Stars: Joel McHale, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Donald Glover, Chevy Chase, Danny Pudi, Yvette Nicole Brown, Jim Rash, Ken Jeong
For many, Community is too alienating. It's supposed to be about the daily happenings of a group of university rejects in community college. Yet it's actually a show about riffing on pop culture, where the school campus is a place to stage Pulp Fiction reenactments, epic Wild West-like paintball fights, and Dungeons and Dragons tournaments. We're not even sure if Community is about community college anymore. But we do admire its dedication to meta humor and its willingness to eschew traditional narrative to do things like, say, have a full episode made in claymation for the holidays. —TA