25 Best Sitcoms Ever Made, Ranked

The sitcom, or situational comedy, has existed for as long as television itself has existed as a medium. The key characteristics of the genre include an ensemble cast of characters that appear in every episode, a set location in which they all interact with one another, and running jokes that are derived from character personalities and idiosyncrasies. Compared to other TV genres like reality TV, crime procedurals, and sci-fi dramas, sitcoms retain audiences by offering familiarity and comfort as viewers follow characters through everyday life. 

However, as time has passed, sitcoms have changed drastically. When you look at the best sitcoms from the '90s, for instance, you'll see primarily shows that were filmed in front of a live studio audience, while nowadays that format is typically only seen in rebooted classics, or the rare attempt from a network to capture an older generation of viewers. Though there are still plenty of sitcoms on TV, even the Emmys overcrowd their categories with comedy series that barely even have jokes in them. 

Some current comedy series are still carrying the genre forward, but whether these new shows will stand the test of time and join this list of the best sitcoms ever made, we'll have to wait and see. For now, let's look at the shows we're positive will always be fondly remembered as shows sitcom lovers keep coming back to. 

You wouldn't expect a show about local politics to be all that interesting, but leave it to "The Office" alums Greg Daniels and Mike Schur to fill it with enough kooky characters to fuel seven seasons' worth of comedy. "Parks & Recreation" premiered on NBC in 2009, joining a sitcom lineup that included future entries on this list. Amy Poehler stars as Leslie Knope, the aggressively optimistic local politician of Pawnee, Indiana's titular parks and recreation department, often butting heads with the libertarian department director Ron Swanson, played by Nick Offerman. 

Because "Parks & Rec" originally began as a spin-off of "The Office," it took a couple of seasons to find its own footing. Thankfully, Daniels and Schur learned from their experience on "The Office," particularly the challenges of maintaining an even ensemble after Steve Carell left the show. Though Poehler is a strong, grounding presence throughout the series, "Parks & Rec" mainly works thanks to its supporting cast, including Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Aziz Ansari, Rashida Jones, and Adam Scott. 

Ultimately, "Parks & Recreation" never reached the same highs of its predecessors, but there's a reason why it's still highly regarded by chronic television binge-watchers. There's something so positive and charming about the series from its first episode onwards, which maybe is because it's such a product of the Obama era of politics. Nowadays, a show as kind toward politicians as "Parks & Rec" may not hit the same. 

One of the biggest missed opportunities in television history is the cancellation of "Freaks & Geeks" after a single season. Airing on NBC in late 1999, "Freaks & Geeks" sadly never caught on with mainstream TV audiences enough to warrant a renewal, which is especially surprising given how stacked the credits are. Future "Bridesmaids" director Paul Feig was the showrunner, and future "Knocked Up" director Judd Apatow was executive producer. The series was also the first job for many future stars of film and television. 

"Freaks & Geeks" centers on Lindsay (Linda Cardellini) and Sam (John Francis Daley) and their opposing friend groups. Lindsay is part of the titular "freaks," which includes Seth Rogen's Ken, Busy Phillips' Kim, James Franco's Daniel, and Jason Segel's Nick. Sam's friend group, in turn, is the "geeks," along with Samm Levine's Neal and Martin Starr's Bill. 

Though "Freaks & Geeks" was pulled off the air after only 15 episodes, it's gone on to become a cult classic among sitcom fanatics, with Apatow and cast members recently marking its 25th anniversary. Obviously, it'd be hard to imagine a proper reunion now that the cast are all grown up (especially given that Seth Rogen and James Franco's creative collaboration has ended), but it still holds up, even if some of the characters' problems feel dated. 

"Broad City," like many TV comedy series of the 2010s, began as a web series created by its two stars, Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, in the late 2000s. In its sitcom version on Comedy Central, Jacobson and Glazer play Abbi and Ilana, two best friends living in New York City who navigate modern life, whether that means answering anonymous Craigslist ads for money, selling Abbi's art to sketchy galleries, or having absurd interactions with strangers at fancy restaurants.

Although Jacobson and Glazer are at all times the center of the show, there's also a revolving cast of characters who color in this show's depiction of New York City, including Hannibal Buress as Ilana's friend-with-benefits Lincoln, Chris Gethard as Abbi's oblivious boss at Soulstice, and D'Arcy Carden as a fellow trainer who works with Abbi. 

Though it's far from the most highbrow show on this list, "Broad City" remains endlessly rewatchable and accurate about what it's like to move through your 20s while living in a big city, something many people relate to. Still, a show in which Ilana Glazer gives a remarkable performance in a masturbation scene that feels well-earned for a series that began in one cultural era (2014) and ended in a much different one (2019). 

Rewatching "Community" in 2026 is a lot like seeing old tapes of the Yankees in the late 90s. The show, which premiered in 2009, featured a star-studded cast including Joel McHale, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Donald Glover, and Chevy Chase. McHale plays Jeff Winger, a smarmy lawyer who goes back to community college after having his law license revoked, reluctantly befriending a group of eclectic classmates from different walks of life: directionless Britta (Jacobs), jock Troy (Glover), hard-working Annie (Brie), entrepreneur Pierce (Chase), motherly Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown), and media-obsessed Abed (Danny Pudi).

At its best, "Community" nails a perfect sitcom tone, with episodes that find Jeff inventing a fake conspiracy class to get some easy class credits, Troy battling his desire to do football and study, and the group being roped into a game of "Dungeons & Dragons" that goes awry. However, as you might expect from the creator of "Rick & Morty," the show also gets too meta for its own good, with episodes that explore other genres, sitcom tropes, and pop culture references, from schoolwide paintball games to multiverse experiments.

As strange as the worst episodes of "Community" get, the show recovers from its bad seasons thanks to the cast, who, despite departures and new arrivals, manage to retain the same joyous camaraderie that worked so well in the very first episode. It's just a shame we've been apart from these characters for over a decade now.

#SixSeasonsAndAMovie

Having been on the air since 2005, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" currently holds the record for the longest-running live-action American sitcom, with no signs of slowing down even as its cast pursues other high-profile projects. Of all the shows to hold this honor, it's surprising that "Sunny" is the one, given that it's always been an edgy, fringe show on FX that somehow makes "Seinfeld" look wholesome by comparison. 

"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" centers on the owners of an Irish pub in Philadelphia: self-centered twins Dennis (Glenn Howerton) and Dee (Kaitlin Olson), their crass and wealthy father Frank (Danny DeVito), illiterate janitor Charlie (Charlie Day), and delusional "sheriff of Paddy's" Mac (Rob Mac). In the best episodes of "Sunny," the gang enacts idiotic schemes that destroy the lives of everyone around them, but always ends up back at Paddy's Pub drinking and arguing like nothing ever happened.

While any show that's been on the air for 17 seasons (the 18th is currently in production) is bound to have its ups and downs, "Sunny" stands out for its willingness to take risks, whether that involves Mac gaining 50-plus pounds for a season or putting on a real stage musical based on its episode "The Nightman Cometh." Even more surprising, recent episodes like "Mac Finds His Pride" and "The Gang Carries a Corpse Up a Mountain" take a dramatic turn that proves sometimes the edgiest thing, even for "Sunny," is earnestness. 

If anyone were to predict what Andy Samberg's career had in store for him after "Saturday Night Live," a show like "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" certainly wasn't it. Could you imagine the same guy who made "Lazy Sunday" and "D–k in a Box" playing a TV detective? As it turns out, Dan Goor and Mike Schur could, and thank god they did. Samberg stars in "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" as Jake Peralta, a brilliant but immature NYPD detective who finds a perfect foil in his precinct's new captain, the stoic Raymond Holt (played by the late, great Andre Braugher).

In addition to Samberg and Braugher, "Nine-Nine" has a strong supporting cast rounding out the 99th precinct's squad of gumshoes: workaholic and people-pleaser Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero), aggressive softie Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews), hot-headed badass Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz), and unashamed romantic Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio). If a comedy series about cops isn't your speed, you'll still fall in love with "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" thanks to this lovable group, who all complement each other so well that there's no dynamic that doesn't make for an interesting episode. 

Though there's the occasional episode that's maybe a little too formulaic even by a sitcom's standards, it's such a consistently strong show. At least, it is for the first five seasons before Chelsea Peretti exited the cast of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," given that NYPD receptionist Gina Linetti is one of the show's standout characters. 

When Paramount+'s revival of "Frasier" debuted in 2023, one thing became clear to fans: you really can't do better than the perfection of the original series. "Frasier" was itself a spin-off of another popular sitcom, "Cheers," centered on Kelsey Grammer's titular psychiatrist, who hosts a radio show in Seattle and often butts heads with his equally intellectual younger brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce). The brotherly dynamic not only fuels a show that had to carry the torch after "Cheers" ran for 11 seasons, but "Frasier" also ran for 11 seasons and won five Emmys for Outstanding Comedy Series (one more total than "Cheers" had in its entire run). 

What's even more impressive about the 11-year run of "Frasier" is how consistent the main cast is, especially so when you consider that Grammer had nine seasons of "Cheers" playing this role before "Frasier" even began. Part of why "Frasier" stayed on the air so long was that, in addition to being a funny sitcom, it was incredibly smart without making the audience feel dumb. As a character, Frasier Crane is very highbrow, as are his brother Niles and their father's physical therapist, Daphne (Jane Leeves), though the situations they find themselves in are often extremely lowbrow. Nevertheless, the absence of Pierce and Leeves makes the Paramount+ revival inferior by default, as good as Grammer still is. 

If we lived in a just world, "Extraordinary" would be considered one of the best superhero TV shows of all time. The show, which premiered on Disney+ Star overseas and on Hulu in the U.S., ran for only 16 episodes over two seasons before it was sadly canceled. The show, developed in the UK, takes place in a world where people typically develop superpowers at age 18, except for the series protagonist Jen (Máireád Tyers), a 25-year-old woman who seeks professional help to uncover why her powers remain dormant. 

Though Tyers gives a brilliant performance as the complicated and messy Jen, the supporting cast are just as transfixing on-screen. There's Carrie (Sofia Oxenham), Jen's best friend and flatmate, whose ability to channel the dead is used by Jen to speak with her father, as well as Carrie's boyfriend Kash (Bilal Hasna), an aspiring vigilante who can turn back time, and Jen's eventual love interest J—lord (Luke Rollason), a shapeshifter who spent several years as a cat before turning back into a human with no memory of his former life. 

Compared to other superhero shows that are action-packed with high stakes, "Extraordinary" really thrives on focusing on the, well, ordinary. Superpowers in the series are more interesting than just strength, speed, or flight. There's a guy Jen dates with the ability to make people orgasm just by touching them (it's not as cool as you think), her therapist who can literally enter people's consciousnesses, and her boss who ages backward. 

If any show is currently keeping the sitcom alive, it's "Abbott Elementary." Since debuting on ABC in 2021, "Abbott Elementary" has grown into a huge hit for the network in an era where streaming dominates television spaces. Even though it's had five strong seasons and is renewed for Season 6, it's still possible that "Abbott" could slip in quality in the near future and lose its spot on this list, but given how strong Quinta Brunson appears as a showrunner, writer, AND star, we don't think it will.

"Abbott Elementary" follows the day-to-day lives of a group of teachers at the titular school in Philadelphia. Brunson plays the optimistic problem-solver Janine, who is often an annoyance to her colleagues, including traditionalist Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph), socially awkward Gregory (Tyler James Williams), aggressive Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter), desperate-for-approval Jacob (Chris Perfetti), and incompetent principal Ava (Janelle James). 

In a time when television comedies often lean more dramatic, "Abbott Elementary" is refreshing in its simplicity but also finds ways to innovate tired tropes. For instance, the show doesn't necessarily need the mockumentary format to work, but it allows for the characters to "perform" for the cameras as much as they perform for their students. 

Though it has one of television history's most divisive series finales, "How I Met Your Mother" still feels so ahead of its time even after ending over a decade ago. The CBS sitcom began in 2005 with a premise that Ted Mosby (played by Josh Radnor, with Bob Saget providing narration as his future self), 25 years in the future, would tell his two kids how he met their mother, whose identity remains a mystery for eight seasons. 

While most of "HIMYM" follows Ted's chaotic dating life in search of "the one," his friend group provides strong sitcom dynamics, and they're all perfect foils for him: there's chauvinistic womanizer Barney (Neil Patrick Harris), on-and-off girlfriend Robin (Cobie Smulders), and the perfect couple, Lily and Marshall (Alyson Hannigan and Jason Segel). It's good at being a funny "Friends"-esque sitcom, while also having some truly meaningful contemplations about going through life, growing up, and finding love.

Infamously, "HIMYM" wraps up with a ninth season following Ted's romance with the Mother, played by Cristin Milioti. Even though fans have a lot of opinions about the last episode, no one can deny that the showrunners knocked it out of the park with casting Milioti as the perfect person to be the mother of Ted's children. It's the type of show that makes you believe that maybe someday you'll find your own soulmate holding a yellow umbrella at a train station. 

Would it have been a true list of the greatest sitcoms of all time if we didn't include maybe the most popular sitcom... ever? "The Office" was adapted for American audiences from a short-lived but successful BBC series created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. Steve Carell stars as Michael Scott, a jovial but politically incorrect boss at a Pennsylvania paper company, whose employees range from relatively normal to absurdly weird.

Something about "The Office" has made it endlessly rewatchable, no matter where you stream it, maybe because everyone can find these office politics so relatable. Maybe it's because of how the show characterizes oddballs like Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), the conniving loyalist to Michael. Or maybe it's because of that slow-burning office romance between straight-man Jim (John Krasinski) and soft-spoken Pam (Jenna Fischer). Maybe it's just how addictive that theme song is.

Whatever the reason for "The Office" being the massive hit that it is, it's also evident to many of those who watch the show regularly that the departure of Carell during the seventh season results in an emptiness that just can't be filled, no matter how hard the show tries to elevate supporting cast members like Ed Helms and Mindy Kaling. Still, the best episodes of "The Office" can make any bad day better, unless that episode is "Scott's Tots," which might ruin a perfectly good day. 

Norman Lear is responsible for some of the biggest sitcoms of the '70s and '80s, and "All in the Family" being his first hit was no coincidence. The show follows a working-class family in Queens: bigoted patriarch Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor), kind-hearted matriarch Edith (Jean Stapleton), feminist daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers), and hippie son-in-law Meathead (Rob Reiner). Compared to the sitcoms that preceded "All in the Family," this show was a game-changer for the genre, with many modern shows owing much to the norms it established. 

Between "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," Lear's television empire transformed sitcoms not only on the production side ("All in the Family" was notably the first sitcom to be videotaped in front of a live studio audience and never employed laugh tracks in its editing), but also thematically. "All in the Family" revolves around the family dynamics between a conservative couple, Archie and Edith, and a countercultural new generation, Gloria and Meathead. The show's not only a great sitcom that stands on its own, but also a time capsule of '70s culture. 

As a result, "All in the Family" has become a benchmark for what sitcoms can be, not just as entertainment but as a cultural compass. Future sitcoms would inherit the timeliness and topical humor that maybe wouldn't have ever happened if it weren't for Norman Lear. 

Speaking of defining shows of the '70s, "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" comes from another notable sitcom giant of the time: James L. Brooks. After Mary Tyler Moore's star turn as Laura on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" in the '60s, naturally giving her a leading series of her own made sense. At least, it does by today's standards; in 1970, a female protagonist on television who wasn't married and had her own career was considered groundbreaking. 

In the series, Moore plays Mary Richards, a single woman who moves to Minneapolis to take a producing job at a news station, where she butts heads with her grumpy boss Lou (Ed Asner), self-centered anchorman Ted (Ted Knight), and landlady Phyllis (Cloris Leachman). Eventually, the cast adds none other than Betty White as Sue Ann Nivens, a flirtatious television host, who feels like a perfect foil to Mary's more grounded sincerity. 

But make no mistake, the real star of the show here is Mary Tyler Moore herself. Her performance in "The Dick Van Dyke Show" was already a tough act to follow, but the way Mary Richards captured the hearts of American audiences made it easily Moore's most memorable TV role. Moore not only broke away from stereotypes that female characters had been subjected to, but she was also damn funny while doing it. 

And now, the story of a wealthy family who lost everything, and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together: it's "Arrested Development." Mitch Hurwitz's Fox sitcom might've lingered in obscurity when it originally aired from 2003 to 2006, but it has since become one of the funniest and most iconic sitcoms of its time. Jason Bateman stars as Michael, the long-suffering son of a real estate magnate who is left in charge of his family's company after his father, George Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor), is arrested for embezzlement. 

Among the characters Michael is forced to wrangle are his self-centered mother Lucille (Jessica Walter), attention-seeking brother Gob (Will Arnett), bratty sister Lindsay (Portia de Rossi), mama's boy brother Buster (Tony Hale), delusional brother-in-law Tobias (David Cross), awkward son George Michael (Michael Cera), and ambitious niece Maeby (Alia Shawkat). Part of what makes "Arrested Development" work is that following any one of these characters makes for quality television, whether it's Tobias' futile attempts to become an actor, Gob's desperation to earn his family's approval, or George Michael's misguided crush on his own cousin. 

Though scrapped plans for an "Arrested Development" movie eventually led to two additional seasons on Netflix following its cancellation by Fox, the show's later years never reached the peaks of its glory days. At its best, "Arrested Development" featured running gags, double entendres, and wordplay few shows could even dream of matching comedically. 

If you're like us, your first watch of "The Good Place" Season 1 had you shouting "Holy mother-forking shirt-balls" at your TV screen. As Michael Schur's follow-up to "Parks & Recreation," "The Good Place" is as different as it gets for a network sitcom, taking place in an afterlife run by the incompetent angel Michael (Ted Danson), who welcomes a new resident, Eleanor (Kristen Bell), a person who has mistakenly been sent to "the good place" despite living a life of moral bankruptcy. 

Without spoiling its "The Twilight Zone"-esque premise, Eleanor finds allies in ethics professor Chidi (William Jackson Harper), philanthropist Tahani (Jameela Jamil), fellow black sheep Jason (Manny Jacinto), and afterlife guide Janet (D'Arcy Carden), who help to conceal her true identity from the afterlife officials. As the series progresses, it asks some pretty deep questions about whether or not humans are innately good, often utilizing actual philosophical teachings as much as it treads into fantastical absurdism. 

Yes, "The Good Place" might get a little too conceptual for its own good at times, but when it's making you laugh and cry as often as it does, is that such a bad thing? If anything, Schur proved that he wasn't a one-trick pony after "The Office" and "Parks & Recreation." Who knew the face of Mose Schrute would also dissect the meaning of life so beautifully through a sitcom? 

Larry David could easily have rested on his laurels after creating "Seinfeld," but instead, he decided to take his unique brand of comedy to HBO with "Curb Your Enthusiasm." The sitcom began with a special in 1999 and subsequently ran for 12 seasons spread across the next 24 years, proving to be one of television's most consistently funny series. 

In "Curb," David plays himself, the former co-creator of "Seinfeld," who navigates social situations with a disregard for established norms and frequently commits faux pas that drive those around him insane. Among the show's best storylines are Larry inviting a family of Hurricane Katrina survivors into his home and making fast friends with Leon (J.B. Smoove), starting a feud with Michael J. Fox over his "clomping," collaborating with Lin-Manuel Miranda on a musical about Salman Rushdie, and, most notably, organizing a "Seinfeld" reunion special as an elaborate ploy to win back Cheryl (Cheryl Hines), David's ex-wife. 

With the series finale taking a page from "Seinfeld," it's clear that "Curb Your Enthusiasm" always sort of lived in the shadow of its predecessor. Nevertheless, David spent over 20 years crafting some of the smartest and funniest television that's ever aired, all while lampooning Hollywood, his fellow stars (usually Ted Danson), and the ways in which we adapt when put in awkward situations.  

Every generation has its own medical show to become obsessed with, whether it's "ER," "Scrubs," or most recently, "The Pitt." However, all of those shows, and frankly most sitcoms that came after it, owe everything to "M*A*S*H," which was one of the most popular series of its era. Based on a film by Robert Altman, "M*A*S*H" takes place during the Korean War, following an ensemble of surgeons stationed overseas in Uijeongbu, led by the charismatic, albeit chauvinistic, Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce (Alan Alda). 

Given the heavy subject matter at play with a show set in the middle of a warzone, "M*A*S*H" was groundbreaking in the ways it merged sitcom shenanigans with heart-wrenching drama. At the core of the show, as flawed and irresponsible as these characters are, is the fact that they're all genuinely great doctors who care about their patients and each other. In fact, the "M*A*S*H" episode that changed the show for good grounded the show in the reality of war, where loss is inevitable, and doctors must do everything they can, even when it's not enough. 

That being said, a show all about the tragedy of war isn't nearly enough to keep audiences coming back for 11 seasons, with the finale being the most-watched television broadcast in American history until it was surpassed by Super Bowl XLIV in 2010. Still, few episodic television series have come close to reaching the heights of "M*A*S*H," and that's because it wasn't just meaningful, but also damn funny.

By 1975, John Cleese was already considered comedy royalty, given his work with the sketch group Monty Python and its cult BBC series "Monty Python's Flying Circus." Following the show's end, Cleese stayed at the BBC to produce his own sitcom, "Fawlty Towers," in which he plays Basil Fawlty, the misanthropic owner of the titular hotel in Devon, England. Among the series' other characters are Basil's terrifying wife Sybil (Prunella Scales), the level-headed hotel maid Polly Sherman (Connie Booth), and bumbling waiter Manuel (Andrew Sachs), who help form the dysfunctional workplace dynamic that has since become the norm in sitcoms rather than the exception. 

Though "Fawlty Towers" was derided by critics when it initially aired, the show has been looked back on in retrospect with reverence for combining familiar sitcom antics with the very one-of-a-kind voice that Cleese perfected with the Pythons. The show was also edgy in ways that '70s television rarely was before "Saturday Night Live," with episodes like "The Germans" poking fun at World War II tropes and anti-German sentiment. 

It's not inaccurate to say that, today, "Fawlty Towers" is considered one of the greatest British TV shows of all time, even if it still has its detractors. Like many of the best British sitcoms, the fact that it's only 12 episodes long is a testament to how much memorable comedy the creators were able to cram into two seasons. 

There's always been a scarcity of sitcoms about the experience of being a teenage girl that aren't on Nickelodeon or the Disney Channel. However, one of the best coming-of-age sitcoms comes from Northern Ireland. "Derry Girls" premiered on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom in 2018 and ran for three series for a total of 19 episodes, though to be honest, we could've watched this series go on for twice as long. 

Set in the '90s in Derry, Northern Ireland, "Derry Girls" follows a group of friends who attend an all-girls Catholic school together: self-centered Erin (Saoirse-Monica Jackson), closeted Clare (Nicola Coughlan), aloof Orla (Louisa Harland), promiscuous Michelle (Jamie-Lee O'Donnell), and her male cousin James (Dylan Llewellyn). Though the show covers a lot of heavy subject matter, given the state of Northern Ireland in the '90s, it's often just merely a backdrop to the hilariously relatable misadventures of these terribly un-Christian-like girls. 

Though stars like Coughlan have gone on to give swoon-worthy performances in "Bridgerton," "Derry Girls" will likely never be forgotten by its cast or fans. The show is more meaningful than the average sitcom, not only examining the contradictory societal expectations of Christian women, but also embracing the Troubles that hung over Northern Ireland throughout the '90s and how they affected the lives of these young girls. 

It's hard to imagine what television would look like today without Lucille Ball's influence. Not only is "I Love Lucy" one of the most iconic sitcoms ever made, but alongside "The Honeymooners," it practically invented the genre as well as introduced it to overseas audiences. Even though it aired from 1951 to 1957, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more popular television show that has aged as well as "I Love Lucy" has. 

"I Love Lucy" mainly follows the marriage between Lucy Ricardo (Ball), an aspiring but untalented performer, and her husband Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz), a professional singer. Even Lucy's friends and neighbors, Fred (William Frawley) and Ethel (Vivian Vance), are former vaudeville performers, further highlighting Lucy's insatiable hunger for stardom and her propensity for getting into unfortunate situations, whether that means working at a demanding candy factory or getting stranded on a hike through the Alps. 

Easily the best CBS show of all time, "I Love Lucy" was such a hit that the network repurposed the in-studio audience laughter for other shows' laugh tracks. Many other sitcoms, from "Will & Grace" to "Drake & Josh," have paid homage to the series' most iconic moments, but even with the best modern-day TV talent on deck, nobody can perfectly capture the magic that came from Ball and Arnaz sharing the small screen together. 

When critics say people don't make television like they used to, they're probably talking about "Taxi," whether they know it or not. The sitcom following the lives of New York City cab drivers wasn't just a huge hit for ABC (and NBC for its fifth and final season), but a masterclass of comedic talent. Its cast included Judd Hirsch, Danny DeVito, Marilu Henner, Jeff Conaway, Tony Danza, Andy Kaufman, Carol Kane, and Christopher Lloyd, who together capture the terribly relatable vibe of working-class co-workers. 

At the center of it all is future sitcom veteran DeVito, who plays the abusive taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma, who constantly berates his drivers Alex (Hirsch), Bobby (Conaway), Tony (Danza), Elaine (Henner), and Reverend Jim (Lloyd), as well as the eclectic mechanic Latka, based on Andy Kaufman's "Foreign Man" character from his solo act. 

While the cast of "Taxi" would graduate from this ensemble to star in blockbusters and lead their own sitcoms, their time on the show would be highly influential to the ways in which audiences viewed them. It's hard to imagine Doc Brown from "Back to the Future" being played by someone other than Christopher Lloyd, but we likely wouldn't have gotten that casting if not for Reverend Jim dim-wittingly asking, "What does a yellow light mean?"

How is it that a show about nothing has remained one of the most rewatched and adored sitcoms ever made? Well, therein lies the rub: "Seinfeld" was never a show about nothing. It's a show about the human experience, told through the point of view of four terrible, no good, very bad people: stand-up comedian Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), self-centered serial dater Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), misanthropic misfit George (Jason Alexander), and eccentric neighbor Kramer (Michael Richards).

It wasn't just the specific tone of Seinfeld and co-creator Larry David's writing that made "Seinfeld" what it was. It's the fact that the show refused to change, often following a credo of "no hugging, no learning," which kept its characters in perpetual stasis for nearly 200 episodes. It's this formula that allowed for episodes of "Seinfeld" to explore what would happen if a deli worker refused to serve you soup, or if a woman were to be attracted to you for being a marine biologist, or if a recall of contraceptive sponges caused you to be more selective about who you choose to sleep with.

Even though there are plenty of "Seinfeld" episodes to skip on a rewatch because of how poorly they've aged, the show never wavered in portraying these four lead characters as truly despicable people. Maybe people just find something cathartic about watching a show where characters are truly horrible... but then again, there is our next entry to prove that wrong. 

There's a world in which "Schitt's Creek" is written as a farce about an overprivileged family who can never adapt to the one-horse town they're forced to move to. Thankfully, that's not the world we live in, because we get the version of "Schitt's Creek" where this family, against all odds, slowly but surely becomes much better by the finale than they were in the first episode. Airing on CBC from 2015 to 2020, "Schitt's Creek" has family values at its core, given that it was co-created by the legendary Eugene Levy and his son, Dan Levy.

The series follows the Rose family, the wealthy owners of a video store empire, who lose everything when their financial manager embezzles all their money. With very little left, long-suffering patriarch Johnny (Eugene Levy) moves with his pretentious wife Moira (Catherine O'Hara), stubborn son David (Dan Levy), and flighty daughter Alexis (Annie Murphy) to a motel in the titular, unfortunately named town, where they must adapt to living among folksy neighbors in less-than-idyllic circumstances.

Though it's easy to praise "Schitt's Creek" for being the rare sitcom without a single bad season, the fact that the Roses all find true happiness over the course of its 80 episodes is a miracle of television writing. The characters never lose the aspects of themselves that make them lovable, like Alexis' frightening lore drops or Moira's ever-fluctuating wigs and accents, but they simply grow. It's no wonder the show swept the comedy categories at the Emmys in 2020. 

In hindsight, watching Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a performer on "Seinfeld" is like watching Michael Jordan play basketball in his driveway, now that we have "Veep" for comparison. Created by Armando Iannucci, Louis-Dreyfus gives a tour-de-force performance in the HBO sitcom as Vice President Selina Meyer, an incompetent and selfish politician who struggles to make her mark on American history with the help of her staff, including hardworking chief of staff Amy (Anna Chlumsky), warring communications directors Mike (Matt Walsh) and Dan (Reid Scott), and loyal personal aide Gary (Tony Hale).

Of the show's seven seasons, Louis-Dreyfus won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for six consecutive years, only ever losing the award to Phoebe Waller-Bridge for the second season of "Fleabag." Watching Selina Meyer fumble political power for seven years makes the Emmy wins a well-earned honor, as she's somehow always able to convey so much frustration and anger even when putting on a smile for her constituents.

What really makes "Veep" stand out, especially nowadays, is how it mines comedy out of the American political climate without ever making a charged statement about any particular moment in time. Given that its last few seasons aired in the midst of a political circus, "Veep" never feels like a drag to watch. Rather, it has always been an exercise in laughing at the powers that be, which is what comedy is all about. 

If we're gonna talk about laughing at the powers that be, does it get any more punk rock than "30 Rock"? The NBC series from Tina Fey and Robert Carlock takes a meta approach to sitcoms, centering on the behind-the-scenes of a late-night NBC sketch show. Fey plays Liz Lemon, the workaholic head writer forced to deal with changes made by NBC's newest network executive, the conservative Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin), including the addition of an unpredictable new cast member, comedian Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan).

Rewatching it now in the current television climate, the show can feel more like a documentary than a sitcom. "30 Rock" often features fake TV shows and movies that wouldn't feel out of place on modern-day streaming services. Additionally, its supporting cast may include dated references to controversy-favoring starlets in Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski) or television-obsessed fanatics in Kenneth Parcell (Jack McBrayer), but somehow the pure silliness and fun of "30 Rock" is the secret sauce that keeps it feeling timeless. 

Nowadays, many comedy series center on show business in Hollywood, lampooning stars playing themselves and typical television tropes, whether it be "Hacks," "The Studio," or "Wonder Man," but "30 Rock" approaches it with a level of absurdism and satire that has yet to be topped. If you're a fan of TV sitcoms, then chances are "30 Rock" is a show that's designed to make you laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of it all, which is, of course, why we love it.