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We laughed, we cried, we raged against the dying of the light which sought to snuff out our personal favorite shows. Putting together a list like this
is always equal parts painful and enjoyable for editors and writers, but I can’t think of a better time to look back on the greatest sitcoms of all time.
We have arrived at a glorious point in history, where watching an excellent TV show might finally be intellectually on par with reading a great
book. Indeed, it still feels blasphemous to utter such a statement, but the Mad Mens, True Detectives (Season One, ahem), Transparents and
Undergrounds of the world have forever changed things. And as we celebrate such fare, it’s important to remember that these shows are all the
descendants, in some way or another, of the good ol’ sitcom. Families and relationships (and the dysfunctional and/or loving ties that bind them),
workplace drama, compelling historical settings and characters who made even the mundane seem worthy of our attention—these things are at the
core of good storytelling. And Peak TV did not invent good storytelling in episodic form. The sitcom did that, and though it has evolved and
morphed into the stuff of dreams, it always had those high-brow, cinematic qualities in its fiber. Some of our favorites managed to weave the
high-brow with the low-brow; many of them seemed unconcerned with either brow, as long they made us happy.
So, with a focus on quality over nostalgia—no matter how much it hurt—the Paste editors and writers have chosen the 100 best sitcoms of all time.
We apologize in advance that one (or more) of your favorites did not make the list. You can rest assured that many of our favorites didn’t either
(including some great British sitcoms we’ll save for another list), which means we can all leave angry, but respectful, remarks in the comments
section below, together. You know—like one big, happy, dysfunctional family.—Shannon M. Houston, TV Editor
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uses the same sort of awkward comedy for a very different purpose. The show’s title comes from the peek we’re
offered into its leads’ brains, as throughout the show we’re offered running monologues of their thoughts in a way
that almost no other sitcom has tried. More important than this stylistic quirk, though, is Peep Show’s preference
for long arcs, continuity and running gags of the sort Arrested Development and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
would envy. The show has a deep memory and an equally deep sense of morality, so its characters are never let off
the hook, even if it takes a few seasons to see how their horrible actions karmically return for their undoing. Peep
Show can be difficult to binge-watch, especially early on, but its short seasons make for filler-free writing, and
Mitchell and Webb are so good that they lend their characters a strange likability that’s closer to the U.S. Office than
the original.—Sean Gandert
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series centered on a teacher returning to his high school alma mater to teach the “Sweathogs,” a group of remedial
students, of which he once was one. Primarily, we spend time with four of the students, all of them broadly drawn,
but delightful, caricatures. The show is silly, but fun, and of course it spawned a bunch of catchphrases, mostly
courtesy of Travolta’s Vinnie Barbarino. The last season is skippable, but, before things began to downhill, it was a
nice sitcom that earned its classic status.—Chris Morgan
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86. Girlfriends
Years: 2000-2008
Girlfriends reigned as that divine creation that explored life, love, careers and a blossoming sisterhood among
women. The show, often compared to Sex and The City, was a witty, intelligent and sexy exploration of the many
facets of black womanhood through the lens of four very different women. There was Joan (lawyer and “den
mother”), Toni (selfish and popular real estate agent), Maya (sassy law assistant) and Lynn (free-spirited
Bohemian). During its eight-year run, Girlfriends was one of the highest-rated scripted shows among African-
Americans ages 18-34 and tackled an endless number of issues, including colorism, AIDS and class issues. Since the
show ended eight years ago, there’s still hope from fans and the cast for a reunion on the big screen.—Ashley Terrell
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making it one of only three sitcoms to achieve that feat. The stories weren’t really anything you hadn’t seen before,
revolving around life and love in New York City, but the places they were coming from (gay culture/Jewish
culture) were refreshingly new to many more conservative Americans. For plenty of Bible Belters, Will & Grace
was likely the first television exposure they had to characters of this nature.—Jim Vorel
78. Undeclared
Years: 2001-2003
Judd Apatow’s follow-up to Freaks and Geeks was unfortunately similarly doomed to last just one season, but
Undeclared’s 17 episodes still manage to cram in a healthy amount of heart, hilarity and strong guest-stars. The
series follows Steven (Jay Baruchel) and his pals (including Seth Rogen and Sons of Anarchy’s Charlie Hunnam) as
they navigate their freshman year of college, and it features appearances from Loudon Wainwright III, Jason Segel,
Busy Phillips, Amy Poehler, Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, Jenna Fischer, Adam Sandler, Fred Willard, Felicia Day and
Martin Starr, to name a few. Like its predecessor, Undeclared deals with the growing pains that go along with trying
to figure out who exactly you are, but it handles the issue in typical Apatow fashion, never seeming inauthentic or
after-school special-y and always doing it in a way that’ll make you grin.—Bonnie Stiernberg
77. Brooklyn 99
Years: 2013-present
“Consistency” might not be the most flattering virtue you can ascribe to a sitcom, but consistency is a big part of
Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s greatness. Week in and week out, Dan Goor and Michael Shur’s half-hour cop comedy
manages to hit just the right notes without losing its groove. Some episodes hit higher notes than others, and yes, in
the series’ lifespan, there have in fact been a few off-key episodes intermingled with the others. But when Brooklyn
Nine-Nine is good, it’s good, and it’s good with an impressive regularity. When it’s great, it’s arguably the best
sitcom you’ll find on network television, thanks in part to sharp writing, but mostly to an even sharper cast.
Consistency is what fuels Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s motor, but the characters are the ones steering the ship. The show is
enormously diverse in terms of not only gender and ethnicity, but also in terms of comic styles: There’s career sad
sack Joe Lo Truglio, the stoically hilarious Andre Braugher, king of the clowns Andy Samberg, master of badassery
Stephanie Beatriz, and that only covers a little less than half the team. Since Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s debut back in
2013, each character on the show has developed and grown, and in the process we’ve come to care about all of them
in equal measure. At the top of its game, Brooklyn Nine-Nine harmonizes our attachment to these people with great
gags, and occasionally even sharp (if brief) action. There’s a lot the series has to offer, in other words, and that just drives home how vital its
constancy really is to its success. Never underestimate well-regulated humor.—Andy Crump
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74. Spaced
Years: 1999-2001
Prior to blowing the film world out of the water with Shaun of the Dead, the creative partnership of writer/director
Edgar Wright and actor/writer Simon Pegg first crystallized back in the late ‘90s with the British sitcom Spaced.
Conceived by Pegg and co-lead Jessica Stevenson with Wright directing every entry, Spaced centers on a pair of
aimless Londoners who decide to fake a relationship in order to secure a “couples only” apartment. Over the course
of its 14 episode run, the series gleefully subverted the popular image of twenty-somethings leading cushy,
comfortable lives with burgeoning careers (as evidenced by the likes of Friends) in favor of depicting a world filled
with squalid living spaces, drug use and various artistic aspirations gone to seed. More notably, Spaced arguably
served as the first post-modern sitcom in terms of how it employed specific, cinematic vocabulary as an extension
of the characters’ interior lives (i.e., a horrible work experience turns into a One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
parody, while a competitive game of paintball escalates into a dramatic action sequence straight out of Platoon or
Saving Private Ryan). In a landscape where older, out-of-touch TV execs were frantically trying to appeal to
erstwhile, younger viewers, Spaced was a show all about the less savory experiences of being a broke twenty-
something; adding to its authenticity was the fact that it was being written and produced by individuals who were
going through these specific experiences firsthand.—Mark Rozeman
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68. Workaholics
Years: 2011-present
Several shows have attempted to tackle the post-collegiate letdown of the working world, but following these three
man-bros as they party their way through jobs at a telemarketing firm takes low-brow humor to astoundingly
hilarious depths. Adam Devine, Blake Anderson and Anders Holm (along with their on-screen drug dealer and
off-screen co-creator Kyle Newacheck) take turns half-assing the climb up the corporate ladder, while maintaining
an unwavering devotion to Super-blunt Sundays, Half-Christmas parties (keg of egg nog and all) and out-there drug
experiences. Combining the absurdity of competitive corporate culture with the absurdity of “getting weird” on the
weekend couldn’t be more relatable to the average internet show binge-watcher, even if we’re not all bartering for
clean urine on the playground. The result is a quotable, re-watchable series that is very tight butthole, indeed.
—Dacey Orr
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63. Black-ish
Years: 2014-present
To enjoyBlack-ish is to enjoy all that the show has to offer in the name of entertainment. The sitcom about an
upper class, black family is especially hilarious when the child stars (Marsai Martin and Miles Brown) are leading
the plot. But when the show veers to address topics that reflect America’s race relations and systematic injustices,
it shines brightest, because the writers are not afraid to be strikingly honest and come at an issue from different
angles (without losing any of the writers room wit). Season Two’s “Hope,” stands apart, as the police brutality
episode that examines the emotional tolls that arise as the Johnsons wait to see if a police officer will be indicted
for the murder of a black child. Simultaneously conscious and comedic, it’s going to be pure joy to see what future
season have in store for this series.—Iris Barreto
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temporary) departure of several key cast members and creative figures throughout the years (including
co-mastermind Rob Grant), Red Dwarf’s enduring legacy has carved it a secure place in television history. One part
Alien and one part Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Red Dwarf remains a beast all its own.—Mark Rozeman
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53. Boondocks
Years: 2005-2014
Based on writer, producer and cartoonist Aaron McGruder’s popular comic strip of the same name, The Boondocks’
four season, 55-episode run saw brothers Huey and Riley—transplants of inner city Chicago—navigate black culture
in the fictional white suburb of Woodcrest. Part of Cartoon Network’s late-night comedy block on Adult Swim, the
series was a brazen attack on the white American establishment and an unabashedly black satire that honed in on
the complicated conversations surrounding racial identity, stereotypes, class, celebrity and viewpoint. From
November 2005 to the end of its run in June 2014, the series unquestionably earned its reputation as one of the
most controversial and culturally significant pieces of modern American comedy through its unapologetic approach
to blackness, painfully honest humor, and clever subversion of traditional cultural dialogue.—Abbey White
52. Archer
Years: 2009-present
Archer has succeeded as a hilarious parody of both James Bond and Mad Men with the comedic sensibilities of FX’s
best. Season Two was full of surprising twists—like Archer’s breast cancer. The mini third season—the “Heart of
Archness” trilogy following Archer’s revenge on the man who killed his Russian love—made Archer one of the few
story-driven animated series that actually delivers. Ross Bonaime
51. Taxi
Years: 1978-1983
Let’s just pause for a minute and remember that somebody once convinced a network to put Andy Kaufman on the
air. I just wish it had been live TV. Like M*A*S*H, Taxi often tackled serious social issues like drug and gambling
addiction, but did it with a wonderfully strange cast of characters from the alien-like Latka Graves (Kaufman) to
drugged-out hippie Reverend Jim (Christopher Lloyd) to misanthrope Louie De Palma (Danny DeVito).—Josh
Jackson
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brilliant plots, centered on the two twenty-somethings scraping by in New York City, makes this one of the great, most
promising new-ish series.—Ross Bonaime and Hudson Hongo
47. Daria
Years: 1997-2002
Significantly more influential than one would have expected from a Beavis and Butt-head spin-off, Daria is
without a doubt the defining show of angsty teens of the late ’90s who couldn’t quite get over the death of grunge.
It’s a paean to the lazy, the slackers, the cynical and the sarcastic, as Daria and her friend Jane bemoaned the
plight of a broken society by watching tabloid shows with titles like Sick, Sad World. Its fatalism was deep, dark
and often hilarious, and one got the sense that few shows have ever actually captured the zeitgeist of their subjects
more accurately. Every teen who ever shrugged their shoulders and sighed in frustration after being asked how
their day at school was by Mom was clearly thinking, ‘My life is just like Daria.’—Jim Vorel
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One of the most perfectly cast sitcoms of the past 20 years, NewsRadio elevated the stature of the workplace comedy,
thanks to a marvelous absurdist streak and an unwillingness to stick to the rules of the traditional three-act structure.
Few lessons are learned and no one within the show really grows as a human being. Creator Paul Simms also threw
aside the idea of dragging out a “will they/won’t they?” storyline with station manager Dave (Kids In The Hall member
Dave Foley) and producer/news director Lisa (Maura Tierney, who would go to star in The Affair) by having the
characters sleep with each other in the second episode. As much fun as their relationship woes were, NewsRadio was
anchored by its supporting cast, especially Phil Hartman as the Ted Knight-like buffoon Bill McNeal, Vicki Lewis as
Dave’s snarky secretary, and the always reliable Stephen Root playing Jimmy James, the wildly eccentric billionaire
owner of the radio station. The show maintained decent ratings numbers for four seasons, but its spirit was deflated
prior to season five due to the untimely death of Hartman.—Robert Ham
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cliché as it may sound, it opened the door for more complex narratives about women and sex, and it did so
unapologetically thanks in large part to Kim Cattrall’s role as Samantha Jones. And if Samantha was too much for
you, Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) and Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) offered up their own unique perspectives,
giving the foursome an original, entertaining, and important balance of personalities and feminist (or anti-feminist)
outlooks. Whatever class issues, or race issues, or gender and sexuality issues Sex and the City might have swept
under the rug (or addressed in an off-putting way), it still functioned as a loud, oft-obscene call for agency among
the marginalized. And it did all of this with some of the funniest dialogue and sex talk we’d ever heard. “My man
has funky tasting spunk!” will go down in history as one of the most horrifying, incredible TV moments of all time,
and that’s just the tip (ahem) of the legendary SaTC iceberg.—Shannon M. Houston
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might be one of the more egregious examples of a show losing sense of itself by focusing too tightly on a breakout
character, but the earliest episodes—focusing on Esther Rolle and John Amos as proud but struggling parents trying
to provide for their family as best as they could in a society and economy that didn’t have much use for them—is a
strong, illuminating depiction of the working poor, and life in the projects in the 1970s.—Garrett Martin
33. Newhart
Years: 1982-1990
Bob Newhart had the best second act in sitcom history. Newhart ran for most of the 1980s, longer than The Bob
Newhart Show did, and despite resting heavily on Newhart’s patented brand of deadpan exasperation, the two
shows had strong enough settings and casts to stand out from each other. Newhart featured career work from
Tom Poston, Julia Duffy and Peter Scolari, and its remote Vermont setting lead to the creation of three of the most
memorable breakout sitcom characters of the 1980s: Larry, his brother Darryl, and his other brother Darryl.
Newhart was a smart, confident, hilarious show, and people still talk about the ingenious twist in its final episode
26 years later.—Garrett Martin
32. Louie
Years: 2010-present
If there is a formula for Louie, it would go like this: Disasters ranging from annoying to semi-tragic befall our
hero, and they’re always tinged with an inhumanity that becomes absurd. Our hero struggles gamely in the face of
a seemingly uncaring world, sighs, over-acts just the slightest bit, and presses onward despite a lack of hope. Just
at the moment when he’s about to crack, an unlikely character delivers a big speech with a lesson that is
emphatically delivered, but simple at its core. Our hero understands, is somewhat renewed, and immediately
subjects himself to the pain of being human, with results that are never redemptive, but still somewhat
reassuring—the juice of living is worth the squeeze of existence, even if we can’t quite explain why. There are
sitcoms that just want to make you laugh, there are sitcoms that seek meaning through the addition of emotions
like sadness and anger, and then there are sitcoms that seek those depths with a studied absurdity that slowly
transforms into sincerity—and then back again. Louie belongs to that third category, but let’s go a step further: The
category exists because of Louie. Nobody else is doing it.—Shane Ryan
31. Martin
Years: 1992-1997
A lot of people, Martin Lawrence included, probably thought this would be the peak of the former stand-up’s career
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resulted in her being absent through a good portion of the final season. She eventually settled and filmed three
final episodes under the stipulation that she wouldn’t appear in any scenes with Lawrence, which certainly sounds
like it must have been awkward to witness.—Jim Vorel
30. Friends
Years: 1994-2004
In terms of pure marketability, Friends was a juggernaut. Everyone watched Friends. Parents watched alongside
kids. Its mass appeal is summed up by its incredibly general title alone—I mean really, “Friends”? Its success may
be the ultimate reminder that truly populist sitcoms are all about the characters and not necessarily the storylines.
Friends simply had the best-defined characters: Nebbish Ross, prickly Chandler, air-headed Joey, domineering
Monica, bubbly Phoebe and “I’m very attractive” Rachel. The writing was just clever enough to let a talented
bunch of actors grow into their roles and become archetypes that have been echoed in dozens of sitcoms in the
decade since the show’s finale. The reach of Friends extends to every end of pop culture, even fashion. Case in
point: “the Rachel” hairstyle, which became the decade’s defining ’do. That is the definition of influence.—Jim
Vorel
28. Futurama
Years: 1999-2003 (first run)
Totally under-appreciated in its original run, one gets the sense that Futurama at first suffered from misplaced
expectations. Knowing it was coming from Matt Groening, perhaps people expected a futuristic version of The
Simpsons, but Futurama is fundamentally different in quite a few aspects. Although it was similar in its satirical
lampooning of modern (or futuristic) daily life and media, it was also capable of being surprisingly—even
shockingly—emotional at times. Just ask anyone who remembers the end of “Jurassic Bark” or “The Luck of the
Fryrish,” among other episodes. Likewise, its self-contained continuity was unlike almost every other animated
sitcom, with events unfolding in both its first and second run on TV that fundamentally affected the viewer’s
perception of earlier plot points. It’s now rightly recognized as one of the best animated comedies ever.—Jim
Vorel
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working in the writers room could churn out some loud, brash show, a la the dreck that’s cluttering up the
multiplexes right now. But they want better for us, which is how we get a series that wants to dip its toes,
occasionally, into the waters of pure indecency, all while holding a mirror up to the insanity of the trillions of
dollars being tossed around in the tech industry.Robert Ham
24. M*A*S*H
Years: 1972-1983
The best part of M*A*S*H’s run was in the 1970s—by the time Reagan rolled into office, we’d already lost Henry
Blake, Trapper McIntyre, Frank Burns and even Radar O’Reilly. But with replacements for all but Radar firmly in
place, there was still enough momentum in the end to make the season finale the most-watched TV episode up to
that point in history with 125 million viewers. Alda, as both star and executive producer, steered the show into
more serious waters with episodes like “Follies of the Living” and “Where There’s Will, There’s a War,” without
ever losing the sharp wit at its heart.—Josh Jackson
23. Veep
Years: 2012-present
Veep satirizes the political world by distilling it down to what the public likes to watch most: the screw-ups. From
foot-in-mouth moments to mis-sent documents to squeaky shoes, everything Selina Meyer (Julia Louis Dreyfus)
does is scrutinized, turned into an offense, and spit back at her through the distorted prism of Twitter and never-
ending public opinion polling. They never specify Meyer’s political party, and it’s no surprise that its fans span the
political spectrum. Because the main thing Veep stays true to is shining a light on the people more desperate to be
near power than to make any real social impact. Dreyfus may be the funniest person on TV right now. She’ll truly
commit to a bit, and she has a habit of taking them beyond surface level cute into the truly disastrous and
unflattering. Selina Meyer doesn’t walk into glass doors, she shatters them and stands in a pile of glass with
bleeding cuts all over her face. She takes bad advice, wears terrible hats, gets a Dustin Hoffman haircut, and can’t go
abroad without committing terrible international faux pas. And Selina is at her best as a character when she’s at her
most terrible—full of ego, more concerned with being liked than passing legislation, and blaming her staff for her
mistakes. Selina’s “bag man” Gary (Tony Hale) is a glorious sad sack, and Dan Egan (Reid Scott) is so coldly
ambitious his every misstep feels like a victory. But for every unknowingly selfish thing each person says, Veep’s
ace-in-the-hole is Anna Chlumsky’s Amy, whose Olympic-level reaction faces land everyone else’s jokes. And the
smaller recurring roles offer cameos from some of America’s best improvisers. Through and through, it’s a comedy
nerd’s dream team.—Erica Lies
22. Roseanne
Years: 1988-1997
Appearing near the tail end of the ’80s, Roseanne presented a monumental shift in the depiction of the American
family. Like Married…with Children, which had premiered a year-and-a-half beforehand, it was a show with real
bite, as evidenced by star Roseanne Barr’s stand-up material. Unlike the Fox program, however, the stories of
Roseanne and Dan Conner and their rambunctious kids were almost always rooted in heart. In a landscape filled
with pretty people and their petty problems, Roseanne chose to tackle the realities of a blue-collar family
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21. Scrubs
Years: 2001-2010
J.D. and the gang gave a completely absurd (and yet, often, the most realistic) look into the world of hospitals. Each
episode didn’t center around some outlandish disease that everyone thought was lupus, only to find out it was
something else in the last five minutes of the show. Instead Scrubs was character-driven. It was consistently
overlooked by the Emmy Awards, and viewership dwindled throughout the seasons. Still, the witty writing and
off-beat characters deserved more. When NBC canceled the show, ABC was confident enough to pick it up for two
more (laborious, unwatchable) seasons. But in its prime, it was one of the best sitcoms on TV.—Adam Vitcavage
18. Community
Years: 2009-2015
As a half-hour sitcom, Community didn’t merely break the fourth wall; it broke it, openly commented on the fact
that it broke it, only to then build a fifth wall for the express purpose of further demolition. Yet, if deconstructing
the sitcom formula was all creator Dan Harmon’s magnum opus had to offer, it would have been a fun, if
superficial lark. Instead, in telling the story of a ragtag group of community college students, the show used its vast
pop culture vernacular as a vessel for telling surprisingly resonant stories about outcasts attempting to find
acceptance, a sense of belonging and, yes, community. Whether the Greendale study group was participating in an
epic game of paintball or being confined to their study room in search of a pen, Harmon and Co. perfected the art of
taking gimmicky concepts and transforming them into strong, character-driven gems. And while only time will tell
if the show will ever fulfill the “movie” segment of its #sixseasonsandamovie battle cry, the strange, winding saga of
Community will forever stand as the stuff of TV sitcom legends.—Mark Rozeman
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Most beloved opening theme song of the 1990s? Could very well be, judging from the response this one will get at
literally any bar karaoke night—seriously, try it the next time you’re out on the town. Looking at this series in the
context of 1990, it’s funny to think that Will Smith was already sort of viewed as a “has-been” in his music career,
a guy desperately trying to stay relevant by joining a sitcom. Of course, he ultimately had the last laugh as the
fish-out-of-water story of Fresh Prince became popular immediately and survives in syndication to this day. Smith
went on to become Hollywood elite, and the rest of the country learned to dance The Carlton. Everyone
wins.—Jim Vorel
15. Frasier
Years: 1993-2004
Many of the sitcoms on this list are paeans to blue-collar family life, but Frasier was the odd show that made
cultural elites and eggheads somehow seem like lovable characters to a mass audience. Both Frasier and his
brother Niles can be infuriatingly snobbish, but audiences soon found that when their petty jealousies were
directed at each other, they could also be hilarious. The show soon became an off-hand representation of the idea
of “smart comedy” on TV, but it was also still a sitcom full of relationship humor. Viewers waited a hell of a long
time in particular for the long-teased relationship between Niles and Daphne to finally come to fruition (seven full
seasons). Frazier, on the other hand, is never really lucky in love, but he was always better as a semi-depressed
single, turning his probing mind on himself.—Jim Vorel
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Cartman were more innocent characters back then, truly childlike in many ways, less mature and grizzled from
the insane experiences of living in their “quiet mountain town.” The early episodes are focused much tighter on
those central characters as well, while just beginning to dip into pop culture parody (such as “Chinpokomon”) and
episodes dedicated to supporting characters (such as “The Succubus”). The ’90s show hadn’t quite grown to its full
potential, but it’s still easy to miss some of these character-driven stories compared to South Park’s more recent
product, which so often dedicates whole episodes to Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s opinions on a single trend,
celebrity, film or limited subject matter.—Jim Vorel
9. The Office US
Years: 2005-2013
Remakes are not easy. But the U.S. version of The Office taught a master class in staying true to the spirit of the
original British The Office, while creating its own distinctive show. The employees of Dunder Mifflin Paper
Company were led by their oblivious leader Michael (Steve Carell). He was the best boss in the world, and had the
mug to prove it. Now a bit de rigueur, when it premiere in 2005, the show’s mockumentary style, wherein
characters spoke directly to the camera, was innovative. Carrell brilliantly walked the fine line of being absolutely
clueless about interpersonal relationships, but fairly competent as a salesman. Amid all the irony, the series brought
viewers the sweet romance of Jim and Pam, the not-so-sweet romance of Dwight and Angela and some terrific
office shenanigans. The show was often preposterous, but always had heart. There was a little bit of our co-workers
in every Office character.—Amy Amatangelo
8. I Love Lucy
Years: 1951-1957
I Love Lucy is one of the most iconic sitcoms of all time. It’s a show so well-structured, and so beloved, it continues
to air in 2016, even though the last new episode premiered in 1957. It was the first show inducted into the
Television Hall of Fame, and multiple publications, including TV Guide and TIME, have named it one of the best
television shows of all-time. Many series have clearly been (and still are) influenced by the wacky adventures of
Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, but I Love Lucy also played a major role in what would become a staple of the sitcom
genre—reruns and syndication, born out of necessity after Ball became pregnant while filming. Ball and Arnaz were
consistently determined to bring their unique vision to television, which ultimately resulted in a reinvention of the
modern sitcom. Even if the generations to come don’t get to experience the magic in the same way that some of us
have, the legacy of Ball and Arnaz, and how they made and re-made television, will always be apparent.—Chris
Morgan
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sentimentality. The comedy is heartbreaking, dark, brutal and oppressive—it stares into the deadening abyss of
modern capitalism, which for so many people takes the form of dreary office jobs that eat up our time and slowly
kill our souls, and it viciously attacks the entire structure. At its heart is David Brent, the incompetent, pompous
narcissist who is one of the least lovable, most insecure leads in sitcom history. He fancies himself a kind of guru,
but is in fact a moron, and his interactions with his deadly serious underling Gareth are beyond delightful. And
even in this bleak setting, Gervais manages to reach our heartstrings with the awkward, slowly budding romance
between Tim and Dawn, which stops short of the soap operatic smaltz of the American version (for one thing,
Gervais has the balls to cast average-looking leads in his show, which would never happen over here) and has the
capacity to actually make you ache. This seminal comedy gives up nothing too easily—its default setting is
disappointment and ennui, always striving to undercut its principles—and that fact makes each move toward
something brighter feel truly beautiful and truly earned.—Shane Ryan
6. 30 Rock
Years: 2006-2013
The spiritual successor to Arrested Development, 30 Rock succeeded where its competition failed by largely
ignoring the actual process of creating a TV show and instead focusing on the life of one individual in charge of the
process, played by show creator Tina Fey. 30 Rock never loses track of its focus and creates a surprisingly deep
character for the its circus to spin around. But Fey’s not the only one that makes the series. Consistently spot-on
performances by Tracy Morgan—whether frequenting strip clubs or a werewolf bar mitzvah—and Alec Baldwin’s
evil plans for microwave-television programming create a perfect level of chaos for the show’s writers to unravel
every week. 30 Rock doesn’t have complex themes or a deep message, but that stuff would get in the way of its goal:
having one of the most consistently funny shows on TV. Suffice to say, it succeeded.—Sean Gandert
4. Arrested Development
Years: 2003-present
Mitch Hurwitz’ sitcom about a “wealthy family who lost everything and the one son who had no choice but to keep
them all together” debuted six weeks after Two and a Half Men, but never gathered the audience to keep the
show alive. Still, Hurwitz packed a whole lot of awesome into three short seasons. How much awesome? Well,
there was the chicken dance, for starters. And Franklin’s “It’s Not Easy Being White.” There was Ron Howard’s
spot-on narration, and Tobias Funke’s Blue Man ambitions. There was Mrs. Featherbottom and Charlize Theron
as Rita, Michael Bluth’s mentally challenged love interest. Not since Seinfeld has a comic storyline been so
perfectly constructed, with every loose thread tying so perfectly into the next act: The Oedipal Buster spiting his
mother Lucille by dating her friend Lucille, and eventually losing his hand to a hungry loose seal; George Michael
crushing on his cousin only to have the house cave in when they finally kiss; the “Save Our Bluths” campaign
trying to simultaneously rescue the family and rescue the show from cancellation. Arrested Development took
self-referencing postmodernism to an absurdist extreme, jumping shark after shark, but that was the point. They
even brought on the original shark-jumper—Henry Winkler—as the family lawyer. And when he was replaced,
naturally, it was by Scott Baio. Each of the Bluth family members was among the best characters on television, and
Jason Bateman played a brilliant straight man to them all.—Josh Jackson
3. Seinfeld
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years after it ended. Its grasp on pop culture minutia was on another level entirely, as was its distaste for typical
sitcom conventions. Long-term relationships and love triangles were practically non-existent on Seinfeld. Never
did characters offer sappy apologies to each other. Never did they even learn from their mistakes! Larry David
and company were instead committed to telling stories of everyday, casual misanthropy from people who viewed
themselves as “generally decent” or average, but were in reality pretty terrible individuals. Without even going
into depth about the show’s transformative effect on the cultural lexicon, known as “Seinlanguage,” it’s easy to see
how Seinfeld uniquely stood out from every one of its peers.—Jim Vorel
2. Cheers
Years: 1982-1992
Like many long-running sitcoms, the Cheers of the 90s was really a fundamentally different show than it was in
the 80s, less about the dating life of Ted Danson’s Sam and much more of an ensemble device, full of characters
who were by this point beloved by all. The final years of Cheers were when all these characters got to shine,
especially Rhea Perlman as Carla and Kelsey Grammer, who joined the cast full-time before spinning off into
Frasier. The finale episode received mixed reactions at the time, but nostalgia has pushed it into favorable
territory, especially given the happy endings that most characters receive. The fact that Sam decides not to get
married and stays with the bar is the right decision—it is of course his “one true love.”—Jim Vorel
1. The Simpsons
Years: 1989-present
At its creative peak in the mid-’90s, there was no better-written show on TV—the joke density alone is absolutely
incredible. Go back and watch an episode like part one of “Who Shot Mr. Burns?” from 1995 and the thing one
can’t help but notice is how insanely fast everything moves—there’s literally a joke every few seconds, most of
them brilliant. Every type of humor is present, from the ubiquitous pop culture references to self-referential
parody, slapstick, wordplay and simply silly, iconic characters. Really, what TV character has been quoted more
times since the early ’90s than Homer Simpson? How many of us can recite entire passages or episodes?—Jim
Vorel
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