Arrested Development (2003–2006; 2013; 2018–2019)

We don’t want to accuse you of treason, but if you’ve never watched Arrested Development, there’s a good chance you’re guilty of a comedy crime. The endlessly meme’d, Emmy-winning adventures of the Bluth family remain quotable for a reason (“Here’s some money, go see a Star War”) and the physical bits are equally timeless (“Has anyone in this family ever even seen a chicken?”). So stay fully dressed (never nude!) to watch this gem knowing that if all else fails, there’s always comedy in the banana stand.

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Cast: Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Jessica Walter, Portia de Rossi, Alia Shawkat, David Cross, Will Arnett

Seinfeld (1989–1998)

What’s the deal with the 1980s? Did every working comic get a sitcom? Just about! But this one was special — small series order, famously slow start, yada yada yada… 180 episodes of one of the most heralded sitcoms of all time. While some bits haven’t aged so well (skip “The Merv Griffin Show,” trust us) far more are still as delicious as a muffin top. Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer are not the NYC Friends we would want in real life, but they are endlessly watchable. No contest. 

One Day at a Time (2017–2020)

This writer kept trying to type Norman Lear, but the keyboard insisted on autocorrecting norman to “normal.” Which we love, since Mr. Lear spent 70 years creating sitcoms that helped normalize all different types of American families. A reboot of his 1975 classic, One Day at a Time keeps a single mother at the helm but brings a modern complexity to the story by making Penelope Alvarez (Justina Machado) a Cuban-American veteran suffering from PTSD while raising two teens alongside her mother Lydia (played to EGOT perfection by national treasure Rita Moreno). Like all family sitcoms, complex themes are at the forefront. Like all great family sitcoms, so are the laughs. 

Cast: Justina Machado, Todd Grinnell, Isabella Gomez, Marcel Ruiz, Stephen Tobolowsky, Rita Moreno

Kim’s Convenience (2016–2021)

Canada has given us so much already: insulin, Ryan Reynolds, and Trivial freakin’ Pursuit are just a few of the country’s best contributions. Now, add this to the list. The story of the Kim family and their Toronto convenience store blends generational and classic comedy by lovingly tweaking expectations about Korean parenting and stereotypes (Simu Liu cannot keep his shirt on as our first Asian himbo). What’s more, it’s laugh-out-loud funny and extremely addictive. You may think you’re going to watch one episode, but this show is like a classic Mrs. Kim Sneak Attack… it’ll get ya! 

Cast: Simu Liu, Andrea Bang, Jean Yoon, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Andrew Phung, Nicole Power 

Girlfriends (2000–2008)

This comedy about the friendship between four twentysomething Black women figuring out life, love, and career sits chronologically and stylistically right between Living Single and Insecure. Like those series, the central cast is everything to its success: Joan (Tracee Ellis Ross) as the ambitious mom-figure; Toni (Jill Marie Jones) as the self-centered material girl; Lynn (Persia White) as the overeducated and underemployed free spirit; and Maya (Golden Brooks) as the sass queen who could make a meal from the phrase “Oh, hell no!” If you haven’t already, it’s time for four new friends. 

Cast: Tracee Ellis Ross, Golden Brooks, Persia White, Jill Marie Jones

Girls5Eva (2021–present)

Okay, since apparently people in 2024 are really sensitive about marketing: This is a musical! Because why else would you cast Broadway royalty Sara Bareilles and Renée Elise Goldsberry? It’s also a comedy, because why else would you also cast Busy Philipps and Paula Pell? The four are Girls5Eva, a 1990s girl group who reunite in their 40s. The jokes come fast, furious, and slightly unhinged, while the music is so addictive you will end up accidentally singing “B.P.E.” out loud at the grocery store. (The P does not stand for produce.)

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Cast: Sara Bareilles, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Busy Philipps, Paula Pell

The Mindy Project (2012–2017)

The Mindy Project begins with Dr. Mindy Lahiri (Mindy Kaling) giving a rant at her ex’s wedding, drunkenly riding off in a bicycle while yelling “I’m Sandra Bullock!” and landing in a swimming pool. Despite using every rom-com trope possible, this sitcom never feels like it’s mocking the audience for loving the joys of the genre, throwing in homages to everything from When Harry Met Sally to 13 Going on 30. The comedy doesn’t get short shrift either, with a sharply screwball supporting cast. And yes, there is a happy ending — unless you count being sad you’ve run out of episodes.  

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Cast: Mindy Kaling, Chris Messina, Anna Camp, Ike Barinholtz, Fortune Feimster

Ugly Betty (2006–2010)

Many sitcoms on this list are grounded in realism; this one, not so much. There are secret paternities, back-from-the-deads, murders, and body switches… and we’re supposed to believe that Betty (America Ferrera) is ugly? C’mon, the poncho may be unfortunate but the woman wearing it is downright adorable, — even as she stumbles into a fashion magazine job and has to handle a handsome trust fund baby boss, a wickedly perfect villain (Vanessa Williams), and two assistants (Michael Urie and Becki Newton) looking to make her life hell. 

Cast: America Ferrera, Eric Mabius, Vanessa Williams, Rebecca Romijn, Michael Urie, Becki Newton

Martin (1992–1997)

This hugely popular 1990s Fox sitcom stars Martin Lawrence as — who else — Martin, a Detroit DJ. (Kids, a “disc jockey” played the records for a radio station.) (Kids, a “radio station” is like a Spotify account you couldn’t control.) Martin is an obnoxious but charming goof alongside his smart and far too tolerant girlfriend Gina (Tisha Campbell), with best friends rounding out the hangout comedy. There are still a dozen or so lines that you probably say today (“Damn, Gina!”), and Lawrence showed off some 1960s variety show comedy chops playing multiple characters. The fact it helped prove the mainstream power of Black sitcoms is no joke, either.

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Cast: Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, Carl Anthony Payne II, Thomas Mikal Ford, Tichina Arnold

The Upshaws (2021–present)

Mike Epps takes center stage inThe Upshaws as a working-class Indianapolis mechanic alongside sitcom royalty Kim Fields (Living Single, Facts of Life) as his wife, Gabrielle Dennis as his baby mama, and Wanda Sykes as his disapproving sister-in-law. EW’s Kristen Baldwin praised The Upshaws’ “fresh dynamics, depth, and genuine laughs,” as well as its “old-school, Norman Lear-style rhythm to the writing.” That’s undoubtedly a credit to co-creators Sykes and Regina Y. Hicks (Girlfriends, Insecure), who’ve spent decades working on TV comedies.

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Cast: Mike Epps, Kim Fields, Wanda Sykes, Gabrielle Dennis

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013–2021)

In the 99th precinct of the NYPD, suspect line-ups are for singing, pecs are for bouncing, and Halloween is for heisting. Nine-nine! The irreplaceable Andre Braugher was nominated for four Emmys during his time as Captain Raymond Holt, who never missed an inflection that could make a good joke great (his line reading of “This bitch? Please” about a rogue corgi impersonating his beloved pet should be studied at Julliard). The rest of the cast is stellar, too, with everyone bringing their A-game to a universe EW’s Kristen Baldwin describes as “diverse, progressive, and wholly inclusive.” 

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Cast: Andy Samberg, Stephanie Beatriz, Terry Crews, Melissa Fumero, Joe Lo Truglio, Chelsea Peretti, Andre Braugher

Lady Dynamite (2016–2017)

To paraphrase another dynamite lady, Maria Bamford is your favorite comedian’s favorite comedian. The proof is in the list of stars who drop by this unusual gem of a comedy throughout its 20-episode run, including folks like Sarah Silverman, Judd Apatow, Seth Meyers, and John Mulaney. Based on her real life, Maria plays a fictionalized version of herself as a stand-up comedian and actor with bipolar disorder rebuilding her career and personal life. Each episode’s plot is an absurdist springboard for Bamford’s non-linear, wacky, vulnerable, and outrageously funny storytelling.

EW grade: A- (read the review)

Cast: Maria Bamford, Fred Melamed, Mary Kay Place, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson

BoJack Horseman (2014–2020)

Back in the ‘90s, he was in a very famous TV show. Since then, however, life’s been a challenge for  BoJack Horseman, voiced to sarcastic, self-destructive perfection by Will Arnett. Sure, this animated sitcom features an absolutely stacked comedy cast (Alison Brie, Paul F. Tompkins, Aaron Paul), but it’ll also sucker punch you with bouts of ugly crying and reward your consistent viewing with puns that fly at you faster than Princess Carolyn’s verbal gymnastics.

Cast: Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Paul F. Tompkins, Aaron Paul

How I Met Your Mother (2005–2014)

Haaaaaaave you met Ted? If not, grab a booth at MacLaren’s and settle in as architect Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) traverses the streets, bars, and rooftop Halloween parties of New York in search of his one true love. With narration from the late Bob Saget and stupid amounts of comedic chemistry from its ensemble (Jason Segel, Alyson Hannigan, Neil Patrick Harris, Cobie Smulders), How I Met Your Mother became a catchphrase machine over its nine seasons. (Slap bet! Let’s go to the mall! Suit up!) In short, the sitcom was legen — wait for it, and I hope you’re not lactose intolerant because the second half of that word is — dary.

Cast: Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Alyson Hannigan, Neil Patrick Harris, Cobie Smulders, Bob Saget

Tacoma FD (2019–2023)

Broken Lizard, the comedy troupe responsible for Super Troopers and Beerfest, bring their sweetly raunchy comedic style to this workplace sitcom set in a Tacoma firehouse. They don’t see many fires, but they do get a regular stream of wacky rescue operations, everything from a spitting alpaca stuck in a kids playhouse to a guy lodged upside down in a delivery truck full of condoms, setting off a pun competition that culminates in the rescue announcement “It’s a boy!” The cast is key, full of perfect timing and an appropriate amount of lush mustaches. 

Cast: Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Eugene Cordero, Hassie Harrison

Still Game (2002–2019)

One of the most popular and beloved sitcoms in Scotland (don’t be a hero, use subtitles) is now available on Netflix, with nine seasons of the cranky, foul-mouthed, lovable retired best friends Jack (Ford Kiernan) and Victor (Greg Hemphill) waiting for you to discover its highland comedy. The cast is mostly made up of the local pensioners trying to survive on their modest retirements in a rapidly changing village, but some bloody good wordplay, wee adventures, and a pub worth protecting at all costs make this series as comfortable as a favorite barstool.

Cast: Ford Kiernan, Greg Hemphill, Paul Riley, Jane McCarry

Mr. Iglesias (2019–2020)

Stand-up comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias stars as a loveable history teacher working at his old high school, making sure the misfits don’t fall through the cracks. What does that remind you of? If you’re yelling “ooh, ooh, ooh Mr. Kotter!” congrats, you cast yourself as Horshack. But you’re right! This is a throwback sitcom that gets updated by both its commitment to the diverse cast and the ways teaching history spills into the plot, like when a unit on Prohibition reveals Gabe is in recovery. Add in Sherri Shepherd as the principal who definitely wants to be your pal, and you have a sitcom you won’t want to cut.

Cast: Gabriel Iglesias, Sherri Shepherd, Jacob Vargas, Maggie Geha, Richard Gant

Reba (2001–2007)

Reba McEntire is a national treasure, full stop. She’s also funny, a good thing considering there are 127 episodes of her self-titled sitcom. Even better, the show gives you the opportunity to explain that Reba plays *clears throat* a single mom who works two jobs / who loves her kids and never stops / with gentle hands and the heart of a fighter / she’s a survivorrrrrr. The family sitcom is exactly as silly and heartfelt as it should be, with its broad comedy anchored in Melissa Peterman’s wacky Barbra Jean, the mistress who wears Reba down into an unlikely friendship.

Cast: Reba McEntire, Melissa Peterman, Christopher Rich, JoAnna García Swisher, Steve Howey

My Wife and Kids (2001–2005)

If you need a reliable anchor for 30 minutes of comedy, look no further than the Wayans family compound. In My Wife and Kids, that honor goes to Damon Wayans, who co-created this ABC series set in Stamford, Conn., — “the city that always sleeps.” Trucking company owner Michael Richards (Wayans) and his stockbroker wife Janet (Tisha Campbell-Martin) grapple with parenting issues plaguing most sitcom parents, including a dim-bulb son and a daughter starting to date. Wayans’ role was so memorable, in fact, that he was one of the TV dads featured in a 2024 Emmys segment celebrating the patriarchs we grew up loving.

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Cast: Damon Wayans, Tisha Campbell-Martin, George Gore II, Parker McKenna Posey, Jennifer Freeman

Workin’ Moms (2017–2023)

This show is exactly what’s advertised on the tin: working moms in a Mommy and Me group juggle busy lives. The comedy is in the details, like secretly pumping breast milk in the office, postpartum depression, bedtime drama, getting a career back on track, and constant exhaustion. Wait, none of that sounds funny, but we promise it is! In the hands of creator and star Catherine Reitman, the jokes fly fast while ringing extremely true (Kate: “I love you buddy, but mommy is gonna check a little bit of email — not because I’m not dedicated to your walking development but because it’s boring”). 

Cast: Catherine Reitman, Jessalyn Wanlim, Dani Kind, Juno Rinaldi, Enuka Okuma, Sarah McVie