Elaine Chung
There are a thousand and one ways to break down the anatomy of a great comedy series. Sure, it has to make you laugh, but that’s just the bare minimum. Does it render an amused chuckle, or does it produce a gut-busting, tear-jerking laugh? Does it comment wittily on society, or does it feature adolescent boys giving birth to infant-sized bowel movements in (we’re looking at you, Big Mouth)? Whether you like your comedies sophisticated, crude, or some combination of both, we’re living in the golden age of streaming, meaning that there’s no shortage of stellar choices. But what stands out amid the crowded field?
Presented in no particular order are 40 of our all-time favorites, which run the gamut from old faithfuls to new standouts, sketch comedies to scripted programs, mockumentaries to workplace comedies. When you settle in on the sofa to stream your new obsession, be sure to keep a pillow within arm’s reach—you’re going to need it to brace your ribs when they start to ache from laughter.
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Curb Your Enthusiasm
With ten seasons under its belt and an eleventh season confirmed, Larry David’s second show about nothing just keeps getting better. David stars as a fictionalized version of himself, who has burned seemingly every bridge in Los Angeles by enforcing his neuroses and misanthropy on everyone around him, resulting in uproarious faux pas and misunderstandings both big and small. If you don’t have anything nice to say, come sit by David, because Curb Your Enthusiasm was made for you. – Adrienne Westenfeld
Nathan For You
Is the most elaborate prank show of all time? Is it a sincere effort to help business owners? Is it a documentary about the human condition? Is it a drama about one man’s journey to find love? Nathan For You is so weirdly and incredibly all of these things rolled into one post modern comedy series the likes of which we’d never seen before. – Matt Miller
Cheers
It’s not just that everybody knows this theme song that makes it one of the greatest comedies of all time. An all-star cast, crass humor that (mostly) aged well, and a nation’s undying pursuit of a bar they can call their own lends itself to a show too easy to lose yourself in during the Age of Binge Watching. If you only remember catching moments of this as a kid while your parents watched it, it’s well worth a revisit in adulthood. – Ben Boskovich
The Simpsons
The longest running scripted TV series of all time, The Simpsons is the yellow family that has, for generations, held a mirror up against American pop culture and society. Purists will say the show stopped being good sometime before the 10th season, but there’s a reason The Simpsons have stuck around for an impressive 22 subsequent seasons. – MM
Atlanta
After an impressive career in as a musician and actor, Donald Glover added Emmy and Golden Globe-winning showrunner to his astounding resume with Atlanta. With incredible clarity of vision and finely crafted, deeply human characters, Atlanta examines race in America like no other show on TV. It also brought mainstream success to a cast of some of the most promising young character actors in Brian Tyree Henry, Lakeith Stanfield, and Zazie Beetz. –MM
Seinfeld
I shudder to think what comedy on television would look like without Seinfeld. Though we call it The Show About Nothing, Seinfeld is really The Show About Everything it Means to Be a Modern, Anxious Person in America. All those small grievances, social faux pas, awkward interactions, misunderstandings, mistakes, and foibles are amplified and twisted through the Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld comedy machine to create much of what comedy is today. –MM
Frasier
Cheers was so beloved, it even spawned its own spinoff series centered around one of the bar’s regulars, Dr. Frasier Crane. Why not Norm, or Cliff, or Woody? Well, Frasier’s post-Chicago life turned out to be pretty interesting. Come for the taste of high-class life in a skyscraper above Seattle, and stay for the timeless quips of the late John Mahoney, who plays Frasier’s dad—and who wound up being one of the greatest television characters of all time. –BB
30 Rock
Has any twenty-first century television comedy shaped the field quite like 30 Rock? Tina Fey’s self-referential workplace series about the zany cast and crew of a sketch comedy show—and the harried head writer just trying to have it all—has redefined our sensibility about joke density, while also introducing dozens of witticisms into our everyday parlance. Even if 30 Rock doesn’t seem like your speed, we recommend catching up if only to speak the language of your friends. Never stare quizzically again when someone says, “I want to go to there.” – AW
Pen15
Pen15 is an unforgettable show about the bittersweetness of girlhood, with Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle starring as fictionalized versions of their adolescent selves opposite a cast of real tween actors. Together, Erskine and Konkle bring heart and hilarity to the indignities of adolescence. Come for the hilarious, hyper-specific evocation of adolescent life in the early 2000s (AIM and witchcraft, anyone?), but stay for the tender portrait of friendship, family, and growing up. –AW
All in the Family
No show has come close to being this controversial, and here’s how you know: ABC just recreated two episodes last year, using the original scripts, nearly 50 years after they originally aired, and the studio audience still gasped. All In The Family filtered the massive social change of the 1970s through one working class Queens family, with— and I cannot believe I am typing these words— lovable bigot Archie Bunker as the stand-in for the viewer’s less enlightened side. Norman Lear let Archie be funny without ever allowing him to be right, allowing the show to say something important without acting important. The world could use an Archie Bunker right about now. – Dave Holmes
The Jeffersons
Fish don’t fry in the kitchen. Beans don’t burn on the grill. And the Jeffersons are surely not on the ground floor anymore. The Norman Lear series debuted in 1975 and stands as one of the longest running sitcoms of all time. Beyond its longevity, it also marked the creation of one of TV’s most beloved families. The second spin-off to come from All in the Family, the Jeffersons wasn’t just the story of a wealthy Black family in New York. The series spearheaded conversations about racism, literacy, suicide, and trans issues. In 1975. And the series patriarch, George, is one of the few people who had the wherewithal to take Archie Bunker head on. –Justin Kirkland
Arrested Development
In 2003, Arrested Development blew the doors off of what seemed possible for a television comedy, introducing a joke-dense, running gag-laden format that shaped the hundreds of single camera comedies after it. In this screwball show, the craven misadventures of the narcissistic Bluths, a privileged family who just can’t seem to learn their lesson, never get old. In fact, the series rewards repeat viewing—there’s always some new Easter egg to shock and delight you. -AW
Sex and the City
Without Sex and the City, we’d be living in an entirely different world. HBO’s groundbreaking romantic comedy about four women on the New York City dating scene moved the cultural needle on feminism, sex, and womanhood, laying the groundwork for hundreds of female-centric sitcoms to come. To watch it now is to recognize how obsolete some of its social mores are, but also to celebrate how it came out swinging, allowing women on television to be more honest about their sexuality than ever before. Take it from the immortal Samantha Jones: “The good ones screw you, the bad ones screw you, and the rest don’t know how to screw you.” – AW
Police Squad!
In the wake of their Airplane! films, Zucker Abrahams and Zucker launched an equally deadpan and joke-stuffed take on police procedurals, and confused the hell out of prime-time network audiences. ABC didn’t know what to do with the show, but those who liked it loved it. Its six episodes created a small but committed fan base that kept the buzz alive through the decade and led to the Naked Gun movies. It didn’t last, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t great. –DH
What We Do in the Shadows
Spun off of Taika Waititi’s film by the same title, What We Do in the Shadows is a goofy mockumentary mash-up of comedy and horror, wherein four vampire roommates living in a Staten Island mansion experience friction and frustration as they explore the modern world. Absurd and off-kilter, the show’s collision of the supernatural and the quotidian makes for comedy magic. –AW
Insecure
Issa Rae’s sunny, sexy dramedy navigates the ups and downs of life for Black millennial women, illuminating everything from the often-hilarious tumult of sex and relationships to the humbling struggle of searching for purpose. It’s also a stunning look at the intimacy and heartbreak of female friendship, charting the close but stormy relationship between its protagonist, Issa, and her longtime best friend, Molly. Raunchy, witty, and deeply insightful, Insecure is the work of a true auteur. –AW
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
So much of what this show did—centering a single girl in the big city, treating the workplace as family room, tackling social issues with heart and humor—it did so well it’s hard to believe it did them first. Moore is lovable and charmingly messy, but the secondary characters are so well-defined and human, you even care about buffoonish newscaster Ted and prickly landlady Phyllis. It spun two characters off into their own shows during its run, a third—Lou Grant in a drama!—after it went off the air, and introduced new ones like Betty White’s cheerfully horny Sue Ann without missing a step. Plus the best theme song in TV history bar none. –DH
Bob’s Burgers
At eleven seasons in, not a single character on Bob’s Burgers has aged a day, but somehow, the series just keeps getting better. In an oceanside town, Bob Belcher runs a family restaurant with the help of his buoyant wife and three oddball children, where his best efforts to sling one-of-a-kind burgers are often foiled by family hijinks, local health inspectors, and hilarious disasters. Where other comedies mock their quirky characters, Bob’s Burgers embraces them, returning inexorably to a celebration of the weirdnesses that make them wonderful. –AW
Good Times
Damn, damn, damn. Norman Lear was determined to change American culture through comedy, and with this show he took us to a place we’d never been: the projects. Drunks, dealers, and numbers runners figured among the day players who surrounded the unbreakable Evans family, but the realism was always the star. John Amos took patriarch James off the canvas in Season Three as stories began to center Jimmie Walker’s bombastic JJ, but the show continued to find the comedy within tragedy. –DH
BoJack Horseman
BoJack Horseman is as improbable a comedy as they come. Through its titular horse turned sitcom star turned washed-up has-been, it brilliantly skewers Hollywood culture while painting a stark, poignant portrait of depression and addiction. It doesn’t sound like much fun, we know, but somehow it’s one of the most joke-dense, ambitious comedies ever to play the game. –AW
Big Mouth
Lewd, crude, and imaginatively rude, Big Mouth lays it scene at Bridgeton Middle School, where a group of lovable weirdos stumbling through puberty are ministered to by Hormone Monsters and Monstresses, who help their charges navigate everything from body hair to menstruation to self-pleasure. This animated series swings from a visceral all-out grossfest to a tender exploration of big ideas like racial identity and toxic masculinity, sometimes all in the space of the very same minute. If that’s not enough to sell you on Big Mouth, tune in for the memorably lusty ghost of Duke Ellington (voiced by Jordan Peele), who definitely didn’t kill anyone. –AW
Second City TV
It may not be the most well-known sketch comedy show, but it’s by far one of the most influential–and important–series in television history. Featuring a murderer’s row of comedy legends (mostly from Canada), icons like John Candy, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, and Rick fucking Moranis all got their starts on Second City TV. Although SNL will always be the more renowned sketch show of the era, SCTV is probably responsible for more comedy careers, films, TV series, and, well, laughs, than perhaps any other comedy institution, and for that we will cherish its memory. Also–it’s supposed to be coming back for a reunion on Netflix directed by Martin Scorsese! Hopefully that’s still happening. – Dom Nero
Parks and Recreation
In the decade since it premiered, Parks and Recreation has been cemented as a classic network sitcom—and for good reason. The heartwarming political satire features the most quirky, lovable cast of characters, who never fail to find humor in their humble government work. Spearheaded by the virtuous and hilarious Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), the show follows the team of misfits employed by the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana’s Parks and Recreation department as they take on the town. –Lauren Kranc
Tim and Eric’s Awesome Show, Great Job
When we talk about comedy today, it’s really impossible to skip over Awesome Show–though a lot of critics and culture writers seem to forget how influential it was. In the early 2000s, before Andy Samberg came to SNL, before video editing became as big a part of visual punchlines as jokes themselves, Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim were creating a weirder, more reckless, and ambitious vision for the future of comedy on the then-little-known Adult Swim network. From Awesome Show and the duo’s production company, Abso Lutely, we got so many of the spinoffs and beloved weirdo shows of the past decade. Eric Andre, Nathan for You, Check it Out with Dr. Steve Brule, and Heidecker’s recent spiral into madness, On Cinema–they all started with Tim and Eric (or, really, Tom Goes to the Mayor, which also deserves more praise than it gets). –DN
Saturday Night Live
It’s strange to think of SNL as a comedy series when we’re listing more traditional series like Roseanne and Seinfeld. But just because Lorne Michaels’ long-running brainchild is a live sketch show doesn’t mean it should be excluded from a roundup like this. SNL is as important to comedy as Jerry Seinfeld or any of the other stars you see on this list. Perhaps moreso, in fact. Originally a punk-rock variety hour that featured all sorts of early 70s debauchery, SNL has gone through a lot of changes over the years. Good or bad, it’s an important part of the pop culture landscape, because it’s always been a product of its time. –DN
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
For years, we waited for the rightful heir to Seinfeld, and somehow, it came in the form of scrappy DIY series from three no-name actors in Philadelphia, plus Danny DeVito. The Always Sunny gang isn’t just kind of bad, though–unlike Jerry and his buds, Mac, Charlie, Dee, and Frank, are downright maniacal. They’re garbage! In a time when everything on TV has a sparkly message, it’s refreshing to look at people who, well, kind of just suck. It’s hard to explain, I guess. But if I were to vote three or four shows into the comedy hall of fame, Always Sunny would be one of my first choices. Dayman! Oh-oooh-ooo!! -DN
Schitt’s Creek
There’s always the worry that our own excitement could blur our long term assessment skills, but there’s something about Schitt’s Creek though that feels like it will stand the test of time. Set in the nowhere town of Schitt’s Creek, the series followed the Rose family from obnoxious elitists to true small town heroes. Catherine O’Hara’s line readings alone make the series worth watching, but in an era of “comedies” that are anything but, Schitt’s Creek offered a warm embrace in a utopia that is simply too good for our world. –JK
Roseanne
Despite its titular character outing herself as a racist and bigot years after the series initially ended, Roseanne was a groundbreaking show that spoke to lower middle class and working class families in a way that nothing else on television was doing. Roseanne’s Lanford, Illinois didn’t just buck that trend of setting series in New York or LA; it made that part of the world a character. The series operated outside of politics, instead presenting a comedic story that also tackled the subjects of LGBTQ rights, drug use, and abortion. –JK
Kenan and Kel
Though it may be surprising to see a Nickelodeon series crack the list, Kenan and Kel represents one of the most influential children’s series to land on the network. Running for four seasons, Kenan and Kel had a litany of famous guest stars and launched the career of Saturday Night Live’s current longest-running cast member. Don’t turn your nose up at Nick. –JK
Fleabag
Like Schitt’s Creek, Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag is a recent addition to the comedy canon, but its impact on the genre is undeniable. The Amazon series has rejiggered the idea of what we deem comedy, leaning into the emotional complexity of the awkward and trying moments that can only be remedied by a laugh. While Fleabag may not leave you with an out and out chuckle every episode, its sly use of comedy will undoubtedly help you see the world through a different lens. –JK
In Living Color
Fox’s sketch show that ran for four seasons in the late ‘90s changed the game. Now only did it give Saturday Night Live some much-needed competition, but it turned the SNL model on its head. Featuring a line up of nearly all Black performers, the series opened up doors for the likes of David Alan Grier, Kim Coles, Jamie Foxx, the entire Wayans family, and Jim Carrey. Take that, Lorne. –JK
Los Espookys
Julio Torres and Fred Armisen’s bizarre HBO creation is as quirky and out there as its creators. The primarily Spanish-language series follows a group of friends who turn their love of the undead, horror, and gore into a business. There’s melodrama and slapstick physical comedy. It’s unlike anything else on television right now, and yet, you can’t turn away. In an era when the concept of comedy can sometimes take a turn for the serious, Los Espookys leans all the way into the idea of being absolutely kooky. –JK
Broad City
When we first met Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer in Broad City, we were probably too busy trying to learn the Bed Bath & Beyond dap to know what the sitcom truly meant to us. Seriously: What didn’t Broad City give us? A celebration of fucking up in your 20s. A love letter to New York City. An uproarious portrait of friendship. What it truly, deeply means to shit in a shoe. We miss you, Ilana and Abbi. –Brady Langmann
Portlandia
Sure, we’ll look back on the bearded, Mountain Goats-ed, hipster heyday of the late 2000s, early 2010s and cringe. But no one roasted (and celebrated!) This Fermented Life quite like Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen. In Portlandia, the duo hilariously introduced us to all the fun and flanneled characters of Portland, Oregon, the hipster capital of America. We witnessed the Feminist Car Wash. Am I fat?! Don’t forget the definitive spoof on the all-monotone-everything NPR podcast. Portlandia still has crying into our IPAs. –BL
Key & Peele
Sure, in 50 years, we might say Jordan Peele, the iconic horror mastermind. And Keegan-Michael Key, legendary character actor. But there’s never been a sketch comedy quite like Comedy Central’s teamup between the two men, Key & Peele. From the sports-world spoof that gave us Hingle McCringleberry, to criticisms of the faux-wokes of America, to just… straight-up art like “Continental Breakfast,” we might never see a sketch show match Key & Peele’s range again. –BL
Veep
In season two of Armando Iannucci’s critically-adored Veep, Vice President Selina Meyer, played by the incomparable Julia Louis Dreyfus, asks the show’s resident douchebag, Jonah, to weigh in on a debate. “Settle something for me,” she says. “You like to have sex and you like to travel?” Jonah, unsure of what the VP is getting at, cautiously replies. “Yes, ma’am.” “Well, then you can fuck off!” she says, shoving him out of her office. It’s just one of the hundreds of crude insults that get hurled between the shameless characters in this outrageous show, which was meant to satirize American politics, but ended up reflecting them. Despite ending in 2019 after a brilliant seven-year run, Veep will likely stay relevant for decades, especially if our politics continue to trend towards the surreal. –Abigail Covington
Freaks & Geeks
Before the 40-Year-Old Version, before Superbad, and Anchorman, and Bridesmaids—Judd Apatow made a little comedy series about misfits that only lasted for one season. Though short lived, Freaks & Geeks remains a beloved collection of 18 episodes that helped launch the careers of James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Martin Starr, and Linda Cardellini. –MM
The Eric Andre Show
One of the first recommended questions when you Google The Eric André Show is, “Do guests on the Eric André show know?” Accompanied for the first four seasons by the unsettling deadpan of his sidekick Hannibal Burress, André hosts various interviews, man-on-the street segments, and whatever unhinged bits he can pack into what looks like a public access television studio. If there’s one thing you can count on from the least formulaic talk show on television, it’s that André is going to push the envelope. And probably push his desk over. And/or defecate on it and set it on fire, along with the rest of the studio. – Emma Carey
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Ask anyone in America to sing you the Fresh Prince theme song and you’re nearly guaranteed to get a lyrical synopsis of the beloved sitcom within seconds. Ask them to do “the Carlton,” and, well, you’re just making a scene. But there’s a reason this series has stayed fresh in pop culture for so many years. Will Smith’s semi-autobiographical breakout role as a West Philadelphia born-and-raised teenager, sent to live with his affluent aunt and uncle in Bel-Air, California, is perfect fish-out-of-water fodder for situational comedy. But between the laughs, Fresh Prince provided more than the sitcom genre’s typical creature comforts. While most sitcoms of the time hit the peak of their social commentary with D.A.R.E. PSA-esque melodrama, Fresh Prince tackled real-world issues like racism, sexism, and gun violence in a way that still resonates today. –EC
I Love Lucy
In many ways, I Love Lucy paved a path through the era’s hyper-conservative television landscape, especially in its representation of Lucy and Ricky’s marriage. Granted, a lot of the show’s themes are now outdated, and Lucy’s dim-witted schtick has luckily been succeeded by leading ladies with brains. But when it comes to getting a laugh out of audiences across generations, there’s something to be said for the timelessness of I Love Lucy’s slapstick humor.
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