25 Best Sitcoms Of All Time, Ranked
25. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ is where the only thing more chaotic than the criminals is Jake Peralta’s energy. It’s a buddy cop show, sure, but mostly it’s an excuse to watch Terry Crews flex while crying and Andre Braugher deadpan harder than anyone in TV history. Noice!
24. Fawlty Towers
Proof that six episodes (times two seasons) is all you need to become iconic. John Cleese's Basil Fawlty is the hotel manager from hell, and watching him spiral into madness is British comedy at its absolute finest. Think of it as ‘The Office,’ but if Michael Scott was angry, British, and constantly at war with a moose head.
23. Community
It started as a typical sitcom. Then came the paintball, the claymation, the Ken Burns documentary parody. ‘Community’ doesn’t just break the fourth wall, it demolishes it, then rebuilds it out of cardboard and sets it on fire. Greendale Community College is like Hogwarts for weirdos, and we mean that as the highest compliment.
22. One Day at a Time
A reboot that actually works…that too in this economy. 'One Day at a Time' updates a classic with a Cuban-American family navigating PTSD, immigration, and coming out—all while being laugh-out-loud funny. Also, Rita Moreno is in it. Enough said.
21. Freaks and Geeks
Canceled after one season but still managed to launch about a dozen Hollywood careers and cause a million ‘what ifs’. It’s the only show that truly gets what it feels like to be awkward, unpopular, and 15. Moreover, it has the best bad high school band ever: Dimension.
20. South Park
It started as poop jokes, then became unmissable political satire. ‘South Park’ swings from outrageous to prophetic in the time it takes for Cartman to insult someone's mom. Still going after two decades, it's like the cockroach of comedy, but in a good way.
19. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ is about a trash pile of sociopaths running a failing bar and ruining each other’s lives for fun. It's depraved, it’s genius, it’s a crackpot of a show. And somehow, it's still going strong since debuting in 2005. God bless Paddy’s Pub!
18. Derry Girls
A show about The Troubles in Northern Ireland that somehow manages to be... a gut-buster. We’re in! These teenage girls (and poor James) navigate adolescence with a heavy dose of sarcasm, Catholic school guilt, and some of the best ’90s music needle drops in sitcom history.
17. Parks and Recreation
Leslie Knope is America’s actual sweetheart. What started as a shaky ‘The Office’ clone grew into a vibrant, sweet, laugh-out-loud sitcom with a cast so lovable that we’d move to Pawnee tomorrow. Even if Li’l Sebastian is no longer with us. RIP, tiny horse.
16. 30 Rock
Ever feel like you’re watching someone have a nervous breakdown through punchlines? That’s ‘30 Rock.’ It’s fast, absurd, and features Alec Baldwin giving business advice like he’s mentoring a James Bond villain. Tina Fey’s Liz Lemon is all of us at 3 a.m. eating cheese in a Snuggie.
15. Veep
If politics had a blooper reel, this would be it. ‘Veep’ is sharp, savage, and features the most creative swearing. Julia Louis-Dreyfus commits to being the worst person in the room and somehow makes it look effortless. If you’re looking for moral lessons, look elsewhere. But if you’re looking for a show where someone says “Jaffar from Al-Qaeda” with a straight face, congrats.
14. Schitt’s Creek
A riches-to-rags story where everyone starts off insufferable and ends up being enduring. The slow-burn transformation of the Rose family is sitcom evolution at its finest. Also, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ gave us Moira Rose, who speaks like a cursed thesaurus and deserves her own dictionary.
13. Modern Family
This show was the Volvo of sitcoms—reliable, safe, always there for you on lonely nights. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t funny. It took the faux-documentary style into the family home and created a generation of viewers who believed in the Pritchetts’ chaotic yet charming dynamics and celebrated Phil Dunphy as the pinnacle of Dad Goals.
12. Frasier
You think your family’s dramatic? Imagine being a radio psychiatrist with a retired cop dad and a brother who makes wine tasting feel like a religious experience. ‘Frasier’ proved highbrow could be hilarious, as long as you were willing to laugh at yourself for not getting half the references.
11. All in the Family
Archie Bunker: the man, the myth, the walking HR violation. ‘All in the Family’ tackled hot-button issues before anyone else dared, and did it with actual laughs. It was bold, biting, and somehow still managed to make us care about a lovable bigot and his long-suffering family.
10. Curb Your Enthusiasm
Larry David is the human embodiment of “what if you just didn’t let anything go, ever.” The king of petty grievances and social sabotage, ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ takes awkward situations and makes them full-blown catastrophes. Bonus points for Susie’s profanity tirades, which are art.
9. The Office
The paper company that launched a thousand memes. Between Jim's glances, Dwight’s beet farming wisdom, and Michael Scott’s…well, everything, ‘The Office’ turned workplace drudgery into comfort TV gold.
8. Arrested Development
“I’ve made a huge mistake.” This is everyone who slept on ‘Arrested Development’ until it was too late. The original run was a masterclass in callbacks, running gags, and banana stand economics. We don’t talk about the Netflix seasons. We just don’t.
7. M*A*S*H
How does a comedy about war work? Very carefully, with brilliance. ‘M*A*S*H’ managed to mix slapstick, sarcasm, and real emotional gut-punches—all while making Alan Alda one of the most beloved TV characters ever. Also, it lasted eight years longer than the actual Korean War.
6. Cheers
Where everybody knows your name…and your drink order, your relationship status, and how many times you’ve been dumped. ‘Cheers’ is cozy, classic, and sneakily deep. Also gave us Norm, Cliff, and the joy of watching people get tipsy in the most wholesome way possible.
5. The Mary Tyler Moore Show
This wasn’t just a sitcom; it was a seismic shift in what TV could be. Mary Richards was smart, single, and thriving, not because she had to be, but because she wanted to be. It broke ground, cracked jokes, and threw the best hats in television history.
4. Friends
Love it or hate it (or pretend to hate it but secretly quote it), ‘Friends’ defined a generation. The coffee, the style, the on-again, off-again relationship that somehow kept going like a sitcom Energizer bunny. It’s cliché to say it, but, they really were there for us all.
3. The Simpsons
The first 10 seasons are comedy perfection. Every adult animation show since owes it rent. ‘The Simpsons’ turned suburban dysfunction into high art, and even though it's gone on for too long, the golden years alone cement its place near the top.
2. I Love Lucy
TV’s first lady of funny. ‘I Love Lucy’ was trailblazing before trailblazing was cool. Lucille Ball’s slapstick, comic timing, and groundbreaking work behind the camera shaped the entire medium. She walked so every sitcom queen after her could sashay.
1. Seinfeld
Yes, the list ends exactly where it should. ‘Seinfeld’ wasn’t about lessons or growth, it was about nothing. Which somehow made it every-damn-thing! Sharp, nihilistic, and brilliantly written, it made the mundane miraculous and introduced the world to Festivus, the Soup Nazi, and the majesty of shrinkage. Serenity now, forever.
