Favorite Sitcoms | Idiotprogrammer: Texas Literary Blog

I consider myself a TV sitcom connoisseur. My dream job would be writing for a sitcom — if only I had the foresight to realize this in my 20s. I’m not going to think too hard about which is properly a “sitcom”. I generally think of sitcoms as lasting under 30 minutes — with some longer things noted. Also, I’m generally excluding sketch comedy shows — though I’m including a separate list for that. Generally I like all sitcoms (I’m easy to please). If a show doesn’t wow me, I’m still going to list it for the sake of keeping a reference. Maybe it’s not good to put animated comedies on my list, so what. Decade will be listed in alphabetical order. *** means it’s my fave. All Bold indicate that it’s great comedy. Here’s (from Futoncritic) a complete listing of each sitcom and its current status (which contains some shows from the 1990s and 1980s, but not all). For shows listed below, if it doesn’t appear in the right decade, it might appear at the end under the Overrated List. New! I’ve added my personal list of favorite sitcom intros.

Update: It never occurred to me to include sitcoms not in English. With all kinds of streaming options, I will start doing so.

Warning: I am a sucker for show reboots and continuations into spinoffs 10 years later. Will and Grace is the best example of that.

Awards. I will probably write a rant about this later, but the best sitcoms are dangerously ignored at awards shows like the Emmy’s. A very small number of high profile shows will sweep the awards, while many never even get nominated. This problem could very easily be corrected with awards more focused on sitcoms.

EPGuides.com has good data about old sitcoms and the latest season.

Directory: HBO/MAX Shows, Instawatcher Comedy Series by Newness, Rotten Tomatoes rankings. Futon Critic sitcoms that are new in 2024-2025 / returning in 2024-2025. EPGuides list of current shows (all genres)

Ratings: Rotten Tomatoes (Highest Ratings) (Highest Audience Score) (Newest) Netflix (Highest Ratings) (Audience Score)

Other lists: Top Disney/Teen comedies,

Fave Sketch Comedy Series (not including variety shows)

Catherine Tate Show. She is a force to be reckoned with!
Sifl & Olly Show **. Surreal and postmodern musical puppet show on 1990s MTV. Brainchild of prolific songwriter Liam Lynch. Lasted only 2 seasons, but each episode was packed with surreal fun and catchy songs. All episodes are on YouTube.
Jack Benny show. More of a variety show & sketch show which over the years (I’ve been told) have become more of a classic sitcom. I’ve seen some of the variety show, not the later episodes.
Mad TV (Fox’s more risque version of SNL).In many ways, funnier than SNL.
Whose Line is it Anyway (US Version starring Drew Carey).
Mr. Show with David and Bob. David Cross and Bob Odenkirk.
Monty Python’s Flying Circus. They literally invented a new format.
In Living Color. 5 seasons. This show featured lots of top talent (Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Lopez, Rosie Perez, David Alan Grier) before they hit it big. Also featured several from the Wayans family.
SNL. (50 seasons). Even though individual episodes might flag, some of the sketches and comedy characters will live on forever.
Tracey Ullman Show
What’s My Line? Improv comedy.
Your Show of Shows (Sid Caesar). Sid Caesar invented the sketch comedy show, and “This is Your Story” is probably the funniest sketch ever. Note that it took many incarnations: Admiral Broadway Review (1949), Saturday Night Review (1950) which spun off to become Your Show of Shows (1950-4) Caesar’s Hour (1954-7), Sid Caesar Invites You (1958), As Caesar Sees It (1962), Sid Caesar Show (1963-4). More explanation of the different people involved in each show.
SCTV

Other Variety Shows (which I haven’t seen)

Hale and Pace. (1988-1998, British). Gareth Hale and Norman Pace do regular double-act specials of comedy sketches. (All episodes on YouTube).
Harry & Paul. (2007 – on).
I think You should Leave with Tim Robinson. 3 seasons on Netflix.
Little Britain. 2003-2006. Written by and starring David Walliams and Matt Lucas

Special mention needs to go out to dramas (esp supernatural dramas) with significant comic elements: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Doctor Who, West Wing, Columbo, Lou Grant, Hijacking of Flight 603.

The Fifties

Amos and Andy (which I’ve never watched)
Donna Reed Show. 8 seasons.
Father Knows Best. Ohio salesman runs a family. 6 seasons.
George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. I’ve watched some of the episodes (which I love).
Honeymooners *** I only watched the original show — (and not the reboots), but the minimalism of both the plots and sets make it doubly brilliant.
I Love Lucy. So many things about the show are great, but having the Mertzes as next door neighbors offered endless comic opportunities.
I married Joan. 3 seasons. Joan Davis stars as the manic scatter-brained wife of a mild mannered man played by Jim Backus.
Leave it to Beaver. When watching as an adult, the show seemed a lot more sly than I remembered.
Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. The most vanilla corny show on TV, but I like watching innocent teenage dating fun! Early roles for Bob Denver, Tuesday Weld (a knockout!) and Warren Beauty. Loosely adapted from Max Schulman’s short stories which are also innocent and fun.
Meet Millie. Never seen. Forerunner to MTM “urban working girl” premise.
Mr. Peepers. Never seen. wacky school comedy with Wally Cox, later Tony Randall joined cast.
Ozzie & Harriet. A whooping 14 seasons should count for something.
Phil Silvers Show (also titled “You’ll Never Get Rich” or Sgt. Bilko). 4 seasons. Emmy-winning show created by Nat Hiken about soldiers on an unremarkable army base in Kansas during peacetime.

See the bottom of this blogpost for a discussion of shows which were never digitized.

The Sixties

Also, see Michael Barrett’s rundown of forgotten 1960s sitcoms.

Adams Family — great show with quirky humor and characters. It was so repetitive but I never minded. Laugh track is bothersome. ***
Andy Griffith Show. It wasn’t that good, but it captured small town life that is now part of the past. Minus Andy Griffith it became Mayberry RFD which I didn’t see. Given the superb cast, I’m tempted to rewatch it to see if it’s better than I remembered.
Batman. Funny superhero parody. I have only watched the Batman movie more than once. It would be nice to revisit this show, but I suspect its brand of campy humor has staying power.
Bewitched. Fantasy family sitcom. Nothing special; fun for kids. See short-lived 70s spinoff called Tabitha.
Beverly Hillbillies. I found this show incredibly dull.
Car 54 Where are you? Outstanding TV cop show starring the wacky Joe Ross and Fred Gwynne (of the Munsters) and Al Lewis (also from the Munsters). Season 1 is fantastic, Season 2 is bad.
Courtship of Eddie’s Father. starring Bill Bixby.
Dennis the Menace.
Dick Van Dyke show. Topnotch actors, but stories were a little bland.
Doris Day Show. 5 seasons. Widow raises 2 young sons on the farm of her father.
Family Affair. Very bland show about a widowed father and his two very young children.
Flintstones. Memorable characters, but I didn’t find it that funny.
Gilligan’s Island. Interesting premise and cast, but stupid mindless entertainment.
Get Smart. This show ages very well. *** I’ve into Season 4, and quality still hasn’t flagged even if the show feels like it’s on autopilot. Don’t for a moment think this show has anything to do with politics! Writer Buck Henry has the magic touch in this show.
Ghost and Mrs. Muir. 2 seasons. TV adaptation of a 1947 movie about a woman who lives with a captain ghost who haunts the place.
Green Acres
Hazel
Here’s Lucy. 6 seasons. Sequel to I Love Lucy.
Hogan’s Heroes. Watched as a kid. Clever premise, grew old quickly, but good cast. Compare to the far superior Allo Allo 2 decades later.
I dream of Jeannie. This seemed ridiculously formulaic; I would watch it again just to see Bill Daily as the ever-cheerful sidekick.
I’m Dickens, He’s Fenster. 1 episode. John Astin and Mary Ingels play inept Los Angeles carpenters who work for the same construction company and live the bachelor life. Lots of physical gags.
Jetsons. This futuristic cartoon definitely affected my expectations about the future. It was a great discussion about the “normalcy” of future life. Haven’t revisited it in decades, but I expect that its humor holds up still. Update: I have watched a few episodes and loved them more than I should.
Lucy Show. Gosh, I need to watch this! I previewed it and unfortunately the laugh track was very distracting. (Writing was so-so also).
Make Room for Daddy. Fun for kid/family watching. Nothing special, but I enjoyed it a lot as a kid.
McHale’s Navy. Watched as a kid. Great cast, probably doesn’t age well.
Mister Ed. 6 seasons. About a talking horse. Watched as a kid, and re-reading the Wiki article about it, really makes me want to watch it again to see what jokes went over my head.
Monkees.
Munsters. Never liked as a kid, but I’ve heard critics praise it for its inclusiveness during a decade when segregationists still ran rampant.
My Favorite Martian, haven’t seen. All on Amazon Prime!
My Mother the Car. 1 season. Jerry Van Dyke was in it!
My Three Sons. I don’t remember any of what I watched as a kid, but I’d rewatch just to see William Demarest’s antics.
My World and Welcome to It. 1 season. Well-reviewed but quickly cancelled show based on the world and humor of James Thurber. Curmudgeonly John Monroe works for a famous literary magazine (the New Yorker?) and has wild Walter Mitty daydreams. Created by veteran screenwriter Melville Shavelson.
Patty Duke Show, clever show. I’d love to see more.
Phil Silvers Show. Great season 1, Phil Silvers is the best!
Please Don’t Eat the Daisies. 2 seasons. Doris Day and David Niven star about a professor turned theater critic who becomes famous, causing problems for his wife and three children.
Room 222. History American history class created by James L. Brooks. Starring an idealistic African-American teacher.

The Seventies

Alice. 4 season. Centers around 3 waitresses at Mel’s Diner. Probably historically important because it depicts a single mother raising a kid. The “Kiss My Grits” actress who played Flo did a spinoff show called “Flo.”
All in the Family **** My number 1 favorite show on this page. Still the best, though I wish there was a way to remove the annoying laugh track. Watching it in middle age, I realize how reasonable some of Archie’s opinions actually are and how strident Mike Stivic’s attitudes really sound. Therein lay the show’s genius.***
Another Day. 4 episodes. Husband works, doesn’t want wife to, conflict and hilarity ensues!
Archie Bunker’s Place. Spinoff from AITF, but after Edith’s death. Only saw a few episodes, not that impressed. But I’d like to watch it again!
Are You Being Served? Life at a clothing department store. 10 seasons (70 episodes total).
Barney Miller. I only saw one or two episodes.
Benson. Susan Harris created spinoff from Soap.
Bob Newhart Show. There’s a lot of love in this show. Susanne Plyshette who plays the wife was superbly sexy and cynical. The key to Bob Newhart is the telephone calls (which he used to do comedy routines about). He always played the straight man reacting to people. He played a more active curmudgeon role in the 80s sequel Newhart.
Brady Bunch — more interesting as a premise than for the actual show.
Chico and the Man. Wonderful and promising show which unfortunately was cut short by the suicide of the star Freddie Prinze. Wow, just read on Wikipedia that it was inspired by a Cheech and Chong comedy act!
Facts of Life. 9 seasons. Edna Garrett is a house mother at the fictional Eastland boarding school in New York. I watched more of this show than I would have wanted. I never really loved it (not the target demographic I guess), but the characters were memorable and full of high school drama. Charlotte Rae is an established actress who also appeared on the Phil Silvers show, Car 54 and Where are you?
Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin. (British). Show about dystopian work and self-actualization. The show had a really funny formula and routines, but after two seasons, it started to get darker and more repetitive. Inspired by David Nobbs series of books, which I’d love to read.
Fawlty Towers. Enjoyed this short lived British series (and watched everything dozens of times). Just want to say that Cleese is the perfect sitcom guest star. Interestingly, Fawlty Towers was the inspiration for Cheers; can’t you tell? Special mention needs to be made to Connie Booth (who often played straight roles in Monty Python things) and Prunella Scales who plays the proper wife. 2023 Update: A reboot is in the works starring John Cleese’s daughter and Cleese himself.
Fernwood 2 Night. 1 season (65 episodes!). Created by Norman Lear, it’s a satirical talk show starring Martin Mull and Fred Williard. Takes place in Fernwood Ohio (setting for Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman). Parodied talk show format (anticipating Larry Sanders show).
Good Life (also known as “Good Neighbors”). British midlife crisis sitcom about a couple who try to become totally self-sufficient after escaping the rat race. Sort of a milder version of Reginald Perrin.
Good Times
Grady. Spinoff from Sanford and Son which lasted one season. Never seen it, but I’m sure it’s great.
Happy Days. Show I grew up with.
Holmes and Yoyo, 1 season. Police detective and his android partner. Produced by Leonard Stern who also produced Get Smart.
Hot L Baltimore. Adaptation of award-winning play. 1 season.
Jeffersons. Besides the rousing theme song, I liked the fact that the elevator and the hallway played such a major part on this show. Also, George Jefferson’s mother was great!
Karen. Female-led comedy about government workers in Washington D.C. 13 episodes.
Last of the Summer Wine. 37 seasons! Set in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire in England, it’s about three elderly men and their youthful misadventures. (Apparently, the three individuals varied throughout the run).
Laverne and Shirley
Love American Style — not a sitcom proper, but an anthology show which I have fond memories of.
Man about the House. 6 seasons, British series that was the inspiration for Three’s Company in USA. Two women share a flat and invite a male chef to room in with them. Strangely, it uses many of the same names: Chrissy, Mr. and Mrs. Roper
Mash — actually not much of a fan. Too holier than thou. Truthfully I hated the canned laughter so much that it probably prejudiced me against the show.
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. Norman Lear backed this and co-created by Gail Parent (who also wrote for MTM and Golden Girls). never have seen.
Maude — never really watched this show produced by Norman Lear, but critic Michael Barrett swears by it.
Mary Tyler Moore — actors were outstanding and some shows were great, but overall not a big fan. Ok, I’m just being provocative here, but I felt the show just wasn’t daring enough. The show was just about Mary’s embarrassment and plight of the single working woman. I recognize its cultural significance and see how the show succeeded on its own momentum, but I never found the plot directions of the show to be that interesting. Update: Revising my opinions, especially for the early seasons, which were terrific. Although the entire cast was great, Ed Asner who played Lou Grant was the absolute best. He absolutely made the show.
Mork and Mindy — rewatched recently, the first season or two was absolutely terrible!
Nancy Walker Show. Norman Lear wishes that he did a better job developing this show because of Walker’s talent.
Only When I Laugh. Hospital comedy from the patients’ perspective.
Odd Couple. Great adaptation of the movie. Klugman and Randall were fantastic. I recently rewatched two episodes and was surprised at how funny Jack Klugman was.
One Day at a Time.
Open All Hours. Long running British series entirely written by Roy Clarke. It is set in a small grocer’s shop in a small town. This show was rebooted into another show Still Open All Hours (2013-2019).
Partridge Family. Perhaps the only funny thing about this show is that besides David Cassidy (and Shirley Jones), nobody on the show really could sing or play instruments. The show had to be cancelled because Cassidy was running himself ragged on solo concert tour and had to give it up.
Porridge. Iconic British comedy about prison. This is a delightful series, which I just started.
Quark. 1 season. Sci fi spoof sitcom produced by Buck Henry and starring Richard Benjamin. Worker on a sanitation spaceship with 2 pretty identical twins playing Betty 1 and Betty 2.
Rising Damp. Miserly landlord rents out his shabby flats to a variety of tenants.
Rhoda. I loved Rhoda and her mother, but I don’t remember loving this show that much. It felt too much like Mary Tyler Moore (btw, watching clips later on, I realize just how hot Valerie Harper was back then).
Robin’s Nest. British sitcom (6 seasons). about an unmarried couple who share a flat. Adapted from Johnnie Mortimer novel, and stars Richard O’Sullivan and Tony Britton who were a real-life couple as well.
Room 222
Sanford Arms. Spinoff of Sanford and Son. Without Sanford or son, but had Grady and Aunt Esther.
Sanford and Son. Every moment of this show is laugh-filled. As “black” as the show seems, I could imagine even the most bigoted whites would find it hilarious. “Grady” was a short lived spinoff.
Soap *** I laughed my head off nonstop, although the later seasons got ridiculous. Never got the chance to watch Benson. This was Susan Harris’ baby.
Szysznyk. Ned Beatty stars. 1 season 10 episodes.
Tabitha. Bewitched Sequel.
Ted Knight Show. Ted runs a high class escort service. 6 episodes.
Taxi *** Consistently funny with a stellar cast. Danny Devito really made the show spectacular.
That’s My Mama. 2 seasons. African-American barber works in his family barber shop in middle class African-American neighborhood.
Three’s Company. Despite the repetitiveness, when rewatching, I found the shows a lot funnier than I remembered.
Tony Randall Show. 2 seasons. Randall plays a widowed judge in Philadelphia who has a daughter and son, balancing work and home life. Among the writers were Ken Levine and David Levine. Also, included Barney Martin who later played Seinfeld’s father.
Two’s Company. Old-fashioned English butler shares a flat with an American woman in an Odd Couple situation.
Wait Til Your Father Gets Home. 3 seasons. Animated sitcom “inspired by” All in the FAmily. Starring Tom Bosley with lots of stars making voice cameos.
Welcome Back Kotter. Warm and entertaining school comedy that launched several careers.
We’ve Got Each Other. 1 season. Career woman with stay-at-home husband.
What’s Happening. Liked the African-American teen characters and families; they seemed very real to me.
WKRP in Cincinnati. A silly pointless show, but enjoyed rewatching DVDs. Those characters (and the actors who played them) were just terrific!
Working Stiffs. 1 season. James Belushi and Michael Keaton are janitor-brothers who aim to work their way up in life.

The Eighties

227. 5 seasons. Lives of women in a predominantly black Washington D.C. apartment building. Stars Marla Gibbs (who played the sarcastic maid in the Jeffersons).
Alf. 4 seasons. Gordon Shumway is an alien species (depicted by a goofy looking puppet) who crash lands in a middle class family’s garage in California. Over time the family gets to know the alien and is practically adopted by them.
All is Forgiven. 1 season. Female producer of a soap opera married a donut store executive with a teenage daughter. Stars Bess Armstrong who appeared in many TV shows (including My So-called life). Also stars Carol Kane.
‘Allo ‘Allo. Wacky longrunning story about an amorous French cafe owner who must accomodate the Nazis while helping the British to defeat them. Show is absurd and repetitive, but I always laughed my head off. I think I only watched 3 of 9 seasons, but I would gladly watch more. *** (Insightful online comment: “Each group spoke English with their respective accents but in general couldn’t understand one another. That was funny as hell. The English couldn’t speak with the French, etc. The main cast, cafe employees and German officers could understand each other but no one else. Hilarious!”).
Amen. 5 seasons. Sherman Hemsley (from the “Jeffersons” plays a church deacon in Philadelphia who also works as a less-than-honest lawyer. Includes two senior citizens played by actors who originally appeared in the 1970s show That’s My Mama.
Anything but Love, Richard Lewis and Jamie Curtis star as coworkers at a magazine.
Baby Boom. TV version of movie with the same name, with Kate Jackson playing the mother instead of Diane Keaton. 1 season.
Black Adder. (& Blackadder II, Blackadder the Third, Blackadder Goes Forth). 4 seasons. Rowan Atkinson plays an anti-hero underling in a mock historical series where each “season” puts the same character (or descendant) in different time period. (Starts during the era right after Richard III and ends in the trenches of World War I.
Blossom. Light hearted teen comedy. Nothing special, but I thought the lead actress was really quite cute and funny.
Bosom Buddies. Never saw an episode, but just learned that it was an early role for Peter Scolari, meriting it a second look.
Brady Brides. Marcia and Jan from Brady Bunch get married and deal with their husbands. 10 episodes only, but the premise was funny.
Brooklyn Bridge. About a Jewish family starring Marion Ross.
Buffalo Bill. Workplace comedy at a talk show where Dabney Coleman played an egotistical talk show host with Geena Davis as his assistant. Lasted only 1 season, but it received 11 Emmy nominations, and the NBC president expressed regret at having cancelled it so quickly. Wow, DVDs are scarce, and it’s not on streaming, but YouTube has (I think) all the episodes.
Check It out! 3 seasons. Canadian sitcom about a fictional supermarket located in Ontario. Stars Don Adams. Not to be confused with the 2010 series with (almost) the same name starring John C. Reilly as Dr. Steve Brule.
Cheers***. Early seasons were unbelievably great and dramatic. Diane Chambers was just one great character. Later seasons were silly, but I loved every part of it. ***
Colin’s Sandwich. 2 seasons. British. Described by one person online as “12 episodes of overthinking punctuated by occasional psychotic fits.”
Cosby Show — just mentioning to say how much I hated this show. I found this show to be way too politically correct. Never watched more than two episodes! Different World was much better and more fun.
Day by Day. short-lived show created by satirist Andy Borowitz with pre-Seinfeld Julie Louis Dreyfus, Cortney Thorne Smith and Thora Birch. Famous for its “Very Brady Episode” which had cameos by 6 Brady Bunch cast members.
Dear John. Judd Hirsch stars as a divorced man who joins a support group for other divorcees. Lasted 4 seasons. Not to be confused with a British sitcom with the same title and overall concept which premiered a few years earlier.
Designing Women. Workplace sitcom with absolutely phenomenal cast. (Jean Smart, Julia Duffy from Newhart). Just started watching.
Desmond’s. 6 season British sitcom taking place at a barbershop run by a British-Guyanese barber.
Different World is an offshoot from Cosby show which was much better than it. Lots of great slapstick and political and social themes. Show feels dated, but I like that quality. The cast has gotten together for reunions, and apparently depicting a black college inspired a generation of African-Americans to go to college. That’s great, but it shouldn’t be considered just a sitcom for African-Americans; it touches upon lots of universal themes. ***
Different Strokes. I enjoyed the premise and Gary Coleman, and I guess the show stayed relatively upbeat, but it didn’t strike me as that political or even funny.
Double Trouble. 1 season. Twin daughters of a widowed father.
Duck Factory. 1 season. Life in an animation studio. Early role by Jim Carrey who plays a young animator. Created by two animators Allan Burns and Herbert Klynn.
Empty Nest. Spinoff from Golden Girls created by Susan Harris. Starring Kristy MacNichol (and two actors from Harris’s Soap) about a widowed pediatrician and his adult daughters who move back home. 7 seasons. Never seen, but am amazed by the number of cameos and guest stars listed on the Wiki page.
Family Matters. The precocious boy Earkle just made the show; (Fun fact the actor Jaleel White has the same birthday as me!)
Family Ties. Michael J. Fox stars in this family comedy. I never got into it, but I’m sure it’s fun.
Famous Teddy Z. 1 season. Jon Cryer stars as a young man at a Hollywood talent agency who ends up representing a major Hollywood star. Starring Jon Cryer.
Fine Romance. British. 2 seasons attend a matchmaking party and then strike up an unusual friendship.
Flo. 2 seasons. Spinoff from 70s show Alice. Polly Holliday goes to Fort Worth and and runs an old roadhouse. Low rating forced cancellation, but the show snagged an Emmy nomination and 2 Golden Globe nominations for actors.
Fresh Fields. British sitcom about a middle aged couple living in London.
Frank’s Place. 1 season. Tim Reid (Venus Flytrap from WKRP in Cincinnati) plays an affluent African-American professor who inherits a New Orleans restaurant and then decides to run it. Created by Hugh Wilson of WKRP.
Golden Girls. Another Susan Harris creation. Just started, prepared to love.
Grace & Favour. Spinoff from the longrunning Are You Being Served? series. 2 seasons, 10 episodes.
Growing Pains. 7 seasons. Misadventures of the Seaver family, including psychiatrist father (Alan Thicke) with early appearance by Leonardo di Caprio. Wow, this show led to two spinoffs.
Gary Shandling Show — brilliant comedy. Haven’t watched all of it! ***
Head of the Class. 5 seasons. Howard Hessman (of WKRP) stars as a teacher of a gifted class in a NYC high school. Scottish comedian Billy Conolly took over in the last season.
Hogan Family. See “Valerie.”
Hooperman. 2 seasons. Police inspector sitcom starring John Ritter. Considered an early “dramedy.”
It’s a Living. 6 seasons . Waitresses at a L.A. hotel restaurant. Ensemble work comedy. Crystal Bernard (of Wings) appears in later seasons, but generally these pretty actresses are unknown to me.
It’s Your Move. Jason Bateman is a teenage scam artist whose life is upended when the man his divorced mother is dating is onto him.
Jennifer Slept Here. 1 season. A famous actress dies and haunts a place where a teenage boy can see her.
Just the 10 of Us. 3 seasons. Teacher and head of large family with 8 children living in California (spin off of Growing Pains where Bill Kirchenbauer played the same character).
Kate and Allie. 6 seasons. Susan St. James and Jane Curtain are divorced mothers who decide to live together and raise their children in the same home. Streaming nowhere.
Love, Sidney. 2 seasons. Tony Randall plays a gay man who lets a single mom and daughter move in with him. Pretty radical for an early 1980s sitcom.
Major Dad. 4 seasons. At a military base, a commander falls in love with a liberal journalist with 3 daughters. Notably, in 1991 it incorporated the Persian Gulf War into its story arcs.
Married with Children. Fun raunchy anti-family comedy. It had a bad reputation when it was showing (and it got worse over time), but the show was always funny. The Xmas episode with Sam Kinison, It’s a Bundyful Life (Season 4) was a great cynical take on Christmas. It’s amazing how many actors made careers from this show; they were more talented than the scripts!
Mama’s Family. Continuation of the dysfunctional Southern family on the Carol Burnett Show starring Vicki Lawrence as Eunice with cameos by Harvey Korman and Carol Burnett. Wow, this ran for multiple seasons and I’ve never seen.
Mr. Belvedere. English butler works at a house in Pittsburg.
Mr. Smith (1 season). Talking orangatun played by the monkey in the movie Any which way you can.
Newhart. Just as good as (if not better than) the first Bob Newhart sitcom. Perfect cast too.
Nightcourt. Never watched. Plan to soon. Update: The reboot was so awful that maybe the original was bad too? The story structure was too loose and random to make me invest anything in it.
Only Fools and Horses. Intermittent British show which lasted more than a decade, then was rebooted in the 1990s and was spun off into another series Green Green Grass between 2005-2009 and a prequel, Rock & Chips between 2010-2011. Am marking as a major show even though I’ve never watched an episode — though I see it’s available through Britbox, so maybe I can watch in 2024.
One of the Boys. 1 season. 1982. Mickey Rooney moves in with his college age son (played by Dana Carvey) and his roommate (played by Nathan Lane). Lots of talent, terrible show apparently.
One of the Boys. 1 season. Venezuelan woman moves to USA to become a bookkeeper.
Out of this World. 4 seasons. Half-alien teenage girl with supernatural powers that always seem to get her in pickles. Says one critic, “like many juvenile US sitcoms, the series was short on laughs and long on moralizing.”
Pee Wee’s Playhouse. Imaginative and subversive kids show starring Pee Wee Hermann.
Perfect Strangers. 8 seasons. Buddy show about a young adult sharing an apartment with his distant cousin from Europe who used to be a shepherd (!?) Sorry to report that I have never seen or even heard about this long-running show. Fun fact 1 : Family Matters was a spinoff of a show (sort of) because the Hariette Winslow originally came from Perfect Strangers. Fun fact 2: They fictionalized the nationality of Balki, but when I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Albania, I got to know one or two shepherds…
Police squad. Great, but does it really count? Update: Great as it is, Angie Tribeca is even better.
Punky Brewster.
Red Dwarf *** Unbelievably imaginative British sci fi with absurd plot about a human, his cat, his Hologram and his computer are stranded in space. Amazed that they could carry the concept as far as they did — and that every few years they come up with an unexpected sequel.
Roomies. 42 year old ex-drill sergeant goes to college and is roommates with a 14 year old prodigy. 1 season. Cancelled quickly (but I like the concept).
Sara. 1 season. Geena Davis plays a young lawyer working in a San Francisco legal clinic.
Saved by the Bell. 4 Seasons (with 3 seasons of spinoffs) Never seen, but it has a following apparently. Follows a group of high school friends and their principal at a fictional high school. Lots of characters go through the show, and SBTB College Years spinoff follows several of the original characters to college. Then another spinoffs starts with a clean slate of new student characters. Holy cow, there was a 2020 reboot of the show starring several of the original characters.
Seinfeld *** Bet you didn’t realize it started in the 1980s. So ahead of its time.
Sister Kate. Nun tries to take care of teenagers at an orphanage after they have run out several priests who tried unsuccessfully to take care of them.
Silver Spoons. 5 seasons. Ricky Schroeder as a the son of a wealthy man (a spoiled child himsefl).
Slap Maxwell Story starring Dabney Coleman.
Spencer. (retitled Under One Roof). 1 season starring Chad Lowe (younger brother of Rob) as a wisecracking high school who is always getting sent to the counselor’s office.
Star of the Family. Fire chief has a teenage daughter who becomes a country music sensation. 1 season.
Teachers Only. 2 seasons. Teacher’s lounge at a LA high school, starring Lynn Redgrave, Norman Fell (i.e., Mr. Roper) and Jean Smart.
That’s My Boy. British sitcom about a woman who discovers that the household she works as a housekeeper for is led by the son she once gave up for adoption. Just started watching, but the actors are terrific. There’s Mollie Sugden from the longrunning Are You Being Served?
Too Close for Comfort. 6 seasons. Ted Knight has to deal with two young daughters who live in the downstairs apartment in the two unit house he owns. Just started watching. Am a gigantic fan of Knight. Feel good comedy with occasional moments of drama and tenderness. First 3 seasons were marvelous (albeit a little too predictable). Season 4 is still kicking ass! Season 5 (produced in 1985) is still kicking ass. Some of the episodes really resonate if you know that actor Ted Knight will die of cancer in 1986. In Season 4, there is an episode called “Son of the Groom” where the man who plays the father (Ray Middleton) dies before the episode even airs (it’s a wonderful sendoff for a distinguished actor of yesteryear). Another episode “Nearly Departed” depicts the father obsessing over who would say his eulogy when he died. The best thing about this show is that it is multi-generational and features lots of great older actors including Audrey Meadows (from the Honeymooners).
Three’s a Crowd (aka Three’s Company Too). 1 season. Spinoff of Three’s Company with John Ritter playing Jack Tripper resuming her relationship with Vicky (Jack’s love interest from the last season of Three’s Company).
Tortellis. Spinoff from Cheers starring Carla’s ex-husband and his bimbo wife. (Love those characters by the way). Apparently after the show got cancelled in one season, they returned periodically to Cheers.
Valerie (or Valerie’s Family: The Hogans). 6 seasons. Valerie Harper, Jason Bateman and (later) Sandy Duncan. Harper stars as an divorced mother at an auction house raising 3 teenage sons. Midway through, the show fired Valerie Harper over a contract dispute, killed the character, hired Sandy Duncan to fill in as their aunt and renamed the show.
Van Dyke Show. 1 season. Both Dick Van Dyke and son Barry Van Dyke. Dick plays a Broadway star who helps his son run a small regional theater in Pennsylvania. Features a younger Kari Lizer (from New Adventures of Old Christine).
We Got It made. Canceled after 1 season, then got renewed for syndication, then canceled. 2 NYC bachelor roommates hire a pretty maid to keep things clean.
Who’s the Boss? Never watched this sitcom starring Tony Danza, but it lasted 8 seasons and racked up a lot of awards.
Wonder Years. 6 seasons. Long running 1 camera sitcom starring Fred Savage about a boy in a middle class family growing up in the 1960s. Honestly I never watched a single episode! (In the 1980s I watched very little TV), but would definitely like to revisit (visit) this acclaimed show.
Yes, Minister.
You again? 2 seasons. Jack Klugman plays a divorced father who has to take care of his teenage son despite not having seen him for years. John Stamos plays the teenager.
Young Ones. British farce. haven’t seen.

The Nineties

Ally McBeal. Dramedy.
Almost Perfect. Written by Ken Levine and David Isaacs.
As Time Goes By. Droll British show about former flames getting together after their spouses have died. I love the drollness of this show plus how much they mine a show which is basically about 5 characters.
Bakersfield P.D. More relaxed version of Police Squad (also a classic). Brian Doyle-Murray’s appearance usually means that the show will be hilarious and get cancelled quickly.
Becker. Ted Danson show. Enjoyed what little I saw, very surprised to learn that Terry Farrell of Deep Space Nine starred in it. (DS9 had a lot of funny actors, as did the whole Star Trek franchise).
Beverly Hills 90210. It’s an hour long teen dramedy with occasional comic flourishes. I watched two seasons of it in my 50s and found that it was much better than I would have thought (Darren Star, who later produced Sex and the City, was the lead writer and showrunner for it).
Bob. Short-lived show (2 seasons) starring Bob Newhart, Betty White and Lisa Kudrow.
Bottom. 3 Season British sitcom about 2 unemployed flatmates who try to better themselves.
Boy Meets World. 7 seasons. Disney-produced coming-of-age sitcom about a young boy making his way to adulthood.
Bram & Alice. 9 episodes. A prize-winning novelist and professor is surprised to learn that he has a daughter from a one-night stand long ago. Stars veteran actor Alfred Molina.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This is more supernatural dramedy than sitcom, but there was so much comic potential with a gang of assorted teenagers and adults that eventually the shows became almost parodies. The famous “Once More with Feeling” episode was hilarious. Also, the episodes with the dorky trio provided lots of opportunities for jokes about D&D and what not. I guess supernatural shows just have to take their genre ironically.
Cafe Americain. 1 season. Valerie Bertinelli stars as a waitress working in a Paris cafe.
Caroline in the City. 4 seasons, saw maybe one episode.
Coach. Watched it all on Netflix. Didn’t expect to love it, but I really did. Dick Van Dyke’s brother Jerry was great! Also William Fagerbakke played the dumb student jock — really great!
Critic — Animated TV show about movie critic starring Jon Lovitz. Somewhat amusing.
Commish. Dramedy.
Cybil. 4 seasons. Early sitcom created by Chuck Lorre starring Cybil Shepherd and Christine Baranski about an aging actress who is a single mother raising two daughters. One of the show’s schticks was shows-within-a-show showcasing Shepherd’s acting parts.
Dad. British 13 episodes. Generation gap comedy about a man in conflict with his father.
Daria. 5 seasons. Animated MTV high school comedy based on a Mike Judge character from Beavis and Butthead.
Dave’s World. Trials and tribulations of the columnist Dave Barry (played by Harry Anderson).
Dharma and Greg. Newlywed comedy. Watched religiously, probably not that great, but Jenna Elfman has the kinetic talents of Lucille Ball. The scripts were so-so, but Greg’s parents were just inspired.
Drew Carey Show — one of my alltime faves *** Always surprising, and the cast quality was high, with a lot of surreal effects and transitions. Sadly the show was never digitized after Season 1, though perhaps unauthorized copies of the show are probably available somewhere on the net. Update: All the seasons are on one of the ad-supported streaming services.
Dinosaurs. 4 season. Passion project of Jim Henson about a family of anthromorphic dinosaurs. Family-oriented show with a satirical edge. The show’s Sinclair family is named after an (actual) oil company from the future (!) It touched upon a lot of hot button issues, and the season finale is supposed to have been one of the grimmest on television
Ellen. Never watched!
Entourage. There’s a sort of vicarious guilty pleasure in watching these boys get showered with wealth; the characters are sort of flat, but Ari (Jeremy Piven) is a hoot. Characters were kind of funny, but I got sick of it. Typical HBO “Sin Comedy.”
Evening Shade. 4 seasons. Burt Reynolds is an ex-professional football player who coaches a high school team in a small Arkansas town called Evening Shade. Wife is played by Marilu Henner with Hal Holbrook playing her father. Not streaming, but a lot of episodes are on Youtube.
Father Ted. Widely beloved Irish sitcom about dysfunctional priests who live in a remote Irish location. Co-created by Graham Linehan who also created IT Crowd and Black Books. Great fun — but it’s a little too irreverent to be taken as a light-hearted comedy. With the passing of time, one has to wonder whether the portrayal of Catholic priests hid a sharp protest of the role of the Catholic church in Ireland.
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Clever I guess, but the humor is too upwardly mobile and with a “let’s pretend we’re affluent” Cosby-ish feel. But I look forward to the Peacock reboot called Bel -Air (which is more of a dramedy).
Frasier *** Unusually good supporting cast and guest stars — Frasier’s agent Bebe Glazer, Roz, Bulldog, Daphne and her family. My hot take was that the show declined after the idiotic wedding episode. On rewatching, was not as negative. Also loved the audio cameos played by very famous people on the radio show. Update: There’s a 2023 reboot–horray! This silly comedy sketch underscores how great the characters are and how they could be transplanted in any context.
Freaks and Geeks. I don’t consider this to be a sitcom, but some do.
Friends. I don’t love the show as much as some people, but it sure was entertaining. See my piece Why Friends does not suck.
George and Leo. 1 season sitcom starring Bob Newhart and Judd Hirsch about “widely divergent men who become in-laws when their children get married.
Get a Life! I loved this quirky Chris Elliott vehicle, though it was probably fated to die an early death. Kudos to Fox for trying it. The first sitcom that dropped any pretense of realism.
Grace Under Fire
Hanging with Mr. Cooper. 5 seasons. Spinoff from Growing Pains. NBA-player turned substitute teacher/gym coach and his girlfriend. Looking over episodes, most episodes are about their personal lives, with occasional school-based episodes.
Herman’s Head. Clever cute youth-oriented show where Herman is guided by internal voices who urge him/warn him. Cancelled too soon, the talent was first rate and you’ll see these actors practically everywhere.
Home Improvement. Never watched this show!
Hughleys. 4 seasons. Darryl Hughley moved his family from the South LA ghetto to an affluent white neighborhood and try to adjust.
I’m Alan Partridge. British sitcom about an inept broadcaster. Cocreated by Armando Iannucci who created Veep.
Jamie Foxx Show. Early show on Fox network starring Foxx as an aspiring Texas musician who comes to LA to seek a career in entertainment. To support himself, he works at his family’s hotel owned by his aunt and uncle (played by Garrett Morris).
Jeff Foxworthy Show — Never saw.
John Larroquette Show. A recovering alcoholic is the night shift manager at a St. Louis bus depot.
Just Shoot Me. Mediocre work comedy starring celebrity crush Laura San Giacamo (she was great). Actually the actors were all great, but they ran out of fresh ideas after a season or two.
Keeping Up Appearances. I only watched select episodes of this British sitcom, but loved it to death.
King of the Hill. *** Laid back animated series set in Texas. Mike Judge’s masterpiece of gentle social satire.*** I’ve been rewatching clips of this show, and it almost always is hilarious.
King of Queens. *** This one-camera show was scandalously ignored by Emmy’s. Every detail of this show is great. I don’t think audiences appreciated the appeal of this 1 camera comedy and how far out the plots were. All the characters seemed familiar. The show is mainly about envy and wanting more.
Ladies Man. 2 seasons. Alfred Molina is a husband, father, son, ex-husband and son-in-law who lives with a number of women under one roof. Also starred Betty White and had an episode reuniting several actresses from Golden Girls.
Larry Sanders Show — *** Every episode of this show was perfection itself. The supporting cast in particular (Rip Torn, Jeffrey Tambor and even the straight roles of people like Penny Johnson were great).
League of Gentlemen. Surreal horror British comedy.
Living Single.
Mad About You. Bland New Yorkey newlywed sitcom. The show is fluff, but I like the fact that the show is all about that romantic spark and that at heart Helen Hunt is a despicable person (and proud of it). Update: there was a 2019 reboot with the two lead characters. Can’t wait to sample.
Maggie Winters. 1 season. Early creation by Kari Lizer.
Malcolm in the Middle — ground-breaking and fun, but the concept got old very quickly. I burnt out after 2 seasons. Try Young Sheldon instead which is 10 times better.
Martin.
Moesha. 6 seasons. Singer Brandy stars as Moesha and her black upper middle class family. First African-American show dealing with teenagers and gay characters. The Parkers was the spinoff.
Murphy Brown. Never watched!
Nanny. Fran Drescher was great, and the show borrowed a lot of cliches from other sitcoms. Looking back though I don’t know if I’d like it as much as I did.
Nearly Departed. 1 season. short-lived series with Eric Idle who plays a dead professor who haunts a house and can communicate with the grandfather of the family. Hey, it worked for ghosts three decades later.
Newsradio. Excellent work comedy with an amazing cast. Tragically the show changed with Phil Hartman’s unexpected death. Jon Lovett did a good job of filling Hartman’s shoes, but by then the show began to seem a little too formulaic.
Northern Exposure. 6 seasons. 45 minute dramedy about a NY doctor who agrees to practice medicine in Alaska for 4 years. This show was wildly popular, but its Emmy nominations were in the Drama (not the comedy) category. I never watched the show, but wanted to note that the premise is similar to the definitely-a-sitcom Resident Alien.
Parkers. 5 seasons. Sitcom created by Farquhar-Finney-Spears team and spinoff from Moesha. Mother and daughter both attend Santa Monica College at the same time. Hey, Six from “Blossom” plays one of the characters!
Pataclaun. Peruvian sitcom, 2 seasons. Irreverent show mocking Peruvian society that takes place on a colorful stage akin to Pee Wee’s Playhouse or MadTV. For some reason everyone wears fake red noses.
People like Us. British documentary about a clueless BBC reporter who travels around the country to interview ordinary folk.
PJs. adult claymation black series created by Eddie Murphy and Larry Wilmore.
Roc — really great African-American family dramedy with occasional dramatic moments.
Roseanne. Never really watched, but it never impressed me even during its heyday.
Royle Family. British sitcom about an average working class family in Manchester.
Second Half. (1 season). Divorced sports columnist in Chicago has to deal with ex-wife and weekend visits from his two daughters.
Sex and the City. I’ve watched more episodes than I should admit, but never really liked it. I like some of the quirky details (Carrie’s love of shoes for example), but the relationships were handled too glibly for my taste. Also, the sentimentalization of motherhood seemed excessive. The Mr. Big romance seemed realistic enough, but at times they seemed like dream projections. But competent scripts by Darren Star, Michael Patrick King, etc.
Simpsons. First few seasons were inspired. The show stayed the same — full of pop culture references and satire, but later seasons just tried to keep doing the same thing. Can you blame them?
Something So Right. 2 seasons. In an homage to the Brady Bunch, a twice-divorced party planner marries a divorced English teacher and they have three children from different marriages.
Soul Man. Dan Akroyd plays a widowed Episcopal priest dealing with 4 children, parishioners, etc. Not to be confused with the 2012 series with the same name.
South Central. 1 season. Early African-American dramedy show (created by Ralph Farquhar and Michael Weithorn) about the life of an African-American family dealing with gangs, drugs, sex, school, unemployment. This small budget show was well-received by critics and appeared after the show Roc. Farquhar went on to produce 2 more black-oriented sitcoms, while Weithorn went on to co-create King of Queens.
Spin City. 6 seasons. Politically-themed sitcom starring Michael J. Fox as the hapless mayor of NYC. During the last season, after Michael J. Fox announced he had Parkinson’s disease, Charlie Sheen took over as the main focus of the show. (BTW, isn’t it amazing how many shows Fox has done post-diagnosis — check out the Good Wife).
Sponge Bob Square Pants. Kids love it to death.
Sports Night. Aaron Sorkin sitcom . Felicity Huffman. After ABC cancelled it and other other networks offered to continue it, Sorkin abandoned the project to focus on West Wing.
Stark Raving Mad. 1 season. Tony Shalhoub and Neal Patrick Harris star in a show about the life of a horror novelist and whose editor (Harris) has all sorts of phobias and OCD quirks.
Step by Step. Divorced parents raise several kids, starring Suzanne Somers and Patrick Duffy (from Dallas). In the one episode I saw, Sasha Mitchell was the breakout star. Formulaic show which (unbelievably) lasted 7 seasons.
Steve Harvey Show.
Strangers with Candy. 3 seasons. Amy Sedaris stars as a 46 year old ex-addict and prostitute who goes back to high school, get her degree and go on the straight and narrow path. Stephen Colbert is loosely affiliated with this show (although this is mostly Amy’s baby). Later made into a movie.
Suddenly Susan. 4 seasons. Brooke Shields plays a spoiled San Francisco copy editor who quits her job to get married. But when she leaves her fiancee at the altar, she needs to beg for her job back and focus on making herself a better person. Costars Nester Carbonell and Kathy Griffin.
Terry and Julian. British. 1 short season. Average guy finds a lodger who turns out to be flamboyantly gay and turns the apartment into a Turkish boudoir. Notable for breaking the 4th wall.
Tattingers. 1 season. In this dramedy, divorced couple who are co-partners in a posh Manhattan restaurant. Lots of celebrity cameos. Cancelled, then rebooted as “Nick & Hillary” in the same year.
That Seventies Show. ***A charming funny nostalgic show with retro-vignettes. I love the political incorrectness and the pop culture parodies. I love the fact that the guys are always hitting each other and complaining incessantly about their boyfriends/girlfriends or ex’es. Kelso is an inspired character. Also, loved that Tommy Chong showed up randomly as the neighborhood pothead. God this cast couldn’t be beat! *** The 2023 reboot (That Nineties Show) is also great.
Thin Blue Line. 2 seasons. Rowan Atkinson runs a small police station in Gasforth, England.
Third Rock from the Sun. *** Alltime favorite farce. Really I could gush about this show for pages.
Torkelsons/Almost Home (It changed names in Season 2) . Disney-produced sitcom about a single mother of five who is resourceful in making ends meet.
Townies. 1 season. Twentysomethings work at a restaurant together. Great cast: Molly Ringwald, Jenna Elfman, Billy Burr, Conchata Ferrell.
Veronica’s Closet. 3 seasons. A Crane & Kaufman series about Ronnie (played by Kirstie Alley) who owns a company that sells lingerie and other bedroom accessories. After her husband cheats on her, she leaves him and begins a new life as a single woman. Stellar cast, great initial ratings and an Emmy nomination for Alley.
Two Guys and a Girl (and a Pizza Place). The show’s name was shortened after season 2. Ryan Reynolds and Traylor Howard (who also had roles in Boston Common and Monk.) Three young adults run a pizza restaurant, and it’s loosely based on a real life pizza place where one of the show’s creators worked. According to Wiki, the series finale was titled “The Internet Show”, an episode in which fans of the show voted on the characters’ outcome online.
Vicar of Dibley. 13 season British sitcom about a female vicar in the Church of England.
Will and Grace. as good as the slapstick farce formulas were, it became even funnier during the 2017 reboot. Now one of my alltime faves. I don’t know why this show hasn’t made the streaming services, but I still end up watching clips videos in my spare time and laughing my head off. ***
Wings — Nice characters and actors. Also, great scripts by Cheers writers. Early show with Tony Shalhoub.
Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane. Fun teenage/college sitcom about Zoe, a spunky girl played by Selma Blair. I enjoyed it to the bitter end.

The 2000s

30 Rock. Didn’t watch enough shows to have an opinion, but the cast seemed stellar. Honestly, I just balked at the premise, and one camera production made all their laugh lines kind of smug and ironic.
8 Simple Rules for Dating my Teenage Daughter. Ill-fated but great sitcom starring John Ritter and Kaley Cuoco as the daughter. Update: I rewatched the first few episodes; they were awful!
Accidentally on Purpose. Jen Elfman plays a movie critic who has a baby. Not much there except Elfman’s Lucille Ball-like antics. Aha, Lennon Parham was also in the cast.
According to Jim. Jim Belushi, that is. Wow, forgot that Courtney Thorne-Smith played his wife.
Amanda Show. Nickelodean Teen sitcom/variety starring Amanda Bynes.
American Dad.
Andy Barker, P.I. Andy Richter, like Chris Rock, is one of those comic geniuses who can’t be fit easily into a TV series. Great premise and writing, but doomed to be cancelled quickly.
Arrested Development. *** I don’t know how great it really is, but it is very fun to rewatch and all the jokes and characters and celebrity cameos are memorable.
Being Erica. Canadian dramedy. 4 seasons. Erica meets Dr. Tom, an enigmatic therapist with the ability to send 32 year old Erica back in town to relive and recover from her mistakes. Geared mainly to a younger audience and maybe too preachy, it is a cross between Sex and the City and My Name is Earl. The main character’s name is (incredibly!) Erica Strange.
Benidorm. British show about vacationers to a Spanish resort.
Bernie Mac Show. *** This is not just a funny family-oriented show, it has lots of social messages and interesting backstory. Almost every show has a twist or surprise. I’m upgrading this to one of the best shows ever on TV. I love its use of onscreen explanatory text and Bernie Mac’s ranting and preaching from his Man Cave. One of the alltime great one camera sitcoms about family, with lots of poignant moments thrown in. Watch anything with Larry Wilmore writing scripts. ***
Better off Ted. Hilarious dysfunctional work comedy. Loved every part of this show! ***
Big Bang Theory. Despite its alleged intellectualism and longevity, I consider this a competent but mediocre sitcom. Young Sheldon is much more interesting!
Black Books. British series taking place at a bookstore. Created by Graham Linehan who also created Father Ted and the IT Crowd.
Big Mouth. Animated coming of age raunch comedy. Didn’t warm over to that one.
Boondocks. Animated series, never watched an episode!
Boston Legal, legal comedy with some actual plot thrown it, starring William Shatner and James Spader.
Chuck. One hour comedy about computer store worker turned spy. Very much like GET SMART. The drama and romance are so superficial and the violence is a bit over the top, but there are outrageously funny moments with the non-spy characters getting entangled in spy stories. I really loved this show — Yvonne Strahovski was the ultimate dream girl, Adam Baldwin was great, and so was the sidekick Joshua Gomez and Mark Christopher Lawrence (who played the clueless but big-hearted box store manager). The magic of the show comes in how they mix Top Secret Spy Plots with Silly. Fun fact: I watched a lot of episodes in October 2013 when trying to pass a kidney stone.
Comeback. Stars Lisa Kudrow as a former sitcom star who is simultaneously acting in a teen-oriented sitcom while participating in a reality series about her comeback acting career. Just started.
Corner Gas. Canadian show about a convenience store. Very droll small town humor
Cougar Town. Never seen (but heard it referenced on Community sitcom).
Coupling. British version of Friends with more raunch.
Courting Alex. Haven’t actually watched, but stars Jenna Elfman.
Curb Your Enthusiasm. I don’t love this show (I think it focuses too much on Larry David’s character and pettiness), but the show has been around for so long it can’t help but be good. Update: I’m warming up to this show, if only because it has lasted so long. I still have a problem with the “rich guy comedy” premise, but to his credit, David has added lots of side characters which are better grounded. J. B. Smoove is making the show great!
Dad. 2 seasons. British. Well-meaning but clueless father criticizes his son who is becoming a father as well.
Desperate Housewives. 8 seasons. Honestly I don’t consider this to be a sitcom. It’s 42 minutes long and has dramedy-like plots. But the name comes up…
Eastbound & Down. Sports comedy produced by Adam McCay and Will Ferrell.
Everyone Hates Chris. Fantastic nostalgia show about Chris Rock’s childhood. Finally a working family’s comedy.
Everyone Loves Raymond. Probably better than I give it credit for (and the actors are stellar). I actually liked the less whiney King of Queens a lot more.
Family Guy. Mainly brilliant. I love all of Seth MacFarlane’s spinoffs — American Dad, Cleveland Shows, but the humor gets old and yes repetitive. Still great stuff — with some amazing episodes.
Flight of the Concords. New Zealand comedy.
Futurama. Animated sci fi.
Game. WB dramedy centered around college football.
Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace. British horror parody starring Richard Ayoade who starred in IT Crowd.
Gary Unmarried. Jay Mohr stars as a divorced dad trying to date and be a parent.
Gavin & Stacey. 3 seasons. British sitcom cowritten by James Corden. Story about a couple in love and their respective families. Interestingly, although the show ended in 2010, they produced two specials in 2019 and 2024 to some acclaim.
George Lopez show. Never watched! (Saw one or two. didn’t get into).
Girlfriends. CW long running comedy with Tracee Ellis Ross.
Glenn Martin, DDS. Stop Motion animation starring the voices of Kevin Nealon, Catherine O’Hara and Judy Greer. 2 seasons. (All on YT). Dentist and family go on the road to do dentistry and see the world. Lots of visual gags. Feels like Family Guy, with lots of risque humor.
Goode Family. Mike Judge’s ill-fated sequel to King of the Hill. One season. I actually loved this gentle satire on political correctness
Green Green Grass. British series which was the spinoff of Only Fools and Horses from the 1980s.
Grounded for Life. 5 season, single camera. “Now in their 30s, a working-class Irish Catholic couple who had their first child at age 18 faces the challenges of raising a big family.” With Megyn Price as the mother.
Guild — brilliant Youtube comedy series about some a group of online friends who get together and play a videogame together. Created by Felicia Day (who stars in it). Netflix bought it out and helped its development. Really fun.
How I Met Your Mother. Funny roundabout storytelling, with lots of diversions, routines and lore (Robin Sparkles, etc). My main complaint is that they are yanking the audience’s chain for the purpose of fake suspense. I really didn’t care who was the mother after three seasons.
Inbetweeners. British teen sitcom. Might have seen, don’t remember.
IT Crowd. An unbelievably funny show about social misfits who inhabit the basement of an office building — and how a clueless but pretty and vain female is assigned to be their supervisor. Several episodes are classic, but the Dinner Party episode towers above them all.
It’s always sunny in Philadelphia. One season was okay, but after that, it got really old.
Job. 2 seasons. Satirical Single camera sitcom about a police officer who indulges in all kinds of vices with his bumbling detective pals.
Joey. Friends spinoff with Matt LeBlanc with Jennifer Coolidge playing his agent and Drea de Matteo playing his tough-talking girl. I loved it; no one else seemed to. Expectations were too high for this show from Friends.
Kath & Kim. Long running Australian comedy described as surreal character study. Started. Funny and cringey dysfunctional relationship between mother and daughter. It’s dumb and funny and repetitive (like Three’s Company), but who cares — I still love it!
Legit (Scottish series, 1 season). Set around a fictitious street market where main characters Sammy and Danny sell illegal DVDs and pirated software.
Loop. 2 seasons, 1 camera. Pressures of life working at corporate headquarters of a fictional airline.
Lucky Louie. Louis CK created and starred in this one season 3 camera sitcom about a part-time mechanic at a muffler shop. Inspired by the Honeymooners and Norman Lear sitcoms, it also stars Pamela Adlon as the wife.
Maybe It’s Me. 1 season. Teenage girl gets embarrassed by her eccentric and embarrassing family (played by Julia Sweeney and Fred Willard).
Middle. 9 seasons. Dysfunctional poor family survives in Indiana. A little Married with Children, Malcolm in the Middle. The children are a laugh riot (especially Eden Sher who played Sue Heck), and the topical details are always on the mark. Not a fan of Patricia Heaton (who always seems to play the hen-pecked wife), but she and her husband strike me as prototypical parents. Compared to the very bland Modern Family, this series seems more true-to-life and hilarious. I’m in the middle of watching the show and am struck by how each character has a different vibe and is objectively hilarious. Aha, the Middling with Eden and Brock is a rewatch podcast with the actress who played Sue Heck.
Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman. 2 short seasons with IFC. Laura Kightlinger created and starred in this sitcom about a “surly writer” for a film periodical who has a love/hate relationship with Hollywood.
Modern Family. I really haven’t watched this single-camera show enough to have an opinion about it, but it seemed a little too predictable and inclusive and mainstream to appeal to me. ABC/Disney seems to have a thing for bland family shows.
Mohawk Girls
Monk. Mystery dramedy starring Tony Shalhoub. Lasted 8 seasons!
My Name is Earl. In later seasons it’s apparent that it’s getting boxed in by the show’s story frame, but still it’s good having unconventional characters thrown together for prime time. Update: This show is growing old by season 3. Season 3 takes place in prison. That’s inspired! This show was unceremoniously ended before the show’s creator could actually finish it.
My Hero. British sitcom lasting 6 seasons about an alien superhero known as “Thermoman” who visits earth, and falls in love with a British nurse. Not on streaming, but sounds like Resident Alien or Third Rock from the Sun!
New Adventures of Old Christine. I love this show! *** Created and written by Kari Lizer. I love how suburban the stories are and the fact that Old Christine is allowed to be an unapologetic lush and even kind of a slut. The ex-husband is wonderfully played by Clark Gregg (who is also a multitalented director and writer).
Not Going Out. 13 seasons. British sitcom (and 2nd longest running British sitcom of all time). Lee Mack plays an unmotivated and unemployed slob who watches a lot of TV.
Nurse Jackie. Never seen. Stars Edie Falco.
Office (both versions, but US version is incredible)
Outnumbered. British sitcom where two middle class parents are “outnumbered” by their 3 unruly children. 5 seasons.
Party Down. haven’t seen.
Peep Show. Long running Brit sitcom. Never seen.
Parks and Recreation. This show grew on me, but it’s basically the Office in a government setting.
Psych. Clever detective comedy. But formula got old very quickly.
Pulling. Early show created by British sitcom queen Sharon Horgan. 3 seasons.
Puppets who Kill. Dark comedy from Canada where all the characters are puppets. 4 seasons.
Pushing Daisies. 2 seasons gorgeous and imaginative show. Cancelled too soon (probably because of the writer’s strike and the lavish budget).
Reba. Single mother sitcom starring country singer Reba McEntire.
Reno 911!
Return of Jezebel James, Sitcom starring Parker Posey and created by Amy Sherman-Palladino. 7 episodes, lasted only one season because of low ratings. I would have loved to see it!
Rules of Engagement. I loved this show, had a lot of characters and interactions. Younger couple and older couple was a great dynamic. Adhir Kalyan (who played David Spade’s assistant) was particularly great.
Samantha Who — funny sitcom romance about Christina Applegate’s character getting amnesia after an accident and forgetting how horrible a person she used to be. Fun, but average.
Scrubs. Hated the few times I watched it. We need fewer shows about doctors! (Not a big fan of Zac Braff btw)
Son of the Beach. Raunchy Baywatch parody created by Timothy Stack. 3 seasons.
South Park. I teeter between being grossed out and intellectually impressed, but the show remains funny — if only the raunch factor could be taken down a notch. Probably too vulgar and moralistic for its own good, but kudos for breaking a lot of barriers.
Spaced. Two slackers pretend to be a couple to get a London flat. 2 seasons.
Still Game. Long running Scottish sitcom about eccentric old people. First episode was brilliant — but I needed to turn on the subtitles to understand everything!
Still Standing. 4 seasons. Middle class Chicago couple raise three kids and find parenting a real challenge.
Thick of It. British political satire written and directed by Armando Iannucci (who did Veep and Avenue 5)
‘Til Death. Philadelphia family sitcom starring Brad Garrett from Everyone Loves Raymond.
Titus. 4 seasons. Dark comedy about an immature man running a custom car shop. The show’s creator and star started every show with a monologue with one-liners in “neutral space”, and the actual story part took place in a single day.
Two and a half men. Very sexist and raunchy show about playboy basking in luxury. I enjoyed moments, but the show really irritated me because it seemed focused on mocking the boring dentist brother. Ok, the setup is good, but the show relies solely on vulgarities for its humor and ludicrous plots. (Wow, looks like TV guy Mitchell Bard agrees with me ten times over about this show. ) Update: I’ve been watching some first season episodes, and they seem well-written. The problem, I think, lies in their willingness to be as vulgar as possible to increase audience. The thing is, the show has enough variety and characters to satisfy any demographic, plus that luxurious house is enough to turn on any woman who watches this show. I just love the crazy/psychologist/stalker who pops by every so often; great touch.
Tyler Perry’s House of Payne
Ugly Betty. Had a lot of funny moments. It was maudlin at parts but America Ferrera and Becki Newton were the best. Update: Rewatched a few episodes. (See “Bad Amanda” episode which I absolutely love!). I forgot how visually delicious all the wardrobe and sets are. Forget the comedy and writing, just enjoy the colors! Also, I really love the show’s intro — and Betty’s monstrous face at the end of it with braces.
Undeclared (1 season). College students in California in the 2000s. Judd Apatow production starring several cast members from Freaks and Geeks and then some. Wow, Greg Mottola directed some of those episodes, and Apatow wrote (or co-wrote) many episodes.
United State of Tara. dramedy starring Toni Collette who plays multiple characters.
Wanda at Large. Wow, short-lived sitcom starring Wanda Sykes directed by Bruce Helford.
Weeds. 8 seasons, Showtime. Dark comedy-drama about a widowed mother who starts selling weed to support her family.
What about Brian? 2 seasons. A 30something California bachelor wants to meet the perfect girl to marry, but finds that the married people around him are not exactly living happily ever after. Nice cast including Rosanne Arquette who plays the older sister
What I like about You. *** Hilarious teen comedy about the popular Amanda Bynes wading through high school social life. Starring jenny garth and amanda bynes. Really formulaic show, but the formula works, and there’s lots of screwball comedy moments. Update: I just find this show hilarious! Amanda Bynes has the magic touch. Many things about the show seem predictable, but I always laughed!
Wilfred. Australian series about a dog (played by a human) and his owners. 2 seasons. Amazingly, this was remade into an American version where the same actor Jason Gann plays the dog.
William and Mary. 3 seasons. British dramedy series (with 45 minute episodes) about the ups and downs of a couple where the wife is a midwife.
Wonderfalls. Fantasy comedy drama created by Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies) and Todd Holland (Larry Sanders, Malcolm in the Middle). Young woman with a philosophy degree works at a dead end job as sales clerk at a Niagra Falls gift shop. 13 episodes.
Yes, Dear

The 2010s

18 to Life. Two 18 year olds marry on a dare and then decide to stay married. 2 seasons.
$#*! My Dad Says. One season. created by Will & Grace founders, starring William Shatner? Never seen.
2 Broke Girls, haven’t seen. Aha, this is Whitney Cummings’ baby; deserves a second look.
Ambassadors. 3 episodes only (50 minutes long). About a British ambassador to the imaginary Tazbekistan.
American Vandal. Netflix. True crime mockumentary. Netflix.
Alpha House. Great farce about male US senators living in the same house. Ended too soon.
Angel from Hell. fantasy sitcom where Jane Lynch plays a crazy angel.
Angie Tribeca, quirky police comedy starring Rashida Jones. Lots of visual jokes in classic Police Squad style. Seasons 1-3 were great! (4 seasons total).
Another Period. Strange historical sitcom spoofing reality shows and Downton Abbey. Sounds fascinating.
AP Bio. God, I wanted to like this series about a dysfunctional high school teacher and crazy students, but after four seasons, I still don’t like it.
Archer. Animated raunchy dysfunctional spy series. They take advantage of the animation to add a lot of R-rated sex and to totally change the show’s concept every few years. Great cast and you have to admire the bold plots. Update: The show went on way too long.
Atlanta. Anthology/Dramedy starring Danny Glover. There’s a general story theme, but the writers felt free to write episodes only loosely connected to the characters. As a result, some shows seem like set pieces, and the show’s tone changes from episode to episode. I’ve watched 2 1/2 seasons in 2022 when I was really sick — had a bad cough which prevented me from sleeping for 3 days!
Awkward. MTV Teen dramedy starring Ashley Nicole Rickards.
Back in Very Small Business. 1 season. Australian sitcom about a fellow who runs a dog wash franchise.
Bad Teacher. 1 season. Impoverished female divorcee hatches a plan to teach at a middle school in the hopes of meeting Mr. Right. Based on a movie starring Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake and Jason Segal. Actually the TV cast looks equally accomplished.
Barry. I’ve heard great things about this show — haven’t watched. Update: Not impressed, but Bill Hader is accomplished as a writer and comic actor.
Baskets. 4 seasons. Zach Galifianakis stars as a classically trained clown who is stuck in his hometown to work as a rodeo clown. This series was created by Louis C.K. . Because of allegations of sexual harassment came to light, Louis C.K. left the production company, with the show continuing for one more season.
Big Mouth — vulgar high school teen animated sitcom. I didn’t get into it (and didn’t have time to get used to it), but the most interesting thing is that almost all the teen characters were played by actors in their 30s.
Big School. 2 seasons. British series about the comic relationships of teachers at a secondary school. Starring David Walliams (who created the show) and Catherine Tate.
Blackish. Two family comedies about black families: one in modern times, the other in the 1980s. I enjoyed watching it — and the preachiness sometimes were fun (and sometimes annoying). The social climbing/ dream life felt a little like the Cosby Show, but 8 seasons worth of episodes gives it a complex history and case of characters. Pehaps it’s better to compare it with Modern Family — which attempted to squeeze in 8-10 characters of various ages to appeal to every demographic.
Blandings. 2 seasons. British adaptation of the Blandings Castle stories of PG Wodehouse.
Bless This Mess. 2 seasons.
Blue Mountain State. College football sitcom. Watched 2 episodes. Raunchy college comedy with lots of Animal House type gags and humor. Good cast, unbelievably vulgar scripts.
Bob’s Burgers. Animated show, 16 seasons! The Belcher family and their three children run a burger restaurant and have many adventures. Voice actors include H. Jon Benjamin (of Archer), Kristen Schaal. Curiously, two males play the mother and daughter of the family.
Bob Hearts Abishola
Bojack Horseman. Only watched 2 seasons of this animated show about an angsty middle-aged sitcom actor. Imaginative and sometimes profound, but I still found the whole concept kind of silly (see Archer). Update: Given that other animated sitcoms have emphasized the raunch, Bojack deserves kudos just for being conventional and not too outrageous.
Boomers. 2 seasons. Comedy about older retired British couples spending time together and getting on one another’s nerves. Dynamite scripts (all written by Richard Pinto) and acting. I’m delighted at how these ensemble comedies just throw the same characters in a variety of situations and watch the magic occur. Even though it’s generally upbeat, the show talks about a lot of social issues affecting the newly elderly. The people in these shows are still active and lively. Kudos to the show for featuring older characters. Finished this series and my main disappointment was failing to realize that there were only 13 episodes.
Brain Dead. One season political comedy/satire about an invasion from the alien insect species.
Bridget & Eamon. Offbeat portrayal of married life in 1980s Ireland. 4 seasons. Just started, but one of the looniest things I’ve ever seen. Strange cuts, silly plots, odd double entendres and incomprehensible Irishisms. Also everybody talks so rapidly half the time I don’t know what’s going on. But I’m loving it! It feels more like a Pythonesque skit show than a genuine sitcom.
Broad City. Acclaimed and lasted for 5 seasons, but low ratings. Outrageous and fast-paced farce about two single girls getting in all kinds of trouble in NYC. Great scripts and immensely talented cast; I just wish it didn’t rely too much on gross humor, masturbation and sexual references. Hey, it would be nice to be able to recommend this show to other family members!
Brockmire. 4 seasons. An ex-baseball player (played by Hank Azaria) lives a modest life in a small Pennsylvania town as an umpire.
Brooklyn 99. Silly Brooklyn cop show. Bigger budget and more ambitious than Angie Tribeca, with a twist that one by one all the cops retire in the last season — having become disillusioned in the wake of George Floyd, etc. Lots of silly game episodes (I could do without those), but the episode where the couple’s boss goes on their honeymoon with them is one of the funniest I’ve seen. I applaud the wild plots and occasional road trip episodes. Amazing cameos. ***
Bunheads. On my To Watch list.
Call my Agent! French dramedy about a talent agency and their actor clients.
Carmichael Show. Fictional family of real life comedian Jerrod Carmichael. 3 seasons
Check it Out! with Dr. Steve Brule. John C. Reilly interviews real people in character in a parody of public access TV shows. Not to be confused with the 1980s Canadian sitcom with the same name.
Club de Cuervos (Club of Crows). Mexican comedy on Netflix.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Musical comedy which is hilarious, but I grew tired of it very quickly.
Come Fly with Me. 1 season. Mockumentary series about a fictional airport and the crazy people who work there.
Community Unbelievably great comedy which breaks multiple genres. So many things about the show were revolutionary; it was unafraid to play around with postmodernism, but the cast and writing was superlative. (Check out “Collaborative Calligraphy” and Conspiracy Theories” in Season 2, which were absurd and subversive). ***
Conners. Roseanne reboot (without Roseanne Barr). I don’t hate it, but the episodes get maudlin, preachy and trying too hard to be socially relevant. I can’t imagine how terrible it would have been if Roseanne had stayed on.
Corporate. Dark comedy about two downtrodden employees in a big corporation. 3 seasons.
Dear White People. Netflix dramedy.
Detroiters.
Disjointed. Netflix show about store that sells weed for medicinal purposes in California.
Defending the Guilty. Short-lived British series about London barristers.
Derry Girls. Mom and I love this outrageous Irish show about high school girls growing up during the Troubles in the 1990s. There are political aspects, but merely in the background; the main characters don’t notice or even care.
Difficult People. 2 seasons. Billy Eichner and Julie Klausner are jaded and struggling NY comedians who “hate everything but each other.” Wow, includes a ton of guest star comedians and an early role by Cole Escola.
Drifters. 4 seasons. British show. 20 somethings females share a flat and face the ups and downs of life.
Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23. Hilarious show about midwest girl who arrives in NYC and rooms with a socialite (played by Kristin Ritter). The midwest girl is played by Dreama Walker who was just as good as Ritter. Lasted only two seasons unfortunately. Created by Nahnatchka Khan. ***
Enlightened. HBO, Limited 2 seasons. Laura Dern plays a woman who returns to work after a mental breakdown and finds herself demoted and life is out of order. Written by Mike White who co-created the series with Dern.
Episodes. British sitcom writing team comes to Hollywood to write a series starring Matt LeBlanc as himself. Not bad, but the writing should have been much sharper.
Exes. Wonderful sitcom about female attorney who lives across the hall from some of her divorce clients… Kristen Johnson stars. Amazed to discover that it lasted 4 seasons (Only 1 year was on Netflix). Update: Started watching later seasons. It’s very formulaic, and the writing is not great (it’s mainly about divorced men dating and such), but the actors are so wonderful that they make it work (barely). Kelly Stables who played the assistant is also a laugh riot.
F is for Family. Animated family sitcom created by and starring Bill Burr.
Florida Girls.
Flowers. British show about a dysfunctional family.
Forever. 8 episode series about a married couple discovering ennui. Starring Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen.
Fresh Meat. 6 College Freshmen.
Fresh off the Boat. more Nahnatchka Khan.
Galavant. Musical fantasy comedy series. Described as “the bastard child of Monty Python and The Princess Bride”. Never seen.
Girlfriends — Long-running African-American series created by Mara Brock Akil. Never seen.
Girls. Sex and the City dramedy, but with more nudity and fucking and a different decade and more economic angst.
Goes Wrong Show. British sitcom about a fake Mischief Theater company who stage a play for TV live where things go wrong. 12 episodes total.
Glow — female wrestling sitcom on Netflix.
Go on. Matthew Perry stars as a sports talk radio host trying to move on from the death of his wife. 1 season only.
Goldbergs.
Good Fight. This legal procedural fell off the rails and instead became a subversive satirical look at political dystopia. By season 3 it turned into a surreal political dramedy — quite appropriate for the Trump era. This was a sequel to the Good Wife (which tried to take itself seriously, but had lots of sex and sexy lawyers and also laughs).
Good Girls. crime dramedy.
Good Place. Fun moralistic show with special effects, but it’s a bit too clever and computer-generated. I preferred My Name is Earl more.
Goodwin Games. 1 Season and directed by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas (who co-produced How I met your mother). 3 siblings in New Hampshire (one of them played by Becki Newton) who have to play certain games devised by their dead father in order to receive their inheritance. These games help them to reconnect, etc. This feels like it belongs to the HIMYM universe
Grace and Frankie. 7 seasons by Netflix, produced by Marta Kaufmann of Friends’ fame. Two older women have an unlikely friendship after their husbands come out of the closet and leave them for each other. Top notch cast with Jane Fona, Lily Tomlin, Martin Sheen. Watched half a season; the writing didn’t impress me.
Great News. Newsroom comedy created by Tracey Wigfield who did a lot of shows during this decade.
Grinder. Unbelievably funny premise about Rob Lowe playing a TV lawyer who due to the show’s cancellation has to live at the family home of his brother (who actually is a lawyer with a boring law practice played by Fred Savage). Fun fact: Rob Lowe’s son plays the daughter’s boyfriend. One season because Fox TV is stupid.
Grown Folks. 2 blue collar African-American couples share a duplex. 2 seasons.
Happyish. Dark satire (3 seasons) about a depressed middle-aged man working in advertising.
Happy Endings. Funny so far.
Happy Together. 1 season. Pop star accidentally ends up living with a young couple.
Happily Divorced. Crazy sitcom starring Fran Drescher and her real-life ex-husband who ran the show The Nanny with her.
Happy Together. 1 season about a couple whose life goes awry when a pop star moves in with them.
The Heart, She Holler. 3 seasons. “Horror comedy” soap opera/politically incorrect surrealistic comedy starring Patton Oswalt and Amy Sedaris. A long hidden son of the Heartshe dynasty returns to run a small town and gets in conflicts with his sisters.
Hello Ladies. (1 season, HBO) Socially inept Englishman visits Los Angelas to find the woman of his dreams.
I Love Dick. 1 season with Kevin Bacon and Kathryn Han. NY Couple relocates to Marfa Texas and finds new sexual opportunities.
Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret. David Cross. Funny premise, but eventually I grew sick of it.
Insecure. African-American sitcom created by Issa Rae and Larry Wilmore (who created Bernie Mac Show).
Jamz promising 4 episode sitcom bought by Netflix and never renewed. About 2 radio writers working at a disfunctional radio station. I loved it.
Jeff and some aliens. 1 season animated sci fi sitcom.
Hot in Cleveland. Interesting premise and stars, but I could only get through one season.
Instant Mom. 3 seasons.
Kevin can wait (with Kevin James). Haven’t seen, but Leah Remini from King of Queens is also in it. . 2 seasons.
Kim’s Convenience. Wonderful low-key Canadian Korean-immigrant comedy. Very light-hearted look at the foibles of an immigrant community. Everyone is so darn likable! Cancelled unceremoniously after 5 seasons, but the show’s quality never flagged. *** Update: there is a kind of spinoff with the Shannon character (the manager at the car rental company, who goes on to star in Strays (which is written and produced by the same people).
Komisky Method. Alan Arkin/Michael Douglas comedy about actors growing old. Definitely had great moments.
Lady Dynamite. Maria Bamford starts as a mentally ill comedienne who gets in crazy situations. Netflix creation by Mitch Hurwitz of Arrested Development. Okay, but I didn’t love as much as I wanted to.
Last Hangover.
Last Man on Earth. post-apocalyptic comedy created by and starring Will Forte and Kristen Schaal. Survival after a deadly virus devastates the world. 4 seasons.
Last Man Standing. 9 seasons. Tim Allen is an executive at a sporting goods chain in Colorado. He is married with three kids, so he is surrounded by women at home. Great ratings, but hated by critics and according to Wikipedia was popular with Republican/Trump viewers in 2016.
Laura Clery Show. Comedy show where one actress plays a variety of characters (See Catherine Tate or Tracey Ullman)
Legit (American series, 2 seasons). Co-created by Peter O’Fallon and Australian comedian Jim Jefferies. Legit is about a comedian, “Jim” (Jefferies) and his misguided attempts to become legitimate in life.
Less than Kind. Canadian show about a 15 year old with unconventional parents
Letterkenny. Quirky show about people in a small Canadian town populated by people of Irish heritage who argue and say strange things. 12 seasons. Created for Hulu.
Life in Pieces. Show about a large extended family told in bits and pieces. 4 seasons.
Life’s Too Short.
Louie. Never seen? I’ve heard wonderful things about the show which is a vehicle for comedian Louie C.K. which unfortunately is stuck on FX/Hulu. I’d love for another streaming service to carry this show.
Loudermilk. Hilarious sitcom about a substance abuse counselor and the people who go to the AA group meetings he runs. 3 seasons. This ain’t the Bob Newhart show. It’s grittier, raunchier and funnier. Two seasons in, I’ve been waiting for it to lose its snappy writing; so far it’s stayed very sharp. Til the very end, it was fresh and heart-warming. Comedian Brian Regan is a cast regular and has a lot of funny bits.
Love. Cringey dramedy (with lots of sex and nudity btw). I love the codependent romantic comedy with Gillian Jacobs and Paul Rust. These characters all feel like real California types. Tragically ended after 3 seasons.
Lovesick. Netflix.
Mad About You (Reboot).
Man with a Plan. Basically Joey Tribiani (Matt LeBlanc) plays a dad. It was fun, and the other characters were fine, but it definitely felt like the typical middle aged dad screwing up genre.
Maron. Sitcom about the fictionalized life of podcaster Marc Maron. Big budget, had moments, but it seemed like a younger version of Curb Your Enthusiasm (with lots of female flings).
Marvelous Mrs. Maisal. 45-60 minute dramedy. How a young married female comedienne who tries to enter the standup business in NYC. Lavish budget and I thought the characters were a little too predictable and larger than life. Rachel Brosnahan was fun and eminently likeable and kind of funny (I didn’t really love her comedy routines in the show), but I loved the episodes which explored her family and friends. This average comedy won a lot of Emmy awards. The Emmy’s goes gaga over shows like this at the expense of others.
Master of None. Fun dramedy starring Aziz Ansari which unfortunately changed into something else when it decided to demphasize Ansari’s character in later seasons.
Meet the Family (Canadian show)
Melissa and Joey. Bland sitcom starring veteran kid actors Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence. I occasionally liked it.
Merry Happy Whatever. To watch on Netflix.
Mick. Tough foul-mouthed woman has to raise the sheltered children of her wealthy older sister Starring Kaitlin Olson.
Mike and Molly. Never seen. Overweight couple in love starring Melissa McCarthy.
Mister D. Former athlete works as a social studies teacher at Xavier Academy, a private high school.
Mixed-ish. Funny prequel to Black-ish which lasted only 2 seasons. Parents met at a commune and now they were trying to raise a family in a semi-normal way. Same style as Black-Ish, but I thought this was funnier and edgier. I really dug the 1980s nostalgia, but the social issues were interesting too.
Mom. Will watch it when I get around to it. Chuck Lorrie, with lots of sitcom veterans.
Moody’s. There are two versions (Australian and American). Cantankerous married couple who reunite with their three adult children in Chicago for the Christmas season.
Moone Boy. Semi-autobiographical show about an Irish boy growing up in a chaotic household in the 1980s. 3 seasons. Ha,ha, forgot to mention that he has an invisible adult friend (played by the show’s creator, writer and comic actor Chris O’Dowd who starred in IT Crowd). Initial reactions are very positive.
Mrs. Brown’s Boys. Irish/BBC collaboration. Farce about the character Agnes Brown (played by Brendan O’Carroll) who often speaks to the camera/audience, and often bloopers and outtakes are left in.
Muppets (ABC Version). 1 season. Dealing with professional life of Muppet characters as they produce a fictional show UP Late with Miss Piggy. A parody of shows like the Office.
My Dead Ex. Teenage sitcom starts with an absurd premise (a nerdy boy accidentally dies while romancing his childhood sweetheart) and adds another absurd premise (he returns from the dead and has to stay within 30 feet of her at all times); this short-lived but very charming show just has so much fun with everything.
Neighbors. 2 season sci fi comedy created by Dan Fogelman (of This is Us fame) about a family who move into a gated community inhabited by space aliens. Would love to see it.
Neighborhood. Dopey 3 camera comedy starring Cedric the Entertainer. Old African-American guy feels uncomfortable with his new white neighbors. I am enjoying this a lot! There are lots of cliches and sitcom tropes, but the actors are first rate, and so is the writing. Structurally and plot-wise, there are enough characters to explore lots of stereotypes. The writing is still first rate and the two couples complement each other so well. (Compare to I love Lucy or The Rules of Engagement).
Not Safe for Work. British show about a laid off worker who bonds with other disgruntled coworkers.
Odd Mom Out. Jill Kargman stars in a show adapted from her novel Odd Mom Out. NY Mom finds herself out of place in a society where everybody is elite/hip/trendy.
One Day at a Time. Netflix reboot of 70s series. It had a strange overly theatrical feel which I didn’t like.
Orange is the New Black. Netflix.
Orville. Sci fi comedy. It has funny moments, but many of the scripts were terrible! I gave up. Seth McFarlane property.
Other One. 2 seasons. British. After the father’s death at a surprise party, Kathy and her mother learn that the father had had a mistress and a daughter (also named Kathy) on the side. The show is about how they get along after the funeral. Not to be confused with the raunchy family sitcom, Other Two.
Outsourced. U.S. Sitcom set in India based on the movie with the same name (1 season). A lone American manager manages the call center and must explain American pop culture to employees.
Out of Practice. Not a great lawyer show, but glad to see Henry Winkler onscreen again.
Parenthood
People just Do Nothing. British mockumentary sitcom (3 seasons) about aspiring rappers running a pirate radio station while living in council flats.
Perfect Couples. 1 season average sitcom about 3 couples in various stages of their relationships.
Plebs. 3 suburban guys struggling for love and careers, set during Ancient Rome. 5 seasons!
Pure. Unbelievable Scottish dramedy about a young lady who likes to image all kinds of perverse couplings. The gimmick is that every 60 seconds there’s a subjective scene of someone without clothes in coitus. It’s fun, I guess, but I gave up (temporarily?) after 2 episodes.
Raising Hope. 4 seasons. Sitcom created by Greg Garcia (of My Name is Earl fame) about a normal and happy 23 year old man who impregnates a female serial killer and earns custody of the unexpected child. The show is about how his family ends up helping to raise her.
Ranch. 4 seasons, Netflix-only season, which includes several cast members from That Seventies show. Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson are brothers who help run a cattle ranch owned by their father. It’s a “red-state sitcom, though it takes place in the swing state of Colorado, and is good enough to be watched by people of any political affiliation”
Red Oaks. Life of a college student who works at a Jewish NJ country club. 3 seasons. Amazon Prime.
Retired at 35. Son is suprised to learn his parents are getting divorced.
Review with Forrest MacNeil. 22 episodes total. Highly regarded mockumentary comedy series starring Andy Daly as a professional critic. Adapted from an Australian film series Review with Myles Barlow.
Rick and Morty. Raunch animated sci fi comedy by Community show’s creator Dan Harman. Still watching, but I don’t love this show as much as I expected to.
Roadies. 1 season only Showtime sitcom created by Cameron Crowe about roadies who tour with musicians.
Rosehaven. 5 seasons. Outrageously funny Tasmanian sitcom with Celia Pacquola (who was also in Utopia). I really love this series and can’t understand why it is so difficult to find it in the United States. ***
Running Wilde. 1 season. Mitch Hurwitz production with Wil Arnett, Keri Russell and David Cross. Appears in the same universe as Arrested Development. Steve Wilde is a clueless billionaire who wants to win the heart of his high school sweetheart who lives in the rainforest. His sweetheart gives him a chance if only to see if he has changed for the better since high school.
Russian Doll. Fun existential supernatural comedy that’s a sort of reply to Groundhog Day. Season 2 takes a pretty incredible jump — which I’m not sure I endorse. (I only watched its first episode).
Santa Clarita Diet. Netflix comedy starring Drew Barrymore.
Shitt’s Creek — always a fan. All the family members have strange and complicated dynamics. Just wanted to say that the last season rarely made me laugh — mainly because the show was trying too hard to end on a warm note. Choose any two characters and you’ll find that they have their own peculiar dynamic.
Servant of the People***. Culturally significant and idealistic political comedy which brought Vladimir Zerensky to the public eye. The writing is good but not great, but I appreciated the idealism inherent in the show and the contrast it to super-idealistic West Wing and super-cynical Veep. Update: I started watching again and found the writing very mediocre, which is a shame because I love the premise and the Ukrainianness of it.
Sex Education. British teen sex comedy. Netflix.
Shameless. Dramedy starring William H. Macy set in Chicago.
She’s Gotta Have it. TV adaptation of Spike Lee’s 90s movie. Netflix.
Siblings. Brother and sister who get in lots of messes. Kind of outrageous.
Sick of It. (1 season) British cabbie with an imaginary friend — a voice inside his head.
Sick Note.
Sirens. American show loosely based on another British series. 2 seasons. 3 EMTs in Chicago work in ambulances and have misadventures. (Haven’t seen, but thought Animal Control cornered that market, with much lower stakes.
Sons of Tucson. 1 season. Three teenage and pre-teen Gunderson brothers own a house in Tucson, but because their father is in prison and the mother left, they hire Ron to be their father. Hilarious premise, but not well received by critics.
South Side. (HBO). Two African-American Chicago grads from community college try various hair-brained business schemes. Just started, but this rapid humor and fast-paced scene changes remind me of Broad City or Brooklyn 99. I love the community of characters that the two guys run into — and frankly the multi-dimensional portrayals of people in the mood (they aren’t all gangsters or druggies or homeless people). Interestingly, Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle, the shows costars and cocreators are both Harvard grads.
Soul Man. (Not the 90s Dan Akroyd series with the same name). Cedric the Entertainer plays a high rolling Vegas dude who was called to be a reverend in St. Louis.
Space Force. With this many great comic actors, the show’s guaranteed to succeed at some level despite its predictability. Update: Season 2 definitely sags.
Still Open All Hours. Reboot of 1970s British sitcom with most of the original cast reappearing. Focuses on the life of people who hang around a grocery shop. This reboot had more episodes.
Suburgatory. Single father who raises his daughter in NY, then decides to move to the suburbs for the wholesome environment. 3 seasons. Wow, Jane Levy, Cheryl Hines, Ana Gasteyer, Chris Parnell, Alan Tudyk!
Superstore. Politically subversive show about the big box store. ***
Superior Donuts . 2 season Judd Hirsch based on a play with the same name.
Surviving Jack. One season. Ex-military man becomes a full time parent while his wife is going to law school.
Tacoma FD. Fire station work place comedy.
Take Two – crime procedural dramedy.
Teachers. Great show about several young dysfunctional female elementary school teachers at Millard Fillmore Elementary School (wow, great historical reference!). Created by and starring the Katydids (young actresses who share the name Kate/Katie). A lot more wild and silly than Abbott Elementary. I particularly enjoyed the students and the “no hugging” premise the show seems to have adopted. Update: Probably raunchier than it needed to me, and the story lines are rather skimpy. But I haven’t given up hope!
Telenovela. 1 season. Bilingual show starring Eva Longoria which is a behind-the-scenes look at a fictional telenovela shot in Miami, Florida. The joke is that the central female star of the telenovela does not even speak Spanish.
This Country. 3 seasons. British mockumentary sitcom about two cousins living in a small village. Themes include social clumsiness, the trivialities of human behaviour, the eccentricities of living in rural England, and the boredom and social isolation of young people in small communities.
Threesome. British threesome who have a hilarious hedonistic ride. 2 seasons.
The Tick — superhero satire with Patrick Walburton.
Timewasters. Absurd British time-travel show where the travelers where a 4 piece South London jazz band travel back in time to the 1920s. Great premise; unclear how long it can be sustained on that premise alone. Lots of jokes about black people never being in time travel shows. (“Back to the Future?” one says. “Never seen it because it doesn’t have any black people”).
Traffic Light. 1 season sitcom based on an Israeli sitcom about three male best friends in their 30s who deal with relationships, friendship, etc.
Trial & Error. Spoof of documentaries and reality legal shows with supporting roles of John Lithgow! 2 Seasons worth. Probably better than Only Murders in the Building.
Trophy Wife. Blonde marries a middle aged lawyer and has to deal with his ex-wives and children. 1 season.
Tuca & Bertie. Netflix animated series about animals starring Ali Wong, Tiffany Haddish and Steven Yeun.
Ugly Americans. animated dark comedy about a mild-mannered man who moves to Manhattan and meets space alien zombies or something like that.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. I love the main actress, but the show got old quickly.
Underemployed. MTV sitcom
Upper Middle Bogan. Australian doctor finds she was adopted by Melbourne’s drag-racing community. 3 seasons.
Up All Night. 2 seasons. SNL writer Emily Spivey created a show loosely based on her life working on SNL just after having a baby. Christina Applegate is a producer on the talk show of her friend (Maya Rudolph) and Will Arnett plays the stay-at-home father. 2
Utopia. Funny Australian office comedy about a totally dysfunctional city planning agency. If you like this, see also Rosehaven which featured the same female star.
Veep. I think the raunchy humor could have been toned down, but I’m not complaining! Rewatching in 2025 has made me realize how prescient this show was in capturing the absurd viciousness of politics.
Vicious. British Elderly gay people fighting all the time. 1 season. Saw every episode and thought it as terrific, comparable to Fawlty Towers.
Whitney — created by and starring Whitney Cummings, comedienne.
Wilfred. Australian-American comedy. This American remake of the US series stars the same actor Jason Gann who played the dog and Elijah Wood who plays the dog’s owner.
Workaholics. Terrible raunch-com that lasted 7 seasons. I watched only two episodes (which grossed me out and mainly traded insults and practical jokes). Broad City did the same shtick but much better.
Working Moms. Canadian “Sex and the City for Moms,” but a little raunchier. Several moms who recently gave birth swap stories of their own crazy lives. Warning: There are a lot of bare boobs and some sexual humor and language. What flies in Canada would never fly in the states!
Wrecked. TBS parody of LOST where people are stranded on an island. 3 seasons worth!
Young and Hungry. Show with great comic actors and theme song, but the stories and premise were crazy and even offensive. The lead females were just so pretty. Happy to see that Emily Osment went on to do better things like the terrific George and Mandy’s First Marriage.
Young Sheldon — **** this spinoff of Big Bang theory is a major show, impeccably written and with an all-star cast. Despite the formulaic premise, a lot of interesting things are happening: sibling rivalry, intellectualism vs. middle America, religion, etc. Also, lots of Texas culture, 80s culture, generational squabble. Much much better than Big Bang Theory. Season 5 and 6 started exploring the whole family — which is a lovable mess.
Younger. Sutton Foster is great, but all it is really is is a wish fulfillment Sex in the City MILF meets young stud comic soap opera.
You’re the Worst.

The 2020s

Abbott Elementary. Work comedy taking place at an elementary school. Lots of characters (not to mention an endless supply of parents and children). First season was madcap, but the following seasons seemed to focus on the love interest between the protagonist and another teacher (who cares!). It’s like Superstore, but at an elementary school. I like its attempt to depict social issues in a light-hearted way. Update: Season 2 was dull. Season 3 was somewhat better and had more messages, but was still predictable.
Aftertaste. 2 seasons. Raucous Australian sitcom about a famous chef fired from his job for anger issues who tries to start a restaurant in his hometown with his niece..
American Auto. NBC/Peacock show. Workplace comedy which feels like Better Off Ted. It’s a very cynical show which captures corporate America.
Animal Control. Starring Joel McHale. Light-hearted workplace comedy, with animals occasionally thrown in. I love the fact that there’s lots of animals in every episode, plus it takes place in Seattle!
Avenue 5. Armando Iannucci’s spoof of space dramas. I would call it a comic disaster aboard a cruise ship set in space. Hilarious. Cancelled after 2 seasons. It was brilliant, but probably too expensive for its own good.
Beef. Dramedy about a successful Asian businesswomen and an Asian man who end up in a vicious unending argument and eventually losing all control and inhibition. This isn’t that funny (surprising given that it was written by and stars the outstanding comedienne Ali Wong). It had moments, but it wasn’t farce and took itself too seriously.
Bookie (HBO). Starring Sebastian Maniscalco.
Bust Down. Peacock, 1 season. Chris Redd and others work in low wage jobs at a casino in Gary, Indiana.
Call me Kat (HBO). Starring Mayim Bialik.
Call Your Mother. One season. Great wacky comedy about midwest mother moving to Los Angeles so she could intrude in the life of her estranged children. Starring Kyra Sedgewick, created and directed by Kari Lizer who also created the outstanding New Adventures of Old Christine. Apparently, panned by critics, this show was a lot better than people gave it credit for. Cancelled really soon!
Clean Slate. An old school car wash owner in Alabama has to come to grips with the fact that his son has returned as a trans woman. Apparently was the last show that Norman Lear produced.
Colin from Accounts. Australian cringe comedy about a bar owner who accidentally hits a dog with his car and ends up having to take care of it with it with the girl he met after the accident. Like the equally brilliant Wellmania, besides having lots of wacky characters (both friends and family), it’s unexpectedly revealing about Australian culture/ Oh, wow, the two main characters Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer are also the show’s writers and married as well. Interestingly, Brammall was also in the US comedy Call your Mother.
Crew. Nascar garage comedy starring Kevin James.
Daddy Issues. 1 season. British sitcom about a pregnant party girl and her divorced dad end up living together.
DMV. Workplace comedy. I keep forgetting to watch this one!
English Teacher. Gay English teacher at an Austin public high school feels constricted by the demands of his job .
Extended Family. 1 season. Divorced dad learns that his ex-wife is dating the owner of his favorite sports team. Starring Jon Cryer.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo. (Korean). Dramedy about autistic attorney. Cute and surreal and one giant romantic cliche. But I still liked it.
F#Ck1Ng Social Media. Has-been Youtube celebrity tries to maintain her fame. Amazon Prime show.
Fisk. Wonderful Australian sitcom about a middle age attorney who handles probate cases at a small law firm.
Fired on Mars. Animated dramedy about an ordinary Joe working on Mars. After being unceremoniously fired for incompetence, he finds he has nothing to do and get in further trouble.
Five Bedrooms — fun Australian dramedy. This had some great moments.
Franchise. (2024) Another Armando Iannucci satire which is a behind-the-scene look at a superhero film franchise. See also the sci fi spoof Avenue Five which lasted only two seasons.
Frasier (reboot). About as great as expected. First class acting and scripts, though the plots seem formulaic. I don’t care! I predict it will only last one season though.
F#Ck1Ng Social Media. Mexican show about an aging social media influencer whose popularity is on the decline.
Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage. Spinoff from Young Sheldon with Sheldon’s dopey older brother. Started off great! This show really has a lot of great things going for it; it has a lot of heart. The actor who plays Georgie is particularly talented (So is Mandy’s odd brother). By the way, I love the inclusion of the word “First” in the show’s title.
Ghosts (I prefer the US adaptation, but the UK version is almost as hilarious). The delicious premise behind a show — that a woman can see and talk with the ghosts at a hotel, but her husband cannot, makes for tons of comic situations. So far they haven’t run out of ideas . The ghost-seer cannot tell if people are living people or ghosts, so if she talks to a ghost on the street, the ghosts are totally startled about it. (In one episode she goes to a doctor about why she is seeing ghosts; unbeknownst to her, she is explaining all this to a doctor who had been dead for 20 years;). Another great gimmick is how ghosts are fascinated about TV and Internet culture and how they miss some important details. (One person who died in the 1980s said that OJ Simpson was his favorite football player and thought he was the coolest athlete ever).
Ginny & Georgia. Netflix dramedy, 2+ seasons about a girl and her family on the run.
Girls5Eva. Reunion of all girls band when they are middle aged. Nice premise with lots of cameos from NBC actors.
Glamorous. 1 season, Netflix dramedy. Gay makeup artist is hired to work as an assistant to a beauty mogul (played by Kim Cattrell). Definitely an Ugly Betty vibe, but looks like fun — and yet Netflix seemed determined to let it die.
Gordita Chronicles. 1 season. Family-oriented HBO show about a chubby girl whose family immigrates to Miami from the Dominican Republic.
Going Dutch. Colonel is reassigned to a German base as a punishment where he works with his daughter and a random crew of lovable misfits. With Catherine Tate as a guest star.
God’s Favorite Idiot.
Grown-ish.
Hacks. Way overrated HBO sitcom
Happy’s Place. Reba McEntire stars as a bar owner whose father has died and finds she has a (much younger) half-sister.
Hitman. British.
Home Economics.
How to with John Wilson. HBO/Max. More like a 30 minute documentary, but each episode is an essay around certain urban themes, and even though the videographer John Wilson is the main star, most episodes follow certain real people and even their stories. Really cutting edge with hybrid forms.
House of Lies. 5 season show about a sleazy management consultant starring Don Cheadle.
I Hate Susie. Starring Billie Piper. Wow, episode 1 made clear that it’s a kind of horror dramedy. Not a good vibe so far.
I’m Sorry. Created by and starring Andrea Savage. Cringe raunch comedy about a mother.
I love that for you. Semi-autobiographical sitcom starring Vanessa Beyer who cowrote it.
I’m a Virgo. Boots Riley satire about the misadventures of a 13 foot tall African American boy.
Indebted. Dan Levy show about indebted parents living with children with Fran Drescher and Steve Weber from Wings. Definitely had moments, shouldn’t have been canceled after one season.
Intelligence (British).
In the Know. Mike Judge hybrid animation/live-action sitcom about a public radio station. Can’t wait to watch.
I think You should leave with Tim Robinson.
Jury Duty. Well received “reality hoax sitcom” (whatever that means). Watched 2 episodes and found it too gimmicky and not enough about characters. But it received Emmy nods.
Kevin can f** himself. Starring Anne Murphy from Schitt’s Creek. The gimmick was that the Murphy character inhabited this unpleasant three camera sitcom world (full of audience laugh track) which would alternate with this banal real world portrayed with a single camera. I might give it another shot, but the first two episodes sucked.
Kenan. Hated this Kenan Thompson vehicle.
Killing It. 2 seasons on Peacock. Craig Robinson (from the Office) starts a business hunting really big snakes.
King of the Hill. Reboot. Despite the deaths of several of original cast members, the premise (Hill’s family returns from a long stay in the Middle East to Arlen to see his son Bobby work as a Japanese chef) is a fascinating one. Update: It has many of the same characters (15 years later) and a wacky humor that stays serene. It lambastes Dale Gribble’s conspiracy mongering while saying nothing of Trump and Trumpism. Bobby Hill’s transformation into a nonconformist adult was seamless and compelling.
Leanne. Netflix. Leanne Morgan stars in a comedy about a middle aged Southern lady who learns that his husband is cheating on her. Great older cast.
Loot. Average sitcom starring Maya Rudolph as a wealthy divorcee who devotes herself to various do-good projects. Acting talent was great, but the scripts were so-so. I gave it a second shot and still was unimpressed.
Lopez v. Lopez. Latino family sitcom starring George Lopez (who has to move in with his Gen Z daughter).
Man on the Inside. (Netflix mini-series). Delightful and upbeat story about an old man (played by Ted Danson) hired by a private investigator to infiltrate a retirement community. The stakes are very low, so there’s lots of opportunities for silliness and a light hearted approach to growing older.
Mr. Mayor. Ted Danson comedy playing LA mayor. Anything spoofing LA has potential in my book. Everything about it was formulaic and predictable but the satire of California was first class.
Minx. 2 seasons. An ambitious feminist magazine editor is hired to run a retro-sexist magazine. Although the show is respectable and has great talent and writing, the show has a lot of male nudity (I mean a lot!) and female nudity as window dressing. Stars Lennon Parham who was hilarious in Veep.
Mythic Quest. Workcomedy at videogame company, created by Rob McElhenney (of Always Sunny in Philadelphia fame). I’m liking this more and more, mainly because the actors are great. The overall premise is — well, who cares!
Never Have I ever. Mindy Kaling project focused on a high school girl.
Nightcourt (Reboot). I want this to be great. Update: It’s terrible!
Nobody’s Looking. Brazilian fantasy-comedy on Netflix about an angel.
North of North. Netflix, Canadian sitcom about a young Canadian mother of Inuk origin.
Only Murders in the Building. Cozy mystery sitcom starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selene Gomez and a star-studded cast. Two egotistical old guys and a young girl do a true crime podcast and discover murders happening all around them. Not as great as it is reputed to be, but still fun. Update: Season 3 was surreal, with Eugene Levy playing himself trying to play the Steve Martin character in a movie about the podcast. Is that self-referential or what?
One More Time, short-lived Canadian sitcom taking place at a sporting goods store.
Other Two. (Note: started in 2019). Fun story of a tween singer who becomes famous and his older brother and sister (both struggling actors) have to deal with it. This sort of reminds me of Entourage (about how a star needs to be handled). Differences: lots of sex scenes/even gay scenes plus the use of social media and mobile devices. So far I’m enjoying it.
Paper. On Peacock. “The Office” meets “Midwest Journalism” directed by Greg Daniels and with the “Oscar” character. Accused too much of imitating the “Office,” the cast (which includes Alex Edelman!) looks pretty strong.
Pernille. (5 seasons). Norwegian dramedy about a middle-aged social worker/child services advocate who has to deal with the crazy teenagers she’s raising. Generally upbeat and not funny ha-ha but lots of funny moments. Update: All 5 seasons were crazy, unpredictable, sad and joyful!
Platonic. Seth Rogen + Rose Byrne comedy about two friends from college who support each other a decade later. I am loving this show. At least one major laugh per episode.
Poppa’s House. Older NYC radio dj (played by Damon Wayams) gets paired with a younger and smarter female psychologist to cohost the show. Top notch cast (all African-American) and Wayams’ real life son is also there. I didn’t love the script, but this show could definitely grow on me (just as The Neighborhood did over time).
Pradeeps of Pittsburgh. 1 season. Indian family have to tell their family story to immigration officials. I really loved the scripts and actors. There’s a bit of raunchiness thrown in, so this is not really your traditional family sitcom.
Pretty Smart. Funny California sitcom about a brainy East Coast sister who visits her sweet airhead California sister and ends up living with her. Stars Emily Osment from Young Sheldon and Young and Hungry. Probably not beloved by critics, but it reminds me a lot of the amazing What I Like About You — which is all about teen angst.
Resident Alien. 4 seasons. Created by longtime Family Guy writer Chris Sheridan. Alan Tudyk stars as an alien species who accidentally crashes on earth and then ends up as a doctor in small Colorado town. Definitely has a Third Rock from the Sun vibe, and frankly it is full of surprises. I like how the show doesn’t sugarcoat the alien’s misanthropy and throws in some sci fi nonsense here and there. Also a lot of yucky sentimental soap operaish subplots that viewers are expected to take seriously. (Plus great outdoor scenes — filmed in Canada). Season 4 continues the madcap fun!
Running Point. Netflix. 1 season (so far). A sports-loving sister (played by Kate Hudson) gets thrust into the role of president of a major NBA basketball team. Hilarity ensues. (It’s pretty funny and irreverent and definitely has an Arrested Development vibe). It’s a Mindy Kaling production, so it’s very female-friendly.
Rutherford Falls. small town comedy with Ed Helms, cowritten by American-Indian Sierra Teller Ornelas.
Saved by the Bell (reboot). 2 short seasons. This iconic 1990s high school sitcom was rebooted with many of the same characters as adults.
Scavengers Reign. Animated scifi comedy about survivors of a spaceship disaster
Shmigadoon. Musical comedy which seems a little too magical and corny. Still lots of fun. Aha, Season 2 apparently goes in a different direction. Interesting!
Sexify. 1 season, Netflix. Sexy Polish sitcom about a college student who starts a business to study the female orgasm.
Sex Lives of College Girls. Mindy Kaling project.
Shoresy. 4 seasons on Hulu. Canadian spinoff from Letterkenny about a former hockey player who tries to turnaround a failing hockey team.
Shrinking. Comic soap opera surrounding an office of 3 counselors/therapists who are in each other’s business. Starring Jason Segal as an overly nice therapist who can’t maintain a professional distance from patients. Topnotch cast (including Christa Miller of Drew Carey Show fame), but I had a hard time believing that the therapists would be so chummy with each other and have such dysfunctional personal lives.
Solar Opposites. 6 seasons. Animated sci fi sitcom about a family of aliens who crash land on earth and are forced to stay there. Apparently loved by critics.
Somebody Somewhere. 3 seasons. HBO. Middle-age angst in Kansas. This show had moments, but it felt too improvisational for my tastes.
Son of a Critch. 3 seasons. Canadian nostalgic sitcom about a mild-mannered kid growing up in the 1980s who attends a Catholic school full of hooligans and cliques. Reminds me of the Wonder Years (which true confession I have never watched!) and Young Sheldon. This is a fine show with many uplifting and hilarious moments. The man who wrote the comic memoir about growing up in the 1980s that inspired it plays the dad in the actual show
Star Trek Lower Decks. Animation. Fun and even racy extension of Star Trek franchise. In the 70s they made a (serious) ST animation series; it’s hard to believe it took so long to do an animated sitcom.
Strays. 2 seasons. Canadian sitcom starring Nichole Power from Kim’s Convenience. Her character in KC now runs an animal shelter.
Studio (on Apple). Big budget star-studded Hollywood satire show about a hapless studio exec trying to make his mark in the movie business. Starring Seth Rogen, Ike Barinholtz, Catherine O’Hara and others with great cameos. Great concept and scripts, but has lavish production design and amazing cinematography. It’s definitely standing atop the shoulders of the Larry Sanders show, but way bigger and more outlandish.
Ted Lasso — a little too bland and feel-goody for my tastes. Season 3 got better though.
That Nineties Show. I feel so nostalgic for the 70s show that I give this sequel an A just for showing up. The grandparents are always great, and the kids are just as wild as they were in the original show. This show has the same showrunners so it probably will capture the same magic. Update: It is formulaic and predictable, but the actors are great and I laughed a lot. The nostalgia references always are great as well.
Tires. Terrible and vulgar workplace comedy about a tire shop starring Shane Gillis. Hey, I’m not opposed to locker room comedies per se, but this was rude, insulting and full of vulgarities. (Also, it was mostly not funny!) Original raunch sitcoms pop up everywhere on the streaming networks, and this probably is the worst of the group.
Trying. Charming Brit dramedy about a London couple trying to adopt a child. On one level the show is earnestly presenting the challenges and travails in going through the adoption process. On another level, the show depicts the silly adventures of a couple trying to pick up parenting skills on the fly. Immensely likable, the supporting characters are also a laugh riot. Last season strains the premise quite a bit, but still is fun — and the teenage girl is funny and cute.
Unicorn. Widowed man encouraged by his two daughters to re-enter the dating scene. 2 seasons.
United States of Al. Adhir Kalyan plays an interpreter from Afghanistan who moves to Columbus Ohio with his Marine friend. 2 seasons.
Unstable. follows Row Lowe as successful biotech entrepreneur Ellis Dragon as he struggles to regain his footing following the death of his wife. Funny, feels like Better off Ted.
Upload. Amazing fast-paced sci fi comedy about dead people being uploaded to a videogame resembling heaven. Second season got a little more sci fi dystopian — with less comedy, dragging a little.
Upshaws. *** Wanda Sykes vehicle. Its first two seasons prove that the dramedy format really works, especially without the network censorship rules. Seasons that follow are just as entertaining.
We are Lady Parts.
What We Do in the Shadows.*** The original movie was brilliant satire; this version for US Tv is just as brilliant and funny. I love all the characters and mishaps. It’s a great satire of pop culture — a la Third Rock from the Sun. This show just keeps getting crazier and funnier with every season.
WandaVision
Welcome to Flatch. 2 seasons. American mockumentary based on the British series The Country. A documentary crew is sent to a small town to meet the eccentric residents of Flatch, Ohio (close to Columbus, Ohio).
Wellmania. Fun and outrageous Australian series about a food writer living in NY who has a health scare during her visit home. So she has to make radical alterations to her lifestyle to improve her health; can she do it? Slightly on the raunchy side, but I laughed very hard. 1 season so far, and apparently the star Celeste Barber is a well-known comedienne in Australia.
White Lotus. Vacation escape dramedy with lots of HBO titillation. Satisfying escapism and beautiful bodies and good characters. This hourlong dramedy had comic moments but is more about how the characters discover things about themselves.

Best Sitcom Intros

Let’s be honest. The musical intros can totally make a sitcom. Here’s a list of my favorites. YouTube links are in parenthesis. Given how often these links go back, I’ll try to add more identifying information.

Drew Carey Show (“It’s a 5’Clock World”). (YT) Drew Carey did a lot of carefully choreographed intros (with a new one each season). This one is my fave, with lots of silly zany fun. I just love the crazy dance number when Drew hands out paychecks to employees. All the people in the office have boss dance moves! (The Cleveland Rocks intros on other seasons are just as fun).
All in the Family (“Those Were the Days” (YT). This song makes me feel so sentimental. Even though the singing seems comically atrocious, in fact both actors are very adept at using their voices to produce a certain effect. I especially love the outro piano instrumental (YT)
Servant of the People (YT) Here is an amazing intro stressing the humble origins of the protagonist (played by Volodymyr Zelinsky’s character) and showing everyday street scenes of Kiev. Great song too by Dmytro Shurov of the group Okean Elzy.
Rosehaven (YT) I love this wacky upside down intro, with the laid back song by Kit Warhurst.
Kath and Kim. (“The Joker is Me”) (YT). Amazingly, this song was sung by Gina Riley who played the mother.
Brady Bunch (“Here’s the Story”). (YT) I pretty much hated the show, but still love that intro. The outro which played while the credits roll is even better
That Seventies Show (“Hello Wisconsin!”) (YT) Great song and fun mix of characters singing in the car. In the Nineties Show reboot, they sing the same song, but faster.
Bob Newhart Show (YT) . This is such a great brassy musical number which portrays the sense of the city of Chicago.
Bojack Horseman. (YT). I really love the angsty jazz theme song, but the quick sliding through of all the scenes of the horse’s life are also incredible, ending with the iconic swimming pool shot (a la The Graduate).
What We Do in the Shadows. (YT) Besides the wacky photo slideshow, that haunting song by Norma Tanega is appropriate (even in an ironic way).
Jeffersons (We’re Moving On Up) (YT) Besides telling the initial story and introducing the characters, the rousing song has a Gospel-like feel.
Gary Shandling Show (This is the Theme Song to the Gary Shandling Show) (YT) Self-referential silliness.
Simpsons (YT). This intro is jam-packed with in-jokes and contains a different gag on the chalkboard with every episode. Pretty Much South Park (YT) did the same thing, albeit in more anarchic style.
Ugly Betty (Original Spanish Version). (YT). The U.S. Version is quick and flashy, while the Spanish version tells a funny story.
Fresh Prince of Belair (YT). Great rap song performed by Will Smith himself (I always laugh at the “smell you later” line).
Broad City (YT) I love the “In Your Face” singing style and psychedelic graphics.
Red Dwarf. I just love the song, It’s Cold Outside (YT) by Howard Goodall and Jenna Russell (singer). Here’s Howard Goddall talking about composing for musical comedies (YT).

Griping about Shows which were never digitized.

My critic friend Michael Barrett wrote a wishlist article about TV sitcoms from the 1950s and 1960s which were never digitized. My #1 show on that Wish list would be the less obscure and highly successful 1990s show “Drew Carey Show” — only the first season is on DVD and streaming. That show was brilliant in so many ways and it showcased many rising stars — including of course Drew Carey. Carey has been interviewed about this several times, and basically said that the financials just didn’t add up — not a lot of demand, plus the need to pay music licensing fees. I mean, there’s not THAT much music on the show — certainly not on the level of Glee or Community or Crazy Ex Girlfriend. The production company is Warner Brothers — I mean, it’s not that WB doesn’t know how to negotiate these things.

The Overrated (or didn’t like) List

AP Bio.
Bewitched
Big Bang Theory
Beverly Hillbillies.
Cosby Show
Dick Van Dyke Show
Family Ties
Fleabag
Home Improvement
How I met your mother. Liked the early seasons though.
Lady Dynamite
Marvelous Mrs. Maisal.
Mork and Mindy. Rewatched season 1. Wow, these scripts were terrible!
Munsters
New Girl. hated this show.
Night Court (2023 reboot). I wanted to like it, but the jokes were stale and the situations dull. Perhaps the original series was decent, but I’m doubting it.
Roseanne. Connors reboot is somewhat better.
Scrubs. I never got into.
Stath Lets Flats
Ted Lasso.
30 Rock.

References: Screenrant’s Best British Sitcoms of all time,