So, this one is the list I feel the least qualified about writing because I've largely stopped watching sitcoms over the years since I abandoned linear network television. However, I've dutifully gone back and sought out several of the series below recently, and I want to talk about them. Sitcoms have diminished with the rise of the streamers, but by every metric they still make up a huge amount of the media we regularly consume. I feel I'm writing this list in part to also spur myself to give more of these shows a chance in the future.
As with all the lists in this series, there are twenty five entries, but only the top ten get writeups. I caution that there's a thin line between sitcoms and comedy series with an ensemble cast, and I'm probably going to make some categorization errors. No "Extras," but I'm totally counting "Rick and Morty."
30 Rock (2006) - I have a strong bias towards NBC's "Must See TV" lineup and I always have. "30 Rock," however, was one that I really had to warm up to over time. I didn't become a fan until years after the show had stopped airing, and I made a conscious decision to binge large amounts of it at once. And it was worth it. "30 Rock," more than any other sitcom, has influenced the patter and pacing of modern TV comedies. And I'm glad that Tina Fey is still making them to this day.
Arrested Development (2003) - The first three seasons, created by Mitch Hurwitz, comprise one of the best run of television episodes that has ever been made. It's so specific in its idiosyncratic humor and wonderfully intricate web of escalating wordplay, running gags, odd characters and references that there's absolutely nothing else like it. And this is also the show that supercharged the careers of Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Alia Shawkat, Tony Hale, and several other favorites.
The Good Place (2016) - A high concept comedy about the afterlife from Michael Schur that gradually morphs into something much more existential and interesting over the course of its four seasons. As Kristen Bell's Eleanor Shellstrop struggles to become a good person, the show earnestly explores philosophical concepts and systems of belief, culminating in one of the best series finales of all time. Manny Jacinto as Jason is also my favorite sitcom dumbbell in ages.
Futurama (1999) - Okay, this series started before my cutoff date and probably shouldn't count, but it was such a major part of the 2000s popular culture, the Matt Groening show that everyone moved on to after "The Simpsons" started going downhill. References and memes abounded for years. Also, "Futurama" was cancelled and revived so many times, in so many variations, I'm sure it set a trend. At the time of writing, it's also the only show of the top ten that is still airing.
Parks and Recreation (2009) - I was late to this series too, which I dearly love for the cast rather than any specific jokes or clever bits. It was so much fun to watch the ensemble gel and the writers to find their footing over time. "Parks and Recreation" isn't really the optimistic, feel-good workplace show that we know and adore until the third season, an evolution that would be unlikely to happen today. Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson remain two of my absolute favorite sitcom characters.
Malcolm in the Middle (2000) - This is the only semi-traditional family sitcom in the top ten, because it remains the only family sitcom that really felt like it did things differently. Most of the other contenders are about different kinds of families while "Malcolm" is really distinguished by its irreverent tone, chaotic visual style, and narrative subversions. If lessons are learned in the end, they're often inadvertent, and the victories are short-lived. As the theme song warns, "Life is unfair."
Community (2009) - I've sung the praises of "Community" many times, for being one of the most ambitious sitcoms ever made. The parody episodes, the meta episodes, and the drama going on behind the scenes, all helped this to achieve the kind of consistent quality and boundary-breaking innovation that few sitcoms could. Honestly, the antics of the fanbase and creator Dan Harmon were often as entertaining as the show itself. And I'm still holding out hope for the movie.
Fleabag (2016) - The Guardian calls this a sitcom, so I'm calling it a sitcom. Phoebe Waller-Bridge's fantastic fourth-wall-breaking confessional where she plays a terrible, shameful woman, is still easily one of the best comedies of the millennium. It's so brutally mean and honest, while acknowledging the cost of being mean and honest. The second season with the Hot Priest might be seen as the show losing some of its verve, if it weren't simultaneously so utterly devastating.
Veep (2012) - I had to have an Armando Iannucci show on this list, and "Veep" should count as a sitcom. It's the most foul-mouthed, blisteringly sardonic piece of television that could only air on premium cable, but in the end it's a workplace comedy with a central cast of White House staffers who get into nutty situations in every episode. And the satire was immaculate. There are a couple of other cringe humor shows on this list, but "Veep" is the only one that got downright dark at times.
The Office (US) (2005) - This one was close, but how could I leave it off? The documentary style, the uncomfortable humor, that cast - "The Office" slowly but surely became one of the cornerstones of the television landscape for a big part of the 2000s, and its influence is still felt to this day. The original UK "Office" was revolutionary in its own right, of course, but it didn't have the bigger episode counts or the environment to grow into what the American version became.
The Next Fifteen
Modern Family
My Name is Earl
Rick and Morty
Superstore
Abbott Elementary
Brooklyn 99
The Thick of It
Vicious
Scrubs
Curb Your Enthusiasm
The Big Bang Theory
How I Met Your Mother
Schitt's Creek
The Office (UK)
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
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