25 of The Best Sitcoms of All Time

What’s your go-to source of laughter and comfort? The TV show you can always count on, no matter how many times you’ve seen the episodes? Chances are, it’s a sitcom. Since 1946, these 30-minute slices of life have kept us cackling on our couches and quoting catchphrases.

In 2022, sitcoms accounted for 15.7% of the total demand for Hulu’s catalog. From I Love Lucy to Friends to Modern Family, they’ve been there for us, mirroring our lives’ humor and heartbreak. Their characters are old pals, welcomed into our living rooms week after week.  

What is it about sitcoms that give them such staying power, and what is the best sitcom of all time?

In this love letter to the best sitcoms in television history, we examine the evolution of this timeless art form decade by decade. We’ll revisit the most groundbreaking, gut-busting, and heartwarming shows that have graced our screens.

So, what exactly is a sitcom?

Before we embark on our journey through sitcom history, let’s take a moment to define our terms. Just what is a sitcom, exactly? 

Short for “situation comedy,” a sitcom is a scripted TV comedy series centered on a specific group of characters sharing a common environment, like a family home or workplace. The “situation” provides a reliable, repeatable setting for the characters’ comic interplay and adventures.

While some famous sitcoms share DNA with sketch and stand-up comedy, they have a unique style all their own, distinguished by:

• A half-hour episodic format. 
• Lighthearted, humorous storylines.
• A core cast of characters who drive the humor.
• Dialogue-heavy scripts punctuated by zingers and punchlines.
• A live studio audience or canned laughter to heighten the jokes.

This tried-and-true formula has resonated with audiences since the very first sitcom. In 2023, sitcoms ranked in the top 3 most-watched TV genres, with over 41% of people tuning in.

The beauty of the sitcom setup is its consistency. Tuning into your favorite sitcom is like catching up with old friends. You know their world, their quirks, their go-to gags. Whether it’s Lucy and Ethel scheming in their New York apartment or the Cheers gang swapping wisecracks at the bar, sitcoms offer the coziness of familiarity with the promise of new laughs.

Keeping the classic comedic recipe in mind, let’s take a look at the greatest sitcoms throughout the ages, starting with where it all began.

The 1950’s

Flashback to the 1950s. Television is a newly minted fixture in American households, and families are gathering around their boxy black-and-white sets to enjoy a revolutionary form of entertainment: the situation comedy.

1. I Love Lucy

Leading the charge is none other than I Love Lucy. Debuting in 1951, this madcap series about a zany housewife and her bandleader husband is more than just a smash hit – it’s a cultural touchstone. For four of its six seasons, it reigns as the most-watched show in the U.S. It’s widely considered one of the best sitcoms of all time. At the heart of I Love Lucy’s magic is the irrepressible Lucille Ball. With her flawless comic timing, rubber-faced expressions, and signature red hair, Ball quickly becomes America’s sweetheart. Her on-screen antics – stomping grapes, gobbling chocolates on a runaway conveyor belt – are the stuff of TV legend. 

2. The Honeymooners

As I Love Lucy delights the masses, another 1950s sitcom earns laughs and love from the other side of the tracks. The Honeymooners, starring Jackie Gleason and Art Carney, follows the hijinks of Ralph Kramden, a blustery New York bus driver, and his sarcastic sewer worker pal Ed Norton.  The Honeymooners’ scripts, laced with zingers, bring working-class wit to the small screen. Gleason’s Ralph is a new kind of sitcom hero – not an infallible Dad but a lovable loudmouth struggling to get by. His “one of these days” feuds with his sharp-tongued wife Alice are as relatable as they are hilarious.

3. Father Knows Best

Father Knows Best is a classic sitcom that centers on the life of a middle-class family, with a father figure providing wisdom and guidance in a wholesome, idealized portrayal of suburban life. The show explored family dynamics and moral lessons through gentle humor and paternalistic charm. Its depiction of a traditional family structure and the father’s role as the guiding force became a defining example of mid-20th-century television, influencing how family life was portrayed in sitcoms

With sitcoms now a proven TV staple, the stage is set for a new decade of groundbreaking shows that will further push the boundaries of the genre. Stay tuned.

The 1960s

As the turbulent 1960s unfold, sitcoms provide much-needed laughter and fun. While family comedies update the genre with contemporary flair, a new crop of high-concept, slapstick-oriented sitcoms also emerge.

4. The Andy Griffith Show

The Andy Griffith Show takes place in the idyllic town of Mayberry. Widowed sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith) and his bumbling deputy Barney Fife (Don Knotts) charm audiences with their gentle Southern humor and homespun wisdom. With its nostalgic small-town setting and colorful characters, The Andy Griffith Show offers a comforting escape from the decade’s upheavals.

5. The Dick Van Dyke Show

The Dick Van Dyke Show brings a more urbane brand of comedy to the sitcom landscape. Inspired by creator Carl Reiner’s experiences as a TV writer, the series follows the personal and professional antics of Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke), a comedy writer juggling work and family. With sophisticated jokes and career-woman plotlines for Rob’s wife, Laura (Mary Tyler Moore), the show reflects the era’s shifting gender roles and social mores.

6. Gilligan’s Island

Gilligan’s Island brought a fresh concept to sitcoms by stranding seven distinct characters on a deserted island. The show drew humor from the castaways’ personality clashes and their comically ineffective attempts to escape. With exaggerated stereotypes and slapstick comedy, it became an example of one of the most iconic sitcoms with lighthearted, high-concept television.

7. Hogan’s Heroes

Hogan’s Heroes took an unusual approach to comedy by setting it in a World War II POW camp. The show thrived on its clever, jokester energy, with the prisoners outwitting their bumbling captors. Despite the unlikely setting, its mix of lighthearted schemes and buffoonery made it a memorable and unique sitcom.

While sometimes dismissed as guilty pleasures, these surreal sitcoms expand the genre’s scope and prepare viewers for the coming age of subversive TV comedy.

The 1970s-80s 

The sitcom genre enters a daring new phase in the 1970s as All in the Family and others shatter small-screen taboos. No topic is off-limits as prime time begins to portray the strained social fabric of the Me Decade frankly.  

8. All In The Family

All in the Family’s Archie Bunker is a bigot from the Bronx who spews politically incorrect invective at his hippie son-in-law and “dingbat” wife, Edith. With storylines tackling race, sex, drugs, and war, the series pushes boundaries and buttons alike. Yet Archie’s stubborn struggles to adapt to a changing world make him TV’s most relatable antihero.

9. Maude

Picking up All in the Family’s topical torch, Maude sees liberal feminist Maude Findlay fighting the good fight in suburbia. In a groundbreaking 1972 storyline, 47-year-old Maude grapples with an unplanned pregnancy, ultimately choosing to have an abortion. The episode draws protest and praise in equal measure.

10. The Mary Tyler Moore Show

The Mary Tyler Moore Show also furthers the sitcom’s social conscience. In Mary Richards, TV audiences meet a fully independent single-career woman for the first time. Though focused more on laughs than lectures, the show’s matter-of-fact feminism empowers a generation.

11. M*A*S*H*

Even the Korean War dramedy M*A*S*H confronts the day’s toughest topics under a veil of military farce. Through the wisecracking survival tactics of Hawkeye Pierce and co., M*A*S*H processes the national traumas of Vietnam and Watergate, often in startlingly dramatic fashion.

12. The Golden Girls

The Golden Girls redefined sitcoms by centering on the lives of four older women sharing a home in Miami. The show blended sharp wit with heartfelt moments, exploring friendship, aging, and love through the distinct personalities of its characters—each bringing their own comedic flair. With its mix of humor and relatable life lessons, it became a timeless classic that broke barriers in television storytelling.

Though the sitcom pendulum returned to domestic comfort in the 1980s, the genre’s progressive spirit stayed strong. With sitcoms now primed to tickle every funny bone, the stage is set for a new golden age in the 1990s.

The 1990s

The 1990s ushered in a true sitcom renaissance, with NBC’s “Must See TV” lineup launching a slew of sophisticated smash hits. No longer confined to predictable punchlines and tidy morals, sitcoms became the defining art form of the decade.

13. Seinfeld

Seinfeld led the charge, famously “a show about nothing” that hilariously mined life’s most mundane moments for laugh-out-loud lunacy. Fueled by the neurotic comic chemistry of Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards, Seinfeld is a famous sitcom that ruled the ratings through irony, absurdity, and unforgettable catchphrases. 

14. Friends

Hot on Seinfeld’s heels was Friends, a hangout comedy with a serious 20-something heart. With its impossibly chic Manhattan loft and impossibly close-knit characters, Friends offered Gen X viewers an idealized version of themselves, facing grown-up challenges with quippy aplomb. As Ross and Rachel’s romance captivated the country, the series became a decade-defining pop culture phenomenon. It became one of the highest-rated sitcoms.

15. Frasier

Frasier elevated the traditional workplace sitcom by infusing it with sophisticated wit and humor centered around the upscale lives of its intellectual, wine-sipping characters. Set in the world of radio psychiatry, the show stood out for its clever dialogue, mixing dry humor with heartfelt family dynamics and bringing a fresh twist to the classic farcical workplace setup.

16. The Drew Carey Show

The Drew Carey Show brought a blue-collar sensibility to the traditional office sitcom, blending working-class comedy with cubicle culture. With Drew Carey’s everyman charm at the center, the show thrived on its relatable humor, exploring the struggles of middle-class life with a cast of quirky characters who balanced deadpan humor with genuine camaraderie.

17. Everybody Loves Raymond

Everybody Loves Raymond gave the sitcom dad trope new life by placing it in the context of 1990s suburban family life. The show’s humor stems from the daily frustrations of Raymond, a harried dad navigating his eccentric family and overbearing parents, delivering a wry, self-aware take on family dynamics with a modern, grunge-era sensibility.

As the 20th century neared its end, the sitcom was once again the king of all media, more self-aware and smart-alecky than ever. Little did viewers know another game-changer was lying in wait behind reality TV’s first dark clouds.

The 2000s: The Single-Camera Switch-Up

With Y2K angst in the rearview and must-see sitcoms in decline, the 2000s comedy landscape was ripe for a shake-up. Enter the single-camera sitcom, deconstructing the genre for the age of Peak TV.

18. The Office

Leading the revolution is The Office. A “mockumentary” about wage slaves at a paper company, the show does away with sets, laugh tracks, and multi-camera staging in favor of a faux-documentary style that’s equal parts cringe comedy and heart. As loveably immature boss Michael Scott (Steve Carell) delivers a star-making performance that’s a half motivational buffoon, half lost little boy ranking it as one of the highest-rated sitcoms of the 2000s.

19. Arrested Development

Sharing The Office’s Hollywood-on-the-Thames lineage are Arrested Development and Extras. Arrested Development is a zany post-Enron parable of a wealthy family’s spectacular fall from grace. It’s like Thomas Pynchon with a laugh track with hyperkinetic editing, self-referential gags, and absurdity pushed to surreal extremes. 

20. Parks and Recreation

Parks and Recreation, commonly known as “Parks and Rec,” revitalized the mockumentary sitcom format by focusing on the quirky employees of the Parks Department in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. With its unique characters and optimistic tone, the show combines humor with a heartfelt exploration of local government and community spirit. Its clever writing, endearing cast, and positive portrayal of public service make it a standout, offering both comedic entertainment and a refreshing take on civic life.

21. Modern Family

The single-camera wave crests with Modern Family, a progressive updating of the classic family sitcom format. Flitting between three generations of an affluent, interracial, gay-inclusive L.A. clan, the show views domesticity through a distinctly 21st-century lens. With rapid-fire humor, zeitgeist-y storylines, and a core of real feeling, Modern Family marries the most iconic sitcoms of the past and present.

22. How I Met Your Mother

One of the most popular sitcoms of all time was made in the 2000s and is a comfortingly old-fashioned multicamera comedy. How I Met Your Mother makes me feel wistful and cool again as Ted Mosby regales his kids with the nine-season story of his search for love. Buoyed by the charms of Neil Patrick Harris, Jason Segel, and Alyson Hannigan, HIMYM gives Friends’ hangout vibe a postmodern makeover. And in 2024, the series gets a sequel/stand-alone relaunch, proving there’s always a place for the traditional sitcom amid the genre-bending.

The Streaming Era

In the streaming era, sitcoms are evolving again, as platforms like Netflix and Amazon unleash a new generation of shows that are free from the old network rules. No longer bound to 22-minute timeslots or family-friendly content restrictions, streaming sitcoms can be as adventurous, adult, and downright odd as they want. Binge-watching and mobile viewing change the game, too, as episode structures stretch and storylines slow down for 13-hour consumption.

23. The Good Place

The Good Place redefined the sitcom genre by exploring profound philosophical questions through its comedic lens. Set in an imaginative afterlife, the show delves into morality, redemption, and self-improvement while delivering sharp, witty humor. Its inventive premise and clever storytelling make it a standout, blending thought-provoking themes with an engaging comedic narrative.

24. Superstore

Superstore offers a fresh take on the workplace sitcom by focusing on employees’ lives at a large retail store. The show blends humor with sharp social commentary on issues like corporate culture, worker rights, and economic disparity. Its diverse cast and insightful storytelling highlight retail work’s often-overlooked realities, making it entertaining and socially relevant.

25. Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Brooklyn Nine-Nine revitalizes the police procedural sitcom with a blend of humor and progressive themes. Set in a fictional New York City precinct, the show combines witty banter and comedic scenarios with thoughtful explorations of justice and diversity. Its diverse cast and clever writing create a lighthearted yet insightful portrayal of law enforcement, making it a beloved and impactful entry into the sitcom genre.

Yet streaming doesn’t supplant the sitcom status quo so much as expand it. On TV, Master of None, Fuller House, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt give traditional formats philosophical and progressive tweaks. Reboots and revivals galore cash in on sitcom nostalgia. In the end, the streaming revolution doesn’t overthrow sitcoms’ past—it gives them a wider playing field for the future.

When it comes to groundbreaking sitcoms, South Park and Curb Your Enthusiasm deserve a place on the honor roll. South Park has pushed boundaries with its biting satire and fearless commentary on societal issues, all while maintaining its signature irreverence. Meanwhile, Curb Your Enthusiasm redefined cringe comedy, with Larry David’s hilariously awkward escapades offering a masterclass in unscripted brilliance.

That’s All, Folks

From The Honeymooners to The Office, sitcoms have been there for us for nearly a century, making the most serious subjects a laughing matter. It’s been shown that 70 percent of Americans binge-watch television. So, whether you binge-watch them alone in bed or watch them weekly with family, these shows weaved their way into your life and living room to lift your spirits after a tough day at work or heartbreak. 

Today, we’re blessed with more great sitcoms in more places than ever before. We may stream them on our phones instead of crowding around console TVs, but they still bring us together to share the joke that existence isn’t always as grave as it seems. The settings and faces change, but the laughter lasts.

As our tour of the sitcom Hall of Fame comes to a close, take a minute to remember the guffaws, groans, and “aha!” moments these shows have given you through the years. And rest assured: As long as humans need the humor to help us muddle through this crazy thing called life. Sitcoms will keep the chuckles coming, 22 minutes at a time.