It’s never been a more exciting time to be a fan of television. The breakthroughs that have been made with cable channels and streaming services mean that there’s more content than ever before to explore. Television can tell incredible stories, both through episodic endeavors as well as long-form serialized narratives. Television has also increasingly embraced genre fare and the series that were once niche have grown into the new norm.
The comedic nature of sitcoms has been a staple of the medium since its inception and there’s still an abundance of these programs on television. Sitcoms may seem like low-hanging fruit to some television consumers, but the genre has so greatly evolved that there are now plenty of shows that should resonate with those who are typically immune to sitcom charms.
10 Spaced Turns To Sci-Fi Staples To Filter Its Characters’ Stunted Development
Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost made major waves in the film industry with Shaun Of The Dead and the rest of their genre-mixing Three Flavors Cornetto Trilogy. However, this exuberance towards pop culture and stylistic storytelling is also evident in their two-season television series, Spaced.
Spaced follows Tim and Daisy, two uninspired individuals in their twenties who pretend to be in a relationship to secure a cheap apartment. The premise is deeply indebted to sitcom staples, but it uses this as a springboard for much more creative stories. Spaced gleefully catapults between genres but doesn't forget to create characters that feel genuinely real.
9 Man Seeking Woman Is A Heightened And Fearless Takedown Of Romantic Comedies
Man Seeking Woman produced three challenging seasons of comedic storytelling on FX, but it quietly came and went and didn’t receive the proper attention that it deserves. The brilliant creative mind, Simon Rich, currently has the ambitious comedy Miracle Workers on TV, but this desire to buck convention and eschew genre is even more on display in Man Seeking Woman.
Jay Baruchel stars as Josh Greenberg, a man who's recently become single and must re-enter the chaotic world of dating. Man Seeking Woman seamlessly blurs reality and fiction as trolls, robots, Cupid, and even Santa Claus show up. Man Seeking Woman explores common dating and relationship problems, but with an infinitely unique filter.
8 Sports Night Properly Channels Aaron Sorkin’s Flair For Dialogue Into Real People
Aaron Sorkin is a noteworthy writer who received universal acclaim through The West Wing and has recently been able to extend his talents into directing his feature film scripts. Sorkin’s verbose and idealized dialogue has become the writer’s trademark and it’s perhaps most natural in his first television series, Sports Night.
The two-season sitcom looks at the behind-the-scenes antics of a cable network sports program and the inspirational people who work together as a family. Sorkin’s comedic talents have never been stronger than in Sports Night, which was a staggering breath of fresh air when it hit TV in 1998. It’s silly television with eloquent, flowing scripts.
7 Community Embraces The Artifice Of Television And Genre To Connect With Its Characters
There’s a strong argument to be made that Community is the greatest love letter to television and the power of this medium’s storytelling. Community looks at a makeshift group of friends from different walks of life who bond through their community college’s study group.
Enlightening character development and serialized narratives transpire, but the sitcom increasingly embraces ambitious “concept episodes” that become Community’s trademark. Community effortlessly transforms itself into a zombie movie, holiday musical, avant-garde documentary, and even an episode of Law & Order. No sitcom does a better job with its deconstruction of television and how it can be a powerful tool in processing emotions.
6 The Larry Sanders Show Is An Ahead Of Its Time Mockumentary Comedy
TV shows with a mockumentary artifice that adopt a behind-the-scenes structure have become one of the most popular styles of modern sitcoms thanks to programs like The Office and Modern Family. The Larry Sanders Show was way ahead of the curve and this six-season HBO series from the '90s looks at the inner workings of a fictional late-night talk show.
Garry Shandling is perfect as Larry Sanders and the show's use of real celebrities and musical guests contributes to the grander illusion that The Larry Sanders Show creates. The comedy remains hilarious, challenging, and prescient, but it's also a sobering change of pace from its sitcom peers.
5 Kevin Can F**k Himself Lampoons Tired Sitcom Clichés
A sitcom like AMC's Kevin Can F**k Himself would have been impossible a few decades ago and its sheer existence is a testament to how inventive and brave modern sitcoms have become. Kevin Can F**k Himself unabashedly mocks the fake bliss and unequal power dynamics that drive forward sitcoms like The King Of Queens.
Annie Murphy stars in the bold sitcom that plays up its idyllic family aesthetics so that the dark single-camera deviations from Allison's home life hit harder. Allison forms a destructive yearning to take out her husband, which grows increasingly fascinating as more of its sitcom filter gets torn down.
4 Arrested Development Is A Masterpiece In Serialized Storytelling And Foreshadowing
The television industry continues to move forward and embrace bold ideas. However, the impact of Arrested Development feels like it’s irrevocably changed how sitcom stories are told and also what audiences expect from them. Arrested Development’s original three-season run on FOX is in a league of its own and there are still hidden jokes that audiences continue to discover.
The series’ casting is perfect and every member of the Bluth family have become major stars. Arrested Development’s emphasis on long-form storytelling, frequent callbacks, and delirious wordplay and visual gags helped raise the standards for network sitcoms.
3 Frasier Elevates Sitcom Storytelling Through Smart Scripts And Theatrical Flourishes
Spin-offs have become increasingly common in television and film, but there’s still a healthy amount of trepidation that accompanies them. Frasier, a successor to the iconic sitcom Cheers, seemed like it was set up to fail. However, Frasier lasted for more than 260 episodes across 11 seasons and was one of the biggest sitcom juggernauts during the 1990s.
Frasier is a network sitcom that frequently doesn’t rock the boat, but it’s a series that resonates with the non-sitcom crowd. This is due to Frasier's high-minded characters, intelligent entendres, and episodes that are frequently structured more like stage plays and theater than a broad comedy. It’s a smart twist on mainstream ideals.
2 It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia Applies An Egotistical Slant To A Wild World
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia started as a crass sitcom that was too cheap for FX to cancel, but it's evolved into the network's flagship program. It's Always Sunny has produced more than 150 episodes and is renewed up to its 18th season. It's Always Sunny was initially reduced to "Seinfeld, on crack," which isn't exactly wrong, but the comedy is so much more than that.
It's the program's natural ability to exploit minutiae through its ridiculously flawed characters that has kept audiences entertained for nearly two decades. Its dark stories should connect with those who aren't keen on overly sanitized network sitcoms.
1 Santa Clarita Diet Turns Its Sitcom Stereotypes Into Horror Fodder
Against all odds, zombies have become one of television’s most popular subjects and there’s a home for this morbid material, whether it’s in a dramatic horror series or a broad comedy. Santa Clarita Diet meshes family drama with undead and bloody theatrics, which culminates in the perfect mix of silly and serious.
Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant’s inspired performances anchor the horror-comedy hybrid. Netflix’s Santa Clarita Diet is still one of the most-mourned cancellations on the streaming service and there’s a lot more to explore in the sitcom’s weird world.