Even though sitcoms have dropped in popularity during the last few years, they're still a fan favorite when it comes to comfort watching. Thanks to their relatable characters and (sometimeS) hilarious storylines, audiences can always count on their favorite sitcoms for a rewatch. One of the biggest challenges TV writers face is making sure their series don't change their vibe completely when they go on too long – an issue sitcoms run into on the regular.
When it comes to sitcoms, it's easy for shows to lose what truly made them charming. Some series start off strong, but it quickly becomes obvious that having a good premise doesn't ensure a good plot in the long term. Just because a sitcom makes a good first impression doesn't mean it'll stay good.
10 Pretty Smart (2021)
1 Season, 8 Episodes
A comedy series streaming on Netflix, Pretty Smart ollows Chelsea, an uptight aspiring writer who ends up living with her easy-going sister after her life falls apart. The series' humor relies on the dichotomy between Chelsea and Claire, always pitting the two stereotypes against each other.
Pretty Smart immediately offers relatable characters living in familiar situations and deals with modern topics while offering a nice 90s sitcom vibe. Unfortunately, the show goes absolutely nowhere. Pretty Smart was canceled without leaving much of an impression on audiences.
9 God's Favorite Idiot (2022-)
1 Season, 8 Episodes
Ben Falcone and Melissa McCarthy star in God's Favorite Idiot, an apocalyptic comedy about an affable officer worker who becomes humanity's only hope to prevent the apocalypse, together with his irresponsible coworker. Even though the series has a decent sense of humor, the journey gets more and more bizarre with each episode..
The first episodes shine thanks to Falcone and McCarthy's humorous dynamic. Unfortunately, God's Favorite Idiot moves forward into a series of half-cooked storylines that soon turned into a very absurd environment. God's Favorite Idiot is definitely a poorly executed good idea.
8 The Ranch (2016 - 2020)
4 Season, 80 Episodes
When Colt Bennett (Ashton Kutcher) returns to Colorado to help run the family ranch, his city-boy ideas clash with his conservative father, Beau (Sam Elliott). Their dynamic in season 1 of The Ranch is fertile ground for character development, but the writers didn't take advantage of this.
Throughout The Ranch's four seasons, the Bennett family go through all kinds of drama, but none of them seems to learn anything from them. Beau is just as stubborn and Colt is just as immature. It takes not time for the jokes and story arcs to become repetitive and boring.
7 Mulaney (2014 - 2015)
1 Season, 13 Episodes
In 2014, comedian John Mulaney created Mulaney, a show that told a fictionalized version of his life. Even though Mulaney is a fan favorite when it comes to stand-up, his series was poorly received by audiences. Mulaney's big hook was its premise and appealing cast, including Elliott Gould and Nasim Pedrad. Unfortunately, this wasn't enough. Fans found the series' humor stale and unoriginal, so it was canceled after the first season. Mulaney is at his best when he's sticking to his stand-up specials.
6 The New Adventures Of Old Christine (2006 - 2010)
5 Seasons, 88 Episodes
When CBS started running The New Adventures of Old Christine, audiences were immediately drawn to the series because of Julia Louis-Dreyfus. After her iconic portrayal of Elaine in Seinfeld, Loius-Dreyfus was almost guaranteed success.
The New Adventures of Old Christine, which followed a divorced mother attempting to remake her life, never went beyond misogynist jokes and body-fluid humor. The show started with an interesting premise, but in an era where sitcoms were radically changing, the series faded into oblivion.
5 2 Broke Girls (2011 - 2017)
6 Seasons, 138 Episodes
2 Broke Girls centers around the lives of Max (Kat Dennings) and Caroline (Beth Behrs), two radically different women living and working together. In spite of their differences, Max and Caroline became one of best sitcom friendships. As one of the few female-led sitcoms of the time, including Jennifer Coolidge as part of the cast, the series had great potential.
Even though the two protagonists displayed great on-screen chemistry, 2 Broke Girls abused cheap sex jokes and jokes based on stereotypes. Although other work-centered sitcoms have done really well, such as Brooklyn 99 or Superstore, 2 Broke Girls ended up being a disappointment.
4 New Girl (2011 - 2018)
7 Seasons, 146 Episodes
New Girl, starring Zoey Deschanel and Jake Johnson, revolves around a group of friends who share an apartment. A very Friends-like kind of Sitcom, the show attracted an audience mainly because of Zoey Deschanel's presence and the interesting group dynamic.
After a couple of seasons, it was obvious the writers didn't know where to take the show. Between failed romances and even briefly writing out Zoey Deschanel, New Girl reached an impasse. By the final season, there wasn't anything else to say.
3 Full House (1987 - 1995)
8 Seasons, 192 Episodes
With two handsome guys and a group of cute kids, Full House embodies the 90s feel-good fantasy. The series, which followed Danny Tanner and his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis as they took care of Tanner's daughter, lasted a whopping eight seasons.
Thanks to the wholesome relationships between the characters, Full House made audiences believe they were in for an entertaining series. In reality, the show was mostly corny jokes, bidimensional characters, and poorly crafted moral lessons.
2 Two And A Half Men (2003 - 2015)
12 Seasons, 262 Episodes
During the first seasons, Two and A Half Men told a funny story about two radically different brothers who were brought together by life. Even though Charlie and Alan were cynical, they started to develop an actual connection, only for the show to make every character irredeemable.
As Two and a Half Men moved forward, the characters devolved into cartoons. Alan turned into a cheaper and pathetic person, Charlie's cynism grew off the charts (eventually becoming one of the most disliked sitcom characters), and Jake's adorable goofiness became pure stupidity as he got older. The series' overall lack of originality combined with a disastrous change of cast made the final seasons completely forgettable.
1 The Big Bang Theory (2007 - 2019)
12 Seasons, 279 Episodes
Before superheroes and comics were popular everywhere, The Big Bang Theory offered the first glimpse into the geeky culture. Leonard, Sheldon, Howard, and Raj were four nerdy stereotypes dealing with their new basic neighbor, Penny. The dynamic between the five characters, which completely relied on their differences, made it hilarious.
The Big Bang Theory lost its way when the relationships between characters became more serious. Penny and Leonard eventually married, and the series felt more like a poorly executed version of Friends as even the geek jokes receded from the series. By the last season, TBBT had completely lost what made it unique.