Best sitcoms of all time

The Office▲ Rising

Michael Scott's Diversity Day and the Dundies transformed mockumentary cringe into must-see TV, proving American audiences would embrace awkward silence as comedy gold. It gave us Jim and Pam's slow-burn romance and a paper company that somehow became the most beloved workplace in TV history.

Premiered: 2005Seasons: 9IMDb: 9/10

added by IJRin 9 rankings

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia▲ Rising

The Gang's descent into moral bankruptcy—Charlie eating cat food, Dennis's chilling 'implication' speech—proved sitcoms could go pitch-black and still be hilarious, running longer than any live-action comedy in US history. Its willingness to let every character be irredeemably terrible unlocked a whole genre of anti-sitcom.

Premiered: 2005Seasons: 16IMDb: 8.8/10

added by IJRin 9 rankings

Seinfeld▲ Rising

The 'show about nothing' turned soup Nazis, close talkers, and the Bizarro world into permanent cultural shorthand, redefining sitcom structure with its refusal to let characters grow or learn anything. Its DNA runs through every observational comedy that followed, making four deeply selfish New Yorkers oddly essential viewing.

Premiered: 1989Seasons: 9IMDb: 8.9/10

added by IJRin 10 rankings

Friends▲ Rising

Ross screaming 'PIVOT!' and the will-they-won't-they of Ross and Rachel made a coffee shop and six twentysomethings into a global phenomenon that defined a decade of hairstyles and hangout comedy. It perfected the multi-cam formula so thoroughly that networks are still chasing its ghost.

Premiered: 1994Seasons: 10IMDb: 8.9/10

added by IJRin 12 rankings

Arrested Development▲ Rising

The Bluths' chicken dance and endless callbacks ('there's always money in the banana stand') rewarded rewatching like no sitcom before it, building a dense, joke-per-second architecture that critics adored even as ratings floundered. It became the patron saint of shows too smart for their timeslot, resurrected by cult fandom and streaming.

Premiered: 2003Seasons: 5IMDb: 8.7/10

added by IJRin 5 rankings

Scrubs▼ Falling

J.D.'s fantasy sequences and Dr. Cox's rapid-fire rants blended slapstick with genuine gut-punch emotion, especially in episodes like 'My Screw Up,' proving a workplace comedy could make you cry about death one minute and laugh at a Blanket Fort the next. It quietly influenced how single-camera comedies balance heart and absurdity.

Premiered: 2001Seasons: 9IMDb: 8.4/10

added by IJRin 10 rankings

Parks and Recreation▼ Falling

Leslie Knope's relentless, sincere love of government and waffles turned Pawnee into a utopia of earnest ambition, flipping The Office's cynicism into something warmer and more hopeful. Ron Swanson's breakfast orders alone launched a thousand GIFs, cementing the show's legacy as the nicest great sitcom ever made.

Premiered: 2009Seasons: 7IMDb: 8.6/10

added by IJRin 11 rankings

Brooklyn Nine-Nine▼ Falling

Terry Crews yelling about yogurt and Jake Peralta's 'title of your sex tape' jokes made a police procinct feel like the found family sitcoms do best, while later seasons tried to reckon with policing itself. Nine-Nine, Nine-Nine proved network comedy could still be pure, silly joy in the Peak TV era.

Premiered: 2013Seasons: 8IMDb: 8.4/10

added by IJRin 9 rankings

30 Rock▼ Falling

Tina Fey's Liz Lemon and Alec Baldwin's Jack Donaghy fired jokes at a density that demanded pause buttons, turning 'blerg' and night cheese into a comedic worldview about media absurdity. It was Tracy Morgan levels of unhinged genius wrapped in the smartest writers' room television ever assembled.

Premiered: 2006Seasons: 7IMDb: 8.3/10

added by IJRin 9 rankings

Frasier▼ Falling

Niles and Frasier's opera-box pomposity and physical pratfalls proved a spinoff could surpass its source, spinning Cheers barroom wit into a sophisticated farce about family, snobbery, and sherry. Its Emmy dominance and flawless door-slamming farce episodes made it the gold standard for character-driven comedy.

Premiered: 1993Seasons: 11IMDb: 8.2/10

added by IJRin 8 rankings

Cheers▼ Falling

Sam and Diane's combustible chemistry across a Boston bar invented the will-they-won't-they template every rom-com sitcom since has copied, while 'Norm!' became a national greeting. It proved a hangout show built on barroom banter and slow-burn romance could anchor a decade of network television.

Premiered: 1982Seasons: 11IMDb: 8/10

added by IJRin 10 rankings