15 Best Sitcoms in History, Ranked by Metacritic Score
You probably haven't even heard of some of them.
Here’s a rundown of the top 15 sitcoms according to their Metacritic score:
15. Broad City – Score 89
Widely regarded as one of the best TV shows of its generation, Broad City is a semi-autobiographical story of Ilana and Abbi’s attempts to make it big after moving to New York. An offshoot of the pairs’ web series, it ran for 5 critically acclaimed seasons from 2014 – 2109.
14. Arrested Development – Score 89
Critics labelled this Ron Howard-produced sitcom as one of the best of all time, and it won plenty of awards. But viewers were less impressed with the show that featured handheld cameras and was a sort of mash-up between reality and scripted TV. Originally airing on Fox from 2003 – 2006, it made a comeback on Netflix in 2013 for a fourth season and also enjoyed a fifth in 2019.
13. Man Seeking Woman – Score 89
Based on Simon Rich’s book of short stories, The Last Girlfriend on Earth, this show (which ran for 3 seasons from 2015 – 2017) was a surreal comedy that followed Josh Greenburg as he tried to find love. It was full of relatable situations – bit bizarre happenings.
12. Parks and Recreation – Score 89
This hugely popular political satire mockumentary ran for 7 seasons from 2009 – 2015 and was hot on both sides of the Atlantic. Originally criticised for being too much like The Office, it’s now considered another successful mockumentary in its own right.
11. Veep – Score 90
Another political comedy, this one ran for 7 seasons between 2012 and 2019. Produced by Armando Iannucci and Chris Addison, among others, it was an adaptation of the UK’s The Thick of It and followed the private and political life of Selina Meyer – the Vice President and later President of America.
10. Silicon Valley – Score 90
It was inevitable that the emergence of Silicon Valley as a real-world powerhouse would lead to a sitcom based on the tech centre. Across 6 seasons (2014 – 2019) this Silicon Valley parody show followed fictional tech entrepreneur Richard Hendrix as he struggled to keep his business afloat against competition with far more resources.
9. The Thick of It – Score 90
The inspiration for Veep, this UK sitcom explored life in Westminster and the inner workings of government. Malcolm Tucker’s sharp but vile tongue was one of the standouts from the scripting – but it was pretty damning on civil servants and MPs who came across as generally incompetent.
8. Brockmire – Score 90
Fallen Major League baseball play-by-play announcer Jim Brockmire tries to restart his life 5 years on after discovering his wife’s various affairs while live on air. It’s well written and you can’t help but root for the eponymous lead played by Hank Azaria. The show ran from 2017 – 2020 and had 4 seasons.
7. Los Espookys – Score 91
A Spanish-language sitcom, this show ran for 2 seasons (one in 2019 and one in 2022). It chronicled the attempts by a group of horror enthusiasts to turn their hobby into a business by arranging horror for those in need of it. It sounds a bit odd, but it was highly acclaimed.
6. Curb Your Enthusiasm – Score 93
A semi-autobiographical account of the way Larry David views the world, Curb Your Enthusiasm was critically acclaimed and offered a unique perspective on modern life, its pressures, and ways of sticking two fingers up at convention. Beginning life as a one-off in 1999, it eventually aired for 11 seasons until 2021.
5. Schitt’s Creek – Score 95
One of the best-named sitcoms ever, this Canadian sitcom followed the lives of the wealthy Rose family following the collapse of their business and their move to Schitt’s Creek. It came about as a result of Dan Levy wondering what would happen to a rich family if they lost it all and had to start again. It ran for 6 highly-successful seasons from 2015 – 2020.
4. Catastrophe – Score 96
Originally turned down by the BBC, Catastrophe was picked up by Channel 4 and followed the lives of Sharon (a teacher living in London) and Rob (a US businessman visiting the city) who have a brief fling and then discover Sharon is pregnant. Its cast included Carrie Fisher who sadly died shortly after filming for season 3 was wrapped up.
3. The Good Place – Score 96
Focusing on the afterlife, The Good Place was set in what is pretty much heaven. It was widely acclaimed based on its cocktail of great writing, superb acting and wonderful chemistry between characters. The show lasted for 4 seasons from 2016 – 2020.
2. Fleabag – Score 96
A slightly off-the-wall comedy written by and starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Across just two seasons it won several awards and cemented Waller-Bridge’s reputation as a writer. Charting the life of Fleabag, a free-spirited woman full of angst, it was adapted from the writer’s one-woman show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
1. The Office (UK) – Score 100
Many people’s choice of best comedy ever, The Office was something truly unique when it first aired. Following hapless boss David Brent, it shone a light on real offices everywhere and the general consensus was that, if you can’t spot the David Brent in your own workplace – it’s probably you.