The 32 greatest TV comedies you've forgotten about
Aug. 23, 2024Remember when these TV gems made you crack up?
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Nothing hits the funny bone quite like a good, binge-able television comedy. But no matter how brilliant and hysterical a show might be, some shows just draw less attention than others. What might be some of the greatest TV comedies you’ve probably forgotten all about?
While the TV industry is littered with shows that came and went and died in obscurity, some shows deserve a second look. This is especially true for television comedies. The longform structure allows certain shows to evolve characters beyond their initial appearances. Imagine, if you will, a world where Leslie Knope of Parks & Recreation didn’t enjoy the time to be the optimistic go-getter she’d famously become or the many characters in The Office to become a family, instead of bitterly sarcastic co-workers. Regrettably, some shows don’t get that time. And even if some do, their profile mysteriously diminishes with age.
If you’re looking for a new TV comedy and want something less universally renowned, you’re in luck. Here are some of the greatest TV comedies you’ve probably forgotten all about.
32. Miracle Workers
Arguably one of the best things Daniel Radcliffe did since the Harry Potter movies, Miracle Workers is a provocative supernatural sitcom that ran for four amazing seasons on TBS. Radcliffe stars as a low-level angel from heaven - whose job is to answereveryprayer on Earth - while his boss, God (Steve Buscemi) completely checks out from his duties. Based on the short stories by writer/creator Simon Rich (also behind the underrated and creatively dynamic comedy Man Seeking Woman), Miracle Workers evolved into an anthology show with each season “rebooting” the premise to take place in different settings, from the Dark Ages to the post-apocalypse.
Essentially an American remake of an Australian show, Review is a mockumentary-style series that aired on Comedy Central where Andy Daly played “professional critic” Forrest MacNeil, who reviews life experiences like going to prom, being racist, running from the law, and leading cults. The brilliance of the show is not just lampooning the kind of academic formalism typically found in reviews, but the surreal ways that Forrest’s life comes undone by going through these experiences. The show’s third and final season, which was made up of just three episodes, won critical acclaim for its bleak sense of humor and profound grasp of humanity.
Better Off Ted was far from the first show to satirize the workplace, but it’s genuinely one of the best to do so. Created by Victor Fresco, Better Off Ted stars Jay Harrington as Ted Crisp, the likable head of research and development at the stereotypically evil megacorporation Veridian Dynamics. The show’s main source of comedy is found in the juxtaposition of Ted’s genial personality and selflessness with his company’s sinister nature, a clever commentary on corporate ethics (or lack thereof). While the show earned critical acclaim, it was never a ratings hit and was always on the chopping block at NBC during its woefully short two seasons.
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The spirit of Mel Brooks comes alive again in the international hit comedy Norsemen, an anachronistic sitcom set in 790s Norway. A slice-of-life look at the daily lives of the Vikings, Norsemen challenges its ensemble of axe-wielding conquerors in hilarious situations to subtly explore modern day problems like women’s rights, sexuality, and mental health. Notably, the show filmed simultaneously in both Norwegian and English, with the English-language version made available on Netflix under the title “Norsemen.” (Perhaps to avoid confusion with the more serious drama, Vikings.) While it boasts production value that could rival any other period epic, it has cutting humor that really splits your slides.
An “anti-romantic comedy,” You’re the Worst follows a caustic couple - aspiring writer Jimmy (Chris Geere) and PR executive Gretchen (Aya Cash) - whose self-destructive habits and abrasive personalities get in the way of their attempts at having a healthy relationship. During its five-season run on FX, You’re the Worst was lauded for its dark but honest portrayal of modern relationships, including the importance of maintaining platonic friendships. Actors Desmin Borges and Kether Donohue appear in supporting roles as the couple’s best friends, who are often the ones victimized in their friends' warpaths. Too decorated to be considered underrated and too lengthy to be deemed prematurely cut short, You’re the Worst is a show that got precisely the amount of flowers it deserved during its run, but probably could use some more as the years leave it further in the rearview.
Hilarious, intelligent, and deeply empathetic, Rutherford Falls subverts all preconceived notions of small town living. The series follows Nathan Rutherford (Ed Helms), a man who works to preserve his family’s important, albeit spotty legacy in their namesake New York town. Nathan is supported by his lifelong best friend Reagan, played by Jana Schmieding, herself someone seeking to preserve the history of her local Native American tribe. Created by Helms, Michael Schur, and Sierra Teller Ornelas, and featuring one of the largest collections of Native writers ever for an American series, Rutherford Falls succeeded on its balance of humor and socio-political commentary, especially with regards to the endurance of America’s Native communities. The criminally overlooked comedy ran for two seasons on Peacock before it was canceled, but remains one of the best shows to surface in the pandemic era.
While it failed to compete against bigger hits like The Orville and Space Force, HBO’s Avenue 5, created by Armando Iannucci, still won over some wayward sci-fi obsessives looking for a laugh. Hugh Laurie stars as the captain of a luxury space cruise ship that goes dangerously off course; Laurie’s Captain Clark subsequently tries to maintain order over a dysfunctional crew and panicked passengers. Along with supporting actors like Josh Gad and Zach Woods, Avenue 5 is yet another subversive sitcom that uses humor to interrogate bigger ideas like corporate responsibility and human behavior.
A remake of an Australian series, Wilfred stars Elijah Wood as a depressed former lawyer who is the only one who sees his beautiful neighbor’s dog as a rude man in a dog costume. (Jason Gann reprises his role of Wilfred, originating from the Australian version.) Unexpectedly, Wilfred may be exactly the friend that Wood’s Ryan needs to get his life back on track; that is, if he could see through Wilfred’s morally questionable advice. A comic exploration into mental health and the importance of companionship, Wilfred - which ran for four seasons on FX for 49 episodes - masterfully blended vulgar humor with imaginative surrealism. It was basically Mike Judge in a Haruki Murakami suit, if you will.
The Golden Girls is a beloved sitcom today, but anyone who claims to be a fan should know about Maude. The groundbreaking sitcom, a spin-off of the legendary All in the Family, starred Bea Arthur as an outspoken, liberal housewife in her fourth marriage; though she holds steadfast principles of equality and civil rights, her domineering personality often rubs folks the wrong way. In addition to the show’s willingness to wrestle directly with political subject matter, Maude was also a creative playhouse, with experimental episodes containing two, sometimes even just one character. A few years after Maude went off the air in 1978, Arthur reunited with co-star Rue McClanahan on The Golden Girls, which premiered in 1985. The popularity of The Golden Girls has greatly eclipsed the profile of Maude, but the show deserves its flowers as one of the greatest sitcoms ever made.
In The Resort, which ran for only one season on Peacock, Cristin Milioti and William Jackson Harper co-star as a married couple trying to enjoy their tenth anniversary at a luxe Mexican resort. While they harbor anxieties about their future together, they are soon drawn into a missing persons case dating back 15 years prior. While teeming with darkness and mystery, The Resort never fails to deliver laughs, especially from a reliably sharp Milioti as the series' main character. Drowned out by other genre hybrid streaming shows just like it, The Resort still deserves more check-ins from wandering binge-watchers.
Serving as meta-commentary on the uninspired state of Hollywood, Hulu’s woefully short-lived sitcom Reboot followed the cast of a 2000s sitcom who reunited for a streaming-era revival series. The problem is that the show’s cast, played by Keegan-Michael Key, Judy Greer, and Johnny Knoxville, still have lingering personal issues from decades earlier. Hailed by critics for its unflinching satire of Hollywood and the problems that arise in getting gangs back together, Reboot had plenty more to offer than its painfully short eight-episode run allowed.
While its premise would have been stretched way thin had it got more than its one season, Mixology deserves a toast for trying. Airing for just 13 episodes on ABC, Mixology followed an ensemble group of five men and five women who mingle for one night at a trendy Manhattan bar, aptly called “Mix.” While Mixology reeked of a glossy atmosphere populated with two-dimensional characters ripped out of a fashion magazine, Mixology replicates the experience of one fateful night where you feel like your life is about to change forever.
Eric Francisco is a freelance entertainment journalist and graduate of Rutgers University. If a movie or TV show has superheroes, spaceships, kung fu, or John Cena, he’s your guy to make sense of it. A former senior writer at Inverse, his byline has also appeared at Vulture, The Daily Beast, Observer, and The Mary Sue. You can find him screaming at Devils hockey games or dodging enemy fire in Call of Duty: Warzone.
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