The 25 best TV comedies in the last 25 years

With each passing year, the legacy of "Happy Endings" becomes a larger one in which people realize just how lucky we were to have it on the air and just how stupid we were to never fully treasure it at the time. The jokes-per-minute ratio of the show is one that will live in infamy. Now all that needs to happen is for one of the cast members’ shows to secretly transform into a "Happy Endings" reboot. We’re willing to sacrifice Damon Wayans Jr.’s' "Happy Together" for these purposes.

Despite the "Happy Together" slam, Damon Wayans Jr. was  part of two of the best TV comedies of the last 25 years. Although in the case of "New Girl," it’s not so much that he was integral to the success of the series and its hangout sitcom status as it was he still belongs in conversation as part of the gang. While "New Girl" at first looked like it would sink based on Zooey Deschanel’s still-strange career transition into the “adorkable” brand, it soon turned into quite the ensemble comedy with heart.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 15 years since "Arrested Development" hit the FOX airwaves, because that means it’s been 15 years since FOX somehow ended up with a show it had absolutely no idea what to do with — but it at least knew it won the network a lot of Emmy awards. Now on Netflix, there’s still a question of what to do with the show but now in a different way. One thing is constant, though, for "Arrested Development": It remains one of the densest (non-spoof) sitcoms of all times, to the point where you could rewatch the entire series every year and still notice a joke or reference you didn’t get the last time around. That even includes all the various "chicken" dancers.

Is "It’s Always Sunny…" the opposite of a hangout sitcom with heart? It’s honestly easy to love the idiots at Paddy’s Pub but certainly not for the reasons any of the characters would think. Thirteen seasons in, and the series is still hilarious — and still hilariously brilliant when it comes to very terrible real-life people not understanding the point of the series — to the point that maybe it should never end. Also, remember: FX expected "Starved" to be the sitcom that succeeded, not "It’s Always Sunny...." Remember "Starved?"

Honorable mention: If you like "It’s Always Sunny…" — especially Dennis and Dee’s sibling relationship — you can’t go wrong with the two-season British series "Siblings."

Perhaps "Better Off Ted" had to die so people could more fully appreciate it in death. Portia de Rossi deserves all the comedic praise in the world, and while you might already know that from her work on "Arrested Development" and even "Ally McBeal," it’s her turn as the ruthless, almost robotic Veronica Palmer that deserves all the praise in the world. “Walk away… tall.”

Honorable mention: creator Victor Fresco’s other two-season, canceled-too-soon sitcom, "Andy Richer Controls the Universe."

"Seinfeld" couldn’t make the cut for this list (because it premiered in 1989), but that’s probably for the best because now we can just get right to the epicenter: the Larry David of it all. It really went from “a show about nothing” to a show about making something out of every little nothing, and that is pretty, pretty good.

"Childrens Hospital" will probably never get its proper due as a comedy, but it will here. As the lone quarter-hour comedy on this list (sorry, "NTSF:SD:SUV::" and "Eagleheart"), "Childrens Hospital" went through about every film and television (and sometimes theater) genre and trope in the span of less than 100 episodes. With simultaneously no continuity and too much continuity, Rob Corddry created a series where he and his celebrity friends could make the most absurd, inconsequential comedy and also somehow win some Emmys out of it.

Honorable mention: "NTSF:SD:SUV::," "Eagleheart," of course.

If you’ve seen the failed pilot for the American remake of "The IT Crowd," you've seen a major reminder of why just repeating the same dialogue (only occasionally changing it up for colloquialism sake) as the original and calling it a day doesn’t work (even with talented comedic actors like Jessica St. Clair and Joel McHale in the mix). But the original "IT Crowd" — with “a dynamic go-getter, a genius and a man from Ireland” — was great as is.

Really, it all depends on how you like your “cringe comedy.” Do you like it short and sweet (say, 12 episodes and a couple of specials)? Then go with the U.K. version. Or do you like it long (201 episodes) and pretty much past its expiration date but still obviously great for a good chunk of the time? Then it’s the U.S. version on NBC for you.

After "Parks and Recreation" stopped trying to be "The Office" 2.0, it flourished — especially because it decided to go with a more good-natured and positive vibe rather than the whole awkward and miserable vibe. (Not every vibe works for every show, you know?) While the series had its ups and downs, the ups certainly outweighed the downs, and Amy Poehler’s performance of Leslie Knope makes for one of the greatest television characters of all time.

Honorable mention: Can’t forget about another Mike Schur workplace sitcom, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine."

"Reno 911!" was a masterclass in improv comedy that lasted for six seasons (and a movie!). Niecy Nash, Tom Lennon, Robert Ben Garant, Cedric Yarbrough, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Wendi McLendon-Covey. Again, we were truly so blessed, and we never really appreciated it.

“I stole the TV!” Amy Sedaris regularly steals the show no matter what show she’s on, but let us not forget the legacy of Jerri Blank. The troubled, sloppy legacy of Jerri Blank.

It will always be impressive that "30 Rock" was honestly pretty much an NBC documentary. Always. And it will always be offensive that Jane Krakowski received a total of zero Emmys for the role of Jenna Maroney. Always. Also: “Never follow a hippie to a second location.” That’s just good life advice.

Honorable mention: "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," of course, but also "Good News." "Good News" was really good, y’all.

Are the "Flight of the Conchords" the height of musical comedy? (Get out of here, “Weird” Al fans!) They certainly felt that way when it came to their HBO show. Part ridiculous musical, part mumblecore (but in a tongue-in-cheek way), Flight of the Conchords brought the New Zealand musical comedy duo of the same name (as well as the names Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie) to the states to get earworms like “The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room),” “Foux du Fafa” and “Epileptic Dogs” stuck in our heads.

"Friends" doesn’t hold up in a lot of ways on rewatch…but there’s a reason why it’s probably on right now in syndication as you read this. (Cue a Monica Geller-esque, “I know!”) And even at its worst, how can you hate on the cast? Honestly, the amount of restraint being shown here to not just make this a barrage of quotes is impressive.

Honorable mention: "Living Single." While there’s the argument that "Friends" was just a facsimile of "Living Single" (only without the black people), that final season of "Living Single" was really bad. Tripp was awful. You could also check out "Coupling" (U.K., never the U.S. version), aka “Friends" but British.

Well of course "Will & Grace" is on this list: Just like "Arrested Development," it was so good it had to be brought back from the dead. OK, while that may not necessarily be the case, "Will & Grace" still deserves to be on this list for its cultural impact and for the comedic forces of Debra Messing and Megan Mullally. Yes, Eric McCormack and Sean Hayes are great too, but come on. Also, like most of the comedies on the list, you’ve got to appreciate a series that ultimately doubles as a portrait of unhealthy co-dependency. You know, the stuff of comedy gold.

Say what you will about the final seasons and that ending, but "How I Met Your Mother’s" influence in the sitcom game shouldn’t be forgotten. Remember, in those early seasons especially, it was lauded as one of the “good” ones in a time when backlash against sitcoms with laugh tracks/live studio audiences was at an all-time low for TV snobs. The show maintained culture relevancy with things like the slap bet, Robin Sparkles and even Neil Patrick Harris’ role there, although, just thinking about all three of those is a reminder of how much they ended up outstaying their welcome to a certain point.

Oh, we’ve already talked about this. And in terms of the multicamera sitcom, "Frasier" truly revealed just how much the genre had in common with (very good) live theater. 

Julia Louis-Dreyfus leading the charge of a bunch of foul-mouthed half-wits in Washington D.C. once seemed like it could only be a dream. And now it’s been a reality for six seasons. We are truly blessed.

Honorable mention: "The Thick of It," aka the show plenty of people reading this list will suggest instead of "Veep."

Like a number of great sitcoms (whether they’re on this list now), "Scrubs" definitely faltered the longer it went. But for a time, it was a sitcom that was the epitome of perfectly mixing humor and heart. You know you cried during “My Screw Up,” so don’t even try to pretend you didn’t. Also: The final med school season is good once you get past all the holdovers from the original main cast. Certainly much better than the last NBC season of the series.

Honorable mention: Bill Lawrence’s other great sitcoms, "Spin City" — even the Charlie Sheen years — and "Cougar Town" — even the last TBS years. And for a hospital sitcom without any of the hospital stories, you cannot go wrong with the truly absurd and surreal "Green Wing."

Critically acclaimed; ratings deprived. It’s a tale as old as time, really. And even more fitting for a comedy about a bunch of cater waiters all looking for their "big break" in Hollywood, when it will most likely never come. When you think about it — especially given the collective star power — it’s kind of funny "Veronica Mars" is the Rob Thomas show that’s gotten the hoped for movie and now TV show revival, while "Party Down" is still dead. Kristen Bell: 1, Paul Rudd: 0, huh? (For that to make sense, you should know Paul Rudd was one of the executive producers of "Party Down.")

"Nighty Night" is unlike any other show on this list, even the rest of the Britcoms. From the beautifully twisted mind of Julia Davis ("Human Remains," "Hunderby," "Camping"), Davis stars in this very black comedy as Jill Tyrell, a character David Cross has recently referred to as “the most unlikable sitcom protagonist of all time.” And that should 100 percent be taken as a compliment to the character because that is fully the intent. She’s a narcissist who uses her husband’s cancer diagnosis as an excuse to start looking for someone new — and she settles on her married, new neighbor, no matter what the cost. Truly, it’s much funnier than it sounds. And you can’t go wrong with Julia Davis, as a general rule.

As much as discussion about "Community" became more about drama with Dan Harmon, Chevy Chase, that damn fourth season and just what exactly Yahoo! Screen was (at least it gave us "Other Space"), it should never be forgotten as a truly great sitcom from beginning to end. (Again, OK, Season 4 wasn’t great. But it got back on track.) It was basically the denseness and jokes-per-minute ratio of "Arrested Development" and "Happy Endings" combined.

Honorable mention: "Other Space" and especially "Burning Love," the only other Yahoo! Screen show worth mentioning.

Unglamorous and unflinching, "Pulling" was Sharon Horgan’s sitcom about three single female friends living it up in the big city…only without the “living it up” or the “big city” parts. Horgan has become a bigger name because of shows like "Catastrophe" (which she stars in and co-created) and "Divorce" (which she created) as well as her recent role in the 2018 movie "Game Night," but this was the official breakout. Of course, there are comparisons to be made to the next show on this list...

Honorable mention: As mentioned, "Catastrophe." And if you want some stellar British comedy, seek out "Bad Sugar," starring Horgan, Julia Davis, Olivia Colman and Peter Serafinowicz. It’s only one episode but absolutely worth it.

While the two feature films might suggest otherwise, "Sex and the City" was a cultural phenomenon that changed the comedy landscape forever. This was actually a living it up in the big city show — questioning of course, if they could have it all — which either inspired future series to challenge that dynamic or poorly rip it off to embarrassing degrees (looking at you, "Lipstick Jungle" and "Cashmere Mafia"). But there was only one "Sex and the City."