10 Obscure American Sitcoms Everyone Should Watch

Published Aug 3, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant's Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones. You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, "Movie Monsters of the Deep." Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant. American sitcoms are almost a genre all their own, the best of which can define a generation through iconic characters and sheer quotability. While humor changes with time and culture, the best American sitcoms ever made have largely stood the test of time, with most episodes still holding up today. These might be the TV shows that first come to mind, but for every Friends, there is an obscure American sitcom that deserves more attention. The key to a sitcom's success is not always easy to define. While some have an instantly-winning formula and clear target audience, others are surprise successes despite a strange premise or initially unlikable characters. That said, another factor can be at play, with some underrated sitcoms that barely anyone talks about simply being ahead of their time, achieving must-watch status years and even decades later. Small Wonder Small Wonder is a forgotten 1980s TV gem with a premise that might have worked better now, after sci-fi sitcoms like The Big Bang Theory and Resident Alien became hits. The four-season show followed robotics engineer Ted, who built himself a robot daughter, V.I.C.I., known as Vicki, who finds herself having mishaps as she learns how to be human. The premise might have been ludicrous at the time, but Resident Alien has a very similar one and shares the warmth and family dynamic at its heart. Small Wonder's V.I.C.I. stands for Voice Input Child Identicant. Small Wonder might be somewhat cheesy, but that adds to its charm, with the series being a nostalgic throwback to the 1980s. The family-friendly tone and "fish out of water" plotlines have been echoed in countless sitcoms since, and while the show has occasionally crossed into uncanny valley territory, it still has an 83% positive Rotten Tomatoes rating from audiences. Greg The Bunny Before Eugene Levy starred as Schitt's Creek's destitute patriarch, Johnny Rose, he was best known for delivering cringe worthy sex talks as Jim's embarrassing dad in American Pie. These instantly memorable characters have overshadowed one of Eugene Levy's best TV roles, which aired between these two. Levy starred alongside Seth Green in Greg the Bunny, an irreverent absurdist sitcom about puppets or, in their words, "fabricated Americans." Levy's presence as a stressed out TV producer makes Greg the Bunny an instant must-watch, but the show will also interest fans of series like BoJack Horseman, which also work as a satire and social commentary within a seemingly bizarre setting. The series parodies reality TV shows like Jersey Shore, which were at the height of their popularity, while getting in a few well-aimed jokes about The Muppets and Sesame Street. Andy Richter Controls The Universe With a 95% positive critics' rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Andy Richter Controls the Universe is an absurdist office comedy and a true hidden gem among American sitcoms. The series was written and narrated by Andy Richter, who plays a fictionalized version of himself as a short story writer who, stuck in a boring job writing technical manuals, imagines multiple outlandish scenarios as alternatives for the events in his life. The nonlinear story and constantly shifting tone drew both praise and criticism, and the show was subject to changing timeslots which made it difficult for potential viewers to discover it in the pre-streaming era. Andy Richter Controls the Universe was canceled before season 3, with modern viewers generally considering it far ahead of its time for the absurdist style that has since become popular. Single Parents Credit: MovieStillsDB Single Parents follows a group of parents who are all single for different reasons, forming friendships as they navigate the highs and lows of parenting their young kids. When the group meets Will, who has been consumed by parenting his daughter, the group decide to introduce him to the dating world. The show's perception of gender norms might be a little outdated, but its portrayal of an involved dad is still a rarity, making Single Parents a near perfect but forgotten family sitcom. Single Parents is a must-watch for its well-rounded and interesting characters and its message that parenting should not be all-consuming. The show was canceled after two seasons, but had the potential to run indefinitely due to its relatable subject that blended warmth and humor, while also addressing genuine struggles. Child characters in sitcoms can be hit-and-miss, but Single Parents chose its young cast well. Better Off Ted Better Off Ted might be a play on the common phrase "better off dead," but while it fits with the other pun-centered episode titles, terrible titles can break great TV shows, and the show achieved an impressive 96% positive audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes in spite of this. The story centers on the titular Ted Crisp, who works for a corporation straight out of a Bond villain's lair. Following the success of The Office, Better Off Ted is a workplace sitcom set within an unusual job environment. The show never reached the same wide audience as The Office, but it should have done for its razor-sharp wit, quotable scenes, and Ted's hilarious breaking the fourth wall to talk directly to the viewer. With both government corruption and the power of satire being major current talking points, Better Off Ted is a must-watch sitcom that would likely have been much more successful had it been released today. Herman's Head Fans of Pixar's Inside Out will find the premise for Herman's Head very familiar, with the show being the spiritual precursor to the iconic movie. The 1990s American sitcom follows Herman, an outwardly successful man working for a publishing company, whose inner world tells an entirely different story through the chorus-style team in his head. The characters in Inside Out represent emotions, while those in Herman's Head are more complex, showcasing different sides of his personality, from Angel to Animal. Herman's Head starred Hank Azaria and Yeardley Smith, who are main characters in The Simpsons, and the two shows occasionally referenced each other. Inside Out proved that the concept could work, with Herman's Head being years ahead of its time as an underrated 90s show that deserved more recognition. The series lasted for three seasons but suffered from poor ratings and was canceled just as the plot was set to be shaken up more with some new "head" characters for another main character. You're The Worst At first glance, the premise for You're the Worst might not be appealing. The five-season sitcom is about two toxic, self-destructive people who try to form a successful relationship. Many great sitcom characters are flawed, as this is what makes them relatable and realistic, but You're the Worst's Jimmy and Gretchen begin the show as particularly unlikable, even by comparison. That said, the premise does not do the series justice. You're the Worst's romance is unexpectedly emotive and will make you root for the central couple, who were allowed to keep some of their flaws rather than undergo an unrealistic transformation. Despite its 95% Rotten Tomatoes rating and praise from Vanity Fair, which called it "the perfect love story of our time," it never got the attention that it deserved. People looking for a critically acclaimed romantic comedy series with dark humor and a proper finale should look no further than You're the Worst. The Last Man on Earth The Last Man on Earth is a story of personal growth, hitting some heavy emotional beats while also being hilarious. After an apocalypse hits the Earth in the form of a deadly virus, Phil and Carol find each other and, believing that they are the last two survivors with an obligation to repopulate the Earth, set off on a road trip, encountering other survivors, not all of whom get along. Will Forte has been widely praised for his performance and character arc as the initially selfish Phil, who grows to be a valuable member of his community. The show set up a happy ending in season 4, with Phil and the survivors about to put down roots, but it then threw a curveball with a last-minute cliffhanger, making the fact that The Last Man on Earth was canceled before it could reach its conclusion even worse. That said, the acting and character writing are so good, that the show is a must-watch anyway. Delocated Despite being one of the platform's best live-action comedies, Delocated is an underrated Adult Swim show that you probably missed. The premise should have been an instant hit, with "Jon" and his family entering the witness protection program after he testifies against the Russian mafia, but accepting an offer to star in a reality TV show, forcing the family to wear balaclavas as they go about their lives. However, the cringe humor is considerably niche, and with the episodes lasting just 11 minutes before the runtime was doubled, the format relied on instantly hooking viewers and maintaining their attention despite not getting much opportunity to develop the story. While the series might have been better as a dark comedy like Dexter or Lilyhammer, it is unique and worth watching for the villain alone. If you liked the fictional metal mockumentary, This Is Spinal Tap, then Adult Swim's four-season animated comedy Metalocalypse must be your next watch. Through its central Scandinavian-American band Dethklok, the show parodies many of the clichés found in metal culture, while giving viewers a soundtrack that is better than it has any right to be. Adult Swim had some excellent TV shows in the 2000s, and Metalocalypse is among the best. The series is one of the smartest musical comedies ever made, with a plot that grows as explosive and larger than life as many metal shows and, rather than ridiculing the genre, the humor is good-natured. Against a background of surprisingly deep lore, the jokes range from slapstick to the dark humor often reflected in the metal scene. Source: Vanity Fair