8 Greatest Comedy Shows About College

Published Sep 2, 2026, 3:16 PM EDT Shealyn Scott is a Senior Writer at Screen Rant. She has been writing for the site since 2024, focused on network, reality, streaming, and classic television. A creative writer, journalist, and lover of the written word in all its forms, Shealyn enjoys deconstructing scenes from her favorite shows, using context clues and historical precedent to predict major plot points (which, due to her successful track record, has sparked rumors of clairvoyance). As an award-winning student journalist, Shealyn spent her college years advocating for the humanities while studying English Literature. Her love of storytelling propelled her to expand her degree with minors in Writing and History, believing life to be a mere collection of stories that can be framed in as many ways as a movie scene. As a Senior member of the TV Team, Shealyn treats the series she covers like books, analyzing every line, camera angle, and lighting choice. Thankfully, her personal mission statement lines up perfectly with Screen Rant: every creative work deserves just as much thought from the viewer as it received from its creator. From dining hall hijinks to classroom chaos, comedy series set in college have some of the best set-ups for humor. Without question, many of the funniest shows of all time are anchored to a central setting— like the titular school in Abbott Elementary, the titular office building in The Office, or even the Central Perk coffee shop in Friends. Yet, whether you're binge-watching TV from a dorm room or have never stepped foot on a campus, college-centric shows capture a unique snapshot of young adult culture. To that end, numerous iconic sitcom characters are professors, students, or self-proclaimed dropouts with idiosyncratic experiences from their college years. While higher education has always been a common storyline in comedies and dramas alike— dating back to prestige television like The Sopranos and classic sitcoms like The Lucy Show— there has been a noticeable uptick in college comedies since the early 2000s. Nevertheless, the best of the trope spans decades. Grown-ish 2018–2024 The first and most successful spinoff show of beloved sitcom Black-ish, Grown-ish follows the Johnson family's eldest child, Zoey (Yara Shahidi), as she attempts to navigate the abrupt transition to college life at the California University of Liberal Arts. As she soon finds out, however, being an adult is far harder than she anticipated. Thankfully, she finds a real sense of community at Cal U, forging lifelong friendships that guide her throughout her four years of undergrad. Following Zoey's graduation at the end of season 4, Grown-ish pivots to Andre "Junior" Johnson (Marcus Scribner), her younger brother who previously dropped out of college. From season 5 onwards, Junior takes up the mantle as the sitcom's new narrator and de facto protagonist, encountering many of the same issues Zoey faced at Cal U. Although Junior only gets two seasons to sow his wild oats and learn invaluable life lessons, Grown-ish is still a compelling exploration of young adulthood with enough heart to spare. Greek 2007–2011 As the name suggests, Greek focuses on Cyprus-Rhodes University students engaging in Greek life, split between three main houses: the Zeta Beta Zeta sorority, Kappa Tau Gamma fraternity, and Omega Chi Delta fraternity. At the center of the first season's action is Rusty Cartwright (Jacob Zachar), a reserved engineering prodigy who decides to pledge Kappa Tau Gamma to follow in his older sister's footsteps. Meanwhile, Casey Cartwright (Spencer Grammer) is a devout Zeta Beta Zeta member who finds herself embroiled in increasingly melodramatic plots in her final years at college. As such, Greek uses the Cartwright siblings as its two focal points, throwing in coming-of-age side quests, cliché love triangles, and a recurring theme of finding yourself that runs as an undercurrent throughout the hidden gem sitcom's four seasons. Fresh Meat 2011–2016 Though it was nominated for over a dozen awards during its initial airing, Fresh Meat is undeniably an underrated British comedy series nowadays. The 2010s dramedy follows a titular group of "freshers" being forced to live together in a rowdy off-campus house. That alone would be a recipe for disaster in real life, but tensions further grow as a result of the diverse ensemble's clashing views, personalities, and fundamental life experiences. Violet "Vod" Nordstrom (Zawe Ashton) is a rebellious party animal, Josephine "Josie" Jones (Kimberley Nixon) is a lost soul with a short fuse, Melissa "Oregon" Shawcross (Charlotte Ritchie) is a performative activist with a privileged home life, Kingsley Owen (Joe Thomas) is a non-confrontational heartthrob with a smothering mother, Jonathan "J.P." Pembersley (Jack Whitehall) is a posh rich kid who hides his insecurity behind a smug facade, and Howard McGregor (Greg McHugh) is the show's token non-frosh who serves as the quirky side character. With such a mixed bag, there's bound to be one character you resonate with, root for, or love to root against in Fresh Meat. The cultural references and recurring allusions to UK politics may not land with international viewers, but you don't need a degree from Oxford to enjoy the universal plights of the core friend group simply trying to survive university and find their place in the world post-grad. The Sex Lives of College Girls 2021–2025 Similarly, The Sex Lives of College Girls starts out with an intimate ensemble of first-year students discovering they're roommates. The original group consists of Kimberly Finkle (Pauline Chalamet), Leighton Murray (Reneé Rapp), Whitney Chase (Alyah Chanelle Scott), and Bela Malhotra (Amrit Kaur), four young women from drastically different backgrounds who all find themselves at the esteemed Essex College in scenic Vermont. In the beginning, Kimberly is a classic fish out of water struggling with the culture shock of leaving her small town, Whitney is a talented soccer player from the West Coast, Leighton is an upper-class closeted lesbian bogged down by her overbearing mother, and Bela is a slightly unhinged comedy writer who will do anything to achieve her dreams. Throughout the hit HBO Max original series, however, the roommates truly change each other for good, even as members of the main cast come and go. A Different World 1987–1993 Image via NBC Ironically, A Different World was meant to follow Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) leaving The Cosby Show for the unfamiliar grounds of Hillman College, but the main character disappears after the first season— which is precisely when the sitcom takes off. Instead, a captivating cast of brand-new characters steal the show from season 2 to season 6. Without a doubt, A Different World is one of the most renowned shows set in college of all time, and its legacy is still palpable decades later. In fact, Netflix is set to release a sequel series to A Different World on September 24, exactly 39 years after the 1987 series premiere. 2009–2015 Community isn't simply an indomitable show about college; it's one of the best sitcoms of the century. The satirical comedy helmed by Dan Harmon centers on a group of disillusioned students attending Greendale Community College who, with a little persuasion from frontman Jeff Winger (Joel McHale), decide to form a study group. Soon, however, the show goes off the rails in the best way possible. There are episodes of Community that are completely stop-motion, some with original musical numbers, and an entire pentalogy of epic paintball wars. As is the norm, the Greendale study group are all tongue-in-cheek archetypes that should not fit together, but they seamlessly form one of the funniest ensembles in sitcom history. Undeclared 2001–2002 Despite only airing a single season, Undeclared is a cult classic TV show, much like its spiritual predecessor, Freaks & Geeks. Also created by Judd Apatow, the 2001 comedy tells the story of first-year students at the University of Northeastern California, still reeling from the transition to adulthood and scrambling for purchase in the campus hierarchy. Undeclared deserved far more than 17 episodes, but the brevity at least makes it an easy weekend watch. As soon as you're finished, however, you'll be hungry for more adventures at UNEC. Overcompensating 2025–Present Loosely inspired by creator and star Benito Skinner's real college experience, Overcompensating follows the freshman year of his fictionalized self, Benny Scanlon. At the central Yates University, Benny tries to hide his sexuality by over-performing what he perceives as the "right" form of masculinity— overcompensating in the truest sense of the word. Thankfully, Benny soon meets Carmen (Wally Baram), a slightly awkward fresher with a heart of gold and haunting high school reputation to overwrite. The friendship between Benny and Carmen is an obvious highlight, but every character in Overcompensating cements it as Prime Video's best comedy series of the decade, if not ever. Fans are eagerly awaiting season 2, if only to see more of Benito Skinner's gripping storytelling and Mary Beth Barone's impeccable comedic timing. Given its college setting, the comedy could go on for years to come, and it's clear the overwhelming majority of viewers are crossing their fingers for future renewal. Release Date May 15, 2025 Network Prime Video Writers Scott King, Mitra Jouhari Creator(s) Benito Skinner