8 Most Perfect Sitcoms of the Last 25 Years

Image via NBC Published Aug 22, 2026, 6:52 AM EDT Jennie Richardson is a TV Features and Lists Writer for Collider, and a graduate student pursuing an MFA in Fiction Writing. In other words, she really loves stories. Sign in to your Collider account The 21st century has been excellent for TV fans, from those who love an intense drama, to those who prefer a cozy sitcom. The last 25 years have seen the premiere of a number of perfect drama series that have since become classics, including Breaking Bad, The Leftovers, and Succession. Similarly, so many fantastic sitcoms have been released in the last 25 years, and there are still some truly fantastic ones that are currently ongoing. Among all the best sitcoms of the last 25 years, there are only a select few that are truly perfect. These series have hilarious and memorable characters, and they were generally able to maintain a strong quality throughout the duration of their runs. These shows also have sharp writing, episodes that stand out as some of the funniest of all time, and compelling character dynamics. These are the most perfect sitcoms of the last 25 years, ranked. 8 'Happy Endings' (2011–2013) Image via ABC Like all the best hangout sitcoms, Happy Endings follows a codependent friend group living in a big city. Jane (Eliza Coupe), Brad (Damon Wayans Jr.), Alex (Elisha Cuthbert), Dave (Zachary Knighton), Penny (Casey Wilson), and Max (Adam Pally) have all been joined at the hip for years. When Alex leaves Dave at the altar, though, their friend group starts to fracture. Thus, everyone else has to figure out how to try to all stay friends now that Dave and Alex are no longer a couple. Happy Endings was ssadly canceled after just three seasons, but it is truly perfect from start to finish. The central friend group is one of the best in sitcom history. They are all more than a little bit obsessed with each other, and they don't really know how to act with anyone outside of their group. They have their own strange rituals, like group insult pile-ons, as well as their own made-up holidays that they celebrate. Happy Endings has a hilarious and over-the-top sense of humor, and each of its episodes is uniquely funny and strange. 7 '30 Rock' (2006–2013) Image via NBC Just two decades after it first aired, 30 Rock is widely considered to be one of the best sitcoms of all time, and for good reason. The series follows the writers, actors, and executives behind a sketch comedy show called The Girlie Show. When network executive Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) is brought in to make some major changes, head writer and showrunner Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) struggles to adjust to this new development. One such change includes changing the show's name to TGS with Tracy Jordan and bringing in the infamous Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) to star in it. 30 Rock is one of the wittiest and most clever sitcoms of all time. It is packed with jokes, both in the writing, and in clever visual gags. The characters are all some of the best in sitcom history, with unique traits and flaws that drive quite a bit of the show's humor. Additionally, 30 Rock has a brilliant and wildly funny blend of satire and meta-humor that it implements through its show-within-a-show. 6 'What We Do in the Shadows' (2019–2024) Image via FX Based on the movie of the same name, What We Do in the Shadows is a hilarious mockumentary series that follows a group of vampires who all live with their familiar in a Staten Island mansion. Nandor the Relentless (Kayvan Novak), Laszlo Cravensworth (Matt Berry), and Nadja of Antipaxos (Natasia Demetriou) are all traditional vampires who have spent the last century putting off their assigned goal of taking over the Tri-State Area. Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) is an energy vampire who feeds by boring people out of their minds. Guillermo de la Cruz (Harvey Guillén) is Nandor's human familiar who has been waiting years for Nandor to finally turn him into a vampire. In the meantime, Guillermo assists all of the vampires with everything from finding people to feed on, to figuring out how to operate their emails. What We Do in the Shadows is a laugh-out-loud funny series with creative vampire lore and some of the best sitcom characters of the last 25 years, and each season of the series is truly fantastic. 5 'Abbott Elementary' (2021–Present) Image via ABC Abbott Elementary is still ongoing, with its sixth season premiering this coming fall. That said, the first five seasons of the series are absolutely perfect, and there's no doubt that the show will keep this up when it returns. The series follows the faculty and staff of Abbott Elementary School, a severely underfunded public school in Philadelphia. Led by the unconventional Principal Ava Coleman (Janelle James), the teachers do their best to help their students, despite their limited resources. Abbott Elementary is an absolute standout of the 2020s, with a hilarious and distinct setting, as well as uniquely quirky characters. The series draws attention to real-world issues in education, but it is also just deeply funny. Abbott Elementary has sharp writing, and each episode is packed with jokes and hilarious bits. Each season has its own individual arc, including last season, when the teachers and students of Abbott had to adjust after relocating to an abandoned mall. Collider Exclusive · Star Wars Quiz Which Force UserAre You? Light Side · Dark Side · Or Somewhere Between The Force is not a binary. It is a spectrum — from the serene halls of the Jedi Temple to the shadowed corridors of Sith space. Ten questions will reveal where you truly fall. The Force has always known. Now you will too. 🔵Jedi Master 🟡Padawan 🔴Sith Lord ⚫Inquisitor ⚪Grey Jedi IGNITE YOUR SABER → 01 What is the Force to you? Your relationship with the Force defines everything else. AA living energy I must be worthy of — it is not mine to control. BSomething vast and mysterious I'm only beginning to understand. CNeither light nor dark — just a current I choose to ride. DPower. Pure and simple. The strong take it; the weak don't. NEXT QUESTION → 02 When you feel strong emotions — anger, grief, love — what do you do? The Jedi suppress. The Sith feed. Others choose differently. AAcknowledge them, then release them. Attachment leads to suffering. BFeel them fully, then decide what to do — they're not the enemy. CBury them. Emotion is a liability I can't afford to indulge. DUse them. Passion is the engine of the dark side for good reason. NEXT QUESTION → 03 The Jedi Council gives you an order you disagree with. You: How you handle authority reveals your alignment. AFollow it. The Council's wisdom surpasses my own perspective. BVoice my objection clearly, then defer to the decision. CComply outwardly while doing what I think is right. DIgnore it. The strong don't answer to committees. NEXT QUESTION → 04 You are offered forbidden knowledge that could give you enormous power. The cost is crossing a moral line. You: The dark side's pull is never more than a choice away. ARefuse without hesitation. There is no cost worth that price. BWeigh it carefully — sometimes darkness holds real answers. CFeel the pull but walk away — for now. DAccept it. Power justifies the method used to obtain it. NEXT QUESTION → 05 Your approach to training and learning is: A student's habits become a master's character. ADedicated but humble. There is always more to learn from my masters. BRigorous and patient. Mastery is earned through years of discipline. CEclectic — I draw from every tradition, not just one. DRelentless and brutal. Pain accelerates growth. Rest is weakness. NEXT QUESTION → 06 In a duel, your lightsaber fighting style reflects: Combat is the purest expression of a Force user's philosophy. ADefense and composure — I wait for my opponent to overcommit. BFast and instinctive — I trust the Force to guide my movements. CUnpredictable — I blend styles to keep enemies off-balance. DOverwhelming aggression — I end fights before they begin. NEXT QUESTION → 07 A defeated enemy lies at your feet, powerless. You: Mercy — or its absence — is the truest test of alignment. AStrike them down — compassion toward enemies is naïve and costly. BNeutralize them permanently. I can't afford loose ends. CSpare them if I can — but stay clear-eyed about the risks. DOffer them a chance to surrender. Every being deserves that. NEXT QUESTION → 08 The Jedi Code forbids attachment. Your honest view on love and bonds: The source of the greatest falls in the galaxy. AThe Code is right. Attachment clouds judgment and invites suffering. BLove is not a weakness — the Jedi Code got this one wrong. CI have no attachment — only loyalty to my master's mission. DI feel it deeply but struggle to reconcile it with my training. NEXT QUESTION → 09 Why do you use the Force at all? What's the point? Purpose is the difference between a knight and a weapon. ATo learn. I'm still figuring out what I'm capable of. BTo protect and serve. The Force is a responsibility, not a gift. CTo survive — and maybe carve out something worth having. DTo dominate. Strength demands to be expressed, not contained. NEXT QUESTION → 10 At the final moment — light side or dark side pulling at you — what wins? In the end, every Force user faces this moment. What does yours look like? AThe light. I choose peace, even when darkness would be easier. BNeither fully — I carve my own path through the middle. CWhoever I serve — my loyalty defines me more than my morality. DThe dark. Power is the only thing that's ever actually been real. REVEAL MY ALIGNMENT → Your Alignment Has Been Determined Your Place in the ForceThe scores below reveal how the Force sees you. Your highest number is your true alignment. Read on to understand what that means — and what it will cost you. 🔵 Jedi Master 🟡 Padawan 🔴 Sith Lord ⚫ Inquisitor ⚪ Grey Jedi Disciplined, compassionate, and deeply attuned to the living Force, you have walked the path long enough to understand its demands — and accept them. You lead not through authority alone, but through example. You have felt the pull of the dark side and chosen otherwise, every time. That is not certainty. That is courage. You are earnest, powerful, and brimming with potential — and you know it, which is both your greatest asset and your most dangerous flaw. You act before you think, trust your gut over your training, and sometimes confuse impatience for bravery. The Masters see something in you, though. The question isn't whether you have what it takes — it's whether you'll be patient enough to find out. You are not simply dangerous — you are certain, and that is worse. You have decided what the galaxy needs, and you have decided you are the one to deliver it. Your power is genuine and formidable, earned through sacrifice that would have broken lesser beings. But examine your victories carefully. Every Sith believed their cause was righteous. The dark side's cruelest trick is that it agrees with you. You were forged in fire and reshaped by those who found you at your lowest. You serve, because service gave you structure when you had none. Your allegiance is not to an ideology — it is to survival and to the master who gave you purpose. But there is something buried beneath the conditioning. The Jedi you hunt? You recognize them. Because you remember what it felt like before the choice was taken from you. You have looked at the Jedi Code and the Sith Code and found both of them incomplete. You walk the line not out of indecision but out of conviction — you genuinely believe both extremes miss something essential. The Jedi don't fully trust you. The Sith think you're wasting your potential. They're both partially right. But so are you. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ 4 'New Girl' (2011–2018) Image via FOX New Girl follows Jess Day (Zooey Deschanel), an optimistic woman who needs to find a place to live after a bad breakup. Naturally, she decides to move into a loft with a group of guys whom she found on Craig's List. Nick Miller (Jake Johnson) is recovering from a bad breakup of his own, while Schmidt (Max Greenfield) is trying to prove himself socially, and Winston Bishop (Lamorne Morris) is adjusting to his return to the U.S. after his time away playing basketball in Latvia. Jess immediately comes into the loft with a great deal of energy, eager to get to know her new roommates. She's very different from what they're used to, but they all quickly strike up a close friendship with her that continues throughout the duration of the series. New Girl is one of the coziest sitcoms of all time, and it is also just very funny. Its characters are some of the very best in sitcom history, and its over-the-top sense of humor is an absolute delight. 3 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' (2005–Present) Image via FX It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is still going strong after over two decades, with its eighteenth season currently airing. The series follows a tight-knit friend group of people who can also barely stand each other: Dennis (Glenn Howerton), Dee (Kaitlin Olson), Mac (Rob Mac), Charlie (Charlie Day), and Frank (Danny DeVito). In between poorly running a bar together, they wreak havoc on pretty much everyone with whom they cross paths. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is as funny now in its later seasons as it was when it first aired. The gang have had the exact opposite of character development over the years, only becoming more set in their ways with each passing season. Each episode, they concoct a new scheme in order to either get something that they want, or to get out of a situation that they don't want to have to handle. On top of being absolutely hilarious, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia also expertly tackles heavier themes and delivers poignant emotional scenes when the show's storylines call for it. Image via NBC Community follow Jeff Winger (Joel McHale), a successful Colorado lawyer who faked his college degree. When Jeff's lie is exposed, he has to become a student at the local Greendale Community College for the next (at least) four years. There, Jeff takes an interest in his classmate, Britta Perry (Gillian Jacobs). In order to get her attention, he forms a fake Spanish study group, which accidentally and quickly turns into an extremely close and codependent friend group. Even after a little over a decade, Community still hasn't really concluded, because it still has a movie on the way. That said, its six seasons tell an incredible and complete story – and they're also absolutely hilarious. Greendale Community College is one of the best sitcom settings of all time, with its wonderfully weird classes and strange traditions. Additionally, each member of the study group is an excellent, complex, and delightfully strange character. 1 'The Good Place' (2016–2020) The Good Place follows Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell), a selfish woman who has just died in a grocery store cart accident. Eleanor is then sent to live out her afterlife in an idyllic neighborhood in The Good Place, but she quickly realizes that she was sent there by mistake. Desperate to avoid getting caught and sent to The Bad Place, Eleanor asks her mistakenly-assigned soulmate, former Ethics and Moral Philosophy professor Chidi Anagonye (William Jackson Harper), to teach her how to be a good person. The Good Place is truly the most perfect sitcom of the last 25 years, with phenomenal and intentional storytelling that all builds up to one of the most beautiful series finales of all time. Each season fits very well together, while also having its own overarching storyline that drives it. Furthermore, The Good Place fully utilizes its unique setting and premise for comedy that is absolutely hilarious and outlandishly strange. The Good Place Release Date 2016 - 2020-00-00 Network NBC Showrunner Michael Schur Directors Dean Holland, Beth McCarthy-Miller, Morgan Sackett, Michael Schur, Jude Weng, Trent O'Donnell, Rebecca Asher, Linda Mendoza, Claire Scanlon, Ken Whittingham, Kristen Bell, Michael McDonald, Tristram Shapeero, Tucker Gates, Alan Yang, Julie Anne Robinson, Lynn Shelton Writers Andrew Law, Dylan Morgan, Josh Siegal, Matt Murray, Cord Jefferson, Kassia Miller, Kate Gersten, Dave King, Demi Adejuyigbe, Lizzy Pace Main Genre Comedy Seasons 4 Producers David Hyman, Megan Amram, Joe Mande Creator(s) Michael Schur Streaming Service(s) Netflix Executive Producer(s) David Miner, Drew Goddard