The Best TV Sitcoms


Showcased are some of the best sitcom TV series to air during primetime television from 1950 to today.


1964-1966 | ABC
The Addams Family is a sitcom based on the characters in Charles Addams' New Yorker cartoons that aired for two seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1966. It is often compared to its working-class rival, The Munsters, which ran for the same two seasons, and achieved somewhat higher ratings. The show is the first adaptation of the characters to feature "The Addams Family Theme".

1952-1966 | ABC
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet is a sitcom that aired on ABC from 1952 until 1966 starring the real life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was brought to television where it continued its success, running on both radio and TV for a couple of years. The series attracted large audiences, and although it was never a top-ten hit, it became synonymous with the 1950s ideal American family life. It is the longest-running live-action sitcom in US TV history.

1986-1990 | NBC
ALF is an American science fiction sitcom that originally aired on NBC from 1986 to 1990, created by Paul Fusco. The title character was Gordon Shumway, a friendly extraterrestrial nicknamed ALF (an acronym for Alien Life Form), who crash lands in the garage of the suburban middle-class Tanner family.

1971-1979 | CBS
All in the Family is a sitcom that aired on CBS from 1971, to 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended. This sitcom lasted another four years, ending its run in 1983.

1960-1968 | CBS
The Andy Griffith Show is a sitcom that aired on CBS from 1960 until 1968 about a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina. His life is complicated by an inept but well-meaning deputy, Barney Fife (Don Knotts), a spinster aunt and housekeeper, Aunt Bee (Frances Bavier), and a young son, Opie. Local ne'er-do-wells, bumbling pals, and temperamental girlfriends further complicate his life.

1962-1971 | CBS
The Beverly Hillbillies is a sitcom that aired for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971 about The Clampetts that strike oil and move from hillbilly country to Beverly Hills, California.

1964-1972 | ABC
Bewitched is a sitcom that aired for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972 about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban housewife.

1980-1982 | ABC
Bosom Buddies was a sitcom that starred Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari and ran from 1980 to 1982 on ABC that followed the misadventures of two single men, working in creative advertising, struggling in their industry while disguising themselves as women in order to live in the one apartment they could afford.

1969-1974 | ABC
The Brady Bunch is a 1970s sitcom aired from 1969 to 1974 on ABC centered around the daily lives of newly blended Brady family.

1982-1993 | NBC
Cheers is a sitom that ran for 11 seasons on NBC from 1982 to 1993. The show is set in the Cheers bar (named for the toast "Cheers") in Boston, Massachusetts, where a group of locals meet to drink, relax, chat and have fun. The show's theme song, written and performed by Gary Portnoy, and co-written with Judy Hart Angelo, lent its famous refrain, "Where Everybody Knows Your Name", as the show's tagline.

1984-1992 | NBC
The Cosby Show is a sitcom starring Bill Cosby that aired for eight seasons on NBC from 1984 until 1992. The show focuses on the Huxtable family, an affluent African-American family living in Brooklyn, New York.

1988-1992 | NBC
Dear John is a sitcom that aired on NBC from 1988 to 1992. The series was originally based on the British sitcom of the same name. Dear John starred Judd Hirsch as easy going high school teacher John Lacey who is dumped by his wife, Wendy, via a Dear John letter. Wendy ends up with everything in the divorce settlement, including custody of the couple's son, forcing John to move into an apartment in Queens.

1991-1966 | CBS
The Dick Van Dyke Show is a sitcom that aired on CBS from 1961 until 1966 that starred Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. It was produced by Carl Reiner with Bill Persky and Sam Denoff. The music for the show's theme song was written by Earle Hagen.

1978-1985 | ABC
Diff'rent Strokes is an sitcom that aired on NBC from 1978 to 1985, and on ABC from September 1985 to March 1986. The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackson, two African American boys from Harlem who are taken in by a rich white Park Avenue businessman named Phillip Drummond (Conrad Bain) and his daughter Kimberly (Dana Plato), for whom their deceased mother previously worked.

1995-2004 | ABC
The Drew Carey Show is a sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004 set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized version of the actor.

1996-2005 | CBS
Everybody Loves Raymond is a sitcom that ran on CBS from 1996 to 2005. Many of the situations from the show are based on the real-life experiences of lead actor Ray Romano, creator/producer Phil Rosenthal and the show's writing staff. The main characters on the show are also loosely based on Romano's and Rosenthal's real-life family members.

1965-1967 | ABC
F Troop was a comedy series set during the Civil War-era that aired on ABC from 1965 to 1967 about a Private who is given a field promotion to Captain and given command of Fort Courage. The problem is that he received his promotion because he accidentally "saved the day" when he led a cavalry charge in the wrong direction. This theme continues throughout the series as Captain Parmenter continually messes up but ends up on top.

1979-1988 | NBC
A spin-off of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, The Facts of Life is a sitcom that aired on NBC from 1979 to 1988 and focused on Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae) as she becomes housemother at the fictional Eastland School, an all-female boarding school in Peekskill, New York.

1989-1998 | ABC, CBS
Family Matters is a sitcom about a middle-class African-American family living in Chicago, Illinois, which aired for nine seasons. The series was a spin-off of Perfect Strangers, but revolves around the Winslow family. Midway through the first season, the show introduced the Winslows' nerdy neighbor Steve Urkel (played by Jaleel White), who quickly became its breakout character and eventually a main character. Family Matters aired from 1989 to 1997 on ABC and on CBS from September 1997 to July 1998.

1982-1989 | NBC
Family Ties is an sitcom that aired on NBC for seven seasons from 1982 to 1989. The sitcom reflected the move in the United States from the cultural liberalism of the 1960s and 1970s to the conservatism of the 1980s. This was particularly expressed through the relationship between young Republican Alex P. Keaton (Michael J. Fox) and his ex-hippie parents, Elyse and Steven Keaton (Meredith Baxter-Birney and Michael Gross).

1965-1960 | CBS
Father Knows Best is a radio and television comedy series which portrayed a middle class family life in the Midwest. It was created by writer Ed James in the 1940s, and ran on radio from 1949 to 1954 and on television from 1954 to 1960.

1993-2004 | NBC
Frasier is a sitcom that aired on NBC for eleven seasons from 1993 to 2004. A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce, John Mahoney, Jane Leeves and Peri Gilpin. It is one of the most successful spin-off series in television history, as well as one of the most critically acclaimed comedy series of all time.

1990-1996 | NBC
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is a sitcom that aired on NBC from 1990 to 1996 that stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his aunt and uncle in their wealthy Bel Air mansion, where his lifestyle often clashes with that of his relatives.

1994-2004 | NBC
Friends is a sitcom created that aired on NBC for ten seasons from 1994 to 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan going trough the humorous trials and tribulations of relationships, work and personal life.

1987-1995 | ABC
Set in San Francisco, family-friendly sitcom Full House centers around the adventures of a widowed father, his three children, and his two best friends. Danny (Bob Saget) is a straight-laced local television personality, Joey (David Coulier) is a fun-loving stand-up comedian, and brother-in-law Jesse (John Stamos) is an Elvis-obsessed rocker. Danny's children include 11-year-old D.J. (Candace Cameron), five-year-old Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin), and baby Michelle (big-eyed future superstars Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen). Created by Jeff Franklin (Laverne and Shirley), the show ran on ABC for eight seasons.

1986-1967 | CBS
Gilligan's Island is a sitcom that aired on CBS from 1964 to 1967 about seven castaways that were stranded on a deserted island.

1985-1992 | NBC
The Golden Girls is a sitcom that aired on NBC from 1985 until 1992 that centers on four older women sharing a home in Miami, Florida.

1964-1969 | CBS
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. is a sitcom that originally aired on CBS from 1964 to 1969. The series was a spinoff of The Andy Griffith Show, that featured Gomer Pyle's trails and tribulations in the military.. The show ran for five seasons and a total of 150 episodes.

1974-1979 | CBS
Good Times is a sitcom that aired 1974 until 1979 on the CBS television network. Good Times is a spin-off of Maude, which was itself a spin-off of All in the Family.

1965-1971 | CBS
Green Acres is a sitcom starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor about a couple that moves from New York City to a country farm. Produced by Filmways as a sister show to Petticoat Junction, the series aired on CBS from 1965 until 1971.

1974-1984 | ABC
Happy Days is a sitcom that aired from 1974 to 1984 on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series showcased an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America.

1986-1991 | ABC
Head of the Class is a sitcom aired on ABC from 1986 to 1991 that follows a group of gifted students in the Individualized Honors Program (IHP) at the fictional Monroe High School (later Millard Fillmore High School) in Manhattan, and their history teacher Charlie Moore (Howard Hesseman). The program was ostensibly a vehicle for Hesseman, best known for his role as radio DJ Dr. Johnny Fever in the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. Hesseman left Head of the Class in 1990 and was replaced by Billy Connolly as teacher Billy MacGregor for the final season.

1991-1994 | FOX
Herman's Head is a sitcom that aired on the FOX from 1991 to 1994. The series stars William Ragsdale as Herman Brooks an aspiring writer working as a fact-checker for a magazine publisher. While dealing with life in the big city, his inner thoughts are played out by four characters representing: his intellect, his fear, his sensitivity, and his lust. His "outer world" consists of a trivia-trove of a boss, two female co-workers, one mouse-ish and the other a snobbish social-climbing bombshell, and a best friend whose both a successful writer, a sexist pig, and an all-around fun guy.

1991-1999 | ABC
Home Improvement is a sitcom starring Tim Allen that aired on ABC from 1991 to 1999. In the 1990s, it was one of the most watched sitcoms winning many awards. The show's title refers to physical improvement of houses, as well as to improving life with family, friends, work, and school.

1955-1971 | CBS
The Honeymooners is a sitcom that starred Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden and centered Ralph's trials and tribulations of trying to better his life and family.

1965-1970 | NBC
I Dream of Jeannie is a 1960s sitcom that aired on NBC from 1965 to 1970 and starred Barbara Eden as a 2,000-year-old genie, and Larry Hagman as an astronaut who becomes her master, with whom she falls in love and eventually marries.

1951-1957 | CBS
One of the most successful television series ever, I Love Lucy is a sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley that ran from 1951 to 1957 on CBS.

1952-1955 | NBC
I Married Joan is a sitcom that aired on NBC from 1952 to 1955 that starred veteran vaudeville, film, and radio comedienne Joan Davis as the manic wife of a mild-mannered community judge, Bradley Stevens.

1975-1985 | CBS
The Jeffersons is a sitcom that aired on CBS from 1975 until 1985 that chronicled the Afican-American Jefferson family who had recently moved up the socioeconomic ladder. The Jeffersons is the longest-running sitcom with a predominantly African American cast in the history of American television.

1998-2007 | CBS
Doug Heffernan is just your ordinary deliveryman for the International Parcel Service, but his family is anything but normal. Along with his wife Carrie, Doug lives with Carrie's father Arthur (Seinfeld regular Jerry Stiller), who is a few cards short of a full deck. Arthur is known for his incoherent outbursts and misplaced anger.

1976-1983 | ABC
Laverne & Shirley is a sitcom that ran on ABC from 1976 to 1983 starring Penny Marshall as Laverne De Fazio and Cindy Williams as Shirley Feeney, roommates who worked in a fictitious Milwaukee brewery called "Shotz Brewery".

1957-1963 | CBS, ABC
Leave It to Beaver is a sitcom about an inquisitive but often naïve boy named Theodore "The Beaver" Cleaver and his adventures at home, in school, and around his suburban neighborhood. The show also starred Barbara Billingsley and Hugh Beaumont as Beaver's parents, June and Ward Cleaver, and Tony Dow as Beaver's brother Wally. The show has attained an iconic status in the United States, with the Cleavers exemplifying the idealized suburban family of the mid-20th century.

1977-1986 | ABC
The Love Boat is sitcom set on a cruise ship that aired on ABC from 1977 until 1986. The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain. It was part of ABC's popular Saturday night lineup that included Fantasy Island until the latter show ended in 1984.

1953-1964 | ABC, CBS
The Danny Thomas Show (known as Make Room for Daddy during the first three seasons) is a sitcom which ran from 1953 to 1957 on ABC and from 1957 to 1964 on CBS th followed the misadventures in the lives of the Williams family.

1992-1992 | NBC
Mad About You is sitcom that aired on NBC from 1992 to 1999 that stars Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a newly married couple in New York City. Reiser played Paul Buchman, a documentary film maker. Hunt played Jamie Stemple Buchman, a public relations specialist. Near the end of the show's run, the couple had a baby daughter, whom they named Mabel.

1959-1963 | CBS
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis is a sitcom that aired on CBS from 1959 to 1963 about a teenage boy named Dobie Gillis who cared about the only thing any teenage boy cares about ... teenage girls!

1987-1997 | FOX
Married... with Children was the first primetime sitcom to air on FOX and starred Ed O'Neil as everyman Al Bundy and his dysfunctional family from Chicago, Illinois.

1970-1977 | CBS
The Mary Tyler Moore Show is a sitcom that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977. The program was a television breakthrough, with the first never-married, independent career woman as the central character: "As Mary Richards, a single woman in her thirties, Moore presented a character different from other single TV women of the time. She was not widowed or divorced or seeking a man to support her.

1972-1983 | CBS
M*A*S*H is a medical-military-comedy series, adapted from the 1970 feature film MASH that follows a team of doctors and support staff stationed at the "4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital" in Uijeongbu, South Korea, during the Korean War. M*A*S*H's theme song featured an instrumental version of the song "Suicide Is Painless", which also appears in the original film.

1972-1978 | CBS
Maude is a sitcom starring Bea Artur that that aired on CBS network from 1972 until 1978.

1962-1966 | ABC
McHale's Navy was a war comedy series that aired on ABC from 1962 to 1966 about a misfit PT boat crew in the South Pacific during World War II. Their unmilitary antics repeatedly got them in trouble with their commander but he always ended out having to "look the other way" in the end because the crew typically stopped an enemy attack or prevented some other catastrophe.

1961-1966 | CBS
Mister Ed is a sitcom that aired on CBS 1961 to 1966 about talking horse, of course, and his owner Wilbur.

1985-1990 | ABC
Mr. Belvedere is a sitcom that aired on ABC 1985 until 1990 that is based on the Lynn Aloysius Belvedere character created by Gwen Davenport for her 1947 novel Belvedere, which was later adapted into the 1948 film Sitting Pretty. The sitcom stars Christopher Hewett in the title role, who takes a job with an American family headed by George Owens, played by Bob Uecker.

1964-1966 | CBS
The Munsters is a sitcom that aired on CBS from 1964 until 1966 depicting the life of a family of monsters. It stars Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster and Yvonne De Carlo as his wife, Lily Munster. The series was a satire of both traditional monster movies and popular family entertainment of the era, such as Leave It to Beaver.

1988-1998 | CBS
Murphy Brown is a sitcom that aired on CBS from 1988 until 1998 that starred Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI, a fictional CBS television newsmagazine.

1963-1966 | CBS
My Favorite Martian is sci-fi sitcom that aired on CBS from 1963 until 1966 that starred Ray Walston as Uncle Martin (the Martian) and Bill Bixby as Tim O'Hara.

1960-1972 | ABC, CBS
My Three Sons is sitcom that ran from 1960 to 1965 on ABC, and moved to CBS until its end 1972, that chronicles the life of a widower and aeronautical engineer named Steven Douglas (Fred MacMurray), raising his three sons.

1987-1990 | NBC
My Two Dads is a sitcom that aired on NBC from 1987 to 1990 and starred Staci Keanan, Paul Reiser and Greg Evigan about a two men who could have been the father of the main character Nicole.

1984-1992 | NBC
Night Court is an sitcom that aired on NBC from 1984 to 1992 about night shift of a Manhattan court, presided over by the young, unorthodox Judge Harold T. "Harry" Stone (Harry Anderson). It was created by comedy writer Reinhold Weege, who had previously worked on Barney Miller in the 1970s and early 1980s.

1970-1995 | ABC
The Odd Couple is a sitcom that aired on ABC from 1970 until 1975 that starred Tony Randall as Felix Unger and Jack Klugman as Oscar Madison, based upon the play of the same name, which was written by Neil Simon. Felix and Oscar are two divorced men. Felix is a neat freak while Oscar is sloppy and casual. They share a Manhattan apartment, and their different lifestyles inevitably lead to conflicts and laughs.

1970 - 1974 | ABC
Based on the popular musical family the Cowsills, The Partridge Family develops the story of five siblings and their divorced Mom who form a musical group and tour the country.

1986-1993 | ABC
Perfect Strangers is a sitcom that aired on ABC from 1986 to 1993 that chronicled the rocky coexistence of midwestern American Larry Appleton (Mark Linn-Baker) and his distant cousin from eastern Mediterranean Europe, Balki Bartokomous (Bronson Pinchot).

1963-1970 | CBS
The Petticoat Junction is a sitcom that aired on CBS from 1963 until 1970 about a widow and her three daughters who operated a hotel on the outskirts of a small rural town. The girls' feeble-minded Uncle Joe often came up with zany ideas that put the hotel in jeopardy.

1988-1997 | ABC
Roseanne is a sitcom that aired on ABC 1988 until 1997 that revolved around the Conners, an Illinois working class family. The series reached #1 in the Nielsen ratings becoming the most watched television show in the United States from 1989 to 1990, and remained in the top four for six of its nine seasons, and in the top twenty for eight.

1972-1977 | NBC
Sanford and Son is a sitcom that aired on NBC from 1972 to 1977 that starred Redd Foxx as Fred G. Sanford, a 65-year-old widower and junk dealer living in the Watts neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles, alongside Demond Wilson as his 30-year-old son, Lamont Sanford.

1990-1993 | NBC, Syndication
Saved by the Bell is a popular 1990s sitcom that aired between 1989 and 1993. The series is a retooled version of the 1988 series Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was itself later folded into the history of Saved by the Bell. The series followed the exploits of several students along with their principal at fictional Bayside High School.

1989-1998 | NBC
Seinfeld is a sitcom that aired on NBC from 1989 to 1998 set predominantly in an apartment block on Manhattan's Upper West Side, the show features a host of Jerry Seinfeld's stories with his best friend George Costanza, former girlfriend Elaine Benes, and neighbor across the hall Cosmo Kramer.

1982-1987 | NBC, Syndication
Silver Spoons is a sitcom about an extremely wealthy Stratton family that aired on NBC from 1982 to 1986 and in first-run syndication from 1986 to 1987.

1985-1989 | Syndication
Small Wonder is a sci-fi sitcom that aired in first-run syndication from 1985 to 1989. The show chronicles the family of a robotics engineer who, after he secretly creates a robot modeled after a real human girl, tries to pass it off as their daughter, Vikki.

1978-1982 | ABC, NBC
Taxi is a sitcom that aired from 1978 to 1982 on ABC and from 1982 to 1983 on NBC that chronicled the everyday lives of a handful of New York City taxi drivers and their abusive dispatcher. Taxi won won 18 Emmy Awards, including three for "Outstanding Comedy Series".

1998-2006 | FOX
That '70s Show is a period sitcom that aired on FOX from 1998 until 2006 and centered on the lives of a group of teenage friends living in the fictional suburban town of Point Place, Wisconsin in the 1970s.

1977-1984 | ABC
Three's Company was a hit sitcom that aired on ABC from 1977 until 1984 that revolves around three single roommates: Janet Wood, Chrissy Snow and Jack Tripper who all platonically share Apartment 201 in a Santa Monica, California apartment building owned by Mr. and Mrs. Roper.

1983-1987 | ABC
Webster is sitcom that aired on ABC from 1983 until 1987 that starred Emmanuel Lewis. Like NBC's earlier hit Diff'rent Strokes, it featured a young African American boy adopted by a white family.

1975-1979 | ABC
Welcome Back, Kotter is a sitcom that aired on ABC from 1975 until 1979 and starred Gabe Kaplan as Mr. Kotter, who returns to his alma mater to teach a group of remedial students, and a young John Travolta, the head of Kotter's high school misfits, the Sweathogs.

1984-1992 | ABC
Who's the Boss? is a sitcom that aired on ABC 1984 until 1992 and starred Tony Danza as a retired major league baseball player who relocates to Fairfield, Connecticut to work as a live-in housekeeper for a divorced advertising executive, played by Judith Light. Also featured were Alyssa Milano, Danny Pintauro, and Katherine Helmond.

1990-1997 | NBC
Wings is a sitcom that ran for eight seasons from 1990 to 1997 on NBC and that starred Tim Daly and Steven Weber as brothers Joe and Brian Hackett. The show is set at the fictional “Tom Nevers Field” airport, a small two-airline airport in Nantucket, Massachusetts, where the Hackett brothers operate Sandpiper Air.

1978-1982 | CBS
WKRP in Cincinnati is sitcom that aired on CBS from 1978 to 1982 that featured the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The ensemble cast consisted of Gary Sandy, Howard Hesseman, Gordon Jump, Loni Anderson, Tim Reid, Jan Smithers, Richard Sanders and Frank Bonner.

1988-1993 | ABC
The Wonder Years was a hit comedy-drama series that aired on ABC from 1988 until 1993 that starred Fred Savage as Kevin Arnold, a boy facing rites of passage on his way to adulthood .

Stay Tuned In & Follow Us

Recently Added TV Shows