Throughout the history of television, sitcoms have proven one of the most consistently popular genres. The typically light-hearted tone of a TV sitcom makes it an especially accessible form of entertainment, appealing to viewers across practically all demographics on some level. Their usual blend of comedy, drama, and romance can make for satisfying viewing that entertains audiences in a range of ways, and this has seen many of the best TV sitcoms become incredibly well-known. Some of the most popular sitcoms have even become ingrained in the fabric of pop culture, giving them a sense of timelessness that making revisiting them years later incredibly rewarding.
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However, not all great sitcoms are well-remembered. In fact, many excellent sitcoms fail to achieve the recognition they deserve, fading into relative obscurity in the years since their initial runs, and others still have achieved moderate renown, but nothing close to the popularity they deserve. This leads to there being a wealth of truly underrated sitcoms that simply aren’t talked about enough.
1) The King Of Queens
The King of Queens is one of those sitcoms that many people have heard of, but few have given the attention it warrants. With its cast led by comedy powerhouses Kevin James and Jerry Stiller alongside Leah Remini, The King of Queens also features Patton Oswalt, Nicole Sullivan, Anne Meara, and Lou Ferrigno in regular supporting roles. The show’s premise involves Doug (James), an unambitious delivery driver, his wife, Carrie (Remini), and her volatile father Arthur (Stiller) who moves in with them after burning down his own home.
The King of Queens checks all the boxes for classic sitcom fare. Its familial focus, quirky supporting cast, and regular cameo appearances from big-name comedians and stars all help to enrich the show, but it really thrives on the performances of its core trio. It seems to be where Kevin James honed his lovable everyman persona, while Jerry Stiller’s comedic delivery of his lines is a stand-out part in every single episode. There’s very little about The King of Queens that doesn’t make use of classic sitcom tropes, making it a comforting and often hilarious entry into the genre.
2) Friday Night Dinner
Every so often, a British comedy show comes along and transcends all borders, finding global success and often inspiring other regional reboots and spin-offs, such as Ricky Gervais’ The Office. However, there are countless other British sitcoms that don’t achieve international attention, despite deserving wider recognition. Friday Night Dinner is a prime example, not least because it epitomizes British humor and serves as one of the most accurate depictions of family life in the British Isles.
Friday Night Dinner‘s concept is simple: it follows Jewish family the Goodmans as their adult sons return home for dinner every Friday night. The fraternal rivalry between the Goodmans’ two adult sons, as well as the eccentric behavior of the family patriarch and the bizarre interactions they all share with their neighbor and his dog, make for absolutely side-splitting viewing. Though it earned a massive following in the UK over the course of its run, Friday Night Dinner still remains criminally underrated elsewhere around the globe.
3) Rules Of Engagement
Many seem to have completely forgotten Rules of Engagement, a TV sitcom produced by Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions. The show ran for 100 episodes over seven seasons, and despite a handful of big names fleshing out its cast, it has become a relatively obscure piece of sitcom history. With the talents of David Spade, Patrick Warburton, Megyn Price, and Oliver Hudson all starring, Rules of Engagement boasted a significantly talented comedic cast.
Throughout its run, mixed reviews plagued the show, leading to Rules of Engagement becoming criminally underrated. Its accessible style of humor made it incredibly easy viewing, with a classic sitcom feel that evoked the likes of Friends, How I Met Your Mother, and Seinfeld. Though it never found true success, it featured many truly hilarious moments that make it worth remembering.
4) Suburgatory
One of the most frustrating examples of a great sitcom that never got the recognition it deserved is Suburgatory, which was cancelled after 57 episodes and three seasons. Following teenage Tessa Altman (Jane Levy) as she is made to move away from New York City and into the suburbs by her father, George (Jeremy Sisto), Suburgatory is a brilliantly comedic examination of teenage angst in a single-parent household. Despite receiving widespread critical praise and being nominated for several awards, Suburgatory never quite found its audience.
As well as exceptional performances from its two stars, Suburgatory featured several impressive actors in supporting roles. Its story featured plenty of situational comedy, but also left room to tackle broader concepts, all examined through the lens of Tessa’s own perspective and narration. In spite of its relatively short run, Suburgatory earned a cult following of sorts, though it remains largely underrated and forgotten by the majority of sitcom fans.
5) A.P. Bio
After earning the unfortunate accolade of having been cancelled twice, A.P. Bio does not have the best reputation as a sitcom. Starring Glenn Howerton of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia fame, A.P. Bio follows Jack Griffin, a philosophy professor who is fired from his position and Harvard and returns to his hometown to teach Advanced Placement Biology at Whitlock High. In addition to Howerton, A.P. Bio also stars Patton Oswalt and Paula Pell in supporting roles.
Jack’s repeated use of his class to aid him in various revenge schemes serves as the backbone of A.P. Bio‘s comedic premise. It’s a role that Howerton plays to perfection, making the show exceptionally funny and earning it considerable critical praise during its run. Rather than relying on the talents of a large ensemble cast, A.P. Bio hinges largely on the twisted, cunning charisma of its protagonist, making it an unorthodox sitcom that delivers its laughs in a notably unique manner.
6) Party Down
Shortly before launching to comedy superstardom as one of the best characters on Parks and Recreation, Adam Scott starred in another sitcom that has become incredibly underrated. Party Down followed a group of caterers in Los Angeles hoping to make it as actors, and boasted a truly impressive cast of comedic powerhouses. Alongside Scott, Party Down featured Lizzy Caplan, Ryan Hansen, Martin Starr, Ken Marino, Jane Lynch, Jennifer Coolidge, and Megan Mullally, marking one of the most successful casts in a sitcom that failed to achieve widespread popularity.
Party Down‘s premise also allowed for numerous famous guest star cameos across its run. It was cancelled after two seasons, then brought back for a final third limited series run before ending for good. Though its humor and the performances of its cast both received praise and impressed the show’s audience, its inability to attract a large viewership ultimately proved its downfall. Even so, Party Down remains one of the most underrated sitcoms of the 21st century.
7) Peep Show
To British audiences, Peep Show is a beloved and oft-quoted sitcom. To other audiences around the world, however, it’s a criminally overlooked comedic gem that deserves far more love and attention than it has ever received. Following British roommates Jez and Mark as they navigate their vastly different lives and personalities while maintaining a close and incredibly dysfunctional friendship, Peep Show offers up some of the most outrageous, cringe-inducing comedy ever committed to the small screen.
Peep Show takes its sitcom premise to the extreme, placing its characters in some of the most awkward and embarrassing situations ever conceived. Its regular use of a POV style and narration that offers insight into the characters’ thoughts in real time only serves to enhance its comedic potential, maximising Peep Show‘s ability to make its audience weep with laughter and cringe away in second-hand embarrassment. Much of Peep Show‘s charm is linked to its inherent Britishness, as evidenced by the abject failure of a US adaptation pilot starring The Big Bang Theory‘s Johnny Galecki.
8) Mythic Quest
As well as being the creator of the massively popular It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Rob McElhenney also masterminded another sitcom that proved to be incredibly underrated. Mythic Quest follows the fictional video game studio behind the fictional MMORPG of the same name, with McElhenney starring as creator Ian Grimm alongside an ensemble cast of comedic talents. Danny Pudi, David Hornsby, Imani Hakim, F. Murray Abraham, and Ashly Burch rounded out Mythic Quest‘s impressive cast.
The show’s high-concept premise added a specific flavor to Mythic Quest that helped set it apart from more generic sitcom fare. However, its comedic exploration of creative pursuit is its true strength, particularly with McElhenney’s specific brand of dark, quirky humor employed throughout. It’s the combination of all of these factors that made Mythic Quest a huge cult hit, although it sadly doesn’t seem to get the recognition it deserves as a brilliantly funny piece of television.
9) Green Wing
Another British sitcom that is wickedly funny but bafflingly underrated is Green Wing, a hospital-set show with soap opera-like storylines. The show’s fast-paced, irreverent, and often childish sense of humor made it a truly one-of-a-kind workplace sitcom, and though it only ran for 18 episodes over two seasons, it earned a cult following in the UK. However, most audiences in Britain hardly remember Green Wing, and its presence in other parts of the world is practically non-existent.
Green Wing‘s cast of experienced and decorated improv comedians and sketch show veterans contributed to its unique qualities, setting it apart from countless other sitcoms and hospital-set shows. Its presentation as a series of sketch-like scenes to piece together something of an over-arcing narrative was utterly exceptional, as it all fed into the inherent quirkiness of its stand-out format. Green Wing is truly one of the more out-there sitcoms in the modern history of the genre, but fans of British comedy would do well to give it the attention it so thoroughly deserves.
10) Superstore
Even within the specific sitcom genre, there is one particular subgenre that brings with it remarkable potential. Nailing the workplace sitcom is something of an art, with the likes of The Office and Parks and Rec nailing the format where countless others have failed. However, Superstore is another show that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as the most successful workplace comedies, even though it has been criminally overlooked time and again.
Superstore‘s large ensemble cast of employees at fictional big-box store Cloud 9 is as colorful as can be, with characters from all walks of life coming together to share in their collective misery over their relentless nine-to-five grind. Its exploration of interpersonal relationships, social commentary, and the general experience of working in the service industry. In so many ways, Superstore is a flawless sitcom that both touches on tropes of the genre while also engaging its audience on multiple levels, making it a tragically underrated show that thoroughly deserves more attention.
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