SEINFELD, Michael Richards, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jerry Seinfeld, 1990-1998, Season 8 (NBC)

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200 Best Comedy Series of All Time

You’ve had your say in our Fall TV Survey, crowning Seinfeld your favorite comedy of all time. Now it’s our turn.

To choose the top 200 best comedy TV series of all time, we put funny to the test, looking at Tomatometer data culled from critics’ reviews, consulting some reputable “best of” lists, and exercising some editorial discretion, asking ourselves which classic comedy shows still hold up, which have been the most influential in the realm of comedy, and which have created comedy superstars.

Turns out, all of those factors led to some of the very same classic TV comedy shows and beloved sitcoms Rotten Tomatoes readers chose as their favorites.

We’ve also included international English-language comedy shows that made a big impression on U.S. audiences through broadcast, cable, or streaming — look for some top titles from the U.K., Canada, and Australia.

Read on to review our ranking of the best comedy series and sitcoms, and perhaps discover some new shows you may not have seen yet. And before you ask, we made a separate list for the “Best Sketch Comedies of All Time.”

Is your favorite comedy series missing? Tell us in the comments.

Best Comedy Series
200-151 | 150-101 | 100-51 | 50-1

Two and a Half Men (2003)
65%

#200
Synopsis: Chiropractor and single father Alan Harper lives in a beachfront house with divorced Internet billionaire Walden Schmidt, who bought the... [More]
Starring: Jon Cryer, Charlie Sheen, Ashton Kutcher, Conchata Ferrell
Directed By: Chuck Lorre, Don Reo, Jim Patterson

Summer Heights High (2007)
75%

#199
Synopsis: Series creator and writer Chris Lilley portrays three characters -- high-strung drama teacher Mr. G., exchange student Ja'mie and break-dancing... [More]
Starring: Chris Lilley, Asolima Tauati, David Lennie, Kristy Barnes-Cullen
Directed By: Laura Waters, Bruce Kane, Stuart McDonald

Young Sheldon (2017)
%

#198
Synopsis: It's 1989 and 9-year-old Sheldon Cooper has skipped four grades to start high school along with his less-intellectual older brother.... [More]
Starring: Iain Armitage, Zoe Perry, Lance Barber, Annie Potts
Directed By: Chuck Lorre, Steven Molaro, Jim Parsons, Todd Spiewak

The Venture Bros. (2003)
92%

#197
Synopsis: "Jonny Quest" gets an irreverent but affectionate spoofing in this animated series chronicling the sometimes hair-raising adventures of Hank and... [More]
Starring: Christopher McCulloch, Michael Sinterniklaas, Patrick Warburton

Saved by the Bell (1988)
%

#196
Synopsis: Lovable schemer Zack Morris leads his pals on adventures at California's Bayside High School. The friends navigate relationships, final exams,... [More]
Starring: Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Mario Lopez, Elizabeth Berkley
Directed By: Peter Engel, Bennett Tramer, Don Barnhart

Happy Endings (2011)
76%

#195
Synopsis: For years, perfect couple Dave and Alex were the core of their group of friends, holding them all together. But... [More]
Starring: Eliza Coupe, Elisha Cuthbert, Zachary Knighton, Adam Pally
Directed By: Jamie Tarses, Jonathan Groff, Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Vice Principals (2016)
83%

#194
Synopsis: "Eastbound & Down" creators Danny McBride and Jody Hill team again for a dark comedy series -- no surprise there!... [More]
Starring: Danny McBride, Walton Goggins, Georgia King, Busy Philipps
Directed By: Danny McBride, Jody Hill, David Gordon Green, Jonathan Watson

Chewing Gum (2015)
100%

#193
Synopsis: Tracey Gordon, a religious, Beyoncé-obsessed 24-year-old, is fast to find out that the more she learns about the world, the... [More]
Starring: Michaela Coel, Robert Lonsdale, Danielle Isaie, Susan Wokoma

American Vandal (2017)
98%

#192
Synopsis: True-crime series are gaining popularity on TV so, of course, there was bound to be a satire of the genre.... [More]
Starring: Tyler Alvarez, Griffin Gluck, Travis Tope, Taylor Dearden
Directed By: Tony Yacenda, Daniel Perrault, Dan Lagana, Joe Farrell

Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
%

#191
Synopsis: Two black kids from Harlem, Arnold Jackson and older brother Willis, are welcomed into the family of wealthy New York... [More]
Starring: Conrad Bain, Gary Coleman, Todd Bridges, Dana Plato

The Facts of Life (1979)
%

#190
Synopsis: "You take the good, you take the bad ... ." Originally set at the prestigious Eastland School for Young Women,... [More]
Starring: Charlotte Rae, Lisa Whelchel, Kim Fields, Mindy Cohn

Designing Women (1986)
%

#189
Synopsis: Series creator Linda Bloodworth-Thomason uses the fictional Atlanta design firm of Sugarbaker and Associates as a witty bully pulpit for... [More]
Starring: Delta Burke, Dixie Carter, Jean Smart, Annie Potts

The Young Ones (1982)
%

#188
Synopsis: The daily life and adventures of four students sharing a house.... [More]
Starring: Adrian Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan

Green Acres (1965)
%

#187
Synopsis: New York lawyer Oliver Wendell Douglas longs for a simpler way of life. So he buys a farm, sight unseen,... [More]
Starring: Eddie Albert, Eva Gabor, Pat Buttram, Tom Lester
Directed By: Paul Henning

The Game (2006)
%

#186
Synopsis: While their men try to hone their gridiron talents on the field, the wives and girlfriends of pro football players... [More]
Starring: Coby Bell, Hosea Chanchez, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Lauren London
Directed By: Kelsey Grammer, Mara Brock Akil, Steve Stark, Salim Akil

Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 (2012)
85%

#185
Synopsis: June's (Dreama Walker) plans of moving to Manhattan for her dream job and perfect apartment are ruined when the company... [More]
Starring: Krysten Ritter, Dreama Walker, Michael Blaiklock, Eric André
Directed By: Nahnatchka Khan, David Hemingson, Jeffrey Morton

Girlfriends (2018)
86%

#184
Synopsis: Three friends struggle with the responsibilities and inevitable changes that come with being a modern woman of a certain age.... [More]
Starring: Miranda Richardson, Zoë Wanamaker, Phyllis Logan, Matthew Lewis
Directed By: Kay Mellor

Leave It to Beaver (1957)
%

#183
Synopsis: This sitcom defines the "golly gee" wholesomeness of 1950s and `60s TV, where dad Ward Cleaver always gets home in... [More]
Starring: Hugh Beaumont, Barbara Billingsley, Tony Dow, Jerry Mathers

Black Books (2003)
93%

#182
Synopsis: Comedians Dylan Moran and Bill Bailey star in the much-loved offbeat sitcom about bad-tempered, eccentric bookshop owner Bernard Black and... [More]
Starring: Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey, Tamsin Greig
Directed By: William Burdett-Coutts

Red Dwarf (1988)
%

#181
Synopsis: In this space spoof, Dave Lister (a chicken-soup-machine repairman) is a survivor of a radiation leak on his mining space... [More]
Starring: Craig Charles, Danny John-Jules, Chris Barrie, Robert Llewellyn
Directed By: Ed Bye, Andy De Emmony, Doug Naylor, Rob Grant

The Carmichael Show (2015)
87%

#180
Synopsis: Jerrod and his therapist-in-training girlfriend, Maxine, are intelligent, ambitious and ready to take the next step to building a fulfilling... [More]
Starring: Jerrod Carmichael, Loretta Devine, David Alan Grier, Lil Rel Howery
Directed By: Jerrod Carmichael, Nicholas Stoller, Ravi Nandan

As Time Goes By (1992)
%

#179
Synopsis: Jean Pargetter and Lionel Hardcastle are former lovers whose lives intersect again 40 years after they lost touch with each... [More]
Starring: Judi Dench, Geoffrey Palmer, Philip Bretherton, Moira Brooker
Directed By: Sydney Lotterby, John Bartlett, John Reynolds, Don Taffner

Northern Exposure (1990)
%

#178
Synopsis: Dr. Joel Fleischman graduates from Columbia University medical school and is assigned to work in the tiny Alaskan town of... [More]
Starring: Rob Morrow, Janine Turner, John Corbett, Cynthia Geary
Directed By: David Chase, Andrew Schneider, Diane Frolov

Looking (2014)
90%

#177
Synopsis: Three best friends living in San Francisco share the nuances and complexities of contemporary gay relationships as they explore a... [More]
Starring: Jonathan Groff, Frankie J. Alvarez, Murray Bartlett, Lauren Weedman
Directed By: Andrew Haigh, Sarah Condon

The Nanny (1993)
%

#176
Synopsis: When she appears on the doorstep of wealthy widower Maxwell Sheffield's New York home, cosmetics saleswoman Fran Fine unexpectedly gets... [More]
Starring: Fran Drescher, Charles Shaughnessy, Lauren Lane, Daniel Davis
Directed By: Robert Sternin, Prudence Fraser

Just Shoot Me (1997)
%

#175
Synopsis: This ensemble comedy is about the inner workings of a high-style magazine owned by Jack Gallo, who has hired his... [More]
Starring: Laura San Giacomo, George Segal, David Spade, Wendie Malick
Directed By: Bernie Brillstein, Brad Grey, Marsh McCall, Don Woodard

Who's the Boss? (1984)
%

#174
Synopsis: A widower and former pro baseball player, Tony Micelli takes a job as a housekeeper for a high-powered divorced businesswoman,... [More]
Starring: Judith Light, Tony Danza, Alyssa Milano, Danny Pintauro

The Munsters (1964)
83%

#173
Synopsis: The family at 1313 Mockingbird Lane is a little... different. Dad Herman looks like Frankenstein's monster; mom Lily and her... [More]
Starring: Fred Gwynne, Yvonne De Carlo, Al Lewis, Butch Patrick

I Dream of Jeannie (1965)
%

#172
Synopsis: Rescued from a bottle (and a deserted island) by a U.S. astronaut, a scantily clad genie named Jeannie becomes his... [More]
Starring: Larry Hagman, Barbara Eden, Bill Daily, Hayden Rorke
Directed By: Sidney Sheldon

The Brady Bunch (1969)
78%

#171
Synopsis: Here's the story ... of a man named Brady, an architect widower with three sons: oldest Greg, middle son Peter... [More]
Starring: Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, Ann B. Davis, Maureen McCormick
Directed By: Sherwood Schwartz

Family Matters (1989)
%

#170
Synopsis: Policeman Carl Winslow has enough to deal with on the job. But when he gets home, he still has to... [More]
Starring: Reginald VelJohnson, Judyann Elder, Darius McCrary, Kellie Shanygne Williams
Directed By: Thomas L. Miller, Robert L. Boyett, Michael Warren, William Bickley

Togetherness (2015)
90%

#169
Synopsis: The spark in parents Brett and Michelle Pierson's marriage is all but extinguished. When his best friend, out-of-work actor Alex,... [More]
Starring: Mark Duplass, Melanie Lynskey, Steve Zissis, Amanda Peet

Baskets (2016)
92%

#168
Synopsis: Chip Baskets has always dreamed of being a classically trained clown. After flunking out of French clown college -- probably... [More]
Starring: Zach Galifianakis, Louie Anderson, Martha Kelly
Directed By: Zach Galifianakis, Jonathan Krisel, M. Blair Breard, Marc Gurvitz

Getting On (2013)
%

#167
Synopsis: Based on the BBC series of the same name, "Getting On" follows the daily lives of overworked nurses and doctors... [More]
Starring: Laurie Metcalf, Niecy Nash, Alex Borstein, Mel Rodriguez
Directed By: Mark V. Olsen, Will Scheffer, Jane Tranter, Julie Gardner

The Addams Family (1964)
100%

#166
Synopsis: Morticia and Gomez Addams head a perplexingly macabre family whose members include a giant named Lurch, who acts as doorman,... [More]
Starring: Carolyn Jones, John Astin, Jackie Coogan, Ted Cassidy

The Comeback (2005)
73%

#165
Synopsis: "The Comeback" tells the story of a B-list sitcom star so desperate to revive her career that she agrees to... [More]
Starring: Lisa Kudrow, Robert Michael Morris, Damian Young, Laura Silverman
Directed By: Michael Patrick King, Lisa Kudrow, John Melfi, Dan Bucatinsky

Atypical (2017)
87%

#164
Synopsis: This heartfelt comedy follows Sam, a teenager on the autism spectrum, who has decided he is ready for romance. In... [More]
Starring: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Keir Gilchrist, Michael Rapaport, Brigette Lundy-Paine
Directed By: Robia Rashid, Mary Rohlich, Theresa Mulligan Rosenthal

The Last Man on Earth (2015)
85%

#163
Synopsis: In 2022, a cataclysm strikes Earth, seemingly wiping out the population save for former family man and bank employee Phil... [More]
Starring: Will Forte, Kristen Schaal, January Jones, Mel Rodriguez
Directed By: Will Forte, Chris Miller, Phil Lord, Seth Cohen

Daria (1997)
%

#162
Synopsis: Brainy, sardonic Daria Morgendorffer tries to fly under the radar at Lawndale High School, and she's doing a pretty good... [More]
Starring: Tracy Grandstaff, Wendy Hoopes, Julian Rebolledo, Johh Lynn
Directed By: Karen Disher

Vicious (2013)
%

#161
Synopsis: Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi head the cast of this studio sitcom, centered around aging partners Freddie and Stuart, who... [More]
Starring: Ian McKellen, Derek Jacobi, Frances de la Tour, Marcia Warren

Father Ted (1995)
93%

#160
Synopsis: This British comedy series focuses on three priests living on Craggy Island -- a remote isle off the coast of... [More]
Starring: Dermot Morgan, Ardal O'Hanlon, Frank Kelly, Pauline McLynn
Directed By: Declan Lowney, Graham Linehan, Andy De Emmony, Mary Bell

The Middle (2009)
%

#159
Synopsis: In the Heck family, middle-age, middle-class, middle-America mom Frankie Heck (two-time Emmy winner Patricia Heaton) uses a sense of humor... [More]
Starring: Patricia Heaton, Neil Flynn, Charlie McDermott, Eden Sher
Directed By: Eileen Heisler, DeAnn Heline

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%

#158

A Different World (1987)
%

#157
Synopsis: Denise Huxtable is in "a different world" -- predominantly black Hillman College -- in this popular "Cosby Show" spinoff. A... [More]
Starring: Lisa Bonet, Kadeem Hardison, Jasmine Guy, Dawnn Lewis

Hogan's Heroes (1965)
%

#156
Synopsis: Perhaps the funniest show ever made about fictional hilarity in a Nazi P.O.W. prison, this series focuses on Stalag 13,... [More]
Starring: Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, John Banner, Robert Clary

Full House (1987)
%

#155
Synopsis: When Danny Tanner's wife dies, the San Francisco sportscaster gets support in the form of two new roommates: brother-in-law and... [More]
Starring: Bob Saget, John Stamos, Dave Coulier, Candace Cameron
Directed By: Jeff Franklin, Thomas L. Miller, Robert L. Boyett

Living Single (1993)
%

#154
Synopsis: Six black 20-somethings -- four women and two men -- share their lives and loves in a Brooklyn brownstone. A... [More]
Starring: Queen Latifah, Kim Coles, Erika Alexander, Terrence "T.C." Carson
Directed By: Yvette Lee Bowser

Boy Meets World (1993)
%

#153
Synopsis: With the help of true love Topanga, best friend Shawn and teacher Mr. Feeny, Cory Matthews juggles school, friends and... [More]
Starring: Ben Savage, Rider Strong, William Daniels, Betsy Randle
Directed By: Michael Jacobs, Bob Tischler

Legit (2013)
94%

#152
Synopsis: Jim Jefferies stars in this comedy series as Jim, an edgy, foul-mouthed comic from Australia -- essentially a fictionalized version... [More]
Starring: Jim Jefferies, Dan Bakkedahl, D.J. Qualls
Directed By: Peter O'Fallon, Jim Jefferies, Lisa Blum

Monk (2002)
91%

#151
Synopsis: After the unsolved murder of his wife, Adrian Monk develops obsessive-compulsive disorder, which includes his terror of germs and contamination.... [More]
Starring: Tony Shalhoub, Ted Levine, Traylor Howard, Jason Gray-Stanford
Directed By: Andy Breckman, David Hoberman

Best Comedy Series
200-151 | 150-101 | 100-51 | 50-1

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