Picture Credits: Netflix / Fox / NBC
Netflix is home to some of the most acclaimed sitcoms on television. In this list, we walk you through 10 of the very best on offer!
Situation comedies, better known as simply sitcoms, are the cornerstones of any good streamer. From Disney+ to Prime Video and beyond — there’s an enormous library of them wherever you look. For Netflix subscribers, the library of sitcoms is particularly large. In fact, Netflix is home to several of the highest-rated sitcoms you’ll find on streaming. Let’s take a look at 10 of the finest to choose from.
We’re sticking with Netflix Originals (an asterisk on a couple) here, so if you’re wondering why there’s no The Office or Schitt’s Creek, that’s why.
Blockbuster
At the last remaining Blockbuster, a hardworking manager fights to keep his video store open and staff happy amid competition and complicated feelings.
Before streaming took over the world, completely changing how we consume content, there were chains like Blockbuster. The rental franchise was the biggest in its field, with stores over the world. However, when streaming became the regular, Blockbuster failed to jump on the change, and ultimately died a very quick death.
This brings us to the Netflix sitcom, which takes place at the last remaining Blockbuster, where the eccentric manager Timmy (Randall Park) attempts to keep the store alive and its staff happy… amid the inevitable demise of the chain. While the show struggled to gain an audience and had an untimely death (perhaps like its stores), we still enjoyed some of the references on offer here and would recommend a watch for the nostalgia factor alone.
One Day at a Time
In a reimagining of the TV classic, a newly single Latina mother raises her teen daughter and tween son with the "help" of her old-school mom.
Normally, reimagining classic shows doesn’t work, but One Day at a Time is very much an exception. The 2017 series follows a Cuban-American family living in Los Angeles, where Army veteran single mother looks after her two kids and mother. It’s fun, goofy and irreverent, but also deals with some deep and emotional topics.
The series ran for three seasons on Netflix before being cancelled. However, in 2020, Pop TV revived the series for a fourth outing, before ultimately ending it by the end of the year.
Grace and Frankie
They're not friends, but when their husbands leave them for each other, proper Grace and eccentric Frankie begin to bond in this Emmy-nominated series.
First airing back in 2015, Grace and Frankie lasted for terrific 7 seasons, wrapping up in 2022. We follow Grace (Jane Fonda) and Frankie (Lily Tomlin) — the duo previously known for 1980s classic 9 to 5 — after they learn that their husbands have fallen in love and plan to get married. As their lives crumble, they find themselves intrinsically brought together. What follows is dozens of witty and quirky stories.
Bringing Fonda and Tomlin back together in roles like these was always going to be a winner, right?
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
When a woman is rescued from a doomsday cult and lands in New York City, she must navigate a world she didn't think even existed anymore.
Ellie Kemper shines as Kimmy Schmidt, a woman who’s been saves after 15 years in a cult, and decides to reclaim her life by foraying into New York — the very antithesis of her previous life. There she meets Titus (Tituss Burgess), an aspiring Broadway performer, and they become the most unlikely duo. This sitcom is quirky, fun, and totally irreverent.
In 2020, the series also saw an interactive spinoff movie in the form of Kimmy Vs. The Reverend, in which you choose what happens next.
Disenchantment
Princess duties call, but she'd rather be drinking. Free-spirited Bean exasperates the king as she wreaks havoc with her demon and elf pals.
Fan of The Simpsons and Futurama? If you haven’t yet checked out Matt Groening’s other animated sitcom, Disenchantment, I implore you to do so. The fantasy sitcom follows the story of the rebellious, alcoholic Princess of Dreamland, Bean (Abbi Jacobson), as well as her personal demon Luci (who if definitely not a cat), and their elf friend, aptly named Elfo.
Groening’s track record speaks for itself, and Disenchantment continues the trend. It’s fantastic.
That '90s Show
Kitty and Red Forman welcome a new generation of teenagers into their basement when their granddaughter Leia decides to spend her summer in Wisconsin.
While a successor to beloved sitcom That ’70s Show, you can also watch That ’90s Show as a standalone. Granted, you’d understand and appreciate the connections more if you watched the original. The 3-season sitcom is a feel good, quirky and nostalgic dive into the 1990s.
Set in 1995, the series follows Leia Forman (the daughter of Eric and Donna from That ’70s Show), who spends the summer with her grandparents in Wisconsin. It chronicles her friendships, relationships, awkward moments, and the trials and tribulations of teen life in the ’90s.
Sex Education
Insecure Otis has all the answers when it comes to sex advice, thanks to his therapist mother. So rebel Maeve proposes a school sex-therapy clinic.
Sex Education is a witty, coming-of-age drama following socially awkward high schooler Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield)… who has a sex therapist mum. Despite his inexperience and stark social awkwardness, Millburn unwittingly becomes a sex expert. Naturally, he uses this knowledge to elevate his school status, teaming up with Maeve (Emma Mackey) to make an underground sex therapy clinic.
The cast of Sex Education has gone on to do some pretty big things too. Look at Aimee Lou Wood, who recently starred in Toxic Town. And, of course, Ncuti Gatwa, who now plays Doctor Who!
The Good Place
Due to an error, self-absorbed Eleanor Shellstrop arrives at the Good Place after her death. Determined to stay, she tries to become a better person.
A sitcom with a fantastical twist, The Good Place begins with everyone dead, in some version of Heaven. Our protagonist Eleanor (Kristen Bell) lived a pretty morally corrupt life as a salesman, yet still finds herself in a Heaven-esque afterlife. Realising that she only got there as a result of mistaken identity, she attempts to conceal her dodgy past life in a bid to remain there.
The Good Place began in 2016, running for four terrific seasons. The ratings speak for themselves, with the series currently holding an impressive 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Of course, this requires a bit of an asterisk given that the series while streaming on Netflix globally, is only an Original title in international territories.
BoJack Horseman
Meet the most beloved sitcom horse of the '90s, 20 years later. He's a curmudgeon with a heart of...not quite gold...but something like gold. Copper?
BoJack Horseman is one of those shows that you just need to watch. It’s easy to rhapsodise about it all day, but ultimately, you just need to watch it to grasp how good it is. Created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg, the series follows washed-up sitcom star BoJack Horseman (Will Arnett), who was a superstar back in the ’90s… but fast forward a few years, and he’s struggling to jump back on the Hollywood train. The series delves into deep themes such as mental illness, addiction, relationships, and mortality. It’ll beat you down and make you teary-eyed, guaranteed.
BoJack Horseman was Netflix’s first-ever animated series, and the streamer absolutely knocked it out of the park. The series currently holds a staggering 8.8/10 on IMDb and a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Arrested Development
It's the Emmy-winning story of a wealthy family that lost everything, and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together.
There’s a reason why Arrested Development was included in Time’s list of the 100 best TV shows of all-time. It’s just so good. Created by Mitchell Hurwitz, it’s the ultimate sitcom. In its 84 episodes over 5 seasons, the series begins with the downfall of the Bluth family and their business empire, after their head patriarch is convicted of fraud. The responsibility falls to Michael Bluth to maintain a level of sanity within the dysfunctional family, while also keeping the business somewhat afloat.
While not a Netflix Original from the start, the streamer breathed new life into the series by licensing new episodes in 2011 and distributing them on its streaming service. The series will remain on Netflix until 2026, giving you ample time to complete it!
If you’re seeking a sitcom on Netflix, there’s no better option at least, in my humble opinion.
What’s your favorite sitcom on Netflix? Tell us in the comments down below!
