Better Than Friends: 5 Best Modern Sitcoms & Comedy Series With 90 and Higher RT Score
Only the best ones.
Showrunners have experimented with new characters in The Big Bang Theory, film formats in The Office, and mixed genres in Desperate Housewives.
Pure sitcoms have become rare in recent years. In the age of streaming, humor and shows in this format seem too straightforward and outdated. But many great comedy shows venture into sitcom territory while making their own rules.
1. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, 2017-2023
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
New York in the late 50s. Midge has it all – a beautiful apartment, a perfect marriage, a loving family and plenty of free time. But her world is turned upside down when her husband cheats on her.
In a fit of depressive drunkenness, the woman goes to a nightclub and puts on an unforgettable comedy show, talking about her sore spots from the stage. The audience is delighted. Susie, an employee at the club, notices Midge and invites her to try her hand at stand-up comedy.
2. The Rehearsal, 2022-...
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
Important events happen all the time in a person's life, the consequences of which are impossible to predict. Or is it possible if you prepare well?
Nathan Fielder thought about this and invited the characters of his new show to participate in a detailed reconstruction of life-changing events so that going through them would be less frightening.
For example, one participant rehearses a terrible confession to an old friend. Another woman moves into a huge country house with someone else's child in order to feel like a mother. All the episodes are carefully staged by Fielder. But each time it becomes harder for him to remain indifferent and not interfere in the fate of his characters.
3. What We Do in the Shadows, 2019-2024
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
In 2014, Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement directed What We Do in the Shadows, a mockumentary about vampires. The movie was an instant hit, and later evolved into a sitcom with a similar plot.
What We Do in the Shadows takes viewers into the world of three wayward vampires living on Staten Island. They try to become citizens, fight an invasion of evil spirits, open a vampire nightclub and, of course, try to take over humanity.
4. Extraordinary, 2023-...
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
The series is set in modern day London. At the age of eighteen, everyone gets a unique superpower. It can be anything from the ability to communicate with the dead to attracting fish. The main character, Jen, is already 25, but no power has awakened in her.
The synopsis of the series looks like an irony about the crisis of the superhero genre. In a world where everyone feels special and has a unique power, being ordinary is already extraordinary.
But the charm of the series lies not in the original idea, but in its ability to show everyday life and routine in an interesting way – friendly quarrels, the difficulties of self-determination and the endless comparison of oneself with others.
5. Ted Lasso, 2020-2023
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
University American football coach Ted Lasso is unexpectedly invited to work with the English Premier League team Richmond FC. American football is very different from English football, so Lasso's first task is to study the rules of the game.
At the same time, he has to calm down the fans and sports critics who are not too happy with the new coach. But Ted is not used to depending on the opinions of others. Plus, his unconventional training methods get results fast.