The 2000s were a strange time. Technology boomed, but none of us knew how to use it yet, and the economy tanked and bounced back and tanked again. But there was always one constant that kept us sane throughout our growing pains, and that’s the steady deluge of sitcoms that emerged from this time period. Sitcoms of the 2000s were their own breed. In an effort to fill the void that Seinfeld, Frasier, Friends, That 70s Show, and others that ran their course in the 90s, a new decade brought along a treasure trove of comedy that was a little more cynical, but a lot more focused. It seems that each new decade of sitcoms looks back at the decades that preceded them, and puts a fresh spin on those concepts that worked, while exploring new territory for us to enjoy.
We narrowed it down to 11 sitcoms from this era that were not only wildly popular during their original run, but also have staying power in present day.
Related: Best 90s TV Family Sitcoms Ranked
11 It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
The best way to think of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is that it’s a show full of the best friends you wish you’d never have in real life. Charlie, Rob, Dennis, Dee, and Frank work so well together because they’re all narcissistic sociopaths who constantly step over the line in antagonizing one another. The magic that comes from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is that because every protagonist is a terrible person, you can healthily detach from them, sit back, and enjoy the scheming they get into. The gang gets themselves into morally reprehensible situations on a daily basis, and you don’t feel bad if they get what they deserve, because well… they deserve it. If you accept the fact that these are fictional characters in made-up scenarios, then you’re in for a wild ride of jaw-dropping, “I can’t believe they all still hang out with each other week after week” entertainment that is as relentless as it is hilarious.
10 Curb Your Enthusiasm
Think of Curb Your Enthusiasm as an R-rated Seinfeld dialed up to 11. This show is a “day in the life” odyssey of Larry David, the creator of both Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Larry David portrays a caricature of himself getting into everyday situations that more often than not escalate into profanity and petty vengeance. Once you become familiar with what they’re doing on Curb you realize that Jerry Seinfeld was Larry David’s network rated avatar on Seinfeld; the humor at its core is the same, but with a bit of an extra edge.
9 The Big Bang Theory
If you’re truly trying to channel your inner nerd, then The Big Bang Theory is the show for you. Be sure to bring a thesaurus along for the ride, because The Big Bang Theory has some big brain moments. Every episode feels like a science lesson, but with enough quirks and snappy dialogue to keep you engaged. The friendships between Leonard, Sheldon, Raj, and Howard, Penny, Amy, and Bernadette are unbreakable, but are often tested through pedantic pettiness, or blowing up the living room. Think of The Big Bang Theory as Bill Nye the Science Guy meets Friends. Throw in a healthy amount of Will Wheaton cameos, and all the Sci-Fi references you could ever dream of, and you’ve got yourself a sitcom.
8 Arrested Development
If you want to feel better about your own family, then Arrested Development is worth a watch. The Bluth family, not unlike the gang in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, are a bunch of self-serving schemers who often get themselves into trouble due to lack of communication, fraud, excessive drinking, money laundering, and real estate dealings gone wrong. When their moral fiber is truly stretched to the max, they tend to make the worst possible situations in the heat of the moment, and have to deal with the consequences. Speaking of massive miscommunications, the line “there’s always money in the banana stand” comes to mind. When the perceived subtext is that there is insurance money they can cash in on, the banana stand is set ablaze, only for everybody to find out that the money in the banana stand is literally hidden in the walls, causing the wanton destruction of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
You’ll also be pleased by the early awkward styling of Michael Cera, and the clever wordplay by David Cross throughout the original three-season run. If the original three seasons released by Fox doesn’t seem like it’ll be fulfilling, then you’ll be glad to know that Netflix picked up the series for a revival and subsequent fourth and fifth seasons.
Related: Every Community + Arrested Development Easter Egg in the Russo Brothers’ MCU Films
7 How I Met Your Mother
The end of Friends caused a huge void in the 90s sitcom world, but fortunately How I Met Your Mother is in the same spirit. On one hand, you have a tight-knit group of friends living in New York City, and on the other hand, you find yourself wondering how any of them have anything even remotely close to a disposable income after graduating from college. If you’re able to suspend some disbelief, the show has a nine season run full of sexual innuendo thanks to Barney (Neil Patrick Harris), seasons long running gags, sword fights between Ted and Marshall over trivial matters, drunken escapades after everybody makes a drinking game out of Robin’s verbal tics, and eventually, Ted finally explaining to Luke and Penny how he met their mother.
How I Met Your Mother is also told in hindsight years after everything transpired, so a substantial amount of humor comes from Ted misremembering, or exaggerating how things actually went down while telling his story.
6 The Office
There’s not much to say about The Office that hasn’t already been said, but it still deserves its place among the rankings. Aside from having a powerhouse cast featuring Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Rainn WIlson, B.J. Novak, and Craig Robinson, The Office mastered the “confessional documentary” vibe by having a notably absent laugh track and single-camera setup, and has staying power to this day in the form of oh so many memes and quotables.
5 Party Down
Party Down may be one of the lesser known sitcoms compared to its contemporaries, but that’s mostly because of its short run. Over the course of two seasons, a catering team finds themselves hosting different private events. While there is an overarching storyline about the inner workings of the catering business throughout the run, each episode stands on its own as its own unique comedy of errors. Who says that all occupational comedies have to take place in an office? Party Down serves up a main course of slapstick comedy, with a side of deadpan delivery.
4 Scrubs
We’ve seen enough medical dramas in the form of ER, General Hospital, Grey’s Anatomy, House, and Chicago Med, but how about some medical comedies? Scrubs is exactly this. This Zach Braff narrates the happenings during his residency at Sacred Heart Hospital that captures multiple storylines seamlessly through a central point of view. While tensions do run high, as they do in the medical genre, the viewer always walks away with a sense of encouragement to give everybody the benefit of the doubt. Even Dr. Kelso’s psychotic ramblings come from a good place once you strip off his cynical exterior.
3 Archer
Archer is a little bit Frisky Dingo, and a little bit James Bond, but all workplace comedy. Think of it as The Office, but with guns and shady accounting. Sterling Archer is the best at what he does, but his ego (and alcoholism) gets in the way of his missions, much to the dismay of Lana, Cheryl, his mother Malory, Pam, and Cyril, and Dr. Krieger. Speaking of Dr. Krieger, he’s the guy in charge of all the gadgets, and he drives around in large utility bands, always painted to look like a RUSH album cover – though Krieger could never actually nail the drum part to YYZ and claims that “Neil Peart Stands alone.” If you’re looking for an action comedy that’s got It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia vibes, then get ready to hop into the Danger Zone that is Archer.
2 Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Maybe some of you wouldn’t consider Aqua Teen Hunger Force to be a sitcom by traditional standards, but it is a comedy series, and they do get themselves into situations— Like the time Frylock accidentally sucks Carl into a futuristic toilet that destroys his body, giving Master Shake the brilliant idea to drive through town with an excavator that he’s clearly been robbing graves with to find a new torso and set of limbs. This endeavor failed, so they end up replacing Carl’s body with nothing but eyeballs, to which Meatwad observes he’s like Sean Cassidy because “well, you know, he was a Hardy boy, and they was private eyes... plus, he had like ten eyes in his head.”
This is just one of many hundreds of instances in the Adult Swim series in which Frylock, Master Shake, and Meatwad inadvertently terrorize the neighborhood with their experiments and get rich quick schemes, and with an eleven-minute runtime, Aqua Teen Hunger Force is a totally binge-worthy sitcom.
1 Two and a Half Men
Hindsight is always 20/20, and we’ve learned that Charlie Sheen’s character (also named Charlie) in Two and a Half Men is probably not a caricature. Whether this benefits the series is up to you, but the show is full of toilet humor, and snappy one-liners that stand on their own. It also really gets off into the weeds when they kill off Charlie Sheen’s character and replace him with Walden Schmidt (Ashton Kutcher). Losing a protagonist nine seasons in oftentimes means the death of a show, but John Cryer doesn’t skip a beat when it comes to mooching off Schmidt before the show closed out its 12-season run.
