The first sitcom to air on television was way back in 1947, about a newlywed couple called Mary Kay and Johnny. Since then, there have been countless couples shown in sitcoms, as well as groups of friends (pun intended), environment-oriented situations (like workplace comedies), and even fantasy stories. Comedy series are a great way to have fun in a short period of time, as most of the episodes are under 30 minutes.
The 2020s have barely started, with a few months still left of 2022, but there have been some incredible television produced in the past three years or so. Even with the Covid-19 pandemic, which delayed and caused various shows to be canceled, there has still been a great litany of these TV shows being released almost every month, when they were needed arguably more than ever during the lockdowns, quarantines, and social fears. Here are the best comedy series of the 2020s so far.
8 Mythic Quest
The series Mythic Quest is a workplace comedy like no other. The show (co-created by Rob McElhenney Charlie Day from the cast of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Megan Ganz) is set in a video game studio and begins when they are about to launch an online role-playing game expansion. The first season focuses majorly on the two characters and how their relationship evolves, and they begin to trust one another, especially regarding creative decisions surrounding the game.
The show tackles the idea of girlboss feminism in male-dominated environments and the gaming industry as a whole. Some of the best parts of the show are not the comedy or the jokes, but how the drama and the characters evolve.
7 We Are Lady Parts
Stories about people forming bands have been made for quite some time. However, a punk group composed of only Muslim women? Only in We Are Lady Parts. Romance, female friendship, and the right to fight against prejudice (Islamophobia, misogyny, etc.) are the core of this fun and chaotic story. One of the highlights of the series is how different the characters are from one another and how their dynamics work. If you like the show there is another one about female musicians also by Peacock, Girls5eva, and the recent documentary about Lebanon's only all-female metal band, Sirens.
6 Abbott Elementary
Abbott Elementary explores a place that most view with dread: school. Following a group of very different but passionate teachers in a public school is a fun and needed series. Dealing with multiple problems, such as the lack of material for the kids and how they solve them (in hilarious ways), is the type of show that the whole family can watch together and feel seen. The show received seven Emmy nominations for its very first award season, leaving home with three including Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.
5 How To with John Wilson
The innovative How To with John Wilson is a brilliant HBO show in which the titular cameraman tackles a different abstract or odd notion in each episode, editing together tons of footage to create a coherent story. Episodes like "How To Put Up Scaffolding" or "How To Throw Out Your Batteries" hilariously, but with a quietly sad profundity, begin in very specific ways but spiral outward to investigate some of the deepest parts of the human experience. Filled with amazing visual puns and the best editing on television right now, How To with John Wilson is a unique comedy series that deserves a chance.
4 Reservation Dogs
There is no other television show quite like Reservation Dogs. Taking Indigenous people in America and placing them and their culture in the protagonist's seat, while also being created and produced by mostly Indigenous people, the show is quite a landmark. The narrative takes these four gang member teens and explores with them the reality of Indigenous people, while being very funny and not at all superficial. The show was produced and co-created by none other than Taika Waititi, who is also involved in other great comedy shows such as What We Do in the Shadows and Our Flag Means Death.
3 Only Murders in the Building
Is there anything funnier than Steve Martin and Martin Short acting together? Add a mysterious murder and Selena Gomez, and you have a hit show. Only Murders in the Building had the most watched premiere in the history of Hulu. The unlikely trio has great chemistry on screen, which combined with a suspicious suicide (that they quickly find out was foul play) and the characters' 'special' set of skills make them the perfect protagonists of this murder mystery that is far from what anyone would expect it to be.
2 Hacks
Hacks has intelligent humor that makes fun of the comedy world itself, with the incomparable Jean Smart taking the lead and being extremely well-supported by her co-star Hannah Einbinder. The dialogue and dynamics between the characters are fun to watch, but the emotional core of the show is what takes it to the next level. The show has two seasons available to binge, and some might say that the second season is even better than the first one.
1 Ted Lasso
The impossibly optimistic football coach Ted Lasso stole the hearts of the audience just as much as his players and staff. A series that tries to make you see life differently, and is still really funny, Ted Lasso is not only entertaining for football fans but for anyone who is interested in being a decent human being. Jason Sudeikis, alongside Brendan Hunt (who are both main characters in the show), Joe Kelly, and Bill Lawrence created a fictional team that is impossible not to root for. Ted Lasso received the Emmy for Best Comedy Series two years in a row. The show was so popular that in the new soccer video game FIFA 23, AFC Richmond, the fictional team in the series, is a playable option.