Netflix has loaded up with so many older sitcoms in 2024 that it’s easier to overlook just how lean this year’s original programing is. Tires, a new sitcom that was recently launched and subsequently renewed by Netflix, is one of the rare exceptions. But it’s already been overshadowed by How I Met Your Mother, which is back on Netflix after an extended period away.
How I Met Your Mother now joins recent additions including Reba, Martin, The Jamie Foxx Show, and My Wife and Kids, as well as all-time classics like Seinfeld. Those shows are the ones that make the best sitcoms on Netflix a real destination for comedy fans. And it’s nice to be able to put on something funny whenever we like.
We’ve also rounded up all the best movies on Netflix, the best shows on Hulu, the best shows on Amazon Prime, and the best shows on Disney+ because we take our streaming seriously. Watching while traveling abroad? Use a Netflix VPN to access your country’s catalog from anywhere in the world.
How I Met Your Mother (2005-2013)
How I Met Your Mother was absent from Netflix for a few years, but if you were in the middle of watching or re-watching the series, Netflix saved your place for you. The show centers on Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor), as related 25 years in the future by an older Ted (voiced by Bob Saget) to his children, Luke (David Henrie) and Penny (Lyndsy Fonseca). The kids don’t appear too often, but the look on their faces is priceless when Ted briefly makes them believe their mother was a stripper.
Most of the show is set in the present, with Ted spending time with his friends, Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris), Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel), Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan), and Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders). Ted is also kind of in love with Robin from the start, which gets tricky when she and Barney eventually become a couple. And then there’s the mother… but you’ll have to wait a long time to see her.
Watch How I Met Your Mother on Netflix.
Tires (2024-present)
Tires is such an aggressively old-school comedy that it feels like it could have run on CBS. Steve Gerben and Shane Gillis co-created and star in the series, which takes place at a family-run auto-repair business called Valley Forge Automotive Center. The business is facing some lean times, and Will (Gerben) may not have what it takes to keep his location afloat.
Regardless, Will keeps trying new ideas and strategies, only for his jerk of a cousin, Shane (Gillis), to keep finding ways to mock or sabotage him every step of the way. And because Shane is also a member of the family, Will can’t simply fire him or correctively discipline him. If it’s a battle of the wills, Shane has already won.
Watch Tires on Netflix.
Reba (2001-2007)
In the early 2000s, it seemed like almost anyone could get a sitcom on The WB. But Reba McEntire’s not just anyone. She was a country music superstar long before she landed her self-titled sitcom, Reba. Naturally, McEntire kept her first name while playing Reba Hart, a newly single mother after her husband, Brock (Christopher Rich), leaves her for a younger woman named Barbara Jean (Melissa Peterman). And much to Reba’s annoyance, Barbara really wants to be friends with her.
The series largely follows Reba and her children as they try to find their way through some occasionally choppy waters in their lives. This show also notably had a knack for landing big guest stars, including Dolly Parton.
Watch Reba on Netflix.
The Upshaws (2021-present)
New episodes of The Upshaws have arrived, and the titular family is facing some serious financial problems. Things are so bad that Bennie Upshaw (Mike Epps) and his sister-in-law, Lucretia Turner (Wanda Sykes), are considering selling the family business, Bennie’s Garage.
Meanwhile, Bennie and Regina (Kim Fields) also have to figure out how to be there for their kids, especially as Aaliyah (Khali Spraggins) and her boyfriend get more serious with their relationship. Even Lucretia may find what she’s looking for by getting married. But we’ll see if she goes through with it…
Watch The Upshaws on Netflix.
Blue Mountain State (2010-2011)
Before Alan Ritchson was kicking butt and taking names on Prime Video’s Reacher series, he was one of the primary players in Blue Mountain State, a bawdy comedy in the vein of Animal House. Ritchson played Kevin “Thad” Castle, a linebacker on Blue Mountain State’s football team and occasional nemesis of the quarterback, Alex Moran (Darin Brooks).
Everything you’ve ever suspected about college football players turns out to be true in this series, as they’re a bit more interested in partying than playing. And their off-the-field hijinks tend to land them in big trouble.
Watch Blue Mountain State on Netflix.
The Conners (2018-present)
The Conners is a revival of the ’80s sitcom Roseanne, which was almost canceled after Roseanne Barr couldn’t refrain from making offensive posts on social media. However, Barr’s former co-stars John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson, and Michael Fishman, have carried the show to a successful run on their own.
It also helps that The Conners feels as contemporary to the 2020s as Roseanne did to the ’80s. Dan Conner (Goodman), his sister-in-law, and his adult children had to rebuild their lives without Roseanne and start a new chapter for themselves. And this show still has a lot of life left in it.
Watch The Conners on Netflix.
Martin (1992-1997)
Before he started palling around on the big screen with Will Smith in the Bad Boys movies, Martin Lawrence headlined his own sitcom on Fox, which was called Martin. Lawrence played Martin Payne, a disc jockey at a radio station whose big mouth occasionally got him in trouble with his long-term girlfriend, Gina Waters (Tisha Campbell). Martin was often backed up by his friends, Cole Brown (Carl Anthony Payne II) and Tommy Strawn (Thomas Mikal Ford), while Gina turned to her friend, Pam James (Tichina Arnold).
Lawrence also played several one-off or recurring characters in the series, including Sheneneh Jenkins, a female neighbor jealous of Gina’s relationship with Martin. Sheneneh actually turned out to be one of the most popular characters on the show, which is why Lawrence kept bringing her back.
Watch Martin on Netflix.
Girls5eva (2021-present)
Girls5eva has already beaten the odds by surviving cancellation at Peacock and finding a new home and a third season on Netflix. That’s pretty rare in the streaming age. The series is about four middle-aged women: Dawn (Sara Bareilles), Summer (Busy Philipps), Gloria (Paula Pell), and Wickie (Renée Elise Goldsberry). When they were younger, these women once had a taste of stardom as the girl band Girls5eva. Since they went their separate ways, none of the group members were happy with how their lives turned out.
Once Girls5eva is reunited, the group attempts to reclaim their place in the music scene and capture the success that eluded them the first time. But their old personality conflicts and insecurities resurface at bad times, and Girls5eva’s reunion may not be able to last forever.
Watch Girls5eva on Netflix.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-2021)
Decades ago, it wasn’t unusual for sitcoms to feature police officers as the main characters. But in the modern era, where almost every primetime drama revolves around law enforcement in some way, Brooklyn Nine-Nine was a throwback series that fully embraced its mixture of comedy with police work. Saturday Night Live veteran Andy Samberg made his TV comeback in the leading role as Jake Peralta, a detective who is as brilliant as he is immature.
Ironically, Andre Braugher’s Captain Raymond Holt wouldn’t have been out of place on Law & Order, as he was one of the few serious characters on this show. And yet even Holt’s incredulous reactions to the misfits under his command made for some very funny moments.
Watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine on Netflix.
The Jamie Foxx Show (1996-2001)
Following his stint on Fox’s hit sketch comedy series, In Living Color, Jamie Foxx landed his own sitcom on The WB, a network that eventually merged with UPN to become The CW. The Jamie Foxx Show featured Foxx as Jamie King, a musician with big dreams who came to Los Angeles to make it in the music industry. But first, Jamie had to pay the bills by working for the King’s Tower Hotel.
Although King’s Tower was owned by Jamie’s aunt, Helen (Ellia English), and his uncle, Junior King (Garrett Morris), Jamie didn’t get a free ride while working there. But Jamie did fall for the front desk clerk, Francesca “Fancy” Monroe (Garcelle Beauvais), while also butting heads with his co-worker, Braxton P. Hartnabrig (Christopher B. Duncan).
Watch The Jamie Foxx Show on Netflix.
My Wife and Kids (2001-2005)
Eight years after his legendary run on In Living Color, Damon Wayans co-created and starred in a more conventional comedy series called My Wife and Kids. Wayans played Michael Kyle Sr., a successful family man who thinks that he makes the rules in his household.
His wife, Janet Marie “Jay” Kyle (Tisha Campbell-Martin), has other ideas. And so do their children, Michael “Junior” Kyle Jr. (George O. Gore II), Claire Kyle (Jennifer Nicole Freeman), and Kady Kyle (Parker McKenna Posey).
As much as Michael loves his family, his ego won’t let him accept the fact that he can’t bend them to his will. But that never stops him from trying.
Watch My Wife and Kids on Netflix.
Loudermilk (2017-2020)
Loudermilk was never a hit during its three-season run on the Audience network and then Amazon Prime Video, but it’s experiencing a surge in popularity on Netflix. Ron Livingston headlines the series as Sam Loudermilk, a recovering addict who works as a substance abuse counselor despite the fact that his own personal life is still a mess.
When Claire Wilkes (Anja Savcic) shows up in his life, Sam and his sponsor, Ben Burns (Will Sasso), try to help her go sober and give her a place to stay. Claire and Ben end up being the closest thing to a family that Sam has, which is especially true when Sam’s dad, Jack Loudermilk (Tom Butler), occasionally reenters his son’s life and leaves havoc in his wake.
Watch Loudermilk on Netflix.
The Wonder Years (2021-2023)
This is not your parents’ Wonder Years. Although The Wonder Years reboot keeps the late ’60s setting of the original series, the perspective is shifted to Dean Williams (Elisha “EJ” Williams), a young Black boy who is experiencing some of the most turbulent times in American history. Dean lives with his parents, Bill (Dulé Hill) and Lillian Williams (Saycon Sengbloh), as well as his sister, Kim (Laura Kariuki). But that doesn’t mean that the family is always on the same page.
Don Cheadle narrates the show as an older Dean who shares his thoughts and reflects back on this time in his life. Somehow, the younger Dean is going to have to find his own way through the struggles he faces at home, at school, and beyond.
Watch The Wonder Years on Netflix.
Medical Police (2020)
Medical Police is a completely absurd comedy that skewers everything from action thrillers to medical and police procedurals. Erinn Hayes and Rob Huebel reprise their respective roles as Dr. Lola Spratt and Dr. Owen Maestro in this spinoff from Adult Swim’s Childrens Hospital.
When a global virus makes the CDC suspicious of its origins, Spratt and Maestro are recruited to join the organization on a global hunt for a cure while facing terrorists and running into a few old friends from the previous series. It’s impossible to take this show seriously, and that’s the point. This is a farce from start to finish.
Watch Medical Police on Netflix.
Tacoma FD (2019-present)
What do firefighters do if they aren’t fighting fires? Tacoma FD takes a humorous approach to that question since there’s so much rain in Tacoma that fire is rarely a problem.
Chief Terry McConky (Kevin Heffernan) and Captain Eddie Penisi (Steve Lemme) are in charge of this zany crew, which includes Granfield “Granny” Smith (Marcus Henderson), Andy Myawani (Eugene Cordero), Ike Crystal (Gabriel Hogan), and Lucy McConky (Hassie Harrison) as they get into mischief and misadventures in an otherwise mundane job.
Watch Tacoma FD on Netflix.
The Mindy Project (2012-2017)
Before she unleashed Velma on an unsuspecting world, The Office veteran Mindy Kaling created and starred in The Mindy Project. Kaling’s character was Dr. Mindy Lahiri, an obstetrician/gynecologist who is an incurable romantic at heart despite her often inability to form a lasting romantic relationship.
That’s why Mindy decides to start working on herself so she can improve both her love life and her day-to-day life alongside her friends and colleagues, Danny Castellano (Chris Messina), Jeremy Reed (Ed Weeks), Peter Prentice (Adam Pally), Morgan Tookers (Ike Barinholtz), Tamra Webb (Xosha Roquemore), and Beverley Janoszewski (Beth Grant).
Watch The Mindy Project on Netflix.
Young Sheldon (2017-present)
Young Sheldon was one of the top streaming hits for Max, and it’s quickly climbed the charts now that it’s on Netflix. This spinoff from The Big Bang Theory is a prequel that follows the world’s most annoying man, Sheldon Lee Cooper (Iain Armitage), when he was just a child.
Even at this early age, Sheldon is the genius of the Cooper family, which includes his parents, Mary (Zoe Perry) and George Cooper Sr. (Lance Barber), as well as their other children, George Jr. (Montana Jordan) and Missy (Raegan Revord). Sheldon does his best to learn how to relate to his family and demonstrate his love, but most of these lessons must not have extended to Sheldon’s adult self on The Big Bang Theory. In some ways, this seems like an alternate timeline.
Watch Young Sheldon on Netflix.
Blockbuster (2022)
Netflix played a big role in the downfall of Blockbuster Video, so it’s ironic that Netflix itself was behind Blockbuster, a short-lived sitcom about the very last Blockbuster store in existence. WandaVision‘s Randall Park leads the cast as Timmy Yoon, the man who keeps his Blockbuster store alive after the rest of the corporation has closed down.
Timmy’s employees at the store include would-be director Carlos Herrera (Tyler Alvarez), as well as Hannah Hadman (Madeline Arthur), Connie Serrano (Olga Merediz), and Eliza Walker (Melissa Fumero). Timmy is also secretly in love with Eliza, who has separated from her husband. Whether Timmy can confess his feelings for Eliza is one of the central conflicts of the show.
Watch Blockbuster on Netflix.
Great News (2017-2018)
Great News is one of those shows that only had a brief shelf life on television. But since Netflix is essentially the afterlife for discarded TV sitcoms, it has a second chance to get an audience. This show takes place behind the scenes of a fictional news series called The Breakdown, which is anchored by Chuck Pierce (John Michael Higgins) and Portia Scott-Griffith (Nicole Richie).
However, the primary focus of this sitcom is on Katherine “Katie” Wendelson (Briga Heelan), a producer on The Breakdown who reluctantly works alongside her mother, Carol Wendelson (Andrea Martin), an older woman who has gotten herself hired to be an intern on the show. Now, Katie has to navigate her relationship with Carol while also dealing with the romantic tension she has with her boss, Greg Walsh (Adam Campbell).
Watch Great News on Netflix.
Lopez vs. Lopez (2022-present)
Because Lopez vs. Lopez is an NBC series, Peacock seems like it would be the more natural streaming home for it than Netflix. Regardless, the first season of Lopez vs. Lopez is now on Netflix, and season 2 will presumably begin filming after the actor’s strike ends. For now, viewers can get reacquainted with sitcom veteran George Lopez as he co-stars in this new series with his real-life daughter, Mayan Lopez.
The setup for the show is that George and Mayan have been estranged for years until George went bankrupt and hit rock bottom. Now, George is living with Mayan and her boyfriend, Quinten Van Bryan (Matt Shively), as well as their son, Chance Lopez-Van Bryan (Brice Gonzalez). George and Mayan are also working on repairing their relationship, but not always successfully.
Watch Lopez vs. Lopez on Netflix.
Fuller House (2016-2020)
Fuller House was an updated revival of the classic ABC sitcom, Full House, which suggests that an eventual sequel series should be called Fullest House. Unlike some revivals, Fuller House got most of the original cast back in either starring or supporting roles.
Candace Cameron Bure headlines the show as D.J. Tanner-Fuller, a widowed mother who desperately needs help raising her three sons. That’s why D.J.’s sister, Stephanie Tanner (Jodie Sweetin), and her best friend, Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber), drop everything in their lives in order to move in with D.J.’s family in the classic Tanner home. The late comedy legend, Bob Saget, recurred on the series, alongside his former Full House co-stars, including John Stamos, Dave Coulier, and Lori Loughlin.
Watch Fuller House on Netflix.
iCarly (2007-2012)
It seems like such a long time since iCarly debuted on Nickelodeon, especially since the revival series was only recently canceled by Paramount+. Regardless, this was a sitcom that was created for younger audiences, and it still plays well for fans who may not be ready for some of the more adult-oriented shows.
Miranda Cosgrove headlines the series as Carly Shay, a teenage girl who launches her own web show, iCarly, which she co-hosts with her best friend, Sam Puckett (Jennette McCurdy), and produces with Freddie Benson (Nathan Kress). At Freddie’s suggestion, the girls continued making the show because it was fun. But they didn’t count on the ways that their new online popularity would complicate their lives.
Watch iCarly on Netflix.
Seinfeld (1989-1998)
Seinfeld, the series described as “a show about nothing,” was the defining comedy of the 1990s. And it got a lot of mileage out of “nothing” as Jerry Seinfeld (playing a version of himself) spent time hanging out with his friends, George Costanza (Jason Alexander), Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards).
The show was chock-full of outlandish situations, incredibly bizarre one-off characters, and some of the most consistently witty and hilarious quips on TV. It’s been 25 years since this show went off the air, and it remains an all-time classic.
Watch Seinfeld on Netflix.
The Good Place (2016-2020)
It’s not necessarily a wonderful afterlife for Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell) and Jason Mendoza (Manny Jacinto) in The Good Place. Despite being sent to their eternal paradise, Eleanor and Jason know that they don’t deserve it and that they were probably meant to end up in the Bad Place. That’s why their guide, Michael (Ted Danson), pairs Eleanor up with her soulmate, Chidi Anagonye (William Jackson Harper), and assigns Tahani Al-Jamil (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law‘s Jameela Jamil) to Jason — to help them become better people.
But the Good Place isn’t necessarily what it seems, and the quartet will eventually have reasons to question their afterlife, even during hilarious circumstances.
Watch The Good Place on Netflix.
Arrested Development (2003-2006, 2013-2019)
The Russo brothers were also among the primary directors on Arrested Development, Mitchell Hurwitz’s cult comedy series that briefly ran on Fox nearly two decades ago. Netflix revived the series for two additional seasons in 2013, which helped solidify the streamer’s original programming. The show follows Michael Bluth (Air‘s Jason Bateman), the seemingly ordinary guy in a dysfunctional family. But he just can’t stay out of their orbit.
When Michael’s father, George Bluth (Jeffrey Tambor), is sent to prison, Michael is roped into helping run the family company while dealing with his acerbic mother, Lucille Bluth (Jessica Walter), as well as his eccentric siblings: Gob (Will Arnett), Lindsay (Portia de Rossi), and Buster (Tony Hale). This job just might drive Michael out of his mind, if his family doesn’t do it first.
Watch Arrested Development on Netflix.
Kim’s Convenience (2016-2021)
Before he was cast in the lead of Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Simu Liu had a starring role on Kim’s Convenience as Jung Kim, the estranged son of Yong-mi Kim (Jean Yoon) and Sang-il Kim (The Mandalorian‘s Paul Sun-Hyung Lee). Most of the show focused on the Kims and their convenience store, as wll as their daughter, Janet Kim (Andrea Bang). But Jung carried his own storylines and subplots even when kept at a distance.
Although Janet and Yong-mi maintain ties with Jung, getting the father and son to patch up their differences is no easy task. There are definitely some dramatic and heartfelt moments in this comedy, and that’s what makes it a great show.
Watch Kim’s Convenience on Netflix.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015-2020)
Netflix rescued Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt from an inevitable cancellation by NBC by picking up the show before it ever premiered on network television. That turned out to be a great pickup because this is by far one of the most acclaimed sitcoms on Netflix. The show is about Kimmy Schmidt (Ellie Kemper), a woman who spent 15 years of her life trapped in a cult run by Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne (Confess, Fletch‘s Jon Hamm).
But rather than let this define her life, Kimmy decides to completely reinvent herself by moving to New York City and moving in with an eccentric actor, Titus Andromedon (Tituss Burgess). She also befriends her landlord, Lillian Kaushtupper (Carol Kane), and finds a real job working for Jacqueline Voorhees (Jane Krakowski). There are four seasons of this series, but we don’t recommend a binge. This is a show that’s meant to be savored, so take your time.
Watch Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix.
The Game (2006-2008)
Only the first three seasons of The Game‘s nine-season run are on Netflix, but it’s still a sitcom that’s worthy of your time. The show follows Melanie Barnett (Tia Mowry), a young medical school student who turns down a chance to study at a prestigious school to accompany her boyfriend, Derwin Davis (Pooch Hall), to San Diego after he is drafted to play pro football.
Once Melanie arrives in San Diego, she befriends Kelly Pitts (Brittany Daniel), another significant other from Derwin’s team, as well as Tasha Mack (Wendy Raquel Robinson), the mother of the team’s starting quarterback. Through Kelly and Tasha, Melanie learns how to navigate life in the spotlight alongside Derwin.
Watch The Game on Netflix.
Girlfriends (2000-2008)
The Game was actually spun off of Girlfriends, which was one of the most popular sitcoms on UPN/The CW. The show focuses on the friendship and bond between four women: Joan Carol Clayton (Tracee Ellis Ross), Maya Denise Wilkes (Golden Brooks), Lynn Ann Searcy (Persia White), and Antoinette “Toni” Marie Childs-Garrett (Jill Marie Jones).
Each of these women is at very different places in their lives, and they don’t always see eye-to-eye. But for the most part, they support each other and maintain the bonds between them … with one exception that happens late in the series’ run.
Watch Girlfriends on Netflix.
Crashing (2016)
Before she made a name for herself with Fleabag and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Phoebe Waller-Bridge had a leading role on the short-lived British sitcom Crashing. The show is so named because Waller-Bridge’s character, Lulu, is the latest roommate to move into an abandoned hospital alongside one of her best friends, Anthony (Damien Molony), Anthony’s fiancée Kate (Louise Ford), Melody (Julie Dray), Sam (Jonathan Bailey), and Fred (Amit Shah).
Lulu’s arrival almost instantly causes problems for Anthony and Kate, especially when Lulu and Anthony start feeling a romantic attraction toward each other. Meanwhile, the entire group dynamic is so dysfunctional that it may bring their living arrangements to an abrupt end.
Watch Crashing on Netflix.
Ugly Betty (2006-2010)
Barbie‘s America Ferrera had her first breakout role as the star of Ugly Betty. The title character, Betty Suarez (Ferrera), is admittedly awkward and fashion-challenged. But Betty soon finds a life-altering career opportunity when she is hired to be a personal assistant at Mode, one of the top fashion magazines in the world.
Betty doesn’t waste much time making friends with her boss, Daniel Meade (Eric Mabius). And it’s a good thing too, because this workplace has a viper, Wilhelmina Slater (Vanessa Williams), who is dismissive of Betty and eager to displace Daniel so she can run Mode by herself. Regardless, it’s Betty’s innate goodness that makes the show so enjoyable.
Watch Ugly Betty on Netflix.
