30 Rock
After Tina Fey worked as the head writer at SNL, she brought her talents and experience to her own series, “30 Rock,” and it turned out to be one of the most critically acclaimed television comedies so far, earning a record-breaking 22 Primetime Emmy Award nominations in 2009 alone. The show is based on her time at SNL, so “30 Rock” is a show within a show. The writing is spot-on, and her offbeat humor shines in this sitcom made for broadcast.
“30 Rock” has an exquisite cast, fast-paced writing, and the perfect amount of silliness, and it all meshes together in this unforgettable, very quotable comedy.
Master of None
Based on the comedic perspectives of Aziz Ansari, the series observes the personal and professional life of Dev, a 30-year-old actor, as he has trouble settling on life's mundanities, not to mention its more significant challenges. Inspiring and humorous, the show explores many ordinary themes while being broad in scope and profoundly intimate.
It's a refreshingly quirky take on an otherwise familiar premise that manages a remarkable undertaking in storytelling.
The Addams Family
As spooky as it was, "The Addams Family" sure was delightful to watch. This 'ghoul comedy' was based on Charles Addams' cartoons, which featured characters like Morticia, Gomez, and Uncle Fester. "The Addams Family" focused on their clashes with "normal" people. After staying on air for just two seasons, the series was canceled in 1966.
It's widely believed that viewers began to tire of the monster premise as there was a similar show called "The Munsters" that was aired around the same time.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
If it's possible to be hopelessly optimistic, this show is it, with Kimmy Schmidt as the lead character, she may just be the most resolutely positive and optimistic character anywhere on our list. After all, she's spent half her life confined in a basement by a cult leader, and yet she still manages to remain positive.
Fortunately, the cast around her – notably aspiring singer flatmate Titus Andromedon and her strange landlady Lillian – stop things from getting too sentimental as Kimmy adjusts to modern-day life in the bustling city of New York.
Happy Days
"Happy Days" was the sitcom we all needed, it revolved around the squeaky-clean Cunningham family and their dynamic with The Fonz, a motorcycle-riding Casanova. Over the course of its 11-season stint, the show covered a lot of ground while garnering a lot of laughs. The series went on to become a hugely successful show, not least because The Fonz was so popular.
A few spin-offs were made following "Happy Days," including "Mork & Mindy" and "Laverne & Shirley," with both of them being popular in their own right.