Best Sitcoms Of All Time: A 2025 List You Can’t Miss

The canon of television comedy is crowded, so this guide focuses on the best sitcoms of all time that shaped culture, influenced writing rooms, and still deliver big laughs today. We looked at awards, critical consensus, audience longevity, and specific episodes that entered the broader conversation. This ranking uses only verifiable information and keeps a clean, readable format so readers can compare entries fast. Read through to see how the classics compare and to settle the evergreen question of which show truly belongs at the top of the best sitcoms of all time list.

At a glance. The ten picks for 2025

Friends

How I Met Your Mother

The Office

The Simpsons

Modern Family

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Arrested Development

Seinfeld

That 70s Show

New Girl

How we rank and why choices differ

We prioritize documented impact and quality signals from credible sources, including awards databases, critics' roundups, and long-horizon audience interest. Emmys recognition is a key data point for the best sitcoms of all time because it reflects industry peer review.

The ranking

1. Friends

Ten seasons and a global afterlife make Friends a reliable North Star for casual viewers and scholars of network era comedy. Its bottle episodes, Thanksgiving runs, and character-driven arcs have kept it in constant rotation for three decades. The cast chemistry and a steady rhythm of iconic set pieces support its place among the best sitcoms of all time, with awards recognition that anchors the pick from the Emmy Awards. 

• Premiered: 1994 on NBC
  
  
• Why it ranks: enduring ensemble chemistry, highly rewatchable seasonal tentpoles, broad cross-generational appeal among the best sitcoms
  
  
• Related reading: TV Shows that Made the Most Money
  

2. How I Met Your Mother

Nine seasons of time-jumping storytelling turned a traditional hangout premise into a structural experiment. Narrative devices like the unreliable narrator and running gags created a playground for payoffs years later. The series is a common bridge title for younger viewers who search best TV sitcoms and then look for modern options tied to network roots.

• Premiered: 2005 on CBS
  
  
• Why it ranks: inventive structure that still lands heart, memorable character archetypes, and real staying power in lists of best sitcoms of all time
  

3. The Office

The mockumentary format, deadpan reaction shots, and cringe romance arcs redefined workplace comedy for a new era. The show mixed small stakes with big emotional payoffs and became a heavyweight on streaming, which feeds discoverability for all the best sitcoms lists today. Awards and critical consensus confirm its stature. 

• Premiered: 2005 on NBC
  
  
• Why it ranks: character depth inside a simple premise, documentary style timing, a foundational pick in any best sitcoms of all time discussion
  

4. The Simpsons

More than three decades of episodes have built a living archive of American satire. The series continues to collect nominations, with an unmatched awards footprint that keeps it central to arguments about the best sitcoms of all time, even as an animated outlier. Its influence runs from language to politics to internet humor. 

• Premiered: 1989 on Fox
  
  
• Why it ranks: extraordinary longevity, deep bench of classic episodes, heavyweight awards history that dwarfs most best sitcoms
  
  
• Related reading: Longest Running TV Shows of All Time

5. Modern Family

The mockumentary device met a warm family mosaic and produced five straight Outstanding Comedy Series wins, a run that placed Modern Family in the top tier of best sitcom conversations. It refreshed network comfort viewing with sharp writing and layered character growth. 

• Premiered: 2009 on ABC
  
  
• Why it ranks: consistent awards recognition, cultural reach, and a flexible format that sustained eleven seasons among the best sitcoms of all time
  

6. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

A sustained antihero experiment that matured into the longest-running live-action sitcom, Sunny is a laboratory for bold premises and fearless tone. Its record-setting longevity and continued freshness secure its place in the best sitcoms of all time for viewers who want sharper edges. 

• Premiered: 2005 on FX and FXX
  
  
• Why it ranks: longest-running live-action sitcom status, abrasive and inventive storytelling, still evolving in season seventeen, which keeps it in the best sitcom debates
  

7. Arrested Development

High-density jokes, layered call backs, and a family tree of lovable disasters made this a critic's favorite. Even with uneven later years, its first run remains a syllabus entry for writing economy and ensemble craft in lists of best sitcoms of all time. Awards seized on that early peak. (Television Academy) 

• Premiered: 2003 on Fox, later seasons on Netflix
  
  
• Why it ranks: intricate joke architecture, breakthrough single-camera style for the era, key reference point in the best sitcoms' writing rooms
  

8. Seinfeld

The show about nothing built a new grammar for observational humor and set a high mark for episode construction. It’s about 4 single friends going through life in New York City in the funniest way possible. It remains a pillar in the writer guild and critics' canons, which keeps it unavoidable in any best sitcoms of all time debate. Its awards footprint and lasting quotability speak for themselves. 

• Premiered: 1989 on NBC
  
  
• Why it ranks: relentless premise engineering, iconic ensemble, bedrock influence on many of the best sitcoms that followed
  

9. That '70s Show

A period hangout with a rotating basement camera and a young star pipeline, the show’s steady comfort energy and repeatable format helped it live beyond its initial broadcast. It remains a gateway title for viewers searching best TV sitcoms who then branch into older network catalogs. Awards recognition was modest but presence was strong. 

• Premiered: 1998 on Fox
  
  
• Why it ranks: durable teen ensemble, quotable bits, and reliable syndication reach that keeps it in the wider set of best sitcoms of all time
  

10. New Girl

A millennial flat share comedy that balanced heart and absurdity, New Girl turned character games into long arc payoffs. It functions as an entry point for younger audiences who then explore older shows on any list of best sitcoms of all time. Emmy award nominations were meaningful for this hysterically funny show! 

• Premiered: 2011 on Fox
  
  
• Why it ranks: chemistry-driven storytelling, a modern comfort watch status, and a steady presence in best sitcoms conversations across social platforms
  

Editorial standards and updates

• We use verifiable sources such as the Television Academy Awards database and official network communications to support placement among the best sitcoms of all time.
  
  
• Rankings consider awards, critical reception, cultural impact, and rewatch behavior that define best sitcoms in practice rather than hype alone.
  
  
• This page is refreshed when new seasons, major reunions, or award milestones change the conversation about the best TV sitcoms. Figures and status are current as of August 25, 2025.
  

FAQ

1. What are the best sitcoms of all time right now

The ten above represent a balance of awards, critical consensus, and audience love. They are a practical answer to the best sitcoms of all time and a strong starting list for most viewers.

2. Which title tops the best sitcoms list most often

Friends, Seinfeld, and The Simpsons usually lead aggregate lists of best sitcoms because they combine cultural reach with long-term episode quality. 

3. Why include It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

It holds the record as the longest-running live-action sitcom and continues to evolve, which justifies its place among the best sitcoms of all time for modern viewers. 

4. Do awards alone determine the best TV sitcoms

No. Awards are one input. We also consider influence, writing craft, and real rewatch habits, which often separate best sitcoms from short viral hits.

Sources

Paste ready list with titles, publishers, dates, and direct URLs.

1. Friends. Television Academy. ‍
2. The Office. Television Academy.
3. The Simpsons. Television Academy.
4. Modern Family. Television Academy.  
5. How I Met Your Mother. Television Academy.
6. Seinfeld. Television Academy.
7. Arrested Development. Television Academy.
8. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia becomes longest running live action sitcom. Axios.

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