20 under-the-radar sitcoms that had surprisingly long prime time runs

The original version from the 1970s and into the '80s told the story of a single mom (Bonnie Franklin) raising two teenage daughters (Mackenzie Phillips and Valerie Bertinelli) in a small Indianapolis apartment.  The show was certainly funny, but it also served as an example of female empowerment and vulnerability. Though One Day at a Time earned plenty of praise for taking chances with its storylines and showcasing a comedic female lead, it seemed to never really earn its due among a sitcom landscape at the time that featured  All in the Family, The Jeffersons, and Happy Days.

Richard Mulligan moved on from the brilliance of Soap, to enjoy a seven-season run on NBC as widowed pediatrician Dr. Harry Weston. He happens to live with his two adult daughters, played by Kristi McNichol and Dinah Manoff. This spinoff of The Golden Girls, which sustained success a lot longer than even critics believed, revived the careers of all three actors and showcased the snarky comedic talent of Park Overall, who played the wisecracking nurse Laverne.

A spin-off of the wildly popular Perfect Strangers, where we first met elevator operator Harriette Winslow, Family Matters followed Winslow and police officer husband, Carl, and their Chicago family. However, it was neighbor Steve Urkel (Jaleel White), who stole the show and became one of the most popular characters in television history. The show ran for nine seasons and featured more than 200 episodes, but it was actually overshadowed by other TGIF offerings -- notably Full House. 

Created by the folks who brought us Cheers, Wings was pretty popular during its eight-season run, but never to the aforementioned, iconic bar comedy. Brothers Joe (Tim Daly) and Brian Hackett (Steven Weber) were opposites in terms of personalities while running a small single-plane airline on Nantucket. However, this was a true collaborative effort, and it paved the way for Tony Shalhoub and Thomas Haden Church to find greater success in their acting careers. Sadly, Wings tended to be stuck in the shadows of more prominent NBC sitcoms of the time like Cheers, Frasier, Friends and Mad About You.

Another sitcom that was part of ABC's "TGIF" Friday lineup during a significant portion of the 1990s, Step by Step was a modern-day version of The Brady Bunch. Starring established Hollywood vets Suzanne Somers and Patrick Duffy, whose characters marry and blend their children together into one family. Fans of ABC's Friday night, primetime comedy funfest probably don't realize the run that Step by Step made. Perhaps because Duffy and Somers worked so well together.

Inside the office of Blush magazine were quite a cast of characters. And, they were funny enough to last for seven seasons. Veteran actors George Segal – Jack Gallo and Wendie Malick offered instant credibility, but the consistently unheralded performance from Laura San Giacomo and plenty of snark from Saturday Night Live favorite David Spade, helped Just Shoot Me! overachieve for years. 

Cheers made Ted Danson a Hollywood star and household name. But, it he proved there is plenty of acting life to be lived once that legendary show ended. Danson spent six seasons as Dr. John Becker on this underrated CBS comedy, about a surly family practice physician who surrounds himself with an eccentric group of friends. Terry Farrell, then Nancy Travis, played the leading female characters, while underappreciated veteran character actors Shawnee Smith and Alex Désert stole many a scene.

While some might forget that this CBS series actually existed, it defied considerable critical disdain to last six seasons on the network. The sitcom follows Greg (Anthony Clark) and his wife, Kim (Uncle Buck's Jean Louisa Kelly), as their tranquil family life is turned upside down when her sister Christine (Liza Snyder) and Jimmy (Mike O'Malley) and their own dysfunctional family move into the guest house. Highly underappreciated, Yes, Dear wasn't about over-the-top comedy, but it provided enough laughs to keep viewers tuned in.

Before Tracee Ellis Ross hit it big with  "Black-ish," she starred as the love-starved, highly organized lawyer Joan Clayton on Girlfriends. While Ross' character was the voice of reason and the show's moral center, somewhat, the show was never part of a major network, yet had a solid following on UPN, running for eight seasons. This was a smart, realistic comedy about strong, black women and their important, collective friendship. We wonder what Maya (Golden Brooks), Lynn (Persia White), Toni (Jill Marie Jones), and William (Reggie Hayes) are doing today.

Television fans may still wonder how a man like Jim Belushi managed to land a woman like Courtney Thorne-Smith. Then again, this ABC comedy lasted eight seasons, as Jim (Belushi) and Cheryl (Thorne-Smith) navigated their family through life and the Chicago area. Cheryl's brother, Andy, played by Larry Joe Campbell, stole many scenes during the show's run, which lasted a rather surprising eight seasons on ABC.  

Another David Spade vehicle, although the coupling of long-time wedded characters donned by Patrick Warburton and Megyn Price and the recently engaged characters played by Oliver Hudson  and Bianca Kajlich, proved to be the focal point of the sitcom. The two couples learned from each other, while Spade, as their single friend, along with the underrated  Adhir Kalyan, truly provided the comic flair. That said, Rules of Engagement definitely flew under the radar on CBS and may still not be remembered today.

The Middle  earned a quality amount of praise during its nine-season run, and remained a reliable watch in syndication. However, it was never a go-to, everybody's-talking-about series like star Patricia Heaton's classic Everybody Loves Raymond. However, Heaton was stellar in carrying this cast. A sitcom about Midwestern family values, The Hecks — mom "Frankie" (Heaton), dad Mike (Neil Flynn) and kids Axl (Charlie McDermott), Sue (Eden Sher) and Brick (Atticus Shaffer) — live a lower-middle-class existence, and are highly entertaining within the confines of a small(ish) Indiana town that's known for being home to world's largest polyurethane cow.

Maybe New Girl lasted too long. Seven seasons might have come as a surprise to some, but while the later years waned, the comedy remains a serviceable, dependable friends comedy that delivered on a rather consistent basis. Zooey Deschanel's quirky and ever-optimistic Jess Day was the star, with roommates Nick Miller (Jake Johnson), Schmidt (Max Greenfield), and Winston Bishop (Lamorne Morris).  Coach (Damon Wayans Jr.) tended to produce the more serious laughs. 

Tim Allen managed to move on from his Golden Globe Award-caliber success with Home Improvement (1991-1999) by enjoying another long comedic sitcom run via Last Man Standing.  Instead of being the father of three boys, Mike Baxter  is in charge of three girls, who make his life even more challenging. An opinionated conservative with a liberal African-American best friend, Allen's character was constantly pushing PC boundaries, which is what made this a show last as long as it did.

Andy Samberg built himself into a star on Saturday Night Live and has transitioned well into sitcom TV. Playing childlike detective Jake Peralta  may end up as the crowning jewel in Samberg's career. He's the kind of cop we'd like to be. He takes his work seriously and is successful, but he also enjoys goofing off and self-deprecating. It's one of the most enjoyable characters on TV. However, Nine-Nine was blessed with a remarkable supporting cast of underrated actors such as Stephanie Beatriz, Terry Crews, Melissa Fumero, Joe Lo Truglio and Chelsea Peretti. Not to mention, of course, the subtle acting genius of the late Andre Braugher. Yet, the show was always overshadowed by Michael Schur's favorites like The Office and Parks and Recreation.

Based on the real-life family of creator Adam Goldberg, the laughs never seem to stop within the confines of this Philadelphia-area family, and during a well-deserved, lengthy, yet unheralded run. A stellar homage to the '80s, Goldberg's family has it all: the overbearing mom (Wendi McLendon-Covey) who will do anything for her kids, the lazy father (Jeff Garlin) who has a hard time expressing his love for anything other than his comfy chair, the smart but often misguided daughter and the overzealous and clueless brother and the wise but carefree grandfather (George Segal).  

The first sitcom with an all-Asian American cast to generate more than 100 episodes (spanning six seasons), ABC's Fresh Off the Boat was also pretty relatable to most families of any background while still celebrating their own heritage with comedic flair. Diversity remains a staple in modern television, whether comedy or drama, something that obviously was not the case 30 years ago. Fresh Off the Boat might be off the radar for some, but it should be celebrated for a solid depiction of an ethnic family succeeding in America, and also how groundbreaking it actually proved to be.

For six seasons and 113 episodes on NBC, Superstore consistently delivered laughs, earning critical praise at a time when network sitcoms were struggling to maintain or attract  regular viewership. However, digging into the lives of employees at Cloud  9, a big-box store in St. Louis, paced by Amy Sosa (America Ferrera), was somewhat addictive to those who watched. Consider this a less pretentious version of The Office.

Here's the thing, American Dad! enjoys a loyal viewing audience, and Stan, Steve, Roger, and Klaus are some of the best animated television characters of all time. However, the series will always be clouded, in general popularity, by the likes of The Simpsons , Seth MacFarlane's iconic Family Guy and even King of the Hill and South Park. The fact that American Dad! is still airing is another testament to MacFarlane's overall comic genius.

Consider Calvin Butler (Cedric the Entertainer) as a poor man's Archie Bunker or George Jefferson. A bit of a curmudgeon who has a hint of arrogance and likes to consistently crack on his neighbor, whom he actually enjoys being around. The latter is essentially the basis for the underrated sitcom. However, Calvin's neighbor Dave (played by the aforementioned Max Greenfield) is by far the funniest character on a series that will conclude its impressive run in 2025-26.