The 25 most underrated sitcoms of all time

Trying to capture the same success they enjoyed with the hit film Airplane!, brothers David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams took to television. That same type of farcical spoof comedy did not work with the American TV audience of the time, even though the jokes and setups for the series are still hilarious, today. However, star Leslie Nielsen's Detective Frank Drebin eventually got his due from the hilarious Naked Gun franchise of films that spawned from this underrated gem.

Whether on television or film, Chris Elliott never seemed to find consistent success. Though a brilliant comedy writer, Elliot's quirky, often out-of-the-box, humor found it hard to succeed with mainstream audiences. Thus the case with this Fox series, which lasted three seasons. Elliott's Chris Peterson is a 30-something living with his parents and still holding down his childhood job of being a paperboy. Chris is not all that likable, coming off as lazy and unintelligent. Meanwhile, the comedy could be dark, at times, but his parents — the legendary Elinor Donahue and Elliott's real-life comedian dad, Bob) — stole many a scene. 

There was a heavy Ferris Bueller's Day Off vibe with this severely unheralded sitcom that aired on Fox for three seasons. Corin Nemec filled the starring role, and the character provided narration. That, along with quick cuts, figurative dialogue and plenty of references to current affairs, offered somewhat of a twist on the average teen-comedy sitcom. And, what helped Parker Lewis standout as he tried his best, alongside some pals, to navigate high school and being a teenager. The problem, though, is that the one-time original concept proved unsustainable after time. 

Created by the folks that brought us Cheers, Wings was pretty popular during its eight-season run. 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 cast effort, and it opened the door for Tony Shalhoub and Thomas Haden Church to find more success in their acting careers. Sadly, Wings tended to be stuck in the shadows of more prominent NBC sitcoms of the time like Cheers (notably, Wings shared the same universe as Cheers, as well the latter show's spinoff, Frasier), Friends and Mad About You.

Sure, it was easy for California Dreams to be considered a Saved by the Bell knockoff (indeed, Dreams was a creation of former SBTB writers and producers), but it certainly had its moments during a solid Saturday morning run in the first half of the 1990s. This was essentially the same kind of show, but with the main characters playing in a pop band and truly soaking up the Southern California beach culture. The band, which managed to endure some lineup changes, usually played at their favorite hangout Sharkey's. Notable tracks included the title track "California Dreams," (with the classic line of "Surf dudes with attitudes.") and "Everybody's Got Someone." Actress Kelly Packard parlayed a starring role from the comedy over to Baywatch.

It's been described as the "black Friends." That seems almost degrading. Khadijah (Queen Latifah), Synclaire (Kim Coles), Max (Erika Alexander) and Regine (Kim Fields) were four intelligent (minus maybe Synclaire, at least not totally) and driven women who were highly confident, even when vulnerable.  Meanwhile, male buddies — and eventual love interests — Kyle (T.C. Carson) lived in the second apartment with Overton (John Henton), the building handyman. Both were consistently funny, but massively underappreciated. No doubt, Living Single was well celebrated, but it never received the overall critical success it deserved; none of the characters were nominated for an Emmy or Golden Globe Award. 

Jon Lovitz voiced New York film critic Jay Sherman in this underappreciated animated series that began on ABC and ended its next (and final) season on Fox. Jay is gruff, mean and publicly over-the-top as a critic. Meanwhile, in real life, he's mild-mannered, vulnerable and insecure. All that made for one highly entertaining animated sitcom, but it was geared solely toward adults, which essentially pigeon-holed the series, not allowing it to grow beyond the intended audience. 

Another NBC Saturday morning, early afternoon, teen sitcom. Hang Time essentially introduced the television world to Anthony Anderson, who played Teddy, one of the more comedic members of the Deering High School (a fictional school located suburban Indianapolis) basketball team. The Tornadoes were led by Julie Connor (Daniella Deutscher), a girl who was the best player on the boys' varsity team. Former NBA star Reggie Theus played Bill Fuller, the team's coach in the early days of the show, and legendary pro football linebacker Dick Butkus, strangely enough, followed as Coach Katowinski. The show tackled the usual teen themes, with basketball at the forefront. The late Kobe Bryant even appeared on an episode.

Meet Ryan Reynolds, before he was a true superstar, and Nathan Fillion, before he made a living chasing criminals on network television. For four seasons, the show chronicled the lives of three friends: Michael "Berg" Bergen (Reynolds), Pete Dunville (Richard Ruccolo), and Sharon Carter (Traylor Howard). Reynolds and Ruccolo each work at a Boston pizza place while trying to navigate their twenty-something lives. After the first two seasons, the title was shorted to Two Guys and A Girl, and was consistently charming and entertaining — even if Reynolds' character was often annoying. A move from mid-week to Friday night ultimately sealed the show's fate.

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.

Judd Apatow's work in television proved unsustainable in terms of longevity, no matter how smart and funny the small-screen product. In Undeclared, Seth Rogan starred as a regular with several other Freaks and Geeks alums as guest stars. However, the result was the same, as this look into the life of a group of college freshmen suffered the same one-season fate as that one-hour comedy drama, which was loved by critics. Like Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared generated a decent cult following that remains part of Apatow's ongoing legacy.

For the parts of five seasons, Grounded for Life delivered some serious side-splitting laughs, mostly via the husband-wife combo Sean and Claudia Finnerty, played exceptionally well by two underrated actors in Donal Logue and Megyn Price, respectively. Co-stars Kevin Corrigan and Richard Riehle also shined, while Griffin Frazen, as son Jimmy, stole scene after scene. Five years is a solid run for a show about an Irish-Catholic, Staten Island family trying to manage a household with plenty of mischief and angst, but it deserved to be celebrated by the collective pop culture memory.

Originally a Canadian animated hit, Clone High is one of the few shows on this list that received lukewarm reviews and even cooler ratings while on MTV in the United States. The premise is kooky enough (a high school of historical figure clones like Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy, as welll as Gandhi, whose portrayal was rather controversial), but its cult following did not take off until well after the show's end. There are plenty of chances to enjoy the series via YouTube today.

Yes, 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.

The life of these Los Angeles caterers (all hoping to hit it big in Hollywood in some professional form or another), played by Adam Scott, Lizzy Caplan, Ken Marino, Ryan Hansen and Martin Starr, was thoroughly entertaining. These were some of main actors who appeared on the Starz comedy for two seasons, which then was revived for a limited series run some 13 years later. Famous guest stars also added to the fun of a comedy that was consistently hailed by critics, but essentially watched by few. 

There are a healthy amount of fans and professional critics feel that ABC indirectly sabotaged the fate of this consistently smart, funny, group comedy by needlessly moving it around time slots in its third and final season. Sure, there were six main characters, but unlike Friends, they were either married, related or dated. The core group was almost like a dysfunctional but hilarious family that truly loved each other as a collective, without being overly pretentious. Eliza Coupe, Adam Pally, Casey Wilson and Damon Wayans Jr. particularly stood out among this young and talented cast.

This ABC sitcom lasted three seasons, and was critically praised mostly because of the brilliant work from Jane Levy, playing teenager Tessa Altman, whose single father (played wonderfully by Jeremy Sisto) moves them from New York City to the suburbs after deciding that the Manhattan might not have a positive influence on his daughter's social decisions. Of course, the sarcastic and comically angsty Tessa, who provides narration, and her dad struggle to adapt to the suburban lifestyle, which provide a healthy dose of laughs. This was another case of not enough viewers dedicated to network TV, at the time — no matter how good the individual performances might have been.

Though "Trophy Wife" lasted just one season, the concept was worthy enough to make this list. The show received primarily positive reviews during its solo season, mostly because there was a high level of believability between Pete (Bradley Whitford) and his much younger, attractive and up-to-the-challenge wife, Kate (Malin Åkerman). Together, along with Pete's children and two ex-wives, their family dynamic is quite unique and should have been given a little more time to develop. Åkerman was genuinely funny and likable in the lead role, though not likable enough to make it past one season.

Before Karen Gillan became part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she starred as Eliza Dooley in this millennial take on My Fair Lady. Gillan shined as the self-absorbed, social-media-obsessed character who brought out her true talent as an actor. From the show's early days, it was hailed for its potential, which it unfortunately was never allowed to achieve. A total of 13 episodes are available; the first seven aired on ABC and the remainder via Hulu. Despite its short run, the show has grown a sizable cult following.

The fictional tales of comedian Jerrod Carmichael's family lasted just three seasons but was one of the more underrated projects on network TV. Dealing with parents, a sibling and a significant other is nothing new for television. However, Carmichael provided a modern twist while balancing important societal situations and family values in this first-rate comedy that never seemed to receive its just due. 

The first sitcom with an all-Asian American cast to generate more than 100 episodes, "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 should be celebrated for a solid depiction of an ethnic family succeeding in America, and also how groundbreaking it actually proved to be.

For three seasons, Speechless did a solid job of depicting a family dealing with the disability of one of its members. And, it did a rather good job of not overly showcasing oldest son JJ's cerebral palsy. His parents (Minnie Driver and John Ross Bowie) didn't seem to care what people thought, which made for more than a few laughs. It proved to be relatively relatable to those living their real lives in similar ways, perhaps giving said viewers more confidence to handle the day-to-day challenges in a more comfortable manner.

The Ottos didn't have the bank account to live in tony Westport, Conn., but certainly were the most entertaining family in town. They moved there to receive educational help for youngest daughter Anna-Kat (played brilliantly by Julia Butters through the first four of the show's five seasons), who is dealing with an obsessive compulsive disorder. Not many shows are able to build quality comedy around a mental illness, but American Housewife did. Katy Mixon was thoroughly enjoyable as edgy mom Katie, while veteran Diedrich Bader was hilarious sweet and geeky as dad Greg. Katie's two best friends, Doris (Ali Wong) and Angela (Carly Hughes) were delightfully raunchy and entertaining. 

Don't feel shame for forgetting about this brilliantly written and funny NBC sitcom that featured Tina Fey as an executive producer. It starred Briga Heelan, as Katie, an eager producer of a TV news program, which hires her outgoing and inquisitive mother Carol (played by the legendary Andrea Martin) as an intern. Martin steals many a scene, but works well with Heelan, as well as co-anchors Chuck Pierce (John Michael Higgins) and Portia Scott-Griffith (Nicole Richie). Of course, like others on this list, Great News was victim of the rise in streaming services, when network TV wasn't fashionable. It lasted just two seasons.

Even quality streaming shows don't last beyond a couple of seasons. That was the case of Peacock's Rutherford Falls. Co-created by Ed Helms, who stars as Nathan Rutherford, whose ancestors founded the small town and show title. However, Nathan doesn't always think his family's past is honored consistently and sufficiently by the current town. Meanwhile, longtime friend Reagan Wells (Jana Schmieding) is also trying to honor and respectfully highlight her Native American heritage that also is part of the area's history. The writing was witty, and Schmieding is gem, but not enough to keep the series going.