10 Essential Comedy Shows You Need To Watch Before You Die

There is a craft to making people laugh, and the most obvious manifestation of it is the comedy genre. Over the years, comedy shows have come and gone, finding humor in everything from the ups and downs of raising a family to the hopelessness of finding love and the mediocrity of everyday work. Yet only a select few have endured as cultural icons, proving that comedy can take all shapes and forms.

Some reinvented the sitcom format, while others redefined what it means to be funny. Whether through sharp writing, unforgettable characters, or timeless running gags, these series have left a lasting mark on television and continue to influence the comedies that followed. With that said, here are the essential comedy shows you need to watch before you die.

10 'The Golden Girls' (1985–1992)

Even in the '80s, comedies were already taking a progressive step with The Golden Girls. Television has a bad habit of favoring younger actors as its leads, but The Golden Girls features not one, but four elderly women at the center of the show. Far from the typical portrayal of older people, these women are sassy, outspoken, and full of life.

The Golden Girls proves that great humor only gets better with age. Instead of older women being treated as the punchline, the four women of The Golden Girls create the punchlines. And when you've lived as many years as they have, there are certain issues they can joke about while still offering profound wisdom, including aging, widowhood, and, at the time, the misconceptions surrounding HIV/AIDS.

9 'Seinfeld' (1989–1998)

In a television climate that prided itself on family values and moral goodwill, Seinfeld abandoned all that for a group of self-serving misanthropes who somehow get along. Popularizing the "show about nothing" structure, Seinfeld has no moral lessons to preach or lingering messages to share—it simply exists as a comedy about everyday hijinks.

It's a risk, considering the first season doesn't immediately take off. But from Season 2 onwards, it's proof that the best comedies are the ones that let their casts grow organically. That chemistry takes time to mature, allowing the jokes and running gags to land even better, making Seinfeld an essential watch to see how even the zaniest comedies become timeless once their cast finds its rhythm.

8 'Friends' (1994–2004)

No other comedy has brought people together quite like Friends. Despite its American-centric origins, the language of friendship transcends languages and cultures. Through the main six's everyday shenanigans, the show is about having a group of people to laugh, cry, and grow up with. Even if you've never had that kind of friend group, Friends somehow makes you feel like you're already part of it.

Friends also makes young adulthood feel far less intimidating and worth laughing over. Whether it's struggling to find a job, getting your heart broken, or simply having no idea what you're doing with your life, Friends reminds audiences that those anxieties are normal. The hardships may be temporary, but friends are forever.

7 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' (2005–Present)

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia broke so many boundaries that it's unbelievable the show has managed to come away largely unscathed. Following five loose-lipped, insensitive, underachieving misfits, the gang is always cooking up ridiculous schemes to keep their dingy Paddy's Pub in South Philadelphia afloat.

In a world that demands perfection and good morals, IASIP is an essential comedy because it unapologetically throws every rule off the rails. Comedic writing has long dabbled in satire and physical gags, but IASIP takes both to the extreme. Unlike the polished sets and well-adjusted characters most comedies are known for, Always Sunny embraces its DIY nature, taking pride in its characters' flaws and exploiting them to hilarious ends.

6 'The Simpsons' (1989–Present)

More than three decades after its debut, The Simpsons has become the blueprint for the animated family sitcom. Across numerous seasons, Homer and Marge have stumbled their way through the highs and lows of raising Bart, Lisa, and Maggie, proving that no family is ever too dysfunctional to love.

Although it's remembered for Homer's slapstick antics and its uncanny ability to "predict" real-life events, The Simpsons endures because of its heart. Beneath the absurd humor is a family that never stops showing up for one another. Also, there's no other animated comedy notorious for its eerie future predictions. Some of The Simpsons' best predictions range anywhere from the invention of smartwatches to Donald Trump's presidency.

5 'The Office' (2005–2013)

It's easy to make audiences laugh when a character is naturally outrageous. But when they're as deadpan as the employees at Dunder Mifflin from The Office, it takes much more skill. Yet the show successfully finds comedy in the corporate world, turning one of the least glamorous office jobs into one of television's funniest workplaces.

The Office proves that you don't have to be an eccentric funnyman to be funny. The real genius of The Office is how it humanizes characters who should be unlikeable. Michael Scott (Steve Carell) is an insignificant, unreasonable manager with terrible social skills, but the show somehow turns his sheer awkwardness into comedy through every interaction he has.

4 'How I Met Your Mother' (2005–2014)

While it's easy to call How I Met Your Mother the second coming of Friends, it's not that simple. Although both revolve around a close-knit group of friends, HIMYM arrived just as social media was beginning to take off and reached its peak alongside the internet's growing meme culture. It became an online sensation that audiences quoted and shared long after each episode aired.

That alone shows how comedy can outgrow television. HIMYM is one of those rare shows whose jokes outgrew the screen, becoming part of internet culture in their own right. From Barney's "legen—wait for it—dary" catchphrase to the annual "Slapsgiving" running gag, it's an essential comedy because its humor has become timeless both on and offline.

3 'Modern Family' (2009–2020)

There's no television comedy`1 dynamic more relatable than the extended family—they're the first people behind many of life's biggest memories. That's the case with Modern Family. When it first premiered, the Dunphys, Pritchett-Delgados, and Tucker-Pritchetts were still in the early stages of family life, dealing with everything from their children's homework to figuring out how to become better parents.

As the show goes on, not only do the children grow up, but so do the parents. Through hilarious and awkward situations alike, they learn lessons along the way. Modern Family makes every stage of life feel funny, familiar, and worth revisiting whenever we refuse to grow up, even if it's just for a little while.

2 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' (2013–2021)

Workplace comedies aren't revolutionary at this point, but Brooklyn Nine-Nine makes the formula even more fun by pairing every episode with a serious case-of-the-week. Some seasons even have overarching conflicts that give the show genuine intrigue, whether it's an internal corruption scandal or the squad getting wrongfully thrown into prison.

But when the person handling these cases is someone like Detective Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg), who treats police work like it's a game, each investigation is never boring to watch. It takes a certain skill to make a show with actual procedural intrigue, while also letting audiences watch how the characters' personal lives are just as funny in between the work.

1 'Abbott Elementary' (2021–Present)

Abbott Elementary brings joy to an otherwise overlooked profession, where the burnt-out school staff—from the overenthusiastic Janine (Quinta Brunson) to the eccentric cleaning staff Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis)—play a part in making school educational, fun, and accessible. Whether it's dealing with ringworm outbreaks, surviving PTA meetings, or going head-to-head with the school district, teachers have it tough.

In recent years, television has advocated for representation, and there's no better representation than the overworked, understaffed teachers at a public school. Abbott Elementary is proof that you can find humor in professions most people would consider "mundane." But through the staff's camaraderie, it's an essential comedy that proves everyday professions are just as entertaining.