The 7 Best Sitcoms From the 2000s

Taking advantage of the newfound respect audiences held for TV in the 1990s, the 2000s took the opportunity to craft a wide array of memorable television series that caught viewers’ attention. Whether reinvigorating the mockumentary format or re-contextualizing the family-oriented sitcom, television in the 2000s came loaded with incredible shows that continue to stand the test of time. Whether looking back at a show like Friends, The Office, or Arrested Development, these series have commanded the same level of love and respect today that they had two decades ago, remaining tried-and-true cult classics in the same mold as Seinfeld, Cheers, or M*A*S*H before it.

Friends

There’s a reason Friends is often mentioned in the same breath as the word “sitcom” itself. A generation-defining TV show as avidly watched now as it had been in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, Friends truly defined what it was like to be in your 20s–broke, confused, and unsure about which career path to take and which romantic relationship to pursue. Led by an expertly-cast lineup of actors, Friends rejuvenated the entire sitcom format at the start of the decade, harking back to the same warmer messages conveyed in Cheers 20 years prior. Watch Friends on Max.

The Office

When NBC released the first season of The Office in 2004, most viewers were left unsatisfied with the final product, many feeling it an odd, unruly imitation of the original British mockumentary. By the time the second season came around, however, it was clear that The Office was destined to be something different. Popularizing the mockumentary format for the remainder of the 2000s, The Office managed to make the everyday minutiae of the average workplace that much more outlandish and surreal. Watch The Office on Peacock.

Arrested Development

There’s dysfunctional families–and then there’s the Bluths. The immature stars of Arrested Development, the Bluth brood may just overshadow the Bunkers, the Bundys, and the Costanzas as the most eccentric clan in all of TV. Though unceremoniously canceled at its peak in 2006, Arrested Development’s biting humor, three-dimensional characters, and non-stop barrage of jokes made it a cult classic in the making, its popularity eventually triggering a revival series on Netflix in the mid 2010s. Watch Arrested Development on Netflix.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Taking a page out of Seinfeld’s playbook, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia leaned into the whole notion of imminently unlikable characters, taking that idea to extreme new heights. Drawing on a cast of unsympathetic, almost psychopathic characters who alternate between severe narcissism one moment and complete cynicism in the next, there’s nothing fuzzy or warm-hearted about a series like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Yet like South Park or Family Guy, the joy of the series is seeing how much further It’s Always Sunny can veer towards its bizarre dark humor, with each new season somehow managing to top itself. Watch It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia on Hulu.

How I Met Your Mother

The pitch-perfect successor to Friends, How I Met Your Mother incorporated many of the same themes prevalent throughout Friends, from overwhelming frustrations over dead-end jobs to emotional uncertainty about potential relationships. As funny as many of its most famous jokes and distinct phrases were (including “the Bro Code and “Legen–wait for it–dary”), How I Met Your Mother also excelled at its more dramatic sequences, including anything related to break-ups, grief, and unreciprocated romantic feelings. Watch How I Met Your Mother on Hulu.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

As one of the most skilled observational comics of his generation, Larry David utilized the same sense of humor that characterized his career-defining work on Seinfeld with his follow-up series, Curb Your Enthusiasm. Taking advantage of its lax HBO censorship, David honed in on less family-friendly topics, allowing him to conjure up even more reproachable characters and even more relevant societal discussions, like proper etiquette over free ice cream samples or whether one has the right to honk at an idle police vehicle. Watch Curb Your Enthusiasm on Max.

Malcolm in the Middle

While plenty of series before it had focused on working-class families, few TV shows had truly embraced blue-collar workers quite like Malcolm in the Middle. Presenting a dysfunctional family of chaotic, irresponsible ne’er-do-wells, Malcolm in the Middle immersed itself around economically struggling households, complete with parents barely pulling in more minimum wage salaries. Yet far from portraying these issues in a pretentious or preachy way, Malcolm in the Middle showed that even the most financially downtrodden families can still relax and have fun (albeit in incredibly bizarre and unconventional ways). Watch Malcolm in the Middle on Hulu.