For decades the workplace sitcom genre has generated laughs, drama, and heartbreak all on the silver screen. From the newsroom of The Mary Tyler Moore Show to Scranton’s Dunder Mifflin in The Office, the workplace sitcom has given audiences a setting and characters to relate to. There are so many amazing and hilarious workplace comedies, which makes it impossible to include all of them on this list.
Superstore
This NBC comedy might win the award for the most underrated comedy of the decade. Despite its devoted fanbase and consistently high ratings, the show has never been recognized by the Emmy’s or The Golden Globes. Which is a shame, because the show is one of the funniest shows currently airing on television.
Regardless, the show’s setting in a Walmart-esque megastore is the perfect location for a workplace comedy. Almost everyone in the Western-world has set foot in one of those giant big-box stores and those that actually worked or are currently working in one can easily relate to the show.
Where to Stream: Hulu
The I.T. Crowd
The hilarious British comedy focuses on the lives of an I.T. department in a large company in London. The show introduced audiences to the talents of Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids), Richard Ayoade (The Watch), and Katherine Parkinson. The I.T. Crowd is consistently a laugh-riot especially with classic episodes like “The Haunting of Bill Crouse” and “Work Outing.” Fans of other workplace comedies should definitely give the show a watch. But if you don’t like the show after one episode, “have you tried turning it off and on again?”
Where to Stream: Netflix
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Michael Schur’s police procedural comedy has survived the impossible in the television industry, cancellation. Resurrected from the grave, the acclaimed TV series has proved time and time again why it is one of the funniest shows on television.
From Raymond Holt’s deadpan delivery to the childish antics of Jake Peralta, Brooklyn Nine-Nineis a hilarious show set in the unlikeliest of places, a police precinct. Here’s hoping for more seasons of Jake & Amy, Hitchcock & Scully, and Wuntch versus Holt.
Where to Stream: Hulu, Netflix (Depends on your region)
30 Rock
Tina Fey’s comedy about a fictional television show’s writing staff is not only hilarious, but it is also based on Fey’s real-life experience as SNL’s head writer. 30 Rock would have already earned its place on this list simply for introducing some of the greatest characters in television history. Which includes Liz Lemon, Tracy Jordan, Kenneth Parcell, and of course Alec Baldwin’s Jack Donaghy. But of course, 30 Rock is also hilarious, smart, and incredibly rewatchable.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The show that started it all. The Mary Tyler Moore Show pushed boundaries and never looked back. The show revolves around Mary Richards, an associate producer at a Minneapolis news station. While the show focuses slightly more on Richard’s work and personal life rather than the news station, the workplace still plays a major role in the show. In fact, Richard’s boss, Lou Grant got his own spin-off show after the series ended.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show is groundbreaking television for its depiction of Richards as a single, independent, and career-oriented woman. Without Mary Tyler Moore, there would be no 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, or Friends.
Cheers
It’s the bar where everyone knows your name. Like The Mary Tyler Moore Show before it, Cheers has rightfully earned its spot as legendary television, and is of course one of the best workplace comedies ever to grace the silver screen.
The Cheers bar is just as important as its characters. Those familiar with The Good Place will undoubtedly enjoy Ted Danson’s Sam Malone and fans of Frasier can see the show that started it all.
Scrubs
A sitcom about the daily lives of doctors and the ins and outs of a hospital seems impossible on paper and destined to be unfunny. Luckily, Scrubs intertwined comedy and heartbreaking drama masterfully. With memorable characters, witty and hilarious comedy, and subtle life-lessons in every episode, Scrubs delivered eight great seasons (not counting the horrendous and unnecessary season 9). This show can make you laugh, weep, and smile all in one episode.
The Larry Sanders Show
If The Sopranos paved the way for The Golden Age of Dramatic Television, then The Larry Sanders Show certainly did the same for sitcoms. The Larry Sanders Show proved to audiences what sitcoms could be and television was never the same afterward.
The workplace: a fictional late-night talk show revolving around the life of its host, Larry Sanders (Gary Shandling), and all the behind-the-scenes drama. With hilarious celebrity interviews and the immortal performance of Shandling’s Sanders, The Larry Sanders Show is not only one of the best workplace comedies, it is also one of the best television shows.
Where to Stream: HBO Now, HBO Go
Parks and Recreation
It was a difficult decision to rank Parks and Recreation at second and not first. Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson are some of the best-developed sitcom characters, ever. The show makes working at a federal parks department look fun and exciting, while simultaneously showing the ups and downs of local politics.
While the show is hilarious and quotable, but the best thing about Parks and Recreation is undeniably the cast. That familial feeling is so important to a workplace comedy, and Parks and Recreation did it the best.
The Office (U.S.)
While The Larry Sanders Show practically reinvented the workplace comedy, The Office perfected it. The Office is the quintessential workplace comedy. Dunder Mifflin as a workplace is just as important to the show as its employees. The Office might be the trendy show that everyone loves to quote and make memes about, but it is still a ridiculously hilarious piece of art. Especially the show’s series finale, which is one of the most emotional and satisfying series finales ever aired.
