10. New Girl (2011 – present, Fox)
Created by Elizabeth Meriwether, this American sitcom stars ZooeyDeschanel as Jess, a young teacher who moves into an apartment from Lost Angeles with three other men – the bartender Nick (Jake Johnson), the modern Casanova Schmidt (Max Greenfield) and the former athlete Winston (Lamorne Morris). While the show is mainly a comedy, it does also take elements from dramas, intertwining the two styles, as the main characters are dealing the idea of maturing and making important choices. The adorable and dorky Jessica Jess Day wants a new start after being cheated on by her boyfriend, yet she does not know that she is not moving in with three girls, but with 3 boys. And a broken hearted girl living with a bunch of men only means a lot of drama, but much more amusement.
Schimdt: the Clownsanova
Max Greenfield’s character Schmidt is apparently the typical looser turned douchebag, but he is also a successful man and somehow amusing. Out of his best quotes we have chosen the ones we found most amusing: “I had figure skating lessons until I was 13, and then my mom sobered up and realized I was a boy“, “Old people freak me out. With their hands and their legs. They’re like the people version of pleated pants.”, “Please take that off. You look like a homeless pencil.”, “I’m like a sexual snowflake. Each night with me is like a unique experience.”, “It’s only romantic because it’s a wedding. I’d be just as happy to sabotage, I don’t know, let’s say, her tax audit.”
Irresistible
Why you should watch New Girl? Well… it is irresistible and honest. The producers do not try very hard and exaggerate in trying to make the show appealing. The writing is smart, as well as the jokes, and confident and the characters are fresh, yet somehow familiar, while the plot is dynamic and constantly evolving. Also, Deschanel’s acting and character remind people of Lucille Ball in the famous I Love Lucy, half a century later. And this definitelymakes it deserve a spot in our top and a mark on your list.
9. Arrested Development (2003 – 2006, 2013 – present, Fox, Netflix)
Acclaimed and awarded with six Primetime Emmy Awards and one Golden Globe Award, Arrested Development is an American sitcom created by Mitchell Hurwitz. Following the once rich but still dysfunctional Bluth family, the show stars Jason Bateman as Michael Bluth, Michael Cera as the teenage son George Michael, Jeffrey Tambor as the family’s patriarch George Bluth Sr., Tony Hale as the youngest son Byron Bluester Bluth, Will Arnett as George Oscar Bluth, Portia de Rossi as Lindsay, David Cross as Tobias Funke and Alia Shawkat as Mae Maeby Funke. Michael struggles to keep his selfish manipulative family together, but the different personalities clash and so comes the comedy.
The “fun”…
With such a variety of characters, it is only obvious that the verbal humor is at its finest – puns, innuendos, malapropism, ironies and many other types found their place in Arrested Development’s script. A few of our favourite quotes include “Get me a vodka rocks./ Mom, it’s breakfast./ And a piece of toast.”, “She calls it a mayonegg.”, “There’s always money in the banana stand.”, “Do you guys know where I can get one of those gold necklaces with a T on it?/ That’s a cross./ Across from where?”, “Mom, after all these years, God’s not going to take a call from you.”, “Okay, Lindsay, are you forgetting that I was a professional twice over: an analyst and a therapist, the world’s first analrapist.” and I think you get us.
…in “dysfunctional”
If we did not convince you so far, though we doubt it, let us play our last card – no on in this show tries too hard to be amusing. The characters are not constructed to act like clowns, but to be hilarious through their own personalities – the people in this show have their own individual traits which make them both surreal and relatable, while still maintaining their humorous features – and, of course, the actors’ performances play a major role in this aspect. The show itself is clever, occasionally confusing, but bloody hilarious.
8. The Big Bang Theory (2007 – present, CBS)
Chuck Lorre’s and Bill Prady’s sitcom with 8 seasons so far follows the group of brilliant friends made out of the experimental physicist Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki), the theoretical physicist with many degrees and titles, Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons), the aerospace engineer, Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and the astrophysicist Ray Koothrappali (KunalNayyar). Along the main four male geniuses, there are also the hardworking Bernadette (Melissa Rauch) and the neuroscientist Amy Fowler (Mayim Bialik) and of course, we can not forget about the adorable, but not so smart, Penny (KaleyCuoco). With Penny crashing in the lives of our smart boys, it is only normal to assume that their different personalities and mentalities would only clash and cause humor.
Smart is the new fun
Just because they are a bunch of geeks, it does not mean that they do not have humor, otherwise, this show would not be mentioned here. So, while being all smart and fancy in their speech, our heroes are also, from time to time, funny. “Scissors cuts paper, paper covers rock, rock crushes lizard, lizard poisons Spock, Spock smashes scissors, scissors decapitates lizard, lizard eats paper, paper disproves Spock, Spock vaporizes rock, and as it always has, rock crushes scissors.”, “Interesting. You’re afraid of insects and women. Ladybugs must render you catatonic.”, “The X-men were named for the Xin Charles Xavier. Since I am Sheldon Cooper, you will be my C-Men.”, Gosh, Amy. I’m sensing a little hostility. Is it maybe because like Sheldon’s work, your sex life is also theoretical?”.
Bazinga!
While the jokes might be a little repetitive, The Big Bang Theory managed to be the best sitcom of the year when it was released. The constant reference to comic books, movies and video games, but also the geeky nature of the main characters has created a full connection between the show and its viewers, which are, more or less, quite similar to the characters they love so much. The dialogue can be considered rather intelligent and it gives a certain je ne sais quoi to the characters, making them not only smart, but also sweet and appealing.
7. 2 Broke Girls (2011 – present, CBS)
Developed by Michael Patrick King and Whitney Cummings for the Warner Bros. Television, 2 Broke Girls is an American sitcom following the lives of the New York roommates Max Black (Kat Dennings), a girl brought up in poverty, and Caroline Channing (Beth Behrs), the daughter of a millionaire. Despite their different backgrounds and very different personalities, the girls do get along and work together in a local diner, in order to get enough money to open their own cupcake business. But it is never easy to start a business, so the girls will have a lot of work to do and a lot of time to wait. Meanwhile, they can have some fun while they are still young.
My cupcake business for a comedy!
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade, take a sip, and then throw it into your enemies’ eyes. Or at least this is the motto Max Black seems to follow through her life. The differences between her and Caroline “Paris Hilton” Channing are so big that it can not be helped making so many jokes and sassy remarks. The fans’ favourite ones are: “ Max, you look so smart in that robe./ Not that smart. I just found out you’re supposed to wear clothes under this thing.”, “My gambling problem got so bad I couldn’t even afford my drug problem.”, “It’s that time of year again./ I’m so jealous. I can’t believe you only get your period once a year.”, “You can’t spell focus without “us”./ Or F. U.”.
Not giving up
With a couple of Emmy nominations and a few awards on its shelf, 2 Broke Girls is currently preparing for its fifth season and hopefully, it will not be the last one. Being not only funny, but also realistic, showing actual life struggles with a touch of perkiness and many dirty jokes, the show has a great potential and it quite loved by its fans – and also by some random people, who just happen to come across its jokes. The chemistry between the two main characters is not unique, but it surely appeals and is entertaining. Also, while some might want to give up on 2 Broke Girls, keep in mind that not every person understands adult humor, sarcasm and smart word plays.