My husband and I watch three TV shows together: The Mindy Project, parks and rec, and the daily show. But since parks and rec is apparently soon coming to an end, we'd really like to start watching some other 30 minute sitcom to fill in the gap. We want something that's funny and that is no longer than 30 minutes.
Any recommendations?
Here are some examples of sitcoms that we have both liked:
Seinfeld
The Simpsons
King of the hill
The office
Friends
30 rock
Bonus points if the series is available on Netflix streaming or Hulu. Don't bother recommending the Big Bang theory, how I Met your mother, or modern family. Those are all shows that I like that my husband won't watch.
Arrested Development is hysterical and on Netflix. ♡
ReplyDeleteYESS!!!!!!!!
DeleteArrested development is one of those shows that everyone told us we would love and we assumed we would love, but we watched two or three seasons and could never get into it.
Deletehappy endings and go on.
ReplyDeleteMy friend recommended The Knick on Cinemax. Not a sitcom, but I think based on her description it would be right up your alley. I don't have cable, so haven't seen it unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteMalcolm in the Middle (oldie but goodie) and Derek (British; on Netflix; you have to give it a couple of episodes)
ReplyDeleteFrasier, Futurama, and Bob's Burgers. All are tasteful and intellectual in their humor (even crude/adult humor--except maybe the most recent season of Futurama) and generally have feel-good endings. All are available on Netflix or Hulu!
ReplyDeleteWe have seen all Futurama episodes. I used to sometimes watch Frasier, but I think my husband thinks it's a little bit too much Fraser, where as his character on cheers was just enough.
DeleteI suggested Bob's burgers to my husband and he quickly vetoed it. Can you say something convincing about it?
Bob's Burgers! Unexpectedly hilarious. I really thought I was going to hate a cartoon show but my husband insisted. It's great.
DeleteMy husband and I, and now our daughter, have an almost exact list (minus Friends, 30 Rock) as you two. Another vote for Bob's Burger - quirky family, awkward kids, promotes work-ethic, and like Patho Nurse wrote above it's 'unexpectedly hilarious.' It works for us and is our go-to, all family on board show.
Delete+1 for bob's burgers; its soo unexpectedly good
DeleteBrooklyn 99... Love it
ReplyDeleteScrubs is my go-to sitcom.
ReplyDeleteI have already seen most of those...
Delete2 Broke Girls!
ReplyDeletebut...it can get pretty raunchy. Its on at like 8pm on Mondays...I can't believe some of the stuff they get away with saying at that hour.
The Middle!
ReplyDeletedon't know if its streaming, but News Radio? We loved that one (and also love most of the shows you mentioned above, though how in the hell did you get your husband to watch the Mindy Project? I failed on that one!)
ReplyDeleteI second Happy Endings and Bob's Burgers.
ReplyDeleteI'm not quite sure what to say to convince your husband of the latter (a few episodes of the former will get you guys hooked), other than to say it's a bit like King of the Hill, with a dash of Simpsons and a touch of insanity
If you have HBO I strongly recommend Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
I have to also recommend going off the traditional and consider youtube. If you have a Roku or something similar, just subscribe to channels and you'll always have something to watch--it kills much more time than you'd realize. I'd start with Mental Floss and, if you like it, consider the Vlog Brothers (one of the brothers and the usual host of the Mental Floss channel is John Green, the author of Fault in Our Stars. Also look for Collective Cadenza--they post infrequently, but do awesome stuff with music and ScottBradleeLovesYa produces/films? great and unusual covers (e.g., Radiohead's Creep sung a la Motown Soul or a swing-rendition of Like a Prayer). I watch on my TV, lean-back style, on my Roku (you can sign in to your youtube account) and don't seem to get any of the commercials.
ReplyDeleteAnother vote for Brooklyn 9-9 if you love the Mindy Project. Super Fun Night is ok, but I doubt your husband will like it. I've heard good things about the Maria Bamford show on You Tube and I love her comedy so I plan to check it out.
ReplyDeleteSince you have some oldies on the list... how about Sports Night? I loved that show when it was on and was really disappointed when it went off the air.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah - i second Sports Night. It was created and written by Aaron Sorkin (he also created 'the west wing'), so if you like smart, talky shows, it's a good one. I should mention that I'm a woman and NOT AT ALL into sports.
DeleteLet us know if you want any recs for dramas!
My husband and I also watched parks & rec and never got into Arrested Development so maybe we have a similar taste. We liked 30 Rock. Each episode is, I think, 20 min. It was pretty funny and you can start pretty much anywhere because there isn't that much continuity. This was good for us because we didn't get too attached to the show and could just watch it anytime
ReplyDeleteThe IT Crowd. It's on Netflix, and really funny.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know anything about the show it's always Sunny in Philadelphia?
ReplyDeleteGets old FAST.
DeleteWelcome to Sweden. It's with Greg Poehler, Amy Poehler's brother. In real life, he was an attorney and moved to Sweden with his then girlfriend. He found he was successful as a stand up comedian, gave up law and went into comedy. He moved back to the states. The show is influenced by his experiences but it's a low key comedy. I watch it on hulu.com and I think it's on NBC? This is the first year I think, It's 4 or 5 episodes in. It's in both Swedish and English, the Swedish being subtitled. It has Lena Olin and Patrick Duffy, and Amy Poehler showed up in the first episode.
ReplyDeleteI find It's Always Sunny to be a little too stupid for me.
I second the IT Crowd
ReplyDeleteCommunity - just try it. No laugh track and they don't hold your hand. Just try it!
ReplyDeleteWe actually did try it. We just couldn't get into it. I think my problem was I didn't find any of the characters likable.
DeleteI had a hard time getting into Bob's Burgers but stuck with it. The "art fair" episode where the aunt paints nothing but animal butts is where it clicked for me. I laughed and was hooked. I usually don't stick with things that don't grab me in the first couple of episodes, but I adore Jon Benjamin and stuck it out for him. I'm also a big fan of Archer, which is often compared to Arrested Development, but like you, that is something I didn't get into. However, if you liked Seinfeld you might like Archer, in that most everyone is a self-absorbed nutjob.
ReplyDeleteI also recommend NTSF:SD:SUV, which is a parody of all the cop shows, done in 15 minute bursts. It's available on video.adultswim.com . On the same site is all the episodes [one season, so far] of Rick and Morty, which is science fiction but funny and incredibly surreal, to the point of insanity. Like Archer, it may be an acquired taste.
Blackadder
ReplyDeleteLove, love, love the Black Adder series!
DeleteThank you everyone for the recommendations. We're going to try Brooklyn 99 and Bob's burgers.
ReplyDeleteMALCOM IN THE MIDDLE!!! It's hilaaaariousssssss
ReplyDelete