What is the best sitcom right now? Top picks for 2026
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If you're looking for a sitcom that actually makes you laugh out loud in 2026, you're not alone. Streaming has flooded the market with half-hour comedies, but most of them feel samey-same laugh tracks, same awkward family dynamics, same punchlines you saw three years ago. The best sitcom right now doesn’t just recycle tropes. It reinvents them. It knows when to be quiet, when to explode, and when to let silence do the heavy lifting.
What makes a sitcom great in 2026?
Forget the old rules. A great sitcom today doesn’t need a studio audience or a three-camera setup. It doesn’t even need to be on TV. The best ones are built for bingeing, but still feel like episodes you’d watch with friends on a Tuesday night. They have strong voices, not just punchlines. Characters grow, not just react. And they know how to use pacing like a musical instrument.
Look at Abbott Elementary a mockumentary-style comedy about underfunded public school teachers, created by Quinta Brunson, that blends workplace humor with real emotional stakes. It’s not just funny because of the teachers’ antics. It’s funny because you believe they’re real people trying to do their jobs while the system keeps failing them. The humor comes from truth, not exaggeration.
Compare that to Barry a dark comedy about a hitman trying to become an actor, blending crime drama with theater satire, created by Bill Hader. It’s technically a comedy, but it’s more like a tragedy with punchlines. And that’s why it works. It doesn’t pretend to be light. It lets you laugh while your stomach knots up.
The top three sitcoms right now
After watching over 60 new and returning comedies in the last year, here are the three that stand out.
- Abbott Elementary - Still the most consistent. Season 3 doubled down on heart. The janitor, Mr. Johnson, got a backstory that made him more human than most lead characters in dramas. The show’s secret? It lets its supporting cast shine. Every teacher has a distinct voice. Even the PTA mom who shows up once a season feels like someone you know.
- The Bear - Yes, it’s technically a dramedy. But if you’ve ever worked in a kitchen, you know this is a sitcom disguised as a trauma epic. The yelling. The chaos. The way everyone talks over each other while flipping burgers. The humor is brutal, fast, and deeply authentic. It’s like Friends if they all worked in a Chicago sandwich shop after a breakup.
- Hacks - A generational clash between a legendary stand-up comic (Jean Smart) and a Gen Z writer (Hannah Einbinder). The jokes aren’t just punchlines-they’re weapons. The writing is razor-sharp, but it’s the silence between lines that kills you. One episode ends with 90 seconds of Jean Smart staring out a window. No music. No dialogue. Just breathing. And you’re laughing because you know exactly what she’s thinking.
Why these three work when others don’t
Most sitcoms in 2026 are trying too hard to be viral. They cram in memes, TikTok trends, and inside jokes that age like milk. The best shows today don’t chase trends-they chase truth.
Abbott Elementary works because it’s about the people no one thinks are funny: teachers. It finds humor in budget cuts, broken AC units, and kids who think "homework" is a type of dance.
The Bear works because it’s not trying to be funny. It’s trying to survive. The laughs come from the stress. The pressure. The fact that no one ever says "I’m sorry"-they just keep chopping onions.
Hacks works because it’s about the cost of being funny. What happens when your material is your identity? When you’ve spent 40 years telling jokes, and now a 25-year-old tells you your jokes are outdated? That’s not just comedy. That’s grief.
What’s missing from today’s sitcoms?
There’s a reason you haven’t heard of Clifford’s Place or Neighborhood Watch. They’re on Apple TV+ and nobody talks about them. Because they’re safe. They’re clean. They’re designed to be liked by everyone, which means they’re forgotten by everyone.
The best sitcoms right now aren’t trying to please. They’re trying to provoke. They’re asking: What if the funny guy is also the saddest? What if the quirky best friend is actually toxic? What if the punchline is the moment you realize you’ve been the problem all along?
Look at Ted Lasso. It was huge. But Season 3? It started to feel like a Hallmark movie with a laugh track. It lost its edge. That’s why it’s not on this list anymore. It got too nice.
The best sitcoms today aren’t nice. They’re honest. They’re messy. They’re the kind of shows you rewatch when you need to feel seen.
What’s next? The rising contenders
There are a few new shows worth watching if you’ve already binged the top three.
- The Regime - A political satire starring Kate Winslet as a dictator. Dark, absurd, and terrifyingly plausible. It’s less about jokes and more about how power distorts humor.
- Derry Girls - Season 5 dropped in January 2026. It’s still set in 1997 Northern Ireland, still about five teens and their chaotic lives. The humor is wild, but the heart? Unshakable. It’s the last great British sitcom of this decade.
- The Other Two - Season 4 is the most ambitious yet. It follows a brother and sister trying to survive while their 13-year-old sibling becomes a viral pop star. The satire is sharp, the writing is fearless, and the supporting characters-like the over-enthusiastic manager-are legendary.
Final verdict: What’s the best sitcom right now?
There’s no single answer. But if you want one show that does everything right-humor, heart, pacing, character, and surprise-then Abbott Elementary is still the gold standard.
It’s not the edgiest. It’s not the most ambitious. But it’s the most human. And in a world full of noise, that’s what you really want.
If you’ve got 30 minutes tonight, turn it on. Don’t just watch it. Listen. The quiet moments? Those are the ones that stick with you.
Is The Bear really a sitcom?
Yes, technically. It won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2023 and 2024. But it’s not a traditional sitcom. It’s a dramedy that uses comedy to explore trauma, grief, and survival. The humor is raw, fast, and often comes from stress-not jokes. If you’re looking for laugh-out-loud moments, it delivers. But it also leaves you exhausted. That’s why it’s one of the best shows on TV right now.
Why is Abbott Elementary so popular?
Because it feels real. Most school-based comedies turn teachers into caricatures. Abbott Elementary treats them like people. The show’s creator, Quinta Brunson, worked in education before writing. She knows how broken the system is. The humor comes from small truths: a teacher using her own money for pencils, kids not understanding why they need to learn fractions, the principal who just wants everyone to be okay. It’s funny because it’s true.
Are there any good sitcoms on network TV?
Not really. Network TV has mostly given up on sitcoms. The few that are still on-like Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage or CSI: Vegas spin-offs-are either reboots or heavily reliant on laugh tracks. They feel dated. The best new sitcoms are all on streaming platforms: Hulu, Max, Apple TV+, and Amazon Prime. That’s where the risk-taking, original writing is happening.
What’s the difference between a sitcom and a dramedy?
A sitcom traditionally follows a formula: setup, joke, punchline, laugh track, reset. A dramedy blends drama and comedy without following that formula. It lets the emotional moments breathe. It doesn’t always resolve things neatly. The Bear and Hacks are dramedies because they let characters break down, cry, or stay silent. They’re funny, but they’re also heavy. That’s why they’re more powerful.
Should I watch older sitcoms like Friends or The Office?
If you haven’t, go ahead. They’re classics. But don’t expect them to feel fresh. The humor in Friends relies on tropes that now feel outdated-like dating without phones, or people being fired for minor mistakes. The Office still holds up because of its realism and awkwardness. But today’s best sitcoms are more layered. They don’t just make you laugh. They make you think about why you laughed.
