TV can be a hard landscape to navigate. New shows come out, and fail, on what seems like a monthly basis. Shows are hyped to hell and back while others seem to somehow slide into a comfortable timeslot without so much as a press release. It’s usually the ones that fall under the radar, somehow surviving despite low to average ratings, that are the best.
10. Psych
Psych features one of the most charming conmen in the history TV. Sean, a slacker with time on his hands, uses his awesome powers of observation to fake being a psychic for the police force. He’s joined by his nerdy friend Gus who helps him eventually open a fake detective agency. The two have a fun chemistry that makes their friendship all the more believable. The show is funny, even when the plot sometimes focuses on murder.
9. The Middle
The travails of a lower middle class family haven’t been this funny since Roseanne. The relatable Hecks of Indiana attempt to navigate life in the middle of the financial spectrum, representing a common group of people producers feign ignorance of—looking at you Modern Family. Their daily quarrels, small victories and fast food meals are hilariously recognizable to anyone a part of a nuclear family.
8. American Dad
American Dad is the best of Seth MacFarlane’s coterie of animated series currently airing on FOX. The show follows the Smith family, whose patriarch, Stan, is an ultra conservative member of the CIA. Stan often clashes with his sensitive son and hippie daughter. There’s also a talking fish and an alien with a Paul Lynde voice hidden in the attic. Everyone keeping up? The humor is weird, occasionally dark, but never boring. Its biggest merit is the non-existent cutaways that Family Guy so heavily relies on.
7. Suburgatory
Tessa’s New York City life is transformed into suburban hell when her single father moves her to the suburbs of Chatswain, NY, an upstate town populated by superficial residents. Suburgatory seems like a by the books, fish out of water comedy, but it’s proven to be more than that. The show’s goofy humor is infectious and punctuated with genuinely emotional moments. The cast is stacked with funny people too. SNL alums Ana Gasteyer and Chris Parnell are especially delightful as a high-strung married couple. Although the audience sometimes finds itself rolling their eyes along with Tessa, they’re doing it with a collective grin.
6. Childrens Hospital
Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim isn’t afraid to take on strange programming. Childrens Hospital is no exception. The hospital drama satire is set in a hospital in Brazil—one of the shows many nonsensical running gags— takes the melodramatic moments so commonplace in Grey’s Anatomy into comedic territory. Tropes like ridiculous diseases-of-the-week and oversexed hospital staff aren’t safe from this biting take on a guilty pleasure.
5. Happy Endings
Everybody, in all seriousness, start watching this show. Happy Endings is on the brink of extinction. It really shouldn’t be, though. This delightful group of 30 something’s living in Chicago deserves a second chance. This show is like a snarkier, more diverse Friends. Happy Endings mix of stupidity and brilliance makes it the very definition of a cult classic.
4. Portlandia
Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein make an- adorable comedy duo. The real life best friends created Portlandia, a sketch show set in Portland, Ore. Armisen and Brownstein are the primary players. They’ve created a cast of funny characters that are perfect caricatures of anybody who’s ever owned a tote bag. These self -important hipster residents can be found across the U.S., not just in the gentrified neighborhoods of Portlandia.
3. Archer
Take James Bond’s good looks and gadgets, subtract the brains, add a terrible personality with a heaping portion of mommy issues and you’ve got Archer. The spoof takes on the day-to-day happenings at super spy agency ISIS, juxtaposing top-secret missions with the daily grind of an office. The titular character Sterling Archer is a crass, stupid, sexy secret agent, able and willing to seduce any woman. He’s joined by his mother Mallory and colleagues, a menagerie equipped with strange personalities and quotable catchphrases that aren’t always appropriate in respectable company.
2. Bob’s Burger
Finally there’s a cartoon where the father is competent instead of a clownish idiot. Bob’s Burgers is set in an unnamed seaside town where local restaurant owner Bob Belcher runs his burger place. The show ultimately focuses on his odd family, including his wife and three kids. The best part about Bob’s is the family’s dynamic. The group of weirdoes, each weird in his or her own special way, loves each other unconditionally. Their quirks fit together like puzzle pieces, forming a picture that’s loving, if not a bit demented. But hey, what family isn’t?
1. Burning Love
Burning Love, a web series turned TV show, takes down everything polite society hates about The Bachelor and Bachelorette. The spot-on parody of the reality TV juggernaut features comedy heavyweights like Natasha Leggero, Nick Kroll and Ken Marino along with the uber famous–Jennifer Aniston and Ben Stiller both make appearances in season one. The 15-minute episodes pack as much plot in as a full two hours of The Bachelor. Everything from phony fights to even phonier product placement is skewered. Season one is currently airing on E! while season two is on Yahoo!.
Honorable Mentions
–Don’t Trust the B—- in Apt. 23
The B—- was cancelled earlier this year, falling victim to a small viewership and a network that liked to shuffle around its timeslot, often airing episodes out of order to boot. It was one of the quirkiest things on TV, with likable, strong female protagonists and a deliciously weird cast of supporting characters. If given the room to grow, The B—- could’ve been ABC’s funniest program.
–Community
This show is not as great as it used to be but it’s still better than a lot of stuff on TV. The inside jokes and witty reference humor make viewers feel like they’re a part of a super secret club. The cast seems like a real group of people you’d really want to hang out with, minus Chevy Chase, of course.
–Arrested Development
Although not technically on the air, a vocal fan base helped bring this show back to life. Well, at least for episodes on Netflix, set to go live in May. Arrested Development is one of the most re-watchable shows ever to exist. Clever, often dry jokes are made at a high speed pace and can only be caught with multiple viewings. The cartoonish Bluth family is lovable and laughable, but hardly ever at the same time.