Entertainment

The Funniest TV Shows of All Time  

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Originally by Ranker Community
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List Rules Vote up the most hilarious sitcoms, sketch shows, or other programs in television history

 

The funniest TV shows ever range from some of the best TV shows of recent memory to some of the best TV shows of all time. These hilarious television shows and series are the ones that make you accidentally snort your soda up your nose, spill your TV dinner, and fall off your chair from laughing. Some of these funny TV shows are so good, they'll have you chuckling at just the memory of a joke, even years down the line.

From the timeless antics of I Love Lucy's Ethel and Lucy to the foul-mouthed hi-jinks of the kids from South Park to the moral depravity of the Bluth family on Arrested Development, these funny television series make the living room (or bedroom, plane, car, office, whatever..it's the digital age, we get it) a funnier place to be. Many of these amusing TV shows are still on the air (The Simpsons, Big Bang Theory), others have gone to TV heaven (Cheers, 30 Rock), and more still have been resurrected from the digital grave (Family Guy, Futurama). 

What are the funniest series on TV?  What is the funniest TV show ever? This list of the funniest TV shows ever looks to crown one TV show the funniest television show ever. It doesn't matter if the show is old or new - these are the top TV comedies of all time. Vote for your favorite TV show and make sure to add any popular funny TV shows that might be missing from the funniest television series list. Note that they aren't necessarily all comedy tv shows - a show can be funny and not necessarily a "comedy" per se. But let's face it - most of the funniest tv shows are also the best comedies of all time.

Check out the best streaming Netflix TV shows if you want to know if some of these hilarious series are available for streaming there.

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26
Everybody Loves Raymond is listed (or ranked) 26 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton, Brad Garrett
Everybody Loves Raymond is an American television sitcom starring Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton, Doris Roberts, Peter Boyle, Brad Garrett, and Monica Horan. It originally ran on CBS from September ...more
27
The Carol Burnett Show is listed (or ranked) 27 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, Harvey Korman
The Carol Burnett Show is an American variety/sketch comedy television show starring Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence and Lyle Waggoner. It originally ran on CBS from September 11, ...more
28
30 Rock is listed (or ranked) 28 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan
30 Rock is an American satirical television sitcom that ran on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013, and was created by Tina Fey. The series, which is loosely based on Fey's ...more
29
Whose Line Is It Anyway? is listed (or ranked) 29 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
AndreaPoole-Presslor added Ryan Stiles, Colin Mochrie, Wayne Brady
Whose Line Is It Anyway? (The CW, 1998) is an American improvisational comedy show adapted from the British show. Hosted by Aisha Tyler, the show features Colin Mochrie, Ryan Stiles, Wayne ...more
30
Mr. Bean is listed (or ranked) 30 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
wiabux added Rowan Atkinson, Robin Driscoll, Matilda Ziegler
Mr. Bean is a British television programme series of fifteen 25-minute episodes written by Robin Driscoll and starring Rowan Atkinson as the title character. Different episodes were also written ...more
31
3rd Rock from the Sun is listed (or ranked) 31 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
John Lithgow, Jane Curtin, Kristen Johnston
3rd Rock from the Sun is an American sitcom that aired from 1996 to 2001 on NBC. The show is about four extraterrestrials who are on an expedition to Earth, which they consider to be a very ...more
32
It's Always Sunny in Philadelp... is listed (or ranked) 32 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FXX, 2005) is an American television sitcom created by Rob McElhenney. The series follows "The Gang", a group of five depraved underachievers: twins ...more
33
All in the Family is listed (or ranked) 33 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, Rob Reiner
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, ...more
34
Fawlty Towers is listed (or ranked) 34 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
John Cleese, Prunella Scales, Andrew Sachs
Fawlty Towers is a BBC television sitcom that was first broadcast on BBC2 in 1975 and 1979. Twelve episodes were made. The show was written by John Cleese and his then-wife Connie Booth, both of ...more
35
King of the Hill is listed (or ranked) 35 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Mike Judge, Kathy Najimy, Pamela Adlon
King of the Hill is an American adult animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010 on Fox. It centers on the Hills, a middle-class ...more
36
The Daily Show is listed (or ranked) 36 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Jon Stewart, Trevor Noah, Hasan Minhaj
The Daily Show (Comedy Central, 1999) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program. Described as a fake news program, the show draws its comedy and satire from recent news ...more
37
Gilligan's Island is listed (or ranked) 37 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus
Gilligan's Island is an American sitcom created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz via United Artists Television. The show had an ensemble cast that featured Bob Denver, Alan Hale, Jr., Jim ...more
38
The Andy Griffith Show is listed (or ranked) 38 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
gamedemon24 added Andy Griffith, Ron Howard, Don Knotts
The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom, which originally ran on CBS from October 3, 1960 to April 1, 1968. The show, a semi-spin-off from an episode of The Danny Thomas Show, starred Andy ...more
39
How I Met Your Mother is listed (or ranked) 39 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders
How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014. The series follows the main character, Ted Mosby, and his group of friends in ...more
40
The Bob Newhart Show is listed (or ranked) 40 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, Bill Daily
The Bob Newhart Show is an American situation comedy produced by MTM Enterprises, which aired 142 half-hour episodes on CBS from September 16, 1972, to April 1, 1978. Comedian Bob Newhart ...more
41
The King of Queens is listed (or ranked) 41 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
RawnToler added Kevin James, Leah Remini, Jerry Stiller
Kevin James, Leah Ramni, Jerry Stiller, Patton Oswalt
The King of Queens is an American sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007. The show was produced by Hanley Productions and CBS Productions, CBS Paramount ...more
42
Community is listed (or ranked) 42 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Joel McHale, Danny Pudi, Donald Glover
Community is an American television sitcom created by Dan Harmon that premiered on NBC on September 17, 2009. The single-camera series follows an ensemble cast of students at a community college ...more
43
Taxi is listed (or ranked) 43 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Judd Hirsch, Jeff Conaway, Danny DeVito
Taxi is an American sitcom that originally aired from 1978 to 1982 on ABC and from 1982 to 1983 on NBC. The series—which won 18 Emmy Awards, including three for Outstanding Comedy Series—focuses ...more
44
Happy Days is listed (or ranked) 44 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Marion Ross
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that aired first-run from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life ...more
45
Bewitched is listed (or ranked) 45 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
AvalonBrownProvin added Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York, Dick Sargent
Bewitched is an American TV situation comedy fantasy which was broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972. It was created by Sol Saks under executive director Harry Ackerman, and ...more
46
The Dick Van Dyke Show is listed (or ranked) 46 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie
The Dick Van Dyke Show is an American television sitcom that initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961, until June 1, 1966. The show was created by Carl Reiner and starred Dick Van Dyke, Rose ...more
47
The Muppet Show is listed (or ranked) 47 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Richard Hunt
The Muppet Show is a family-oriented comedy-variety television series that was produced by puppeteer Jim Henson and features The Muppets. After two pilot episodes produced in 1974 and 1975 ...more
48
Roseanne is listed (or ranked) 48 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Roseanne Barr, John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf
Roseanne is an American sitcom that was broadcast on ABC from October 18, 1988, to May 20, 1997. Starring Roseanne Barr, the show revolved around the Conners, an Illinois working-class family. ...more
49
Night Court is listed (or ranked) 49 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Dbo878 added Harry Anderson, John Larroquette, Richard Moll
Night Court is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from January 4, 1984, to May 31, 1992. The setting was the night shift of a Manhattan court, presided over by the young, ...more
50
In Living Color is listed (or ranked) 50 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Keenen Ivory Wayans, Jim Carrey, Kelly Coffield Park
In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series that originally ran on Fox from April 15, 1990, to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote and starred in the ...more