comedies The Funniest TV Shows of All Time  

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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 make you want to punch a baby. Yes, punch a baby. That. Good. 

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.

list ordered by

1
5,045 3,962
The Simpsons is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
The Simpsons Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright, Julie Kavner The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by the ...more

2
4,748 4,058
Seinfeld is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Seinfeld Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally ran for nine seasons on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as ...more

3
4,591 3,546
South Park is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
South Park Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Mary Kay Bergman South Park (Comedy Central, 1997) is an American adult animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. In the small town of South Park, four boys get caught up in all sorts of bizarre ...more

4
4,684 2,617
The Office is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
The Office Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer The Office is an American television comedy series that aired on NBC from March 24, 2005 to May 16, 2013. It is an adaptation of the BBC series of the same name. The Office was adapted for ...more

5
3,487 2,861
Arrested Development is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Arrested Development Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Portia de Rossi Arrested Development is an American television sitcom created by Mitchell Hurwitz, which originally aired on Fox for three seasons from November 2, 2003 to February 10, 2006. A fourth season of ...more

6
5,689 3,368
Friends is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Friends Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow Friends is an American television sitcom, created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which originally aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004. It lasted ten seasons and is now in ...more

7
3,489 3,113
That '70s Show is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
RudyJakubPrzybyło added That's 70's Show Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Mila Kunis That '70s Show is an American television period sitcom that originally aired on Fox from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series focused on the lives of a group of teenage friends living in ...more

8
2,823 2,796
Cheers is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Cheers Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger Cheers is an American sitcom that ran for eleven seasons between 1982 and 1993. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association with Paramount Network Television for ...more

9
4,118 3,094
Family Guy is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Family Guy Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green Family Guy is an American adult animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; ...more

10
2,925 2,579
Saturday Night Live is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Saturday Night Live Darrell Hammond, Kenan Thompson, Seth Meyers Saturday Night Live is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, ...more

11
3,028 2,697
Scrubs is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Scrubs Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke Scrubs is an American medical comedy television series created by Bill Lawrence that aired from October 2, 2001 to March 17, 2010 on NBC and later ABC. The series follows the lives of employees ...more

12
4,931 3,693
The Big Bang Theory is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
The Big Bang Theory Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco The Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom serve as executive producers on the show along with Steven Molaro. All three also serve as head ...more

The Greatest TV Shows Of All Time

13
2,816 2,175
Chappelle's Show is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Chappelle's Show Dave Chappelle, Donnell Rawlings, Neal Brennan Chappelle's Show is an American sketch comedy television series created by comedians Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan, with Chappelle hosting the show as well as starring in the majority of its ...more

14
2,188 1,927
Monty Python's Flying Circus is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Monty Python's Flying Circus Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a British sketch comedy series commissioned by David Attenborough, created by the comedy group Monty Python and broadcast by the BBC from 1969 to 1974. The shows ...more

15
2,576 2,018
I Love Lucy is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
I Love Lucy Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, ...more

16
2,322 2,238
M*A*S*H is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
M*A*S*H Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, Loretta Swi M*A*S*H is an American television series developed by Larry Gelbart, adapted from the 1970 feature film MASH. The series, which was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ...more

17
2,044 2,324
30 Rock is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
30 Rock 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

TV Shows Canceled Before Their Time

18
3,259 2,185
Modern Family is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Modern Family Ed O'Neill, Sofía Vergara, Julie Bowen Modern Family is an American television sitcom that premiered on ABC on September 23, 2009, which follows the lives of Jay Pritchett and his family, all of whom live in suburban Los Angeles. ...more

19
2,740 1,998
Futurama is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Futurama Billy West, John DiMaggio, Katey Sagal Futurama is an American adult animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the ...more

20
2,442 1,679
Parks and Recreation is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Parks and Recreation Amy Poehler, Jim O'Heir, Nick Offerman Parks and Recreation is an American television sitcom starring Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, a perky, mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created ...more

21
2,381 1,738
Ranker Video
Malcolm in the Middle Frankie Muniz, Jane Kaczmarek, Bryan Cranston Malcolm in the Middle is an American sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series was first broadcast on January 9, 2000 and ended its six-year run on May 14, ...more

22
1,914 1,618
The Carol Burnett Show is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
The Carol Burnett Show 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

The Greatest Sitcoms in Television History

23
2,294 1,858
Frasier is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Frasier Kelsey Grammer, Jane Leeves, David Hyde Pierce Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, premiering on September 16, 1993, and concluding on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David ...more

24
1,822 1,327
The Golden Girls is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
bojanthebest added The Golden Girls Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan The Golden Girls is an American sitcom, created by Susan Harris, that originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992. Starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and ...more

25
2,930 1,780
Married... with Children is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Married... with Children Ed O'Neill, Christina Applegate, Katey Sagal Married... with Children is an American sitcom that aired for 11 seasons. It featured a dysfunctional family living in a fictional Chicago suburb. The series, notable for being the first ...more

26
1,974 1,722
Everybody Loves Raymond is listed (or ranked) 26 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Everybody Loves Raymond 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
1,858 2,236
The Daily Show is listed (or ranked) 27 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
The Daily Show 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

8 TV Actors Who Turned Out Just Like Their Characters

28
1,653 1,481
3rd Rock from the Sun is listed (or ranked) 28 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
3rd Rock from the Sun 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

29
1,537 1,336
My Name Is Earl is listed (or ranked) 29 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Jim12 added My Name Is Earl Jason Lee, Ethan Suplee, Jaime Pressly My Name Is Earl is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that aired on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States. It was ...more

30
1,717 1,484
All in the Family is listed (or ranked) 30 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
All in the Family 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

31
3,067 2,221
How I Met Your Mother is listed (or ranked) 31 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
How I Met Your Mother 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

32
2,240 1,226
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is listed (or ranked) 32 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Emmahyacinth added The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Will Smith, James Avery, Alfonso Ribeiro The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of ...more

The Best British Sitcoms of All Time

33
2,686 1,744
It's Always Sunny in Philadelp... is listed (or ranked) 33 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia 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

34
1,287 877
Mr. Bean is listed (or ranked) 34 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
wiabux added Mr. Bean 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

35
1,407 1,340
Taxi is listed (or ranked) 35 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Taxi 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

36
1,275 1,401
The Bob Newhart Show is listed (or ranked) 36 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
The Bob Newhart Show 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

37
1,343 1,452
Archer is listed (or ranked) 37 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Archer H. Jon Benjamin, Judy Greer, Amber Nash Archer (FXX, 2009) is an American adult animated black spy sitcom created by Adam Reed. The adventures and mishaps of secret agent Sterling Archer (H. Jon Benjamin) and his colleagues, who are ...more

Fun Jobs That Pay Well

38
1,296 1,214
The Dick Van Dyke Show is listed (or ranked) 38 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
The Dick Van Dyke Show 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

39
1,136 995
King of the Hill is listed (or ranked) 39 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
King of the Hill 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

40
1,257 1,341
WKRP in Cincinnati is listed (or ranked) 40 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
WKRP in Cincinnati Gary Sandy, Gordon Jump, Howard Hesseman WKRP in Cincinnati is an American situation comedy television series that features the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was ...more

41
1,285 1,133
Gilligan's Island is listed (or ranked) 41 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Gilligan's Island 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

42
1,313 1,234
Roseanne is listed (or ranked) 42 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Roseanne 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

The Greatest Sitcoms of the 1990s, Ranked

43
1,600 1,659
The Colbert Report is listed (or ranked) 43 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
The Colbert Report Stephen Colbert, Jay Katsir, Jon Stewart The Colbert Report is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005 to December 18, 2014 for 1,447 ...more

44
976 898
Fawlty Towers is listed (or ranked) 44 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
Fawlty Towers 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

45
1,498 1,213
The Muppet Show is listed (or ranked) 45 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
The Muppet Show 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

46
1,707 1,335
The Three Stooges is listed (or ranked) 46 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
The Three Stooges Larry Fine, Moe Howard, Curly Howard

47
1,272 1,188
The Andy Griffith Show is listed (or ranked) 47 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
gamedemon24 added The Andy Griffith Show 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

48
1,276 585
Whose Line Is It Anyway? is listed (or ranked) 48 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
AndreaPoole-Presslor added Whose Line Is It Anyway? 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

49
1,818 1,225
Home Improvement is listed (or ranked) 49 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
WarrenMitchell added Home Improvement Tim Allen, Patricia Richardson, Earl Hindman Home Improvement is an American television sitcom starring Tim Allen, that aired from September 17, 1991 to May 25, 1999. The show was created by Matt Williams, Carmen Finestra and David ...more

50
1,241 1,189
The Beverly Hillbillies is listed (or ranked) 50 on the list The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
The Beverly Hillbillies Buddy Ebsen, Donna Douglas, Irene Ryan The Beverly Hillbillies is an American sitcom originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from September 26, 1962 to March 23, 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max ...more