“New Girl”

In this sitcom, Zooey Deschanel plays Jessica Day, a cheerful school teacher who, after a bad breakup, moves into an LA apartment with three guys she has never met before. 

At its core, this show is about friendship, and it gives you a perfect mix of straightforward and smart comedy while still having heartwarming moments. This show has a talented writers staff and a cast who have great chemistry, like Deschanel and Jake Johnson, who plays Nick Miller, Jess’ love interest. “New Girl” stands out from any other sitcom reminiscent of “Friends” about a group of friends living in the big city because of its developed characters and wit.

“Arrested Development”

“Arrested Development” is a show about a dysfunctional family and one son, Micheal Bluth, played by Jason Bateman, trying to keep them all together for the sake of their shifty family-owned accounting firm. In the show’s pilot, Micheal’s father gets thrown in prison, leaving Micheal to run the family business.

This show is brilliantly written and was ahead of its time during its 2003-2006 running on Fox. “Arrested Development” boasts a now absurdly famous cast with actors like Micheal Cera and Will Arnett. With dozens of long-running jokes throughout the seasons, like Micheals brother-in-law Tobias joining a “Blue Man Group” and not realizing that this is a support group for depressed men, paints himself bright blue to go to his first meeting, and then from that point on commits to becoming a Blue Man performer, “Arrested Development” is a show that is best when binge-watched.

“Community”

“Community” takes place at a community college that a former lawyer, Jeff Winger, is forced to attend when it is found out that he faked his Bachelor’s degree. In the pilot, he forms a study group for his Spanish class which includes seven students who become the main characters in the show.

“Community” brings the perfect mixture of comedy and drama. It’s the perfect show for relaxing and getting your mind off of things while still being entertained. The unique premise of being set at a community college with characters of all different backgrounds makes the show diverse. The cast is incredibly talented and funny, with popular names including Donald Glover as Troy, Yvette Nicole Brown as Shirley, and Ken Jeong as Spanish teacher Señor Chang. 

“I Am Not Okay With This”

After the death of her father, a teenage girl Syd, played by Sophia Lillis, discovers that she can control things with her mind. She struggles to navigate all of the typical teenage things such as mood swings, sexuality, parent relationships, and friendship, all while thinking she’s losing her mind. 

“I Am Not Okay With This” is a show that you will find yourself hooked onto after the first episode. You can watch it multiple times and still enjoy it. The characters are well-written and relatable, it’s suspenseful, dramatic, and will keep you on edge while still having the right amount of comedic relief. After its release in 2020, this show was canceled by Netflix, so the last episode leaves on a cliffhanger. However, the series is based on a comic book series of the same name by Charles Forsman, so there is a satisfying ending written.

“Everything Sucks!”

This is a sitcom that takes place in Boring, Oregon in the mid-1990s about a middle school A/V and Drama club making a movie together. The group navigates through dating, crushes, sexuality, friendship, popularity, and growing up.

“Everything Sucks!” is a fun and charming portrayal of being a teenager, and also has a bit of a mystery element with the storyline of the main character, whose father has been missing after he left his family years prior.  This show stands out because of its ability to be relatable to younger generations while also being set in the 90s. This show also features “Euphoria” star Sydney Sweeney playing Emaline, a dramatic and passionate theater student. This show brings likable and complex characters, making it perfect to watch over a weekend.