10 Sitcoms That Feel Like They Were Built for Streaming

Even older classic sitcoms are available to stream, though they were originally on traditional TV networks. There are new sitcoms as well that premiered on traditional or specialty networks versus streaming services. In both cases, some of them seemed tailor-made for streaming even though they didn't originate through that medium.

10 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' (2005–Present)

Launching long before streaming became mainstream in every household, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia airs on FXX, though you can stream it now on Hulu. The sitcom was created by Rob Mac and centers around the dysfunctional owners of an Irish dive bar who spend more time scheming than they do actually trying to ensure the business is successful.

One of the longest-running sitcoms with 17 seasons under its belt and an 18th on the way, the show is praised for its dark humor, satire, and unique sense of comedy through all the best episodes. The cast is fantastic, including Mac himself alongside Charlie Day, Kaitlin Olson, and Danny DeVito. Having developed a cult following in the more than two decades since it's been on the air, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is the kind of sitcom you want to sit and binge, a core advantage of streaming. With some episodes as short as 18 minutes without commercials, it's easy to catch up with some long watch sessions.

9 'Friends' (1994–2004)

Friends is the type of sitcom you can watch again and again, and it never gets old. While there's a thematic storyline involving the six core cast members as friends navigating life in their 20s and 30s in New York City, you could easily watch episodes out of order and still enjoy them.

Each episode is called "The One Where" or "The One With," making it easy to scroll through a guide list on a streaming service and pick out your favorites. Friends came out long before streaming, of course, and with syndication, you could easily flip channels late at night and catch a marathon of episodes, but being able to select specific installments is a big plus for this series. It aired on NBC but is now available to stream on HBO Max.

8 'Seinfeld' (1989–1998)

Like Friends, Seinfeld is the type of sitcom you want to watch again and again. But unlike Friends, there's really no ongoing storyline. You could watch an episode from Season 1 or Season 5, and it wouldn't feel like you're missing anything but for the odd callback.

Had Seinfeld been released during the age of streaming, it likely would have been just as popular as its creator Larry David's other show, Curb Your Enthusiasm. Famously a "show about nothing," the jokes still stand the test of time, and the best Seinfeld characters are as endearing, quirky, and hilarious as ever. It's a smart decision for Netflix to have picked it up for streaming.

7 'The Big Bang Theory' (2007–2019)

It was fun to watch The Big Bang Theory week to week on CBS with seasonal hiatuses, but the sitcom is so funny, with the episodes so short, that it makes sense for streaming and would easily have done well had it launched on a streaming service instead. The show, about a group of self-professed nerds who befriend the pretty aspiring actress across the hall, is filled with scientific jargon most viewers don't understand, but it doesn't matter because the jokes hit.

The live studio audience feel was central to the show, but that could have been replicated for streaming, too. You could easily sit down and watch four, five, or even six episodes of the show and not realize the time going by. Since there are thematic elements to the story, like Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Penny's (Kaley Cuoco) relationship or Howard (Simon Helberg) and Bernadette's (Melissa Rauch) having kids, you'd want to watch them in order. Today, you can binge it on HBO Max.

6 'How I Met Your Mother' (2005–2014)

CBS' How I Met Your Mother, now streaming on Hulu, is perfect for streaming because of the recurring gags that you might want to flip back to older episodes to remind yourself about. The hilarious sitcom is framed by Ted (Josh Radnor) telling his teenage kids the story of how he met their mother through flashbacks to his 20s and 30s. The tease is that it keeps you guessing. But it's also a long ride of nine seasons, which was pretty exhausting for those who watched week to week for almost a decade.

What's fun about the show is that once you have the answer, it's interesting to flip back and see all the subtle clues, along with the red herrings that made you think it was someone else. There's also the age-old debate about Ted always pining for Robin (Cobie Smulders) and if he was doing so even after he was married. Besides that, the show has so many jokes that never get old. Even with some controversial episodes, usually involving playboy Barney's (Neil Patrick Harris) storylines, it's perfect for a re-watch.

5 'New Girl' (2011–2018)

The will-they, won't-they romance storyline between Jess (Zooey Deschanel) and Nick (Jake Johnson) was at the heart of New Girl, and the sense of relief that could have come from being able to binge entire seasons at once would have been appreciated in this respect. The Fox sitcom is about Jess, who moves into a shared apartment with three guys after catching her boyfriend cheating. It's awkward at first, but the group becomes fast friends, and their antics are hilarious.

New Girl, which you can stream now on Hulu and Peacock, is one of the best sitcoms of the 2010s. With a great cast that also includes Max Greenfield, Lamorne Morris, Hannah Simone, and later Damon Wayans Jr. and Megan Fox, it was a favorite of late singer Prince, who had a cameo in one episode. Plus, with Jamie Lee Curtis playing Jess' mom, how could you go wrong?

4 'Silicon Valley' (2014–2019)

Silicon Valley did premiere on a premium network, HBO, so it's logically available to stream on HBO Max today. The streaming arm, however, didn't come about until after this show had ended. Had it been around in 2014, Silicon Valley would have been perfect for it from the jump.

Skewering the big tech world in one of its biggest hubs, Silicon Valley, CA, Silicon Valley follows Richard Hendricks (Thomas Middleditch), who works for a tech company called Hooli that's a clear parody of Google. He develops his own algorithm and tries to launch the startup, realizing that it's not so easy with major players wanting a piece of his pie. The show is timeless, and the jokes are hilarious. With its short seven-to-ten-episode seasons, Silicon Valley really would have fit better for streaming.

3 'Schitt's Creek' (2015–2020)

Schitt's Creek didn't gain national attention until it started streaming on Netflix (it's now available to stream on HBO Max and Hulu), so many didn't realize that this clever sitcom originally aired on CBC in Canada. The story in the show, one of the greatest TV masterpieces of the last 10 years, follows the Rose family. They lose all their money and are forced to move to a small town they bought as a joke years ago because it's the only thing left to their name.

Schitt's Creek tells a heartwarming story of a family of entitled individuals who learn to come together, accept others, and live within means far below what they had become accustomed to, realizing in the end what they were missing all along and what is most important. Seeing this play out from season to season is wonderful, and the high caliber of the show suggests it was far too big for network TV. Winning every major Emmy Award category for its final season, the show stars Eugene and Dan Levy, Annie Murphy, and the late Catherine O'Hara. It's one you can watch over and over and never tire of enjoying.

2 'Modern Family' (2009–2020)

There was a period of time where every sitcom that was released seemed to be a recycled old concept if it wasn't an outright sequel or spin-off of a classic one. Then came Modern Family, a totally unique show about the Pritchetts, including Claire (Julie Bowen) and her family; Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and his husband and eventually adopted daughter; and patriarch Jay (Ed O'Neill) and his much younger new wife, stepson, and eventual new son. It was the first time a modern family like this was depicted on television in such a show.

The mockumentary style, the innuendos and mix-ups, and the segments where each family member talks to the camera all come together to make such a clever, witty, and beautifully written and acted show. With 11 seasons and numerous awards, Modern Family could have been an anchor show for a streamer. Airing on ABC, you can now watch reruns or stream it on Hulu and Peacock.

1 'The Bernie Mac Show' (2001–2006)

One of those forgotten sitcoms from the 2000s, The Bernie Mac Show starred the late comedian of the same name as a married man raising three kids that he and his wife take in from his sister, who is no longer able to care for them. On the show, he's a stand-up comedian, and the stories are loosely based on Mac's own stand-up routines, along with a situation he dealt with in real life. At the center of the show is his learning to be a parent despite his inexperience.

One of the first shows to break the fourth wall, The Bernie Mac Show was far too early for streaming, but it would have fit like a glove on a top streaming service, offering the right amount of humor and heart. The show aired on Fox, but you can relive its hilarity, or watch for the first time, now on Hulu and Netflix.