For the Love of Sitcoms (Part One)

I have a confession to make: I LOVE SITCOMS.

So you know how people say money makes the world go round? I know I’m sounding super old because no one under the age of 60 says that but I’m going to challenge them for a minute. Because I think that comedy makes the world go round. Where would we be if we couldn’t unwind at the end of a long hard day chasing money without the worlds best medicine? In case I lost you, I’m talking about laughter. Laughter is the worlds best medicine.

I recently realised that I spend most of my time watching sitcoms. If I have a choice between genres, I will 9 times out of 10 choose to watch a sitcom. I so desperately wanted to share my favourite shows with people only realising that people get annoyed when you constantly suggest shows to them that they have no time to watch. So, with my clear obsession, I decided to start expressing this love through a blog series. A series where I talk about my favourite series that you have to watch in your lifetime. Be ready for sitcoms of all kinds, well known and lesser known, but all equally as legendary.

This is: For the Love of Sitcoms. Welcome to part one.

Friends (1994 – 2004)

This one needs no introduction. This is one of those shows that everyone has seen and loves to death. After 10 years of laughter and love, we have all found friendship in Rachel, Ross, Joey, Chandler, Monica and Phoebe. It’s one of those classic sitcoms that goes down in the hall of fame. I may even go as far to call it the worlds most loved sitcom. They have even just had their reunion special on HBO Max. And if you haven’t seen friends yet, well, you better get started! You have a long road ahead (that you’ll probably binge watch in two weeks, lets be honest).

Can you stream it? Yes, Netflix in AU.

New Girl (2011 – 2018)

New Girl is a bit of an interesting one. It seems to be a bit of a ‘you love it or you hate it’ show, even though I am about 99.9% positive that if you stick with it, the hate will turn into love. I remember when New Girl first came out and I was so excited to see Emily Deschanel’s little sister on TV. Granted I was way too young to enjoy New Girl or even understand what they were talking about (granted I was also too young to be watching Bones but I did that anyway). Many moons later I decided to revisit New Girl and boy am I glad I did. For me, the men rule this show. Schmidt, Nick and Winston are 3 of the most hilarious male characters on TV. The most notable factor is the weirdness. It is weird. Weird people, weird stories, weird relationships and just all round weirdness. The only normal person, I would say, is Cece which makes it even more enjoyable to watch.

Can you stream it? Yes, Netflix in AU.

The Mindy Project (2012 – 2017)

Mindy Kailing is one of my personal comedy heros. There is just something about her bright colours, fierce confidence and bold jokes that make her so completely loveable. I have always been in awe of her brain and the amazing work that it gave us on The Office. Almost immediately after finishing The Office and finding out that she was behind some of the most legendary jokes (she wrote the iconic episode, The Injury where Michael steps on a grill and burns his foot), I dove straight into The Mindy Project, desperate for more. Turns out, Mindy never disappoints. The Mindy Project is a fun, light and inspirational comedy sure to put a smile on your face. Mindy Lahiri is a relatable, motivated and inspiring character that never fails to add a bit of a confidence boost to my own personal life.

Can you stream it? A very unfortunate no. This is why we still have DVDs people!

Superstore (2015 – 2021)

I just had to include this one in celebration (and mourning) of the show ending earlier this year. To anyone who is just starting out watching and wondering if the ending is worth it, I can tell you one thing for sure, I was a very happy girl. (As a side note, sitcoms in general usually fail to disappoint on endings. It’s pretty hard to screw up so all the endings of these shows have been pretty great.) Superstore is the story of retail workers at an ‘everything’ store. I think this was meant to resemble something of the likes of Walmart and Target. I never forget the day I was driving around LA and passed the Superstore parking lot. It took me a moment to remember that it is a fictional store and I was actually just passing by the set where they film. It looked so real and it is, to this day, one of my favourite memories in LA. I can’t be the only one who gets excited when I see my favourite shows in real life? Right? Anyway, this show is quirky, fun, extremely light hearted and it may even get you to be a little more conscious of how you treat retail workers. Best part of the show? The transitions of all the gross things customers do when they think no one is looking. You’ll know what I’m talking about when you watch it.

Can you stream it? Yes, Netflix and Amazon Prime AU.