15 Best TV Shows Like Abbott Elementary

"Abbott Elementary" is one of the biggest comedies currently on TV, but it's far from the most unique show. Created by and starring comedian Quinta Brunson, it's a mockumentary sitcom documenting the lives of an eclectic group of teachers at the titular West Philadelphian elementary school, with the main characters of "Abbott Elementary" including eager-to-please Janine (Brunson), old-fashioned Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph), substitute Gregory (Tyler James Williams), and incompetent principal Ava (Janelle James). 

If you're already ahead on the fact that "Abbott Elementary" is must-watch TV, then you're probably already aware of some of these other similar sitcoms. Whether it's because they're also set at schools, are also in the mockumentary format, or includes characters that are also charming and wholesome, many of these shows are spiritual predecessors to "Abbott." If you've seen the ABC show but not these, add these shows like "Abbott Elementary" to your watchlist as soon as possible, or at least while you wait for season 5 of the series to premiere.  

If you're a living person in the year 2025 and you haven't seen at least one episode of "The Office," then respectfully, what are you doing? At the very least, you probably know all the funniest moments from "The Office" just because of their longevity as memes and their imprint on pop culture. Many of us don't utter the phrase, "That's what she said," without thinking of Steve Carell's lovably incompetent Michael Scott, the boss at a Scranton, Pennsylvania paper company whose employees' work lives are being documented by a camera crew. 

The show is obviously a predecessor to "Abbott Elementary" as a cross between a workplace comedy and mockumentary, but especially compared to its U.K. version, "The Office" is very wholesome and positive in its depiction of office politics (though the antics of Michael Scott are hilariously inappropriate, which is the point). While the rest of the characters can be eclectic and at times very adult, over the course of the series they all grow to love each other. That being said, it's not as good when Carell leaves, as that'd be like watching "Abbott" without Quinta Brunson as Janine. 

"Parks & Recreation" shares a lot of DNA with "The Office," as to be expected by a fellow NBC workplace mockumentary helmed by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. In fact, "Parks & Recreation" almost became a spin-off of "The Office," before Daniels and Schur took the show in a new direction creatively. Amy Poehler stars Leslie Knope, the hard-working and enthusiastic head of Pawnee, Indiana's titular parks & recreation department, with her co-workers including libertarian Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), deadpan April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza), and dim-witted Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt). 

Compared to "The Office" or even "Abbott," "Parks & Rec" excels based on the strength of its ensemble, something that "The Office" severely lacked in its later seasons. However, like "Abbott," "Parks & Rec" also follows characters who are devoted to their professions, as low-stakes and unrewarding as it may often be. The world of politics also allows for a lot more eclectic characters to appear than in an office or elementary school, with the best recurring characters in "Parks & Recreation" including Kathryn Hahn's slimy politician Jennifer Barkley or Ben Schwartz's unpredictable Jean-Ralphi Saperstein. 

On paper, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" feels like a natural inclusion on this list. Not only is the sitcom primarily set in Philadelphia, but "It's Always Sunny" crossed over with the characters from "Abbott Elementary" in their fourth season episode "Volunteers." The same will be happening for the upcoming 17th season of "It's Always Sunny," along with another surprising crossover, but fans of the ABC show might be startled to find out just how different and extreme it can get over at Paddy's Pub. 

The sitcom centers on five owners and operators of a sleazy Irish pub in Philly: dim-witted Charlie (Charlie Day), delusional Mac (Rob McElhenney), sociopathic Dennis (Glenn Howerton), narcissistic Dee (Kaitlin Olson), and retired businessman Frank (Danny DeVito). Over the course of 16 seasons and counting, the gang has enacted numerous schemes, plans, and operations all for their own selfish reasons, and oftentimes they come out unscathed while others' lives are ruined. It couldn't be a show that's more different from its wholesome Philly counterpart of "Abbott," but in "It's Always Sunny," failure is the default and we wouldn't have it any other way.  

It might seem like a natural fit to combine mockumentary style filmmaking with the "roommate sitcom" trope (which includes shows like "New Girl" and "Peep Show"), but "What We Do in the Shadows" takes it a step further by throwing vampires into the mix. The FX comedy series is based on a 2014 mockumentary film by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, centered on the lives of several vampires who live together in Staten Island with the help of Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), a human who desperately wants to be a vampire, too. 

The house's vampiric residents include Nandor the Relentless (Kayvan Novak), a former conqueror who rules the house with a limp fist, Laszlo (Matt Berry), a sex-crazed British aristocrat, Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), Laszlo's dissatisfied and easily-angered wife, and Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch), an "energy vampire" that feeds off people's boredom from hearing him speak. Over its six seasons, "What We Do in the Shadows" is bloody good fun, featuring some of the funniest sitcom moments in recent years and a surprising amount of heart for a show about the heartless. 

While Dan Harmon may always be known as the mind behind "Rick & Morty," real fans of his will always have a soft spot for his first show, the NBC sitcom "Community." Joel McHale stars as Jeff Winger, a disbarred lawyer trying to cheat his way through community college to regain his law license, only to unexpectedly find a chosen family in an eclectic study group that includes the best at being the worst, Britta (Gillian Jacobs), retired moist towlette tycoon Pierce (Chevy Chase), type-A basket case Annie (Alison Brie), socially inept cinephile Abed (Danny Pudi), dim-witted jock Troy (Donald Glover), and Christian mom Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown). 

As the best "Community" episodes prove, it's a show that gets stranger as it goes on, with its first two seasons being most reminiscent of "Abbott Elementary" in offering up wholesome albeit hilarious sitcom hijinks. Hopefully, "Abbott Elementary" fans never have to wait over a decade for "six seasons and a movie," as "Community" fans are still holding out hope that the study group will reconvene someday soon. 

Chris Lilley is a prolific creator of mockumentary television in Australia, best exemplified by his 2007 sitcom "Summer Heights High," in which Lilley plays three characters in the fictional Sydney high school: Ja'mie, a shallow and cruel exchange student from a private school, Jonah, a Tongan troublemaker with poor grades (a portrayal that certainly isn't politically correct), and Mr. G, the narcissistic drama teacher who takes charge of the school musicals. It obviously shares similarities with "Abbott Elementary" given it's a mockumentary set at a high school, but the style of humor couldn't be more different.

In particular, a lot of "Summer Heights High" has aged very poorly since it originally aired on ABC TV in 2007 (and in the U.S. on HBO in 2008), given that there are jokes relating to drug abuse, racism, mental disabilities, and homophobia. It's up to the viewers themselves whether they're comfortable with a show that's a whole lot edgier than "Abbott Elementary," but if it's up your alley, this is one series all fans of mockumentary TV need to watch. 

While "Abbott Elementary" fans may have only seen glimpses of Glenn Howerton's Dennis on the crossover episode with "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "A.P. Bio" is a more mainstream sitcom that prominently features the actor as its lead. Debuting on NBC in 2018, Howerton plays Jack, a prestigious philosophy professor at Harvard who is fired and forced to teach Advanced Placement Biology at a high school in his hometown, where he plots to use his classroom full of honor roll students to help enact revenge on his rival, who orchestrated his firing.

Even as the show moved from NBC to a Peacock exclusive for its third season, "A.P. Bio" was still weirder and funnier than ever, especially with its cast including Patton Oswalt as inept principal Durbin and Paula Pell as his secretary Helen, who make for a wonderful comedic duo. It might be hard to get into its lackluster first season, but stick with it and you'll see that "A.P. Bio" is yet another incredible sitcom that NBC unjustly cancelled too early. 

While many television fans are rightfully raving about shows like "The Pitt," there's one new sitcom you may have missed. NBC's "St. Denis Medical" premiered in 2024, centered on an underfunded hospital in Oregon whose employees include jaded physician Ron (David Alan Grier), workaholic nurse Alex (Allison Tolman), and their spirited executive director Joyce (Wendi McLendon-Covey). Similar to "Abbott Elementary," "St. Denis Medical" is framed as a mockumentary mixed with elements of the workplace sitcom and medical procedurals.

With only one season behind them, only time will tell if "St. Denis Medical" has what it takes to become an underrated sitcom worth checking out, but it's certainly promising given how fun and charismatic its cast is. Thankfully, it's already had a second season renewal at NBC. If you're a fan of "Abbott Elementary" but you're also hungry for more of "The Pitt" while waiting for their next season to finish filming, catching up on "St. Denis Medical" might be the perfect show to binge-watch on Peacock. 

On a much different note than all these "The Office" clones, "Miracle Workers" takes the workplace comedy approach to a whole new level. Created by former "Saturday Night Live" writer Simon Rich, "Miracle Workers" is an anthology series based on Rich's short stories, with season one centered on two employees of heaven's prayer-answering department, hard-working Eliza (Geraldine Viswanathan) and kooky Craig (Daniel Radcliffe), who are tasked with convincing God (Steve Buscemi) not to destroy all of humanity out of boredom.

Future seasons of the TBS sitcom stray from the workplace comedy genre in favor of exploring the Dark Ages, the Oregon Trail, and the apocalypse, the latter being the show's final season before it was cancelled in 2023. Nevertheless, it boasts four incredibly fun premises and a great cast, with the roles of Craig, Prince Chauncley, Reverend Ezekiel, and Sid being some of Daniel Radcliffe's best roles. Plus, "Abbott Elementary" creator and star Quinta Brunson joins the main cast in the third and fourth seasons, offering a glimpse at her character work outside of what you've seen from her as Janine. 

Before you get excited, no, "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series" does not take place in the same world as one of the greatest movie musical franchises of the 21st century. The Disney+ series' first season premiered in 2019, centering on the drama students at East High School, the Salt Lake City school where the original Disney trilogy was filmed, who set out to produce a staging of the iconic "High School Musical." The show is best notable now for its star: Olivia Rodrigo, who spring-boarded off the success of her song "All I Want" written for the show to launch into pop stardom with hits like "Drivers' License," "Good 4 U," and "Vampire." 

Like "Abbott Elementary," "HSMTMTS" is a school-set mockumentary, though it's more focused on the interpersonal connections between East High's drama students rather than the teachers. Plus, it's not really worth watching once Rodrigo departs from the series in its third season, unless you're a huge fan of "High School Musical" and relish seeing the return of Corbin Bleu and Lucas Grabeel. 

Let's be honest, if you're a fan of "Abbott Elementary," that means that you're probably obsessed with the relationship between Gregory and Janine. It's a slow-burn "will-they-won't-they" for the ages, but it doesn't even hold a candle to the epic love story that is Jake (Andy Samberg) and Amy (Melissa Fumero) in "Brooklyn Nine-Nine." The Fox (then NBC) sitcom follows the lives of a group of detectives in the NYPD's 99th precinct, led by the stoic Captain Holt (the late, great Andre Braugher) and including Jake, a manchild, Amy, a teacher's pet, Rosa (Stephanie Beatriz), a badass, Charles (Joe Lo Truglio), a romantic, Terry (Terry Crews), a girl dad, and Gina (Chelsea Peretti), a slacker. 

While some of the best "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" episodes revolve around Jake and Amy's relationship, this show most resembles "Abbott" in the sense that every main character dynamic is strong and unique in their own ways. Jake and Amy episodes are just as interesting to watch as Charles and Rosa episodes or Gina and Terry episodes. It might not be a mockumentary, but the show is filmed in a handheld, loosey-goosey way that'll remind you at times of how "Abbott Elementary" is done. 

Obviously, part of what makes "Abbott Elementary" so refreshing in this modern media landscape is highlighting the underrepresented community of black educators, not to mention being so unapologetically diverse in its representation of west Philadelphia. If you want to watch a comedy series that's even more groundbreaking, check out Netflix's "Dear White People," a series based on a 2014 film starring Logan Browning as Sam, an outspoken student at the fictional Winchester University whose controversial radio show is threatened by the discovery that her boyfriend is a white student, Gabe (John Patrick Amedori).

Notably, the original 2014 movie actually starred "Abbott Elementary" co-star Tyler James Williams as Lionel, a black and gay student, who is recast in the Netflix series by DeRon Horton. As far as Netflix series go, "Dear White People" tackles issues like problematic heroes and modern racism deftly, reminding you of the days when Netflix actually put out quality content. It's a more ideologically challenging show than "Abbott," and for good reason, as "Dear White People" feels incredibly modern as far as sitcoms go. 

For a change of pace, how about a recent(ish) sitcom that's neither set in a school, nor a mockumentary? We present this year's new Hulu series "Deli Boys," which stars Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh as brothers Mir and Raj, who, after the sudden death of their father, discover his secretive drug empire laundered through his chain of deli stores, ending up maintaining control of the one store that isn't seized by the F.B.I. among their father's assets. Although it's a new addition to Hulu's comedy lineup, "Deli Boys" has the potential to become one of the best Hulu original TV shows if it runs for long enough. 

Its only real similarity to "Abbott Elementary" is in the fact that "Deli Boys" is much-needed representation for the South Asian community, though it has a lot more in common with shows like "The Sopranos" and "Barry" given its use of violence and exploring crime syndicates. Nevertheless, it's a fun and breezy watch that "Abbott" fans can easily enjoy, given that "Deli Boys" is available on the same streaming service as the ABC sitcom. 

We've covered a lot of mockumentary sitcoms that explore the lives of average folks a la "Abbott Elementary," but what about a series that features mockumentaries based on famous documentaries from throughout cinema history? For that, you'll want to watch "Documentary Now!," an IFC show co-created by Seth Meyers, Fred Armisen, and Bill Hader. This show is the pinnacle of parody filmmaking, with each episode spoofing a specific documentary with revolving casts including Armisen, Hader, Cate Blanchett, John Mulaney, and Tim Robinson. 

Some highlights from throughout the show's run include the first season's 2-part parody of "History of the Eagles," as well as season 3's "Original Cast Album: Co-Op," inspired by a similar documentary about Stephen Sondheim's "Company." While "Documentary Now!" has yet to parody the specific brand of mockumentaries a la "The Office" or "Abbott," its attention to detail and commitment to spoofing its subject matter makes it the kind of TV comedy you need to watch if you're at all a fan of the mockumentary sub-genre. 

It might seem hard to imagine that Quinta Brunson's career preceded her Emmy history-making acting win on "Abbott Elementary," thankfully she already had experience breaking ground in TV comedy with HBO's "A Black Lady Sketch Show." Created by Robin Thede, Brunson was a main cast member in the first season, which premiered in 2019, which not only highlighted the writing of black women but also predominately featured them, even with high-profile guest stars like Angela Bassett, Issa Rae, and Raven-Symoné. 

Also, believe it or not, but this show is where Brunson first made on-screen connections with many future stars of "Abbott Elementary," including Sheryl Lee Ralph and Tyler James Williams, both of whom were guest stars on various episodes of "A Black Lady Sketch Show." If you're looking to find not a show that's exactly like "Abbott Elementary" but maybe serves as somewhat of a predecessor in its history, it's this sketch series that showcases how versatile of a comedian Brunson was before she helmed a show like "Abbott."