5 Sitcoms From The 2020s That Are Destined To Be Future Classics

When you think of classic sitcoms, you probably think of the genre's heaviest hitters — "Friends," "Cheers," "30 Rock," "The Big Bang Theory," "The Simpsons," or even older classics like "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "All in the Family. With the advent of streaming, I have to admit that there's a very real argument to be made that the art of the sitcom feels dead. Shows that could be great sitcoms languish on streamers or get released in one large batch instead of on a weekly basis, kind of taking the fun out of the whole thing. Sitcoms that air on network TV with a healthy 22-episode count per season feel, to some extent, like a thing of the past.

Thankfully, though, a handful of sitcoms have emerged in the 2020s — including one that does follow in the traditional release model of its predecessors — that are definitely destined to become classics. From the wildest-ever take on the entertainment industry (which is saying something) to an unexpectedly incredible vampire sitcom to a Netflix sitcom produced by heavy hitters in the medium that was canceled far too soon, here are five sitcoms that all kicked off during or after 2020 and are sure to be called classics down the line.

TV shows adapted from popular movies aren't typically good, and it's rarer still for them to surpass their original source material. Somehow, "What We Do in the Shadows" — adapted for the small screen by "Flight of the Conchords" star Jemaine Clement, who co-wrote the 2014 film of the same name with Taika Waititi — isn't just better than the movie, but is absolutely incredible in its own right. 

"What We Do in the Shadows," which ran on FX, takes the film's silly approach to the supernatural and introduces us to a coven of vampires who live on Staten Island. Laszlo Cravensworth (the incomparable Matt Berry) is an intellectual pansexual who loves a good roll in the hay. He's married to Nadja of Antipaxos (Natasia Demetriou), who originally turned him into a vampire and is extremely abrasive to essentially everyone but Laszlo. Their third cohort, Nandor the Relentless (Kayvan Novak), "employs" a familiar named Guillermo de la Cruz (Harvey Guillén), who also lives in the dilapidated Staten Island mansion — as does Colin Robinson (Mark Prosch), an "energy vampire" who survives by being a huge bummer.

It's actually wild how good "What We Do in the Shadows" is from beginning to end, from the standout installment "On the Run" (Jackie Daytona hive, rise up!) to a Season 1 episode that assembles pop culture vampires played by Wesley Snipes and Evan Rachel Wood to a home makeover spoof that has one of the craziest reveals I've ever seen on TV. Using the film's framework, "What We Do in the Shadows" stands on its own two feet ... and it does not suck. (Sorry.)

Created by "Saturday Night Live" veterans Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider (more on them in a moment), "The Other Two" imagines a world where a young, Justin Bieber-style pop star named Chase Dreams (Case Walker), who scores a breakout hit with his song "Marry U at Recess," has two dud older siblings. One, Drew Tarver's Cary Dubek, is an aspiring actor who's introduced auditioning for the role of a guy who smells a rogue fart at a party. The other, Heléne Yorke's Brooke Dubek, is a former dancer sidelined by an injury who hates her super-cheerful, hot boyfriend Lance Arroyo (Josh Segarra) and wants to piggyback off of Chase's newfound fame. Rounding out the family is their mom, Pat Dubek (Molly Shannon), who ends up becoming a massive celebrity with her own daytime talk show, thanks to her boyfriend and Chase's manager Streeter Peter Peters (the perfect Ken Marino).

"The Other Two" exists in a world that's similar to ours but vaguely different — Brooke becomes literally invisible after quitting the entertainment industry, and there's a running gag where people waiting for Chase to turn 18 allow their vampire teeth to pop out — and honestly, every single joke is a winner. (There's a standout reveal in the show's third and final season where Wanda Sykes' record label executive Shuli Kucerac tells Chase she orchestrated the attack on the U.S. Capitol that occurred on January 6, 2021, just to distract the world at large from how terrible his album is.) Unfortunately, following the announcement that the third season of "The Other Two" would be its last, allegations emerged about an abusive work culture behind the scenes. Still, "The Other Two" is still one of the funniest modern sitcoms around.

There are plenty of TV shows about young, ridiculous 20-somethings trying to "make it" in New York, but in terms of ones airing in the 2020s, the FX and Hulu joint production "Adults" has emerged as the defining one of its era. (The show is also self-aware enough to know it's not the most original premise around; in Season 2, guest star Zosia Mamet, known for her role on "Girls," says to the core gang, "You think you're the first ones to be young and adorable in New York?") 

Created by Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw, "Adults" centers its action at the childhood home of Samir Rahman (Malik Elassal) in Queens, New York, where he's letting his friends crash while his parents are on what is, apparently, the world's longest vacation. Those friends include workaholic Billie Schaeffer (Lucy Freyer), way-too-gregarious Anton Evans (Owen Thiele), sexually open and idealistic Issa Damani (Amita Rao), and Issa's handsome Canadian boyfriend Paul Baker (Jack Innanen), who is always referred to by his full name.

"Adults" is, unquestionably, a "Girls" or "Broad City" for Gen Z — Issa is, and I mean this as a total compliment, the heir apparent to Ilana Glazer's Ilana Wexler — but it also manages to make its mark as a really good show. In a standout Season 1 plotline, Issa and Paul Baker slip an AirTag into a handsome man's tote bag so they can stalk him as a romantic prospect for Anton, not realizing that the device has slipped out of the bag and is being carried around New York by a rat. "Adults" is sweet, funny, and wild, and it's a truly great 2020s sitcom.

This one is personal, because as long as I live, I will never forgive the powers that be for canceling "Girls5Eva" — not just one of the funniest shows of the 2020s, but one of the funniest shows to air anywhere. Created by "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" veteran Meredith Scardino and produced by her former bosses Robert Carlock and Tina Fey, "Girls5Eva" revisits four members of a 1990s teen girl group — Dawn (Sara Bareilles), Summer (Busy Philipps), Gloria (Paula Pell), and Wickie (Renée Elise Goldsberry) — after they learn that a young, hot rapper, Jeremiah Craft's Lil Stinker, sampled their song "Famous 5Eva" for one of his big hits. (The lost fifth members of their titular group, Ashley Park's Ashley, drowned in an "infinity pool accident" that may or may not have involved magicians and only appears in flashbacks.) After the four women are booked to perform with Lil Stinker on Jimmy Fallon's late-night show, they decide to restart Girls5Eva, despite being well into their 40s. (The series opens with Dawn getting a mammogram, during which the technician tells her that her breasts are "perfect" for the procedure because they're "already so squished.")

From the original songs — penned by Fey's husband Jeff Richmond and, sometimes, Bareilles herself — like "New York Lonely Boy" and "Dream Girlfriend" ("'cause our dads are dead") to some of the funniest sight gags I've ever seen on any TV show, "Girls5Eva" is genuinely perfect. Maybe, someday, this silly, funny, weirdly sweet show that also features a song called "B.P.E." (look it up, I can't write it out here) could return. For now, I'll rewatch its incredible three seasons on repeat and hum "The Medium Time" to myself.

The only network series on this list is probably the one with the surest longevity, thanks to its multiple Emmy wins and other accolades. That series, of course, is "Abbott Elementary." Conceived by comedian, actor, producer, and writer Quinta Brunson and based on her mother's experiences as an elementary school teacher working within the chronically underfunded Philadelphia public school system, "Abbott Elementary" stars Brunson herself as the sunny, optimistic, and excellent educator Janine Teagues, who works at the titular West Philly school alongside a colorful collection of cohorts. 

Throughout the series, Janine is flanked by senior teacher Barbara Howard (the multitalented legend Sheryl Lee Ralph, playing a character Brunson has said is based on her real-life mom), overly-enthusiastic Jacob Hill (Chris Perfetti), classic South Philly queen Melissa Schemmenti (Lisa Ann Walter), and Janine's eventual boyfriend Gregory Eddie (Tyler James Williams), as well as the school's ridiculous but bizarrely competent principal Ava Coleman (Janelle James, delivering the comedic performance of a lifetime).

Together, the "Abbott" gang deal with hurdles like a lack of supplies, providing a gifted program for their students, grappling with the school board, and their own interpersonal relationships — and somehow, they always come out on top, or at least somewhere near the top. (They even got a pair of crossover episodes with their fellow Philly show, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," in 2025, and watching these teachers tangle with the abhorrent "Gang" was a delight.) "Abbott" is one of the most delightful network surprises in recent memory, and most importantly, Brunson loves sitcoms... and you can see it in her work. "Abbott Elementary" will, without question, stand the test of time.