The 5 Best One-Season Sitcoms of the 2010s, Ranked

Published Sep 14, 2026, 5:21 PM EDT

Chris is a UK-based film and TV writer, editor and occasional filmmaker. For more than a decade, he has written news, reviews and features covering movies, television and pop culture. He has also made short films and worked in video production, giving him experience on both sides of the screen. Chris runs the We Love Movies More Than You TikTok channel and has a particular interest in overlooked and short-lived TV shows.

The 2010s gave sitcom fans no shortage of long-running favorites like Mom, New Girl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Young Sheldon. Other new comedies were not so lucky, vanishing from network lineups despite having more going for them than their short-lived status might suggest.

As most TV fans know, just because a show didn't last long doesn’t automatically make it bad, far from it. Many hit sitcoms had a bumpy first season before they worked out the creative bugs. Sadly, none of these short-lived sitcoms were given that chance. From comedy legend Robin Williams leading a TV show for the first time since Mork and Mindy to the uplifting yet melancholy-tinged Go On starring Matthew Perry, this list is dedicated to the best one-season sitcoms of the 2010s.

5 'Powerless' (2017)

Image via NBC

DC might be forever playing catch-up to the MCU on the big screen, but Ben Queen’s short-lived comedy series was the first attempt at making a DC sitcom. No superheroes, no sky beams. Powerless is a workplace sitcom that follows the daily lives of the employees at Wayne Security and finds the funny side of people trying to survive a world with superhero fallout.

Vanessa Hudgens leads the cast as Emily Locke, the new Director of Research and Development at Wayne Security. She tries to motivate her team, which includes Danny Pudi, Ron Funches, and Christina Kirk, but Wayne Security has become a jaded place. That’s mostly down to the incompetent brand of leadership from Bruce Wayne’s spoiled cousin Vanderveer “Van” Wayne, played perfectly by Alan Tudyk. In the best way possible, Powerless keeps things small and slightly absurd at a time when the DC Universe was taking itself a little too seriously. A world of gods and monsters reduced to office admin. Now that DC is trying the half-hour comedy format again with The People vs. Gorilla Grodd, Powerless feels like an idea worth a second look.

4 'Selfie' (2014)

Image via ABC

Emily Kapnek’s (Suburgatory) modern spin on Pygmalion and My Fair Lady has a title that doesn’t do this sharp rom-com justice. Selfie finds Karen Gillan’s social-media-obsessed Eliza Dooley enlisting the expertise of marketing whiz Henry Higgs (John Cho) after a viral incident forces her to rebuild her image beyond her online persona of perfection.

What truly makes Selfie work is the natural chemistry between Karen Gillan and John Cho. Like all the best romantic comedies, the will-they-won’t-they is obvious from the start. He hates social media, she uses it all the time, and there’s joy in seeing them annoy one another until the inevitable sparks fly. Underneath the romcom glow, Selfie has plenty to say about seeking online approval, and how living your life in front of an audience can be lonely. At the time, many of the jokes about embarrassing viral videos and self-branding might have seemed over the top. More than a decade later, those jokes are a familiar part of life, which gives Selfie a much sharper edge than its title ever promised.

3 'The Crazy Ones' (2013-2014)

Image via CBS

The fast-paced and chaotic world of advertising was the perfect backdrop for David E. Kelley’s The Crazy Ones, which tempted Robin Williams back to network comedy for the first time in more than 30 years. Williams stars as Simon Roberts, a brilliant advertising executive who built his career on wild impulses and unmatched creative energy, working alongside his more grounded, by-the-book daughter Sydney (Sarah Michelle Gellar).

The father-daughter tension gives The Crazy Ones its heart, with Sydney trying hard to step out of her father’s professional shadow while Simon worries his cherished industry is moving on without him. As expected, Robin Williams brings the chaos, perfect timing, and unmistakable warmth as only he could. Simon is a man carrying regret and the burden of a creative mind that doesn’t always know how to be a parent. There’s even room in a later episode for a Mork and Mindy reunion, with Pam Dawber making a guest appearance as a love interest for Simon. It’s almost impossible to separate The Crazy Ones from being one of Robin Williams’ final roles, and that loss will always be there. But the show itself is bright, manic, silly, and full of moments only Robin Williams could create.

2 'Son of Zorn' (2016)

Image via 20th Century Fox

Son of Zorn sees an animated He-Man-adjacent warrior return to suburban California, where reconnecting with his estranged son proves to be much harder than expected. His ex (Cheryl Hines) has moved on, his son Alan (Johnny Pemberton) doesn’t really need him, and he ends up stuck in a dead-end job.

Jason Sudeikis fully commits to voicing Zorn with equal parts He-Man and Johnny Bravo. In lesser hands, Zorn could have been just a one-note character, but he has real live-action feelings and problems to battle. He needs to accept that he was not a good partner or father, that animated heroes are not immune to midlife crises, and that no matter how loud you shout, not every problem can be solved with combat. Zorn’s constant attempts to make an enemy of his ex’s new partner, Craig, are a true highlight and give the ever-brilliant Tim Meadows time to shine. Executive produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (Project Hail Mary), Son of Zorn is proof that some sitcoms are just too high-concept to last, regardless of how hilariously weird they are.

1 'Go On' (2012-2013)

Image via NBC

Scott Silveri’s (Speechless) heartfelt sitcom was ahead of its time in a way that likely made it a harder sell on network TV. Matthew Perry stars as recently widowed Ryan King, a fast-talking sports radio host who returns to work too soon and is forced by his boss (John Cho) to join a grief support group. Steadily, Ryan goes from trying to “win” at grief support to accepting that the road ahead does not need to be faced alone.

Years before Ted Lasso and Shrinking helped turn hard-won optimism into award-winning TV, Go On tried out the idea before audiences were fully ready for it. Weighty subjects like grief and loneliness are usually reserved for hour-long dramas, but this short-lived sitcom found the humor in the awkwardness without making grief the punchline. Matthew Perry gives a layered and sensitive performance as Ryan. There’s all the sarcasm and quick wit he was so good at, but here it is an obvious defense mechanism. Grief is messy, painful, and unpredictable. Go On never loses sight of this, not for a second. The episode that guest stars Courteney Cox as his first date since his wife died perfectly highlights the guilt of moving forward, even just an inch. Aided by a strong ensemble cast that includes Brett Gelman, Tyler James Williams, and Suzy Nakamura, Go On is an absolute gem. It’s only a shame it didn’t last longer than one season.

Go On