8 Modern Sitcoms Better Than Seinfeld

Published Sep 9, 2026, 9:30 AM EDT

Adrienne Tyler is a movies & TV features writer, with a focus on horror. She has written for Netflix, FanSided, & more. She was a regular guest on the Netfreaks podcast and was a YouTuber at some point. Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once.

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Seinfeld is one of the best and most influential sitcoms of all time, but in recent years, there have been some great modern sitcoms that are even better. One of the most popular genres on TV is sitcoms, thanks to their perfect blend of comedy, drama bits from time to time, consistent settings, and relatable characters. Many sitcoms can be found among the best TV shows of all time, some of them key in shaping the genre, as is the case for I Love Lucy, Friends, and How I Met Your Mother.

One of the most influential sitcoms of all time, and one that many popular ones have a lot to thank for, is Seinfeld. Created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, Seinfeld aired from 1989 to 1998 for nine seasons, and starred Seinfeld as a fictionalized version of himself. The show, then, follows Jerry, his best friend George (Jason Alexander), his ex-girlfriend and now friend Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and his neighbor Kramer (Michael Richards), in what has been described as “a show about nothing.”

Seinfeld’s mundane focus, cynical humor, unlikable characters, and different plots shaped sitcoms into what they now are, with many great shows taking note. While Seinfeld’s legacy is undeniable, there have been better sitcoms since it ended, especially in the last decade, some of them reaching mainstream success and others becoming hidden gems.

Alone Together

Two Seasons

Created by Benji Afalo, Esther Povitsky, and Eben Russell, Alone Together premiered on Freeform in 2018 and ended just a couple of months later after two seasons. Alone Together follows millennial misfits Esther (Povitsky), who is trying to make it as a comedian, and Benji (Afalo), a trust-fund guy living with his older brother. Esther and Benji have a platonic friendship, and together, they do their best to navigate and survive life in the chaotic Los Angeles.

Alone Together’s biggest strength and appeal is the dynamic between its characters. Instead of being love interests and their friendship developing into something romantic, Alone Together’s main characters have an authentic friendship with a fun and relatable dynamic. Alone Together was canceled too soon, but it can still find its audience and prove that it was worth more than just two seasons.

Difficult People

Two Seasons

Difficult People was created by Julie Klausner, and it aired on Hulu for three seasons, from 2015 to 2017. Difficult People stars Klausner as Julie Kessler, an aspiring comedian living in New York City, and Billy Eichner as Billy Epstein, Julie’s best friend and also an aspiring comedian. Julie and Billy have a codependent and intense friendship, with a shared hatred for everyone but each other. Together, they do their best to navigate life in New York City while also doing their best to reach their goals as comedians.

Difficult People and Seinfeld share cynical, self-absorbed main characters and a concept of “nothing”, meaning it follows their lives and struggles. However, Difficult People feels a lot more free when it comes to how direct and unfiltered it can be with its comedy, and it has a much better pace than Seinfeld.

Abbott Elementary

Season 6 Releasing On October 7, 2026

Image via Gilles Mingasson / ©ABC / Courtesy Everett Collection

Abbott Elementary is a mockumentary sitcom created by Quinta Brunson. Abbott Elementary takes viewers to Willard R. Abbott Elementary, a predominantly black Philadelphia Public school, to follow a documentary crew as they film the lives of teachers working in underfunded and mismanaged schools. Janine Teagues (Brunson) is a second-grade teacher at Abbott with high hopes to improve the lives of her students despite the school’s poor conditions. For that, she teams up with other fellow teachers, along with the unqualified new school principal.

Abbott Elementary has been praised for its tone, writing, and approach to the education system, being funny while firing shots at it. Abbott Elementary is a lot more heartwarming than Seinfeld and many sitcoms that followed, while also taking note of the format that Jerry Seinfeld’s show popularized and ingrained in the genre. Abbott Elementary’s sixth season is set for an October 2026 release.

What We Do in the Shadows

Six Seasons

Image via Hulu

What We Do in the Shadows is unlike any other sitcom on this list, and that’s in large part why it’s so great and better than Seinfeld. Created by Jemaine Clement, What We Do in the Shadows is based on the 2014 movie of the same name directed by Taika Waititi. What We Do in the Shadows follows vampire roommates Nandor (Kayvan Novak), Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), and Colin (Mark Proksch) as they try to adapt to the modern world, with the show presented as a mockumentary.

What We Do in the Shadows has a brilliant combination of fantasy, absurd comedy, and emotional depth thanks to the bond between the characters, their aspirations, and how they adapt to the modern world. Unlike Seinfeld, whose characters never really change or have any actual growth, the vampires in What We Do in the Shadows do go through character development, making it one of the best sitcoms of the decade.

Adults

In Its Second Season

Courtesy of FX Networks

Created by Rebecca Shaw and Ben Kronengold, Adults premiered on FX in 2025 and released its second season in August 2026. Adults follows friends Samir (Malik Elassal), Billie (Lucy Freyer), Anton (Owen Thiele), Paul Baker (Jack Innanen), and Issa (Amita Rao), who live together in Samir’s childhood home while his parents are on a long vacation. Together, they do their best to navigate their careers, romantic relationships, social dynamics, and everything else that young adulthood throws their way.

Adults is one of the best sitcoms in recent years, with critics pointing out its characters (diverse, relatable, complex, and funny), comedy, writing, and performances as its biggest strengths. Adults is one of the best examples of the successful modernization of the sitcom formula, with relatable situations, themes, and characters, perfect pacing and comedic timing, and incredible chemistry between its main characters.

Schitt’s Creek

Six Seasons

Schitt’s Creek is a Canadian sitcom created by Eugene and Dany Levy. Schitt’s Creek introduces viewers to the once wealthy Rose family: video store magnate Johnny (Eugene Levy), former soap opera actress Moira (Catherine O’Hara), and their spoiled adult children David (Dan Levy) and Alexis (Annie Murphy). After losing their fortune and their mansion, the Roses move to the remote town of Schitt’s Creek, where they now have to adapt to a life without luxuries.

Schitt’s Creek ran for six seasons from 2015 to 2020, and is now regarded as one of the best sitcoms of all time. Schitt’s Creek is praised for its humor, performances, writing, and LGBTQ+ representation, for which it received various awards. Schitt’s Creek has a more optimistic tone than Seinfeld, as well as more emotional depth and relatable characters, along with better chemistry between its lead actors.

The Good Place

Four Seasons

Created by Michael Schur, The Good Place is a fantasy-comedy TV series that aired on NBC for four seasons, from 2016 to 2020. The Good Place follows Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell), who dies and wakes up in the “Good Place”, a version of Heaven that is a carefully designed utopia. However, Eleanor knows it’s a mistake and she doesn’t belong in the Good Place, and so with the help of her assigned soulmate, Chidi (William Jackson Harper), she does her best to be a good person.

The Good Place is one of the best TV shows of all time as well as one of the smartest and most creative ones in recent years. The Good Place doesn’t only have great comedy and its main cast has perfect chemistry, but it also addresses philosophical themes, adding depth to it. The Good Place also has one of the best TV finales of all time, offering satisfying closure to all its stories while also leaving the audience with a lot to think about.

Fleabag

Two Seasons

Fleabag is a British comedy-drama show created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Fleabag follows the title character (played by Waller-Bridge), a free-spirited, dry-witted, but confused young woman in London as she navigates relationships, jobs, modern life, grief, and her inner demons. Fleabag often breaks the fourth wall to offer internal monologues and commentary to the audience. Despite its short run, Fleabag is widely regarded as one of the best TV shows of all time.

Fleabag is praised for its writing, concept, style, comedy, and performances, as well as for its honesty and realism, which make it one of the most relatable shows ever. Fleabag has the emotional vulnerability, depth, and complexity that Seinfeld never had, but without sacrificing humor, relatability, and complex and well-written characters.