As multi-camera sitcoms went out of style and single-camera shows became the norm, the face of TV comedy changed throughout the 2000s. Entirely new shooting styles were pioneered, which allowed the actors more freedom with their roles. Larry David’s semi-autobiographical sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm brought a layer of authenticity to the typically artificial genre with its groundbreaking cinéma verité style.
Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s seminal British series The Office and its American remake helped to popularize the mockumentary format across the Atlantic, which paved the way for more improvisation. So, here are the 10 best casts from ‘00s sitcoms, ranked.
Community
Dan Harmon’s self-aware comedy Community was one of the smartest and most underrated shows of the ‘00s. Joel McHale and Gillian Jacobs made for compelling leads as the show’s subversive Ross/Rachel duo, Jeff and Britta, while the rest of the study group was rounded out by fantastic performances from Yvette Nicole Brown, Donald Glover, Danny Pudi, and Alison Brie.
Ken Jeong and Jim Rash could always be depended on for a few laughs as the Spanish teacher and the dean, respectively. Even Chevy Chase, who left halfway through the series’ run, was as hysterical as ever as Pierce.
The Inbetweeners
There are two great things about the casting of The Inbetweeners that are missing from most teen shows. Firstly, the actors all actually look the age that their characters are supposed to be, and secondly, and more importantly, they have such great chemistry that they’re believable as a real group of friends.
Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, James Buckley, and Blake Harrison all had perfect comic timing, and also brought real humanity and vulnerability to their characters.
30 Rock
Tina Fey translated her experiences working on Saturday Night Live into single-camera sitcom form in 30 Rock. She played Liz Lemon, the in-universe sketch show’s head writer and, more broadly, a delightfully relatable everywoman.
Fey was backed up by Alec Baldwin as chauvinistic executive Jack Donaghy, Tracy Morgan as dim-witted comic Tracy Jordan, Jane Krakowski as spoilt starlet Jenna Maroney, and Jack McBrayer as overenthusiastic NBC page Kenneth Parcell.
Parks And Recreation
When the team behind Parks and Recreation was casting the show, they did things a little differently. Instead of creating characters and choosing actors to play them, they found a bunch of actors they liked and let them develop the characters on their own, from their own comedic personas.
This led to iconic performances by Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Chris Pratt, Aubrey Plaza, Retta, and Jim O’Heir. After the show’s staff cut the dead weight (sorry, Paul Schneider) and brought onboard Adam Scott and Rob Lowe, the cast was perfect.
Peep Show
David Mitchell and Robert Webb have been comedy partners for years, so their chemistry as mismatched best friends Mark and Jez in Channel 4’s P.O.V. sitcom Peep Show came effortlessly.
Future Oscar winner Olivia Colman delivers every line as Mark’s on-and-off love interest Sophie hilariously, and Matt King steals every scene as Jez’s drug-addled bandmate Super Hans. There were also consistently fantastic supporting turns from Paterson Joseph, Isy Suttie, and Neil Fitzmaurice.
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
FX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia didn’t find its feet until the network head recruited his friend Danny DeVito to join the cast in the second season in a bid to boost ratings. After years of respectable dramatic acting, DeVito has put it all out there as Frank Reynolds, the most disgusting and reprehensible human being ever created.
His four co-stars seem to embody their roles more and more as each season passes: Glenn Howerton as the sociopathic Dennis, Kaitlin Olson as the free-spirited Dee (who really got a chance to shine when the writers allowed her to build on her own character), Charlie Day as the unhinged Charlie, and Rob McElhenney as the confused Mac.
Modern Family
After playing one iconic sitcom patriarch in Married...with Children, Ed O’Neill doubled down with another such role: Jay Pritchett. The cast of Modern Family has notoriously demanded pay rises every couple of years throughout the series’ run, but to be fair, their quick-as-a-whip performances are what makes the show work.
O’Neill is supported by Sofía Vergara and Rico Rodriguez as Jay’s new family; Eric Stonestreet, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Aubrey Anderson-Emmons as the Pritchett-Tuckers; and Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, Sarah Hyland, Ariel Winter, and Nolan Gould as the Dunphys.
The Office
When Steve Carell broke away from copying David Brent and turned Michael Scott into a unique, sympathetic character, the U.S. remake of The Office became truly special. Rainn Wilson emerged as the show’s breakout star in the role of Dwight Schrute, and Ed Helms clawed his way to a spot on the main cast with spot-on line delivery and brilliant improvisation.
John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer were incredibly likable as Jim and Pam, while B.J. Novak played douchey Ryan’s eye-rolling arc hilariously. Supporting players like Leslie David Baker, Angela Kinsey, Oscar Nunez, Brian Baumgartner, Kate Flannery, and Phyllis Smith also stood out more and more as the seasons went on.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
With wholly ad-libbed dialogue, Curb Your Enthusiasm needed a really talented cast to bring it to life. Larry David is at the show’s center as a fictionalized version of himself, and he’s backed up by co-stars with whom he shares incredible chemistry: Jeff Garlin as his manager and best friend, Cheryl Hines as his wife (and later ex-wife), J.B. Smoove as his freeloading, street-smart roommate, and Susie Essman as Jeff’s wife.
The rest of the supporting cast is filled with David’s celebrity friends self-deprecatingly playing absurd versions of themselves, including Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, and Richard Lewis.
Arrested Development
The ensemble cast of Arrested Development is perfection. Jason Bateman anchors the series as Michael Bluth, the supposed everyman with a tendency to sink as low as the rest of his family. He developed a real rapport with his on-screen siblings: Will Arnett as failed magician Gob, Portia de Rossi as phony activist Lindsay, and Tony Hale as man-child Buster. A young Michael Cera and Alia Shawkat emerged as prodigies, slipping effortlessly into the roles of semi-incestuous cousins George Michael and Maeby.
Jeffrey Tambor and Jessica Walter were individually fantastic and also shared palpable chemistry as the Bluths’ patriarch and matriarch, George, Sr. and Lucille. And last but not least, David Cross is infinitely hilarious as the closeted, entendre-spewing Tobias.