That would be the National Broadcasting Company, aka NBC, a network famous for bringing comedy classics such as The Golden Girls, Cheers, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. With so much more under their belt, NBC has one of the most gilded lines of sitcoms out there.
The Good Place (8.2)
Sitcoms sure have changed over the years. Before, it was so easy. All one needed was a husband and wife who constantly argued and a goofy neighbor/best friend who would break the tension. Now, people need to explore the expanse of the spiritual realm and question the meaning of life itself just to get a good laugh. In The Good Place, Eleanor Shellstrop believes that she's hit the big time when she finds that she's landed "the Good Place" in her afterlife.
It doesn't take too long before she discovers that this is just a clerical error and if she has to change her ways before it's too late. With a stellar cast, including Ted Danson playing the architect of heaven himself, this series gets plenty of laughs while also touching on hefty questions about what it means to be good.
30 Rock (8.2)
While working on a sketch, comedy show may look fun to the average viewer, the industry has had some well-documented chaos going on in its backstages. As a Saturday Night Live alum and an avid writer, Tina Fey has quite a bit of experience dealing with tight, television deadlines, stuck up actors, and executives that could care less about good television.
She projected all of her frustrations from SNL into her own, seminal series, 30 Rock, which explores overworked, television producer, Liz Lemon's, journey to keep her sketch comedy series afloat while also balancing a personal life and plenty of systemic changes in the workplace.
Scrubs (8.3)
Before Scrubs, medical shows were unsurprisingly depressing. Exploring the lives and challenges of what it's like to work in a hospital, it's hard to skirt around the difficult subject of long work hours, botched procedures, and even death. That's what made a series like Scrubs even more necessary.
With Zach Braff as aspiring doctor, J.D., at the helm, this series cut through the tension of medical life with more precision than a scalpel. Looking into the quirky lives of its medical professionals and adding some colorful characters across a noticeably dark and dreary hospital, Scrubs managed to perfectly balance the gravity of its content with the great personalities of its cast.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (8.4)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine wasn't initially an NBC series, but the devoted fans to the series are happy enough that it found a home somewhere after its unexpected cancellation from Fox. Starring SNL alum, Andy Samberg, Brooklyn Nine-Nine looks at the various misadventures of New York's finest as they try to keep the peace of their city without causing too much trouble themselves.
With more conflict coming from their fellow peers than the actual criminals, the dialogue and action of this series is constant fun, seeking to create even more frenetic energy for an industry that is already plenty tense on its own.
Community (8.5)
Before Rick and Morty made kids stay up late to watch Adult Swim, Community was the Dan Harmon series to bring meta-humor and pop culture references into the mainstream. Initially debuting as a quirky sitcom about community college life, Community quickly evolved into a high concept adventure with plenty of heart.
The students of Greendale Community College can struggle to study for an exam one week, get into great paintball battles the next, and then return to their assignments as if nothing has ever happened. Given that the fans practically propelled the series into six seasons (and possibly even a movie), this series has made the Dean's List of great sitcoms.
Parks And Recreation (8.6)
Government and politics already get made fun of enough, but they really hit their comedic stride when Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman took their swings. Set in the quirky, small town of Pawnee, Indiana, Parks and Recreation looks at the chaotic offices of one, bureaucratic institution that's just meant to build parks.
The story evolves into bigger (and whiter) houses later on but even the journey to get a park fixed illustrates a hilarious look at the various squabbles, public disputes, and written minutiae that go into trying to be a good politician. Leslie Knope may be a comedy character, but she's a beacon of the courage and drive that it takes to get things done in a town that was once ruled by a cult.
Freaks And Geeks (8.8)
Freaks and Geeks run may have been short-lived, but its legacy can be still felt today in the eclectic careers of Judd Apatow, Jason Segel, James Franco, and Seth Rogen. Set in 1980's America, Freaks and Geeks explores the various issues with fitting in and finding one's identity in the social jungle known as high school.
Lindsay Weir was once an upstanding student; but in the wake of her grandmother's death, she begins looking for a purpose in the corners of the world that she's been taught to ignore, namely with the delinquents of her school called "Freaks." Her little brother sees a different journey as he and his nerdy tribe just try to survive the school's hallways.
Seinfeld (8.8)
Few comedians have mastered observation comedy the same, natural way that Jerry Seinfeld has, and even fewer have managed to getting entire sitcoms around it. Based on the life and observations of Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, Seinfeld focuses on four, single friends in New York as they fight through some of the most trivial things of human nature as well as each other on a daily basis.
Each cast member more irreverent than the last, Seinfeld was a series that was brave enough to say what everyone has always wanted to say, no matter how trivial the subjects may have been. Famous for its absurd plots and excellent dialogue, Seinfeld has rightfully earned its place in the discussion for being the greatest sitcom of all time
Friends (8.9)
The quintessential buddy comedy of the modern era, Friends explored the light-hearted ongoings of a not-so-average friend group living in New York as well as their various romantic exploits. In the aftermath of escaping her own wedding, Rachel Greene reconnects with her old friend, Monica, and gets to know her own line of eccentric buddies.
Forming the titular group, each one tries to make it in their individual dreams within New York while also snooping in each other's personal issues. A little closer than friends probably should be, Friends had the kind of emotional, character-drive chaos that makes for great writing.
The Office U.S. (8.9)
If anyone's getting tired of the increasing, never-ending presence of office comedies on television nowadays, then they can thank The Office for hitting a few too many home runs for networks everywhere to ignore. Adapted from the British series of the same name, the U.S. version of The Office received critical acclaim for its eccentric, character writing and heartwarming episodes.
Combatting the inherent coldness and boring nature of the office setting, this series often has its main cast do anything besides work, such as Michael Scott's various meetings for nothing, Jim Halpert's convoluted pranks on Dwight Schrute, and Dwight's over-the-top intensity for an average, office job. Influential and well-quoted, The Office is a clear, comedic classic.