5 Best Sitcoms You Can Binge-Watch In One Weekend

There are some people who want to binge-watch an entire crime series in one weekend, and there are some people who'd rather go for their all-time weekend laugh record and binge a sitcom. This list is for sitcom lovers everywhere who might be tired of revisiting old standbys and are looking for something quick and enjoyable to put away on a rainy weekend. There are certainly more than five series that could fit this criteria — still, the following five shows represent a balance of tone, subject, comedy, and character, and any one of them could easily become a new favorite for any comedy-lover. 

The most important part of choosing these shows was obviously series length — no one can binge-watch nine seasons of "The Office" in one weekend — so we tried not to choose anything over five seasons. In addition to that, we prioritized series that feel complete by the time the last episode's credits roll. Despite the fact that many of these shows were canceled prematurely, they all end on a note that can satisfy any viewer seeking closure. After that, it's a matter of providing many different kinds of humor all at the same caliber of skill, whether darkly funny or cleverly corny. 

"The Good Place" is the longest sitcom on this list by far, but it's also the most cohesive. Where most sitcoms abide by a "slice-of-life" premise with the occasional plot development, "The Good Place" is a robustly plot-driven show. It's the kind of series that offers legitimate benefits when someone takes it in as one full piece of work, so even though it's a 53-episode run (across four seasons), it's definitely worth the marathon. It's especially worth it for people who watched the series as it was airing; there are plenty of things that fans only notice in "The Good Place" upon rewatching.

From creator Mike Schur (who wrote for and acted in "The Office" and co-created "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" and "Parks and Recreation"), "The Good Place" follows a group of humans as they begin their afterlives in heaven, also known as the Good Place. There's not much more to say about the plot that won't run the risk of spoiling things, but we can certainly sing praises of the show's ensemble cast, which includes Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, D'Arcy Carden, Jameela Jamil, William Jackson Harper, and Manny Jacinto. Come for the cast and high density of jokes, stay for a compelling plot and worthwhile character arcs.

It was a bit of a surprise when "Derry Girls" became such a sleeper hit for Netflix. The low-budget sitcom — produced and shot in Northern Ireland with an Irish cast — seems at first like it might be dated or difficult to relate to, but by the end of episode two, most viewers already have a favorite character. Set in Northern Ireland in the 1990s, "Derry Girls" follows a group of five friends who spend much less time thinking about the conflict between the IRA and the British Government than they do on how to get a boyfriend or sneak out to a "Take That" concert. 

"Derry Girls" never fails to provide laughs, whether giving viewers a chance to chuckle at absurd anti-English sentiment from otherwise genial characters or to howl in surprise at yet another ruthless takedown from Siobhán McSweeney's Sister Michael (Sister Michael's savage-yet-admirable behavior is one of the best elements of "Derry Girls"). Erin (Saoirse-Monica Jackson), Orla (Louisa Harland), Michelle (Jamie-Lee O'Donnell), and Claire (Nicola Coughlan) have all been friends and attended Catholic School together for years, and the start of the series sees the introduction of Michelle's English cousin James (Dylan Llewellyn) to the group. It's a lovely series with lovable characters, and it's easy to get through in a weekend.

Had "American Auto" (which ran its first season in 2021) come out 10 years earlier or even three years later, it may very well have thrived in the TV landscape. The series was canceled after two seasons, likely because studios, networks, and streamers were focused on producing shows that could blow audiences away with just an eight- or 10-episode first season. It's almost impossible to do that with a sitcom, because sitcoms tend to require more time to find their groove than high-concept dramas (of course, those high-concept dramas don't always deliver after their initial success, but no one in Hollywood seems capable of basic foresight). Now, with shows like "Loot" and "The Rise and Fall of Reggie Dinkins," sitcoms are getting more of a chance again, but it's too late for "American Auto." 

The series was never groundbreaking, but it enjoyed a fantastic ensemble filled with under-appreciated comedic performers like Michael Benjamin Washington, Jon Barinholtz, and the series lead, Ana Gasteyer (at her most confident). The show came from the mind of Justin Spitzer, who also created "Superstore" and co-created the current NBC/Peacock sitcom "St. Denis Medical," and who has always made a point of featuring hardworking, under-appreciated comedians in his shows. "American Auto" follows the executive elite of an American car company (a facsimile of Ford or GM) and does some great work probing the constant incompetence and ethical apathy of corporate America. Most importantly, though, it's very funny.

When some people sat down and first began watching "Fallout," they may have recognized Maximus as Aaron Moten, aka the young actor who plays Kathy Bates' son, Travis, in "Disjointed." The Netflix series, one of its best canceled shows, follows the owner and staff of a California marijuana dispensary. It's a workplace sitcom, certainly, but one of the more interesting and least conventional to date. The legendary Kathy Bates stars as Ruth, a radical, second-wave feminist whose son, Travis (Morten), recently finished business school and wants to help the dispensary turn a better profit.

There are two things upfront that likely turned people away from the series. First, "Disjointed" is a multi-cam, one-shot sitcom, which means it didn't fit in with its workplace-sitcom contemporaries or immediate predecessors like "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" and "Superstore," both of which shot in single-cam with coverage. Second, the Netflix trailer for the series depicts a nonsensical, low-budget series with tacky jokes and dated promotion. In reality, "Disjointed" is uniquely clever and legitimately compelling. The series explores how each staff member and regular customer ended up where they are and doesn't shy away from exploring the many legal issues and dangers that come with running a dispensary. It is, secretly, one of the best things Netflix has ever produced. At least it's one 20-episode season, which means you can binge it in a weekend!

Comprised of 18 episodes (which aired over the course of two seasons), "Vice Principals" is a little-known dark comedy from Danny McBride that aired on HBO in 2016. The series centers on the relationship between North Jackson High School's two vice principals: Neal Gamby (Danny McBride), Vice Principal of Discipline, and Lee Russell (Walton Goggins), Vice Principal of Curriculum. Despite their constant vying for the chance to become principal when their boss retires, neither of them is awarded the job thanks to their immaturity, and an outside hire — Dr. Belinda Brown (Kimberly Hébert Gregory) — comes in to shake things up.

Gamby and Russell are not ethically sound, and it is always interesting to watch a sitcom about people who are inherently difficult to root for. They are both obsessive and competitive, and Gamby's unaddressed emotional pain leftover from his divorce is matched in power by Russell's near-sociopathic motivations and decision-making. Walton Goggins and Danny McBride are both fearless performers, and it's a delight to see their whacky characters maintain an unsteady alliance as they attempt to take down Dr. Brown. It's a darker sitcom than most, but certainly still good for many laughs.