12 Best Shows Like Reboot That Fans Should Check Out

There are some sitcom records that will never be broken. Certainly, nobody expects a surprise success like "Modern Family" to arrive twice in a lifetime. Hulu's high-powered comedy series "Reboot" is about reuniting the cast of the 2000s sitcom hit "Step Right Up," who must face up to their messy issues and adjust to a swiftly changing world. It's produced and created by Steven Levitan — who is, of course, best known for his work on the long-running smash "Modern Family."

Rachel Bloom stars as Hannah, the sincere young writer who pitches the reboot. Paul Reiser plays Gordon, the hacky narcissist creator of the original show. The reuniting cast consists of Keegan-Michael Key as Yale-educated Reed Sterling, Johnny Knoxville as Clay Barber, a filthy comedian who's only had one acting job, and Calum Worthy plays Zack, a former child star now trying to make a hip-hop career happen. Judy Greer stars as Bree Marie Larson, the female lead who was a pageant girl who grew up wanting to be an actress and a princess. She left the U.S. to marry royalty after the show wrapped, so both dreams came true. Greer replaced Leslie Bibb – Deadline reports that this change was made because the writers took the role in a different direction. 

Segments of the show-within-the-show, "Step Right Up," will also be produced. However, if you just can't get enough of "Rebbot," here are 12 of the best shows to watch while you wait for a new season.

"Episodes," which ran from 2011 to 2017 on Showtime, is another behind-the-scenes show about writers. In this case, the series revolves around two Brits whose smash hit comedy "Lyman's Boys" is being remade into a crass, multicamera American version ("Pucks!") by executives who care nothing about art. They move to Los Angeles and find their fates mingled with a fictionalized version of "Friends" star Matt LeBlanc, making this a fish-out-of-water cultural comedy as much as it is about the television gets made.

While the subject matter has plenty of overlap with "Reboot," "Episodes" is still worth checking out for its cerebral take on marriage, sexuality, responsibility, and art. Steve Levitan has said that creating "Reboot" gives him the opportunity to write about his work life in the same way that "Modern Family" explored his home life (via Entertainment Weekly), and here we have a little show that's trying to do both!

The performances of Stephen Mangan and always charming Tamsin Greig as the married British couple stand out, as does Kathleen Rose Perkins in her star-making turn as Carol Rance, the network head of programming. Also worth noting is that Matt LeBlanc won a Golden Globe for his performance as a satirical version of himself and was nominated for four Emmys!

As Rachel Bloom's Hannah says in the show's opening storyline, the difference between sitcoms of old and comedies of today is that people don't always do the right thing — or even know what the right thing is. Nothing exemplifies this disjunction better than "Kevin Can F*** Himself," a genre-bending and inventive show that presents both an idealized fictional reality in the "Kevin Can Wait" genre as well as a much bleaker and more confusing world outside the fiction. 

Allison McRoberts, played by "Schitt's Creek" megastar Annie Murphy, is portrayed at first as the classic "hot" wife to an insensitive and incurious lout, whose every punchline seems to land squarely on her back. When she's with her husband, there is a multi-camera setup and laugh track, telling us the jokes are funny. However, when she steps out of the fantasy, the show presents a single-camera world that evokes less of a dark comedy feel and something more like an AMC murder drama.

Notable in their roles is Murphy as a woman desperate to advance from supporting player to the main character in her life and Mary Hollis Inboden as her mysterious and hostile but often insightful neighbor Patty O'Connor.

This follow-up to "New Girl" created by Liz Meriwether and J.J. Philbin shares with "Reboot" a certain adult wisdom that underlies its one-liners and kid jokes. Children are strange and random creatures, and "Single Parents" revels in this — even if it's guilty at times of dwelling too much on their adorable yet off-putting precocity. The show is best when it explores the complicated lives of its adults, but as far as shows with kids go, this is one of the best.

Taran Killam of "Saturday Night Live" plays Will Cooper, whose daughter Sophie is perhaps the most precocious of the children. His foil and co-lead is Leighton Meester's outstanding Angie D'Amato, a former wild-child whose deadbeat co-parent is played by Meester's real-life husband, Adam Brody. 

Also notable are Kimrie Lewis as Poppy, and her ever-changing relationship with Brad Garrett's Douglas, a wealthy white conservative who skims the surface of cliche but always comes through in the end. Jake Choi rounds out the adult cast as Miggy Park, a young father. If you like the timely and surprising comedy of "Reboot," it's worth trying out "Single Parents" — only two seasons were produced, so it's a quick and highly enjoyable binge!

In this adult animation, BoJack's entire lifestyle and a lot of his baggage come from his time on a '90s sitcom not unlike "Step Right Up," called "Horsin' Around." Like "Reboot," the series takes place in a Los Angeles that remains recognizable — although the Los Angeles of "BoJack Horseman" is filled with the anthropomorphic animals.

Will Arnett voices the sarcastic and self-destructive BoJack Horseman, who has grown bitter and depressed in the decades since his heyday. We follow his journey of self-discovery and possible redemption for six seasons of comedy, heartache, and genre-bending fun. He tends to destroy everything around him, which makes for a few legitimately harrowing scenes and situations — especiallly like the slow-motion downfall of child actor Sarah Lynn (Kristen Schaal), who played the youngest daughter on BoJack's show and idolized him growing up.

Other standouts are Alison Brie as Diane Nguyen, BoJack's memoirist, and her boyfriend Mr. Peanutbutter, a charmingly oblivious yellow labrador retriever played by Paul F. Tompkins. Aaron Paul plays Todd Chavez, an asexual unemployed slacker who lives at BoJack's house. Finally, Amy Sedaris is Princess Carolyn, a pink Persian cat who plays BoJack's agent and former girlfriend. Tireless and driven, she is a portrait of LA go-go-go culture that wouldn't really be out of place on "Reboot" — except for the fact that she's a talking cat.

Like "Reboot," "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" is a show that is — at its heart — about dirtbags. They're trying to run a successful bar in Philadelphia, of course, but the longest-running sitcom of all time is about a lot more than that. Fans who have stuck around for nearly two decades of television have gotten to see real growth, even if it happens by inches, and the characters' developing stories reflect that. It's still a show about dirtbags doing dirtbag things — but the bonds between this family are real and solid, making them a joy to watch.

The Gang at the center of the show comprises janitor Charlie Kelly (Charlie Day), sometimes bouncer Mac (Rob McElhenney), bartender Dennis Reynolds (Glenn Howerton), and his twin sister Dee Reynolds (Kaitlin Olson), a failed actress who waits tables at the bar. After the first season, they are joined by Dennis and Dee's dirtbag father, Frank Reynolds (Danny DeVito), and the show soon moves away from any responsibilities the characters might have at the bar. 

DeVito is, of course, a legend — but the rest of the Gang has made names for themselves as well. McElhenney and Olson, a real-life couple, have both anchored their own comedies in the decades since "Its Always Sunny in Philedelphia" began. Howerton makes a meal of his every guest-starring role across the sitcom stratosphere, and Charlie Day may well be the first to make a full transition to film once all is said and done.

This little-known gem from the TruTV network was a casualty of the pandemic, which is too bad. Not only is "I'm Sorry" a line-by-line exquisite work of comedy, but it also features one of the best television marriages in creator Andrea Savage's relationship with Tom Everett Scott as her on-screen husband, Mike. Sharply funny, romantic, and brilliantly pointed, their scenes, in particular, are gold.

In the show, comedy writer and clear stand-in Andrea Warren deals with marriage, kids, career, and social life in LA, which brings up an important point — it's not that all TV shows are set in LA, it's that all TV shows about TV shows are set in LA. One single weird interaction with a neighbor or fellow parent can keep Andrea going for days afterward, putting a sweeter spin on the society-violating setups we recognize from "Seinfeld" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

Almost as exciting as the crisp and crackling writing, not to mention Andrea Savage's can't-miss delivery, we also get recurring and guest stars galore. Kathy Baker, Nelson Franklin, Judy Greer, Jason Mantzoukas, Martin Mull, and Scott Aukerman all have memorable turns as Andrea balances her successful writing career with all the business of life.