5 Sitcoms That Outshine The Big Bang Theory

A Look at Alternative Sitcoms to “The Big Bang Theory”

There’s a long list of questionable things that many viewers ignore in “The Big Bang Theory,” and as time goes on and society evolves, that list gets longer and longer. For example, Penny (Kaley Cuoco) is the worst, and it’s almost certainly because she was created and written almost exclusively by male writers. Including Penny, every major female character on the show is the love interest of one of the four main male characters. Those four main characters are almost all white men, and they are all heterosexual. “The Big Bang Theory” relies on what Pop Culture Detective dubbed “Adorkable Misogyny,” which is the false idea that, if a man who is regularly demeaning, disregarding, and disrespecting women is “nerdy” and not “typically masculine,” his behavior is funny and endearing instead of frustrating, harmful, creepy, and sexist.

Through 12 seasons, “The Big Bang Theory” writing and production teams were a staunch boy’s club, with only a small number of women significantly credited throughout the show’s bloated run. The only thing the addition of Amy (Mayim Bialik) and Bernadette (Melissa Rauch) to the main cast really accomplished was to provide, in combination with Penny, long-term love interests for three of the four main male characters, thus shielding them from scrutiny over constant, predatory behavior toward women they coveted and sought to objectify. Luckily, there are a lot of other sitcoms to watch that cover similar themes and styles of humor without sacrificing the complexity of their female characters or leaning into cringeworthy gags, as “The Big Bang Theory” did so unashamedly for so very long.

The IT Crowd

Nerd culture is fascinating and, for a long time, was under-explored in film and television. One of the pioneers of its purveyance was actually a little British sitcom called “The IT Crowd” – the Brits often get there first when it comes to humor. The show follows a small information technology (IT) department at a large, London-based corporation called Reynholm Industries. Making up the IT department are: Jen Barber (Katherine Parkinson), the department head (for her social skills, she knows nothing about computers); Maurice Moss (Richard Ayoade), a technical genius; Roy Trenneman (Chris O’Dowd), a wise-cracking, underachiever; and part-time tech Richmond Avenal (Noel Fielding), who may very well be a vampire.

In all seriousness, “The IT Crowd” is not serious. It’s a hilarious, well-paced sitcom that legitimately explores what it’s like to work in IT and to be a computer person in a world full of people trying to use rapidly evolving technology. Ayoade’s Moss is a one-man B-plot; some of the series’ best gags happen while Moss is fooling around at his desk, alone in the office. “The IT Crowd” is well-written, willing to lean into subversive — even provocative, at times — humor, without any trace of malice or spite. The series has a big cult following in the U.K. and the U.S., and even though its run only lasted four seasons — a big success when it comes to U.K. television but only a fraction the size of a series like “The Big Bang Theory” — it cemented itself as a meritorious contribution to popular culture and humor that will be remembered for a long time to come.

How I Met Your Mother

For viewers who still want a little sexism in their humor, but don’t want to watch 12 seasons of insufferable jerks being rewarded for bad behavior, there’s always “How I Met Your Mother.” This show only has two, maybe three (depending on personal opinion) insufferable jerks, and karma does tend to kick them in the shins more often than not. When “Friends” became a huge hit, and especially right after it ended, many people tried to recreate its brilliance. The first real success in that effort was “How I Met Your Mother,” a series that gathered a group of young, attractive Manhattanites, but made them more interesting by adding a mystery element to the story. How did the narrator (Bob Saget, voicing an older version of Ted (Josh Radnor)) meet the mother of his children?

It ran for nine network seasons (remember when TV shows were made of 22-episode-long seasons?), so “How I Met Your Mother” offers many episodes full of comedy and intrigue. While Neil Patrick Harris was definitely the show’s rising star, each of its main cast members brings confidence and individuality to their performances, and they have genuine chemistry as an ensemble. The show’s inside jokes are top-tier; for example, Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) has to wear a funny-looking tie with ducks on it for a good chunk of episodes in Season 7 because of a lost bet with Marshall (Jason Segel).

St. Denis Medical

A workplace comedy with heart and substance, “St. Denis Medical” is a spiritual successor to “Superstore,” Justin Spitzer’s earlier series. “St. Denis” follows the staff of a small hospital in a fictional Oregon town. David Alan Grier has found something really special as the show’s elder statesman, and it’s a joy to see Wendi McLendon-Covey finally appreciated as the leading comedic talent she’s always been. Alex, the charge nurse at St. Denis, is the series’ — and the hospital’s — anchor, and manages to be endearing even at her most neurotic moments.

More importantly, there is something essential in the act of finding humor in a place like a hospital. In the same way that “Abbott Elementary” raises awareness about issues in America’s education system as well as conveys the many unique joys that come with being a teacher or a student, “St. Denis Medical” gives an accurate picture of healthcare in today’s United States and shows that there are a lot of hardworking, well-meaning people working in emergency medicine. “St. Denis Medical” just wrapped up its stellar sophomore season and will be back with a third in the fall.

Mythic Quest

There are many facets of what many people call “nerd culture,” and within those facets, even more variability, so it’s impossible to capture all of it in one fell swoop. Better, then, to zoom in on particular parts when seeking a window into something a little cool and a little geeky. “Mythic Quest” follows the developers of a fictional, wildly popular MMO RPG in the same vein as “World of Warcraft.” It’s also a great window into the video game industry, not just its draining, disheartening downsides like increased monetization and rampant misogyny, but also its good sides. People who love video games are often imaginative and open-minded, and video games have become a proper art form in their own right. They’re still relatively new to the world, and yet so much a part of entertainment and popular culture.

To be clear, “Mythic Quest” is not particularly uplifting most of the time. Most of the time, its flawed characters will disappoint, consistently making the wrong choices and ignoring the right people. But the cast is lousy with comedic talent, including Danny Pudi as Brad, the brilliant, soulless head of monetization. Jessie Ennis’s Jo could easily stand in the company of other iconic, workplace weirdos like “The Office’s” Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) or “Parks and Recreation’s” April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza). It’s not a perfect show — the plot occasionally dwindles, and Rob McElhenney will never easily read as sincere on screen thanks to his many years of playing Mac on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” — but the laughs are top-notch, and there is an earnestness in its love for video games that somewhat counters the general awfulness of the industry as depicted onscreen.

What We Do in the Shadows

Some of the comedies on this list relate to “The Big Bang Theory” through its many elements, offering an alternative avenue for enjoying them. “What We Do in the Shadows” is on this list just because it’s really, really good and criminally underrated. The series follows a group of vampire roommates who share a big, creaking house together on Staten Island. Nandor the Relentless (Kayvan Novak) is the eldest, while Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) and Laszlo (Matt Berry) are a wedded couple from the Europe of centuries past. The most interesting residents of the house aren’t traditional vampires, but rather Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) — the show’s fantastic interpretation of a paranormal “energy vampire” (he drains energy as the coworker you never want to get stuck talking to at the office) — and Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), Nandor’s devoted familiar.

The cast of “What We Do in the Shadows” was never in it for the Emmys, but it’s a shame the series didn’t receive more praise while it was airing new seasons. The cast has fantastic chemistry as an ensemble, but more importantly, it works to utilize every possible combination of characters throughout its six seasons on FX. In every venture into paranormal lore, with the introduction of things like werewolves and ghosts, the series offers clever framing and context that buffs the humor. It’s already pretty funny to see an ancient vampire becoming best friends with his obnoxious, Staten Island neighbor in mockumentary format, but the joke writing on the show — the bit writing on the show, so many great bits — is immaculate.