The 2010s saw a handful of comedy series begin and end before they could reach their peaks. These are some of the best ranked by their IMDb ratings.
As there are plenty of classic comedy series and sitcoms that fans have gotten to enjoy over the years, there are just as many that don't get the chance to have a long series run. The 2010s as a decade were great for comedy television, with many binge-worthy series making their debut during this period. However, many shows that premiered during the 2010s were short-lived despite their high quality and deserved more episodes than they got.
Securing a long run can be difficult to do and the fact these quality series weren't able to be in production past a season or two is proof. While shows can come to an abrupt end for a variety of reasons, it's unfortunate that many of these shows were unable to continue despite showing lots of potential.
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Enlightened perfectly straddles the line between comedy and drama. With the focus on Amy Jellicoe (played by Laura Dern), the show dives into the life of the 40-year-old corporate executive who has a new outlook after being placed in a treatment center. The show grounds itself in relatability with solid storylines surrounding the main character's search for purpose.
Unfortunately, the show was a victim of low ratings despite critical acclaim. It has since developed a cult-like following, with many fans of the series still calling for a third and final season to conclude the story of Amy Jellicoe.
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Many film and television fans are familiar with the concept of method acting and this legal series led by Rob Lowe and Fred Savage essentially takes the concept and reverses it. After Lowe's character Dean Sanderson's television show ends, he begins to practice law after playing a lawyer on TV for years prior and joins his family's law firm.
The sibling dynamic between Lowe and Savage carries the show and results in plenty of funny moments in what is typically a serious line of work. Like many comedies, the show deals with familial relationships but it's tied together with the premise of adjusting to the changes that life brings. While the show was well-received by viewers and critics alike, the Fox original series was canceled after only 22 episodes.
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After his success as Chandler Bing on Friends, Matthew Perry had the opportunity to be the lead of multiple comedy series, all to varying success. Many of these shows didn't get more than one season, including Go On where he played radio host Ryan King who joins a support group while he mourns his wife.
Go On aired on NBC in 2012 but was overshadowed by the network's heavy hitters like The Office, 30 Rock, and other classic comedy series the network produced around the same time. While the show touched on heavy subjects, its absurdity and the hilarious cast gave it a similar charm to other NBC series.
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As there are many series that take place in contemporary high schools, Everything Sucks! stood out as one of the best modern period comedy series. Set in '90s Boring, Oregon, the show follows freshman Luke O'Neill as he begins his high school journey and navigates through an awkward romance, his passion for filmmaking, and his familial conflicts.
Many of the comedic moments the show has to offer come from its relatability, as viewers can see their high school selves making some of the same mistakes that the characters in the show would make throughout its lone season. Canceled by Netflix after just one season, the show has received Freaks and Geeks comparisons as both high school period comedies ended too soon and many of the character arcs went unresolved.
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Jerrod Carmichael has crafted an extremely respectable career in comedy and after a string of solid stand-up specials, he created The Carmichael Show in 2015. Loosely based on his life, the sitcom benefited from being extremely well written and contained authentic stories that weren't afraid to deal with sensitive topics like racism and mental health.
The Carmichael Show had the perfect mixture of long-tenured actors and newer faces at the time, including Carmichael himself. Among the cast is Loretta Devine who has racked up a handful of motherly roles throughout her career and Lil Rel Howery whose acting career was jumpstarted after being a part of the main cast on the show. The show ended after three seasons when Carmichael decided it was time to pursue other projects.
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There aren't too many TV series adapted from stage plays but Michaela Coel's Chewing Gum is one of the few that fit the criteria. Based on her play Chewing Gum Dreams, the sitcom explores the topics of sex, religion, companionship, and more through the eyes of Tracey Gordon.
Even though the show only consisted of 12 episodes in total, it conveys a lot in a short amount of time. It does a great job of balancing the over-the-top comedic moments with the more serious ones and along with a great cast, Coel was able to craft an extremely solid series and was awarded her first BAFTA along the way.
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The 1970s is a decade that will always be revisited in the realm of film and television and The Kids Are Alright does exactly that, focusing on a suburban family raising eight children in 1972.
The show benefited from great writing, casting, and overall premise but was canceled after one 22-episode season. It can be difficult for period shows to rely on more than nostalgia and The Kids Are Alright was able to avoid that problem with ease. While viewers won't see new adventures from the Cleary family, its only season is a great introduction to a series that had tons of potential.
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Over the years, comedians have been able to put out various sitcoms where they star as another version of themselves and it's safe to say that most of them are hit or miss. Legit had the potential to fall into the hit category, as the show was well-received during its run but suffered from low viewership.
Starring Jim Jeffries as a fictionalized version of himself, the show zeroes in on his comedy career after moving to L.A. from his native Australia. The dynamic between Jeffries and his friends lifts the show immensely, as each character is dealing with something completely different from the other but is still able to confide and support.
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With Galavant being so campy, it might turn off viewers initially from the outside looking in. But Galavant's propensity for breaking the fourth wall and its soundtrack gave it a unique charm that allows it to stand out from the rest. The Joshua Sasse-led series sees knight Sir Galavant going to the ends of the Earth to get back the love of his life, Madalena.
Galavant had a lot of stories to tell and despite having a common premise in the fantasy genre, it pulls in so many different tropes that will keep viewers laughing the entire time. Nonetheless, the series was canceled after just 2 seasons and 18 episodes.
Stream on Netflix
Though Bo Burnham has seen more mainstream success in recent years with projects like Inside and Eighth Grade, his first original television series only lasted a single season. While it went under the radar and struggled in viewership, the show was set up to be something great.
It follows recent high school graduate Zach Stone as he hires a documentary crew to record his rise to fame despite being severely untalented. In a way, it's a unique coming-of-age story about a kid doing whatever he can to achieve his dream. 8 years after its cancellation and Bo Burnham's rise in popularity after 2021's Inside, Netflix made Zach Stone available for streaming for the first time.
