Shows like Community capture the humor, colorful characters and heart that made it such a fan-favorite. Very few shows were as smart, inventive, and as wonderfully odd as Dan Harmon's sitcom. Although, never a ratings juggernaut, the show developed a devoted cult following who praised its concept episodes, complex diverse characters, and clever writing. The series had a fun approach to comedy that is different than most other sitcoms on the air today. While there is no show quite like Community, there are a few series that can help fill the void.
Even though Community has been off the air for several years the show still has a strong fan base and many people miss tuning in weekly to the day-to-day lives of the close-knit community college study group. Now with the Community movie finally on the way, fans are likely even more excited to recapture the feel of the show. Although there's no exact equivalent to the quick-witted and clever Community, there are other shows with interesting premises and oddball characters that fans of Community will enjoy as a new series to check out after watching and rewatching Community.
20 Parks And Recreation (2009-2015)
- Stream on Peacock
Parks and Recreation has a large cast of quirky characters, similar to Community, who all work together every day in the small local parks department in Pawnee, Indiana. The show took a few episodes to find a rhythm, but once it found its characters it quickly became a fan-favorite. Parks and Rec was improvisational at times with quick-witted comedy and had a similar range of ages for their characters from college-aged to middle-aged that Community had as well.
19 The Good Place (2016-2020)
- Stream on Netflix
The Good Place had an increasingly interesting premise as it followed a group of people who were newly deceased and were trying to find their way in the afterlife. The series had quirky characters that were attempting to figure out their new surroundings and understand themselves, similar to the characters that found themselves at Greendale Community College. Although The Good Place had a bit more of a complicated plot than Community, both shows had similar types of humor and engaging characters and plots throughout.
18 Schitt's Creek (2015-2020)
- Stream on Hulu
Schitt's Creek is another lovable show with an odd cast that is completely engaging for the viewer from the start. The series follows the Rose family, who were prominent and rich but a distant family that lost everything and had to move to the small town of Schitt's Creek. The series is full of zany characters like Community, from the townspeople like mayor Roland Schitt, whose name is a pun, to the completely clueless Rose family themselves. There is a lot of love and heart at the center of this show and the change each character goes through during its 6 seasons makes this even more evident.
17 The League (2009-2015)
- Stream on Hulu
The League followed a group of close-knit friends who were able to stay in each other's lives in adulthood through their fantasy football league. Like Community, The League took a completely relatable premise and made it into an engaging and hilarious series. The League had a football focus, but that didn't necessarily mean the viewer needed to love football to enjoy the improvisational comedy of the friends or the wacky situations they found themselves in.
16 Silicon Valley (2014-2019)
- Stream on HBO Max
Silicon Valley is another workplace comedy that takes on the well-known location of Silicon Valley and bases its entire premise on the location, similar to Community and its community college location. The series had a lovable main cast of characters who also made their fair share of mistakes. Any fan of Community will appreciate Silicon Valley and its particular type of smart, witty, and quick comedy.
15 A.P. Bio (2018-2021)
- Stream on Peacock
Many have already drawn comparisons between NBC's A.P. Bio and Community, most striking being the main character's personality and traits. Jack Griffin, an advanced placement Biology teacher in Ohio, is similar to Community's Jeff Winger in their attitudes towards their roles in academia and their need to be better than their current circumstances (e.g. in a bizarre school). Jack uses the power he has over his students to help get back at his nemesis, allowing for wacky scenarios and a great ensemble cast that plays off of one another extremely well. Even some of the character archetypes in the show echo characters from Community.
14 The Guild (2007-2013)
- Buy on Apple TV
This nerdtastic show premiered in 2007 during YouTube's early days, with its first season ed largely through donations from fans. The Guild focuses on the of a fantasy guild on the intensely popular MMORPG called The Game. Things get turned upside down for the as one member, Warlock Zaboo, shows up on Priestess Codex's doorstep in real life. Not only is everyone in the guild odd in one way or another, but watching them fumble through reality together is both cringe-worthy and hilarious to witness. The episodes are bite-sized, short but sweet snippets that make it easy to binge in one sitting.
13 Superstore (2015-2020)
- Stream on Hulu
Superstore is an NBC show that debuted in 2015 and currently has six seasons filmed to this date. Like Community, it is about the likable characters brought together in a place they would rather not be. This ensemble cast makes up the employees of Cloud 9, a big-box store located in St. Louis, Missouri, a store that attracts plenty of chaos and commotion on a daily basis. It encapsulates the horrors and frustrations of working retail while still being hysterical no matter a viewer's job experience. The cast is also dynamic and they play off each other with ease, no doubt aided by the great comedic crafting and surprising drama that the script provides.
12 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-2021)
- Stream on Peacock
Brooklyn Nine-Nine follows the main day shift of Brooklyn's 99th precinct police station, specifically New York's finest detectives led by Captain Holt. The show is not only hilarious but has a great ensemble cast that grows and becomes a found family similar to that in Community. There are plenty of antics to go around, with the addition of crime-solving, musical montages, and LGBTQ+ representation. Brooklyn Nine-Nine ended with a satisfying conclusion that showed how close these characters grew over time.
11 You’re The Worst (2014-2019)
- Stream on Hulu
You're The Worst first aired in 2014 and follows Jimmy and Gretchen, a writer and PR executive who meet each other at a wedding where they both have messy history and connections. They decide to hook up after stealing wedding gifts and being thrown out of the wedding, a pretty clear picture as to how flawed they both are. Not all protagonists are good people, and like Community's ensemble cast, they can love people and/or their family while still being...well, the worst to those around them. Not only is its view of modern relationships realistic and complex, but the show's second season shines in focusing on clinical depression and how it affects relationships in the modern day and age.