60 best sitcoms of all time

57. My Boys

TBS came up with something special when it launched My Boys, a different kind of female-led sitcom starring Jordana Spiro (Blindspot, The Mob Doctor) as a Chicago sportswriter with a circle of close male friends. My Boys was a sitcom for the ladies who cared more about sports than shoes, but it also didn’t go too far the other way either. The show was successful at proving comedy didn’t have to come from the same series of stereotypical relationships that populated many a series before it, and that sometimes funny could just be funny, no expectations attached.

Spiro gave a breakout performance as P.J., probably still the best performance of her career to date. She was everything you’d want a sitcom leading lady to be. Jim Gaffigan stole the show as P.J.’s brother Andy for the majority of the series; it wasn’t quite the same after he left, and the comedy projects in which he’s starred haven’t been as great as this either. And before he found wider acclaim on Veep, Reid Scott sharpened his comedy skills as P.J.’s friend and one-time roomie Brendan.

What was interesting about My Boys is that it avoided the pitfall of being a show about P.J. and a bunch of other people. While she was the central character through which the others were connected, it was really an ensemble show where all the main characters got developed, and there were important storylines that didn’t involve her. Everyone was on the same team, and that made this sitcom feel like a real depiction of friendship and love rather than another relationship show.

Next: 56. The Critic