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Arrested Development poster

Shows that feel likeArrested Development (2003–2019)

The story of a wealthy family that lost everything, and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together.

If you loved Arrested Development, the closest series we have are The Office (2001), It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005) and Married... with Children (1987). All three share Arrested Development's witty and playful feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Vice Principals (2016).

★ 8.6 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗5 seasons · FOXcreated by Mitchell Hurwitzwittyplayfuldarkly funny
12 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Amazon Prime Video
Stream it:Netflix ↗

If Arrested Development hit the spot, these will too

The Office poster
The Office
2001–2002 · 2 seasons · BBC Two
★ 8.5comedyMaxHulu

Deadpan documentary framing that mines squirming embarrassment

The difference: Fourteen episodes of small-scale cringe — no callback machinery

Nightmare boss. Tedious colleagues. Pointless tasks. Welcome to Wernham Hogg.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia poster
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
2005– · 18 seasons · FX
★ 8.8comedyHulu

Terrible people scheming with total confidence and zero self-awareness

The difference: Loose and improvised — gross-out gags over clockwork plotting

Four egocentric friends run a neighborhood Irish pub in Philadelphia and try to find their way through the adult world of work and relationships. Unfortunately, their warped views and precarious judgments often lead them to trouble, creating a myriad of uncomfortable situations that usually only get worse before they get better.

Married... with Children poster
Married... with Children
1987–1997 · 11 seasons · FOX
★ 8.1comedyPrime VideoHulu

A family of losers who genuinely deserve each other, played for spite

The difference: Broad multi-cam mugging — no layered jokes to rewind for

Al Bundy is an unsuccessful middle aged shoe salesman with a miserable life and an equally dysfunctional family. He hates his job, his wife is lazy, his son is dysfunctional (especially with women), and his daughter is dim-witted and promiscuous.

Malcolm in the Middle poster
Malcolm in the Middle
2000–2006 · 7 seasons · FOX
★ 8.2comedyHuluDisney+

A put-upon smart kid narrating the chaos of a family gone feral

The difference: A warmer heart underneath — the Bluth-grade cruelty is softened

A gifted young teen tries to survive life with his dimwitted, dysfunctional family.

Vice Principals poster
Vice Principals
2016–2017 · 2 seasons · HBO
★ 8comedyMax

Both are built on the same subject: dark comedy

After North Jackson High's long-time principal steps down to tend to his ailing wife, Neal Gamby and Lee Russell, the school's vice principals, are forced to put their mutual disdain aside and form an unholy alliance in order to sabotage the newly appointed principal, Dr. Belinda Brown.

Parks and Recreation poster
Parks and Recreation
2009–2015 · 7 seasons · NBC
★ 8.6comedyPeacock

Documentary winks and an ensemble of lovable idiots at cross-purposes

The difference: Earnest where the Bluths are acidic — everyone actually means well

In an attempt to beautify her town — and advance her career — Leslie Knope, a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana, takes on bureaucrats, cranky neighbors, and single-issue fanatics whose weapons are lawsuits, the jumble of city codes, and the democratic process she loves so much.

Russian Doll poster
Russian Doll
2019–2022 · 2 seasons · Netflix
★ 7.7comedy · dramaNetflix

Sharp, self-aware comedy hiding real feeling under the smirk

The difference: A metaphysical puzzle-box — closer to drama than sitcom

Nadia keeps dying and reliving her 36th birthday party. She's trapped in a surreal time loop -- and staring down the barrel of her own mortality.

Weeds poster
Weeds
2005–2012 · 8 seasons · Showtime
★ 7.9comedy · crime · dramaParamount+

A privileged family unraveling into crime while keeping up appearances

The difference: Half drama — the darkness eventually stops being funny

After the unexpected death of her husband, a suburban mom resorts to selling weed to support her family.

Archer poster
Archer
2009–2023 · 14 seasons · FX
★ 8.6comedy · action & adventure · animationHulu

Rapid-fire deadpan and running gags that reward close attention

The difference: Spy-cartoon mayhem — the plots are disposable by design

Smart-mouthed superspy Sterling Archer and his dysfunctional team of secret agents turn dangerous missions into messy misadventures around the globe.

Orange Is the New Black poster
Orange Is the New Black
2013–2019 · 7 seasons · Netflix
★ 8drama · comedy · crimeNetflix

Finds absurd comedy in people trapped by their own worst decisions

The difference: A true ensemble drama — long stretches with no jokes at all

A crime she committed in her youthful past sends Piper Chapman to a women's prison, where she trades her comfortable New York life for one of unexpected camaraderie and conflict in an eccentric group of fellow inmates.

Veep poster
Veep
2012–2019 · 7 seasons · HBO
★ 8.4comedy · war & politicsMax

Both keep coming back to the same thing: sitcom

The difference: Leans harder into war & politics than Arrested Development does

A look into American politics, revolving around former Senator Selina Meyer who finds being Vice President of the United States is nothing like she expected and everything everyone ever warned her about.

Space Force poster
Space Force
2020–2022 · 2 seasons · Netflix
★ 6.7comedy · dramaNetflix

Witty where it counts, playful underneath

The difference: Sits closer to drama than Arrested Development does

A four-star general begrudgingly teams up with an eccentric scientist to get the U.S. military's newest agency — Space Force — ready for lift-off.

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The best-reviewed series that share Arrested Development’s defining feeling.