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Married... with Children poster

Shows that feel likeMarried... with Children (1987–1997)

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.

If you loved Married... with Children, the closest series we have are Malcolm in the Middle (2000), Arrested Development (2003) and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005). All three share Married... with Children'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).

★ 8.1 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗11 seasons · FOXcreated by Michael G. Moyewittyplayfuldarkly funny
12 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Amazon Prime Video

If Married... with Children hit the spot, these will too

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

A family that runs on mutual sabotage and somehow still holds

The difference: Single-camera and secretly warm — the meanness melts by episode's end

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

Arrested Development poster
Arrested Development
2003–2019 · 5 seasons · FOX
★ 8.6comedyNetflix

A family of self-absorbed disasters who richly deserve one another

The difference: Intricate serialized joke-stacking — not a sit-back laugh-track hang

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

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

Awful people whose awfulness is the entire, glorious point

The difference: Escalating depravity with no laugh track — meaner by a mile

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.

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

Comedy squeezed from a small man's delusions and daily indignity

The difference: Cringing documentary quiet — no audience howling at the misery

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

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

One thread runs through both: family relationships

The difference: Sits closer to drama than Married... with Children does

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.

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

The same mix in both: wit, then play

The difference: Made in the 2010s, in a different era of the craft

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.

Monty Python's Flying Circus poster
Monty Python's Flying Circus
1969–1974 · 4 seasons · BBC One
★ 8.8comedyPrime VideoPeacock

Comedy built on dark humor, twice over

A British sketch comedy series with the shows being composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines.

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

The same preoccupation in both: dysfunctional family

The difference: Leans harder into crime than Married... with Children does

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

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

Both keep coming back to the same thing: amused

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.

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

Both are built on the same subject: sitcom

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.

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

Common ground: sitcom

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.

The Simpsons poster
The Simpsons
1989– · 38 seasons · FOX
★ 8.6animation · comedyHuluDisney+

A dead-end job, an underachieving family, and jokes at America's expense

The difference: Animation lets it go anywhere — and it loves its family underneath

Set in Springfield, the average American town, the show focuses on the antics and everyday adventures of the Simpson family; Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, as well as a virtual cast of thousands. Since the beginning, the series has been a pop culture icon, attracting hundreds of celebrities to guest star. The show has also made name for itself in its fearless satirical take on politics, media and American life in general.

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The best-reviewed series that share Married... with Children’s defining feeling.