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SpongeBob SquarePants poster

Shows that feel likeSpongeBob SquarePants (1999–)

Deep down in the Pacific Ocean in the subterranean city of Bikini Bottom lives a square yellow sponge named SpongeBob SquarePants. SpongeBob lives in a pineapple with his pet snail, Gary, loves his job as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab, and has a knack for getting into all kinds of trouble without really trying. When he's not getting on the nerves of his cranky next door neighbor Squidward, SpongeBob can usually be found smack in the middle of all sorts of strange situations with his best buddy, the simple yet lovable starfish, Patrick, or his thrill-seeking surfer-girl squirrel pal, Sandy Cheeks.

If you loved SpongeBob SquarePants, the closest series we have are La familia P. Luche (2002), Monsters at Work (2021) and Slam Dunk (1993). All three share SpongeBob SquarePants' whimsical and witty feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Animaniacs (1993).

★ 8.2 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗19 seasons · Nickelodeoncreated by Stephen Hillenburgwhimsicalwittyplayfulwarmcozy
10 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · Amazon Prime Video · Hulu

If SpongeBob SquarePants hit the spot, these will too

La familia P. Luche poster
La familia P. Luche
2002–2012 · 3 seasons · Las Estrellas
★ 7.7comedy · family

A deliberately fake world played with straight-faced conviction

The difference: A live-action Mexican sitcom for adults, satirical rather than daft

This sitcom is about a Mestizo-Latino American family in P. Luche town. Ludovico and Federica P. Luche are the (mostly) happy couple who serve as the parents of their three kids: Junior, an amnesiac policeman who serves as their 12-year-old son, Bibi, their black sheep daughter who is the smartest of the bunch, and Ludoviquito, an heir who had switched places with their youngest. Together with their maid Exelsa, they live in Ciudad P. Luche, a town where emotions are heightened, the impossible is everyday, and plush fabric covers almost everything.

Monsters at Work poster
Monsters at Work
2021–2024 · 2 seasons · Disney XD
★ 7family · comedy · animationDisney+

Workplace devotion far beyond what the job could possibly deserve

The difference: Pixar polish and a plotted arc instead of unhinged eleven-minute gags

Ever since he was a kid, Tylor Tuskmon has dreamed of becoming a Scarer just like his idol James P. Sullivan, and now that dream is about to come true... or not. The day he arrives at Monsters Incorporated to begin his dream job as a Scarer, he learns that scaring is out and laughter is in! After being reassigned to the Monsters, Inc. Facilities Team, Tylor sets his sights on a new goal: figuring out how to be funny and becoming a Jokester.

Slam Dunk poster
Slam Dunk
1993–1996 · 1 season · tv asahi
★ 8.7animation · comedyNetflix

A lovable idiot whose boundless enthusiasm drags everyone along

The difference: A real sports arc with stakes — episodes build instead of resetting

Sakuragi Hanamichi is a junior high punk used to getting into fights and being rejected by girls but upon entering high school he meets the girl of his dreams, Haruko Akagi. He will do anything in order to win her heart including joining the school basketball team that is aiming to conquer the nation lead by Haruko's brother. The problem is that Sakuragi has never played basketball before and a freshman sensation is stealing the spotlight and Haruko's affection from him.

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Frasier
1993–2004 · 11 seasons · NBC
★ 8.2comedy · familyPrime VideoHulu

Comedy built on one pompous character and the people who deflate him

The difference: A live-action sitcom for adults, verbal and refined

After many years spent at the “Cheers” bar, Frasier moves back home to Seattle to work as a radio psychiatrist after his policeman father gets shot in the hip on duty.

The Nanny poster
The Nanny
1993–1999 · 6 seasons · CBS
★ 7.2comedy · familyPrime VideoHulu

A relentlessly upbeat oddball wearing down everyone around them

The difference: A nineties live-action sitcom, and firmly for grown-ups

That flashy girl from Flushing with the heart of an angel (and the voice of a slighty more nasal angel). The comic misadventures of the sweet and sassy Fran Fine, her sophisticated employer, Broadway producer Mr. Sheffield, his boisterous brood and his wisecracking staff.

Animaniacs poster
Animaniacs
1993–1998 · 5 seasons · The WB
★ 7.8animation · kids · comedy

Anarchic chaos and jokes pitched over the kids' heads at the adults

The difference: Sketch-and-parody variety, sharper and more knowing about showbiz

The two Warner Brothers Yakko and Wakko and their Warner sister Dot had been (supposedly) created in the 1930's, but their cartoons were too screwy for the general public to handle. The three Warners were locked up in the studio water tower until they escaped in the 90's. There, they run wild, causing chaos everywhere!

The Flintstones poster
The Flintstones
1960–1966 · 6 seasons · ABC
★ 7.5family · animation · comedy

One silly conceit, committed to completely and without a wink

The difference: A domestic family sitcom, gentler and far more conventional

The misadventures of two modern-day Stone Age families, the Flintstones and the Rubbles.

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NCIS
2003– · 24 seasons · CBS
★ 7.8crime · drama · action & adventureNetflixHulu

Witty where it counts, playful underneath

The difference: Easier on the whimsy than SpongeBob SquarePants

From murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines, a team of special agents investigates any crime that has any connection to Navy and Marine Corps personnel, regardless of rank or position.

Full House poster
Full House
1987–1995 · 8 seasons · ABC
★ 6.8comedy · familyHulu

Warm and cozy in the same breath

After the death of his wife, Danny enlists his best friend and his brother-in-law to help raise his three daughters, D.J., Stephanie, and Michelle.

Phineas and Ferb poster
Phineas and Ferb
2007– · 6 seasons · Disney XD
★ 8.1animation · comedy · familyDisney+

Boundless invention and a rigid formula you look forward to every time

The difference: Suburban and safe, with none of the queasy surrealism

Each day, two kindhearted suburban stepbrothers on summer vacation embark on some grand new project, which annoys their controlling sister, Candace, who tries to bust them. Meanwhile, their pet platypus plots against evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz.

That '70s Show poster
That '70s Show
1998–2006 · 8 seasons · FOX
★ 8.1comedy · family · dramaPeacock

Both lean on wit more than on comedy

The difference: Leans harder into drama than SpongeBob SquarePants does

Crank up the 8-track and flash back to a time when platform shoes and puka shells were all the rage in this hilarious retro-sitcom. For Eric, Kelso, Jackie, Hyde, Donna and Fez, a group of high school teens who spend most of their time hanging out in Eric’s basement, life in the ‘70s isn’t always so groovy. But between trying to figure out the meaning of life, avoiding their parents, and dealing with out-of-control hormones, they’ve learned one thing for sure: they’ll always get by with a little help from their friends.

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Bones
2005–2017 · 12 seasons · FOX
★ 7.8crime · dramaPrime VideoHulu

Playful animation in both cases

Dr. Temperance Brennan and her colleagues at the Jeffersonian's Medico-Legal Lab assist Special Agent Seeley Booth with murder investigations when the remains are so badly decomposed, burned or destroyed that the standard identification methods are useless.

In the mood for more whimsical?

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The best-reviewed series that share SpongeBob SquarePants’ defining feeling.