NBC has been churning out some of the best sitcoms since the dawn of television. The Peacock Network’s history of hit comedies is long, but the network really came into its own in the 1980s and 1990s when it dominated the ratings with shows like Cheers, Seinfeld, and Friends. This list is what I think are most of NBC’s greatest shows, most of which aired in that magical era.
(Image credit: NBC)
Cheers
For 11 seasons in the ’80s and ’90s, millions tuned into Cheers to check in with their favorite barflies at the titular drinking establishment. A ratings hit right up until the end, Cheers played a big part in launching the careers of actors like Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson, Kelsey Grammer, Kirstie Alley, and John Ratzenberger.
(Image credit: NBC)
Night Court
Originally part of the “Must-See TV” Thursday Night lineup on NBC, Night Court had an incredible ensemble cast and sharp writing that made it one of the more irreverent shows on this list. The show ran for six seasons, starting in 1984, in its original run, and was brought back in 2023 for three more seasons. It also had a classic theme song that still slaps today.
Lauren Graham.
(Image credit: NBC)
Frasier
It’s said that no actor has played the same role for as many years as Kelsey Grammer has played the titular Frasier Crane. The role began on Cheers before moving to the spinoff. The show was revived in 2023 for two more seasons after 11 during its initial run.
Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News
(Image credit: NBC)
Parks And Recreation
NBC first found success in a mockumentary-style sitcom with The Office, and before long, they had a second hit in the same style with Parks and Recreation. The show’s secret sauce was definitely in the chemistry between all the members of the ensemble cast, which included Amy Poehler and a bunch of actors whose careers would really blow up after the show, like Aubrey Plaza, Aziz Ansari, and Chris Pratt, among many others.
(Image credit: YouTube)
Taxi
Network sitcoms weren’t always known for being at all subversive, even in the 1970s, but Taxi, which ran for five seasons in the late ’70s and early ’80s, bucked that trend with comedic actors like Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, and the late Andy Kaufman.
(Image credit: NBC)
The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air
Will Smith was already a famous rapper when he landed a sitcom with NBC in 1990. What seemed like a stunt by the network by giving a rapper a show soon proved to be a stroke of genius, and The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air became a monster hit, launching Smith’s career into the stratosphere.
(Image credit: NBC)
The Office
Along with shows like Friends and Seinfeld, The Office is Hall of Fame of great sitcoms. Although it was based on Ricky Gervais’ British show of the same name and even borrowed several jokes from the early episodes, it eventually surpassed the original in popularity both in the US and abroad. By the end of its nine-season run, it was one of the most beloved shows of all time. We’re still quoting Michael Scott all the time.
(Image credit: NBC)
The Cosby Show
Of course, for a number of reasons that I’m not going to get into here, The Cosby Show’s legacy has been tainted, and it’s hard to watch reruns these days, but in its time, it was one of the all-time greats. It anchored Thursday nights on NBC for eight seasons in the eighties and early nineties and helped launch multiple shows on this list on account of its huge ratings.
(Image credit: Castle Rock Entertainment)
Seinfeld
Quite possibly the GOAT sitcom of all time, Seinfeld started slow, with disappointing ratings in its first season, but soon that all changed, and the show became one of the most-watched shows of all time. It’s filled with plots we still discuss, and lines that have become part of the English lexicon.
(Image credit: NBC)
30 Rock
Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) never won an EGOT, but 30 Rock racked up Emmys during its seven-season run on NBC starting in 2008. Like a lot of shows on this list, it featured an outstanding ensemble cast that was headlined by Morgan, Tina Fey, and Alec Baldwin.
(Image credit: Hulu)
The Golden Girls
Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia came into our homes every week for seven seasons in the 1980s and brought joy to millions. It’s a show that proved remarkably enduring, as it’s still beloved today, even though the four wonderful actresses who played those great characters have all passed away.
(Image credit: YouTube)
Family Ties
Family Ties was a sitcom that wasn’t afraid to tackle some major issues, but at its heart, it was a family sitcom that was pretty darn wholesome. It’s certainly remembered these days for being the springboard that launched Michael J. Fox’s career, but the whole cast was amazing, as were some of the guest stars, including Tom Hanks and River Phoenix.
(Image credit: NBC)
The Good Place
Like a lot of sitcoms in history, both on NBC and otherwise, The Good Place struggled to find a large audience, but the fans it does have really love the quirky show about the afterlife starring Ted Danson and Kristen Bell, along with others.
(Image credit: YouTube)
227
227, especially the early seasons, was a fantastic show that is maybe a little under-appreciated these days. While it wasn’t the first sitcom to feature a Black middle-class family, that was still pretty rare, even in the 1980s.
(Image credit: Screen Gems)
I Dream Of Jeannie
Barbara Eden, the genie in I Dream of Jeannie, started in Hollywood in the 1950s and has had a long career both before and after the show. It was this NBC sitcom that brought her the greatest acclaim and her biggest fame. Kids like me in the ’80s were still watching the show, which originally aired for five seasons in the late ’60s, in syndication.
(Image credit: NBC/ABC)
Diff’rent Strokes
For kids in the ’80s, no show was more popular than Diff’rent Strokes, which anchored its successful Friday night lineup. Starring Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as two brothers adopted by a rich guy on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the show provided endless laughs, and some of the craziest cameos of the era, including Mr. T and Nancy Reagan.
(Image credit: NBC)
Will & Grace
When Will & Grace first hit the airwaves in 1998, it became one of the pioneers of LGBTQ+ representation on television, and that will always make it important in TV history. However, it never would have lasted for seven seasons (plus four more in a revival) if it hadn’t been completely hilarious.
(Image credit: NBC)
Mad About You
Helen Hunt and Paul Riser played newlyweds (at least in the beginning) on Mad About You, which was kind of a surprise smash hit in the 1990s. It won a ton of Emmys and was so beloved that it got a short revival in 2019, which got mixed reviews.
(Image credit: NBC)
Like a lot of the best sitcoms, Community was never the ratings hit it should have been. The show’s quirky humor wasn’t for everyone, but those who “got” the writing loved the show. It constantly fought off being canceled by NBC, and internal squabbles also helped doom the show, but not before it ran for six seasons.
(Image credit: NBC)
A Different World
A show as wildly popular as The Cosby Show usually ends up spinning off multiple shows, but the only spinoff that came from Cosby was A Different World. The show saw Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) head off to college, where she met a ton of new friends, like the iconic Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison). Bonet left the show after one season, and A Different World proved it could stand on its own for five more seasons.
(Image credit: NBC)
Silver Spoons
If you were anything like me in the 1980s, at least half of the time, you were thinking of ways to convince your parents to get you a race car bed like Ricky has in Silver Spoons. I never sold them on that idea, nor did I find a way to sell them on having a train run through the living room like in the insane house I always wanted to explore on the show.
(Image credit: ABC)
Scrubs
Although it wasn’t one of my personal favorites, I couldn’t leave Scrubs off this list. I’ve watched episodes here and there over the years, and you can’t help but see the endless memes that the show, which ran for nine seasons in the ’00s. It helped launch Zach Braff’s career, but it featured a great ensemble cast including Donald Faison, Dave Franco, and John C. McGinley.
(Image credit: YouTube)
Get Smart
One of the most enduring sitcoms of the 1960s has to be Get Smart. The spy show was unique at the time, as a sort of parody of James Bond with wacky gadgets and a bumbling superspy, Maxwell Smart (Don Adams). It also helped launch the career of Mel Brooks, who created the show.
(Image credit: NBC)
The Facts Of Life
Few people remember that The Facts Of Life was a spinoff of Diff’rent Strokes when Mrs. Garrett (Charlotte Rae) left the Drummonds to become a house mother at boarding school. That’s because it was such a huge hit on its own.
(Image credit: NBC)
Just Shoot Me!
Just Shoot Me! is a perfect example of a show that constantly got moved around the TV schedule, but uniquely didn’t suffer all that much in the ratings department because of that. Over its six seasons, it was moved all over the weekly schedule, but the show, led by David Spade, retained its audience as it did.
(Image credit: NBC)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Adam Samberg was an established star on NBC from his days on Saturday Night Live, when he was rewarded with his own show, Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The show was an instant hit, and that translated into nine very successful seasons for the cops at the fictional 99th precinct in Brooklyn, NY. Samberg wasn’t alone in the fantastic cast, which also included Terry Crews, Stephanie Beatriz, and the late Andre Braugher.
(Image credit: NBC)
3rd Rock From The Sun
John Lithgow has proven over his incredible career that he can play any character, from legendary British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on The Crown to a wacky alien in 3rd Rock From The Sun. There really haven’t been many sitcoms like 3rd Rock over the years, though, at its heart, it’s a great fish-out-of-water story.
(Image credit: NBC)
Wings
Though it wasn’t a direct spinoff of Cheers,Wings definitely existed in the same universe. Not only was it set in New England (Nantucket), but over the years, there were some crossover characters between the shows. Wings took off right away, as audiences loved the interactions between all the quirky characters at the regional airport where it was set.
(Image credit: NBC)
Gimme A Break!
people hardly talk about it anymore. Still, like the others on this list, it was one of the best NBC offerings in its golden age of sitcoms in the ’80s and ’90s.
Celebrity couples have a habit of making headlines, and Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce know this all too well. So do their famous friends Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, and lately there have been rumors bout these two pairs feuding. While most of the reports claimed this was about Swift being brought into Lively’s legal battle with Justin Baldoni, an insider alleges that Travis was never really a fan of Reynolds. Let’s break it down.
For a while now, rumor swirled that Swift was distancing herself from Lively, especially after being named in legal documents related to the It Ends With Us lawsuits. But over on the substack of journalist Rob Shuter, another picture was painted, one where the pro athlete turned actor was always wary of Reynolds. As an anonymous source told him:
Travis always thought Ryan was more Hollywood than human. He finds him funny, sure. But real? Not even close.
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman’s faux feud paints them as besties, not everyone allegedly feels the same about the Deadpool icon. And if Travis Kelce wasn’t sure about him, one can only imagine how having his girlfriend mentioned in legal documents related to a lawsuit that had millions of dollars at state further complicated things.
Lively and Swift made up, but the ongoing rumors about their strained friendship haven’t slowed. Later in the same report, Travis Kelce’s alleged feelings about Reynolds was expanded upon, with an insider claiming:
He’s Team Taylor — not Team Red Carpet. And he’s not afraid to show it.
While Travis Kelce is a famous athlete who has been making waves in Hollywood, it sounds like he’s more concerned with Taylor Swift than the fame machine itself. Of course, he has been walking carpets lately, and getting credit for his acting roles in projects like Grotesquerie and Happy Gilmore 2 (the latter of which is streaming with a Netflix subscription).
(Image credit: Photo by Gotham/GC Images)
Swift and Lively have been friends for years, but this ongoing discourse is yet another symptom of her legal battle with Justin Baldoni. After working together on It Ends With Us, the Gossip Girl star sued his production and made a number of allegations about inappropriate behavior on set. He ended up countersuing Lively for defamation, and a long legal saga began.
Recently Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit was thrown out, which was a legal battle for Lively. But a number of other celebrities were named in it, including Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Swift. But it remains to be seen how that situation continues to influence her career and personal life. The public is definitely interesting in Lively and Swift’s friendship.
Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News
Blake Lively has some upcoming projects coming down the pipeline, and Travis Kelce can be seen in Happy Gilmore 2, which was part of the 2025 movie release list.
One of the great joys of director Akiva Schaffer’s The Naked Gun is that movie-goers will be hard-pressed to identify the funniest moment: it’s so consistently hilarious that your favorite may just be the one you most recently recall. That being said, one of the most memorable scenes in the new legacyquel is definitely Pamela Anderson taking the stage in a jazz club to perform an improvised scat song she dubs “Sassafras Chicken in D.” It’s a side-splitting bit – and I was shocked to learn about the extreme effort that went into filming it.
CinemaBlend’s Jeff McCobb recently spoke with both Anderson and co-star Liam Neeson during the press day for The Naked Gun, and the very first question he asked the duo was about the actress’ jazz performance. While you might think that she simply got on a stage and spouted a bunch of improvised nonsense into a microphone, the exact opposite was the case, as everything was scripted, and it took half a day to shoot it. Said Anderson,
It was 12 hours. We shot it for 12 hours. But it was much longer, and it was scripted, so this was not ad libbed. This was Akiva. Yeah, they wrote this out. They— and I worked with somebody on it, and I memorized it, and I still sing it in the shower. I can’t get it out of my head.
new 2025 movie is hysterical, from the befuddled expressions of the jazz band as Pamela Anderson’s Beth Davenport tells them what song she wants to sing, to Beth’s odd sound-making, to the ridiculously enraptured look on the face of Danny Huston’s Richard Cane (whom she is trying to distract while Liam Neeson’s Frank Drebben Jr. does some snooping). Perhaps the only thing that could have made it better would have been Anderson making use of her actual skills playing the alto saxophone – but she told Jeff that she was too intimidated to bring up her talent on set:
I was scared to tell Akiva anything about my sax playing because that might have ended up in it. Yeah, I play saxophone. Not well, but I do play. I love jazz. I think the imperfect quality to jazz, it suits me.
Early reactions to The Naked Gun have been effusive, and you will have your own opportunity to see the rare modern theatrical comedy on the big screen this weekend as it hits cinemas on Friday, August 1. It’s an amazing movie to watch with a packed crowd, so do yourself a favor and check it out.
“They called Titanic 2 the ship of dreams”… is something I’d say if the entertainment venue owned by SNL friends Colin Jost and Pete Davidson wasn’t constantly beleaguered by metaphorical icebergs. With the 2025 TV scheduleleaving some folks to question Jost’s SNL future, the summer break for NBC’s landmark late night series has seen yet another setback added to Titanic 2’s already strange history.
Unfortunately, in this most recent example provided by The New York Post, the obstacle is one that is legal in nature. More specifically, this pitfall comes from the law firm of Nicoletti, Hornig Namazi Eckert & Sheehan, the entity Jost and Davidson hired “to handle dockage and towing contracts” for their waterlogged investment. Apparently those services led to an alleged debt of $13,500, one that the firm has taken legal action to collect.
Colin Jost and Pete Davidson’s third partner, Paul Italia. Naturally a purchase this massive (and this outside the box) is something people are going to want to keep tabs on, and Davidson’s update from this past February put the entertainment destination “a lot closer than people seemed to think.”
Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Show’s 2024 venue (formerly named “John F. Kennedy”) were still very much in the works. Then again, sinking $280k on any sort of investment, and not making substantial progress three years later has to hurt, no matter who you are.
It certainly has given people fuel for jokes that take some parting shots at Colin Jost’s co-investor status from time to time. Of course, one of the most recent instances came from Scarlett Johansson’s TODAY trolling from this past April.
Though if you watch that clip for yourself, you can see it’s only half trolling, with the remainder being the concern of a loving partner.
At this point it would appear that more than a GoFundMe page would be needed to settle the house and get things ship shape. Or maybe Amazon can sweep in and turn the Titanic 2 into the new home stage for Colin Jost’s Pop Culture Jeopardy hosting gig, along with all of the shopping and entertainment he and Pete Davidson have in mind. That is, if NBC doesn’t want to make a counteroffer and host some SNL episodes from a stage that’s truly a fluid environment.
Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News
We’ll have to see what happens with this story as it develops, but that shouldn’t stop you from watching Saturday Night Live reruns – with the complete Season 50 now streaming with a Peacock subscription. Season 51 will premiere on October 4th, and may or may not feature at least a handful of jokes that tastefully tackle this sensitive subject.
Ever since WWE: Unreal was announced, I’ve been on the fence about whether a show like this should even exist. As pumped as I was to use my Netflix subscription to get a look behind the curtain at some of the biggest events the company has had in the past year, it just felt like yet another opportunity to ruin the mystery of what has, previously, been such a secret business.
After watching the series and seeing the behind-the-scenes look at the Royal Rumble, WrestleMania 41, and more, I’m happy to say I actually loved it. It’s unlike a lot of wrestling documentaries I’ve seen from the WWE, and I mean that in the best way possible.
(Image credit: Netflix)
WWE: Unreal Showed The “Real” Side Of Several Wrestlers, Unlike Past Reality Television
bits of reality sprinkled in to past television shows for WWE, it still feels like everyone is performing. Case in point, the iconic treadmill scene in Miz & Mrs where Maryse lost her entire dress. Hell, even WWE LFG, as fun as it is, features people like Gunther and Undertaker putting on a show for the camera.
Rhea Ripley, without a doubt the most protected woman on the roster, who thrives on looking tough, talk about her nerves and insecurities ahead of a match was jarring, but also welcoming to see as a fan.
It reminded me of when I was backstage for a press conference at WWE Fastlane in Indianapolis, and I ran into Dakota Kai. At the time, she was working as a heel for Damage CTRL, so I was used to her having a heel persona and being nasty in the ring. As she passed, she couldn’t have been nicer, and even asked if I enjoyed the show, and I remember it felt so surreal. I expected it to break me, but I think it actually made me appreciate the work they do as performers in the ring so much more. I haven’t had that feeling again until watching Unreal, and that feels like the biggest compliment that I could give it.
(Image credit: Netflix)
It Shows Just How Much Of Wrestling Is A “Work”
This may be something done by design, but it felt as though part of this docuseries was to dispel some of the popular rumors about the wrestling company that have developed within the past year. Rumors that have lived on via dirt sheets and reports from alleged insiders, like Charlotte Flair is disliked by a bulk of the WWE locker room, or that there’s a big power struggle between Triple H and The Rock. I don’t really get the impression that either of those is true based on what I saw, but then again, this is a product produced by the WWE. It’s not like anyone was making this to “expose” any negative bits of the company.
Even then, there’s so much that happens in the WWE that I realize is a “work.” One moment that stuck out for me was when Jacob Fatu pushed a member of the audience in the middle of a match, and it turned out that person was a paid extra. At the time, that moment meant nothing to fans, and I don’t think I ever heard anyone mention it. Subconsciously, though, I’m sure there were at least a few fans who saw Fatu push a fan and thought, “Wow, they can do that?”
Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News
Unreal dismisses the notion that this multibillion-dollar wrestling company is run like a carnival sideshow behind the scenes. Everything that happens is carefully curated, discussed, and executed with the full cooperation of everyone involved (usually, anyway). Even the f-bombs are cleared to run uncut in the Triple H era. That’s not to say there isn’t some reality that leaks out via the dirt sheets, but it would seem that much more of it is scripted than we’d believe.
(Image credit: Netflix)
It Shows Just How Difficult Professional Wrestling Is
I think every professional wrestler, at some point in their career, has the goal of performing in the WWE. I used to think that with the right amount of luck, charisma, and charm, that dream was attainable for anyone in the business. This series slapped that notion right out of me, because it showed just how exceptionally difficult being a talent for the WWE can be.
The first episode, highlighting the first Monday Night Raw on Netflix, proved that to me. Watching the match unfold between CM Punk and Seth Rollins and hearing all the audibles that were being called backstage during it to account for time was bonkers.
To see them cut entire sequences out of that match on the fly, and still put on one of the more memorable matches of the year so far, shows just what type of skill it takes to be a professional wrestler in the WWE. Of course, you’re also looking at Punk and Rollins, who are two of the best in the world to ever be in the profession. Even so, it would appear there’s so much more to being in the WWE than getting in the ring and having a match, and some talent understand that and end up in the positions they’re in because they’re up to the task.
All this to say, if you’re someone who is a big wrestling fan and you’re worried that WWE: Unreal will ruin your fandom in some way, I don’t think it will. If anything, I think it informed me a lot more about the wrestling business, and just how hard these superstars work every day to ensure they’re putting on the best performances possible for people around the world. It’s impressive, and honestly, a bit wild they go to such lengths to make that happen.
Watch WWE: Unreal on Netflix right now, and of course, catch Monday Night Raw on the platform on Monday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET. I’m hoping we’ll get some more episodes later this year recapping other big events, but we’ll just have to wait and see if that’s going to happen!
Dave Franco is having a body horror moment on the 2025 movie schedule. As the twisted delights of Together are about to blow some minds, and empty some stomachs, the upcoming horror movie sees Franco and wife Allison Brie get pretty close. With a resume such as his, the Neighbors star probably has stories to tell on all sorts of on-set shenanigans, as seen in his story about how Zac Efron actually hurt himself during a crotch grabbing showdown in that 2014 comedy.
During an appearance on Call Her Daddy, host Alex Cooper asked for some clarification on a story where the High School Musical alum alleged he’d broken his hand while hilarious movie about college life. Dave Franco corrected the record swiftly, offering this explanation for what really happened:
It definitely wasn’t because my penis was hard…. I’m trying to remember if I was wearing a cup, and he came in just really strong. I think it was a dislocated thumb, to be fair, but it happened. There’s a scene where, I think, we’re both grabbing each other’s crotches at the same time, and I just think he came in with enough force from the wrong angle. And it’s a nice little anecdote now.
Netflix subscription and suddenly see Neighbors in the top 10 movies being streamed on the platform, this could be one of the reasons why that result may be on display. Though if you’re curious why frat brothers Teddy (Zac Efron) and Pete (Dave Franco) are getting into such a form of combat, you’ll have to watch the film for yourself.
Dave Franco’s surprisingly good Robert De Niro impression. Don’t worry, as there’s a YouTube clip from Neighbors (retitled Bad Neighbors in some territories) showing this handful of chaos in action:
Bad Neighbours fight scene “I’ll hold onto your balls forever” – YouTube
Watch On
Is it just me, or does the whole black light atmosphere add to the comedy going on here? I don’t know why, but it certainly doesn’t hurt when watching Zac Efron and Dave Franco busting each other’s balls for a laugh. Or at least, observing them go as hard as one can with a cup present in that setting.
Neighbors is currently streaming on Netflix, while Together presents bodily harm of a much graver sort starting on July 31st. Without having seen that new horror show myself, I fear the possibilities of one-upping this story with some grotesque material. So needless to say, I need to see this twisted romance at once!
