Now halfway through its final season, Modern Family has come a long way in the past decade. Fans have watched the Dunphy kids grow from tweens to teens to parents themselves (in Haley’s case, anyway), and watched the parents become grandparents. Careers have changed, relationships have blossomed, and through it all, this madcap clan has kept fans entertained with their heartwarmingly ridiculous antics.
However, if you’ve already binged the first eleven and a half seasons of Modern Family, and are looking for something else to watch, we’ve got the best comedies for you! From family drama to animated comedies about growing up, these ten shows are perfect for Modern Family fans.
Updated September 28th, 2020 by Hayley Mullen: The ability to turn to television and see the best of family and relationships can be a true comfort and motivator. Life is sad, funny, mundane, and even absurd, and seeing an encapsulation of someone’s journey through it all can make viewers feel seen and understood, as well as properly entertained. We’ve added more shows for those who loved Modern Family and want to see more of the family sitcom formula they know and love.
The Middle
Meet the Heck family, a lower-class family in Indiana doing their best to make their way through life as a complicated (but hilarious) family of five. The show is narrated by Frankie, the mom of three children: Axl, Sue, and Brick. Axl deals with popularity and academic apathy, Sue struggles to succeed in social situations, and Brick is a bookworm introvert.
The parents have their own share of humor and situations, Frankie being an underperforming car salesperson and Mike (her husband) being the manager of a local quarry. The scenarios the Hecks get into are just as funny as their relationships are heartwarming and relatable.
Friday Night Dinner
One of British television’s lesser-known gems, Friday Night Dinner focuses on the weekly Shabbat dinner between the Goodman parents and their two sons, Adam and Jonny. Often, dinner is interrupted by unexpected guests, family pranks, or other wacky scenarios that viewers can expect from dry British comedy.
The Goodman family is reminiscent of writer Robert Popper’s own secular Jewish upbringing, lending it an organic authenticity that’s hard to fabricate. The show has 6 seasons so far and has received 2 BAFTA nominations, one for Best Situation Comedy and one for actress Tamsin Greig’s performance as mother Jackie Goodman.
Single Parents
Single Parents debuted in 2018 on ABC and follows a divorced parent in his 30s named Will. Will feels lost in his identity, having focused so much of his energy on raising his daughter. This spurs the school’s other single parents to help bring him out of his “father cocoon” and onto the dating scene.
The show provides great writing and scenarios for the cast (which includes Leighton Meester and Brad Garrett) and provides a refreshing take on the formula by subverting both the traditional family sitcom and the single bachelor hang-out routine.
The Mick
Kaitlin Olson is most well-known for her iconic role as Dee Reynolds in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, so it’s about time she got her own comedy show in the form of The Mick. Olson plays Mickey, a woman who relocates to Greenwich and ends up becoming the parental guardian for her estranged niece and nephew when their parents are arrested by the FBI for fraud and tax evasion.
When Mickey’s wealthy sister calls her and says that she’s fleeing the country with her husband, Mickey is left to raise their three spoiled children who have known only wealth and privilege their whole lives. Luckily, Mickey has the help of pseudo-boyfriend Jimmy and the Pemberton’s housekeeper Alba, filling out the cast and providing ample opportunity for comedy and wild situations.
One Day at a Time
Most fans will know that One Day at a Time is Netflix’s reboot of the 1970s show of the same name, but it follows a different family than its original show. The show focuses on Penelope, a Cuban-American army veteran and a newly single mom of two children, Elena and Alex. Penelope now works as a nurse while trying to adjust to all the changes in her life and be there for her children, but she has help from her mother Lydia (played by Rita Moreno).
The show focuses on the everyday challenges and moments the family goes through, such as Penelope’s work life, their ever-present landlord, and the trials and tribulations of her children. For heartwarming and unique sitcoms to enjoy alongside family, One Day at a Time fits the bill perfectly.
Malcolm In The Middle
Let’s start with the obvious one. Malcolm in the Middle might be a little outdated now (it aired from 2000-2006), but it’s got the same core comedy as Modern Family: a family going through the struggles and triumphs of children growing up. This series is told from the perspective of Malcolm, the middle child (the title says it all!), with two older brothers and one younger brother. From pre-teen drama to growing up, parents working, fighting, and finding things out, this hilarious show is perfect for anyone who grew up in a dysfunctional family of their own.
Kim’s Convenience
This Canadian sitcom is three seasons in and still going strong, centered on the adventures and misadventures of a Korean-Canadian family running a convenience store in Toronto. Kim’s Convenience will especially appeal to anyone who understands the experience of growing up with immigrant parents (and the difficulty in combining those two cultures), but wherever you are from, the fresh humor and quick wit makes this a great watch.
Black-Ish
This critically acclaimed comedy has already spawned two spin-offs (Grown-Ish and Mixed-Ish) and it’s easy to see why fans just can’t get enough. Black-Ish follows an upper-middle-class Black family attempting to figure out their place in the neighborhood (and in the larger world) and struggling with all the usual family drama on top of it.
While the show definitely addresses some weightier topics (predominantly race), it does so with style and humor, and is absolutely worth the watch.
Life In Pieces
Life In Pieces has only just ended, so it’s the perfect time to binge the entire thing in one sitting! Like Modern Family, this sitcom follows a single family and their ups and downs - with stories of different events and milestones told by various family members. Expect the same age range and similar hilarity to Modern Family, but with an entirely new group of weirdos to laugh with.
This Is Us
This Is Us may not be a comedy, but anyone looking to watch a brilliant depiction of family life on the small screen should check it out. Told in various different timelines, This Is Us is the story of three triplets as adults, as kids, and their parents’ romance before they were born. The series has been on the air since 2016, and is absolutely heartbreaking, but somehow heartwarming at the same time.
Big Mouth
Back to some straight-up comedy for this one - Netflix’s animated series about the pains of puberty. Big Mouth follows a group of tweens as they start to cope with the changes of their age - from the physical to the emotional. Brilliantly, though, the series also takes a wander into fantasy territory, introducing Hormone Monsters (and a range of other larger-than-life creatures) who exist to ‘help’ guide kids through puberty.
Riotously funny, often cringeworthy, and incredibly relatable, this is the perfect animated series for anyone who just wants to be glad they aren’t going through THAT anymore.
Fresh Off The Boat
This brilliant sitcom combines family conflicts, culture shock, and a little helping of nostalgia, too. Fresh Off The Boat is based on the memoir of Eddie Huang, following a Taiwanese family as they move from Washington to Orlando in the ’90s. Culture shock piles on culture shock as both kids and parents try and fit in - and the Dad struggles to keep his uber-American cowboy restaurant afloat. Funny, light, and filled with ’90s tunes, Fresh Off The Boat will resonate for anyone who had to move as a kid.
Schitt’s Creek
If you have somehow missed this surprise comedy hit, now is the time to watch before the show comes to an end in 2020, after six seasons. Schitt’s Creek starts when an uber-wealthy family are suddenly bankrupt thanks to a shady business manager, and forced to relocate to a small town. Watching people used to billions try and get used to nothing is hilarious on its own, but the family dynamic is especially brilliant - these are not a loving family at the start, but they may surprise you by the end.
The Goldbergs
Another one for nostalgia-viewing, The Goldbergs is set in the ’80s in Pennsylvania and is based on the real-life childhood of showrunner Adam F Goldberg. Expect the usual family dynamic hilarity, experiences of life before cellphones and social media, and all the rest… but this isn’t a show about completely over-the-top experiences. Instead, the humor comes from very relatable and realistic family members, and the way that love really is at the heart of everything they do.
Arrested Development
Finally, of course, we have one of the best-known family comedies on the block: Arrested Development. The Bluth family, their eccentric ways, their impossible approach to dealing with money, and the attempts to keep it under control are well-known (and may be seen by many as a precursor to the success of Schitt’s Creek). However, for those who still haven’t seen the series, there’s no time like the present to catch up on all the inside jokes and quotable moments that make this series (and its revival thanks to Netflix, years after the original show was canceled) as phenomenal as it is.
