Maybe you’re a little run down from everything going on… well, here I am today to recommend you some stellar sitcoms to lift you up, inside and out. Warning though- I might end up being that person who encourages you to watch more sitcoms instead of doing more work. Less study, more comedy

Community

Remember when Donald Glover smiled a whole lot more? No? You clearly need to watch Community. What begins as an oddball comedy about some quirky study group members at a Greendale College evolves into one of the smartest sitcoms to date. It’s got brilliant multi-layered writing, homage episodes that go beyond a shallow parody, and it’s packed to the rafters with references to many classic TV and film moments, even including celebrities such as Betty White (you can’t say no now). Community is filled with so much passion, it is expertly written, shot, produced and acted to perfection. Despite a few missteps here and there, Community has definitely earned its place on many TV critics’ Best of the Year Lists.

Community is available on Netflix, Stan, Youtube and Google Play.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

You know a show has got to be good if the fans demand it to be un-cancelled. And that’s exactly what happened with Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Created by Michael Schur (you’re going to hear his name a LOT in this article) and Dan Goor, this sitcom is about a team of oddball detectives solving crimes in Brooklyn, New York. You can’t help but end up loving each team member for who they are and who they become. This show has great writing, a high-performing cast, creates suspense and entertaining twists, but not only this; Brooklyn Nine-Nine is also seemingly unafraid of exploring harsh topics that many tend to gloss over, offering clever insights without sacrificing comedy. Brooklyn Nine-Nine offers a lot of chaos and quirkiness, and although some parts of the show are predictable, they compensate with all the wholesome vibes.

This is a great, uplifting show to watch when you need a study break; open up your $8-est bottle of wine (or beverage of choice), crack open an episode and relax!

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is available on Netflix, Foxtel, Youtube and Google Play.

Parks and Recreation

Come on… I couldn’t possibly leave Parks and Recreation behind. This sitcom initially follows Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), an overly optimistic bureaucrat working in the Parks department. Although the Parks department continuously tries to undermine Leslie from the beginning of the show, Parks and Recreation evolves into something much larger; it becomes a heart-warming comedy that skewers bureaucracy and local government politics with larger than life characters, who are all trying to make their small worlds a better place. Oh, and you get to see Chris Pratt basically mould into Star Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy.

Parks and Recreation is available on Stan, Foxtel, Youtube and Google Play.

Fawlty Towers

Ahhh yes… Fawlty Towers. A British sitcom involving a dysfunctional team, Basil (John Cleese, who co-founded Monty Python), his wife, Sybil (Prunella Scales), chambermaid, Polly (Connie Booth) and Spanish waiter, Manuel (Andrew Sachs) who try to run a hotel. Each episode of Fawlty Towers begins fairly lowkey but builds up through the characters’ emotional intensities, before exploding as one absolute comedic masterpiece; something that I imagine to be quite difficult to achieve and translate from the cast and script. Although this show was short-lived (2 series, 6 episodes each), it was done so because they had explored every idea they wanted to show. Having seen several episodes of Fawlty Towers, I see why it has won an abundance of BAFTA awards.

Fawlty Towers is available on Stan, Foxtel, Youtube and Google Play.

The IT Crowd

If you’re looking for a little UK humour set in a disgusting little basement office in London, then you might be looking for something a little too specific. But there actually is a show containing just that- The IT Crowd! This sitcom follows three incoherent IT staff members, Maurice Moss (played by Richard Ayoade), Roy (Chris O’Dowd) and Jen Barber (Katherine Parkinson). The extra kicker is that Jen, who is also the head of IT, knows nothing about tech. Nada. Zilch. So, the office is pretty much chaos 110% of the time.

Written by Graham Linehan (who has also written for The Fast Show), The IT Crowd has some extremely well written transgression comedy that is super in-your-face, absolutely making the show worth watching.

The IT Crowd is available on Netflix and Stan.

The Good Place

And finally, my personal favourite - The Good Place.

Spanning across four seasons, The Good Place initially follows Eleanor (Kristen Bell), a bad person who finds herself living in a good afterlife. However, the show expands far beyond the original premise, as it tackles dilemmas through philosophical concepts and ideas made accessible to the audience. This was translated well through the incredible cast including Jameela Jamil, Manny Jacinto (heck yeah Manny!), William Jackson Harper, D’Arcy Carden, Kristen Bell and Ted Danson, the sitcom was absolutely elevated to a whole new level. Created by Michael Schur (yep again not surprised), it is no wonder why this sitcom is so wonderfully unpredictable and wholesome. This article goes more in depth into why the show is worth watching. All in all, the show’s length also makes commitment feel less like a chore, and more like a holiday. And that’s also why I love it.

The Good Place is available on Netflix, Youtube and Google Play.