Sitcoms arguably aren't what they used to be. While there are some great new ones, many sitcoms today rely on inspiration from ones that came before them. Some of them are even outright copies, spinoffs, or sequels. There have been some near-perfect sitcoms that changed the game and inspired others, like Friends and Seinfeld. But there are also forgotten ones that, rather than make a mark, have fallen into obscurity despite being so good, and likely used as references for shows we see today.

The sitcom is one of the most reliable formats in TV history for a reason. Situational comedy — characters stuck together in a recurring setting, same problems, same dynamics, episode after episode — works because it's built on comfort. You know these people, where they live, and what's going to set them off. That familiarity is the whole point. It's why people still rewatch Seinfeld and Friends decades later, and it's why a good sitcom, even a short-lived one, never really goes away.