15 Best TV Shows Like The Simpsons

The longest-running scripted American television series of all time is "The Simpsons," an adult animated show created by Matt Groening. Premiering in 1989, "The Simpsons" changed things as a cartoon that isn't exclusively geared toward younger audiences and also reinvented the sitcom format. The series showcased a modern middle-class family, loving yet utterly dysfunctional, while getting in plenty of mischief along the way. The show both tonally echoed contemporary sitcoms at the time of its debut and went on to inspire countless animated series that followed it.

With "The Simpsons" such an enduring and influential fixture in American television, there are a multitude of shows like it. Whether animated or in live-action, there are plenty of sitcoms that share DNA with Groening's masterpiece. At the core of most of these shows is a family, either biological or surrogate, defined by their differences and offbeat love for one another, marked with plenty of laughs. Here are the 15 best TV shows like "The Simpsons" to check out.

The animated series that made the medium viable in the United States for more than just children was "The Flintstones." Set in the prehistoric suburb of Bedrock, Fred Flintstone (Alan Reed) and his best friend Barney Rubble (Mel Blanc) provide for their respective families. Though the show takes place before the advent of modern technology, the people of Bedrock make do with facsimiles of domestic life, often with their primitive tech powered by animals or manual labor. In this vision of early human history, people don't only coexist alongside dinosaurs but have effectively domesticated them as part of everyday life.

It's hard to understate how much "The Flintstones" helped shape television history as an animated series airing in primetime for six seasons. The show mirrored the dual family dynamic of "The Honeymooners," right down to Fred resembling Jackie Gleason, transposing that sitcom humor to animation seamlessly. A popular draw during its initial run, "The Flintstones" even brought in a myriad of celebrity guests, something later adult animated shows would replicate. Every adult-oriented animated series, including "The Simpsons," owes at least a modicum of appreciation to the programming doors that "The Flintstones" opened.

One of the most important shows in Fox history is the live-action sitcom "Married.. with Children," which predates "The Simpsons" by two years. The show follows the Bundy family, led by shoe salesman patriarch Al (Ed O'Neill), with the family living in the suburbs of Chicago. Along with his wife Peggy (Katey Sagal), Al raises their two teenage children, Kelly (Christina Applegate) and Bud (David Faustino). Though each family member is dysfunctional in their own way, they form a cohesive unit, often getting roped into various misadventures.

In contrast to many '80s sitcoms celebrating the wholesome possibilities of domesticity, "Married... with Children" relished deconstructing the seemingly picturesque American family. Each of the show's main characters is incredibly flawed, and they rarely learn or improve from their status quo. The show also was unafraid to explore raunchier subject matter, usually with Al's usual vices to escape the doldrums of his domestic life. "Married... with Children" doesn't set out to be consciously subversive or satirical, but succeeds on those scores all by itself. It was shows like "Married... with Children" that helped make "The Simpsons" possible, along with making Fox a viable competitor to rival networks at the time.

As television moved away from more traditional family sitcoms fueled largely by sentimentality, ABC launched "Roseanne" in 1988. The show starred stand-up comedian Roseanne Barr as Roseanne Conner, who, along with her husband Dan (John Goodman), raises a blue-collar family. Set in a nondescript Illinois town, Roseanne and Dan struggle to make ends meet as they care for their growing family of four children. Roseanne is never afraid to speak her mind, often taking rambunctious charge, even if she's out of her depth.

Barr and Goodman are a sitcom couple for the ages, playing well off each other. This relationship makes up the emotional core of the show, with "Roseanne" as a sort of working-class counterpoint to contemporaries like "Full House." "Roseanne" was a television staple well into the '90s, embodying a Middle American generation throughout its run. Irascible but not without a strong sense of heart, the series shared a blue-collar perspective into American life alongside "The Simpsons."

Before "Office Space" and "Silicon Valley," prolific producer and screenwriter Mike Judge got his start in animation with his hit MTV series "Beavis and Butt-head." In addition to creating the cartoon, Judge voices both title characters, a pair of hard rock and metal-obsessed teenage slackers living in the heartland of Texas. Owing to the show's home network, much of "Beavis and Butt-head" involves its duo commenting on popular music videos with their specifically slow-witted insight. In between their sedentary, couch-surfing lifestyle, Beavis and Butt-head get into all sorts of misadventures, exacerbated by their juvenile personalities.

With Beavis and Butt-head always being the butt (no pun intended) of their own jokes, the show's lewd and crude humor never grows particularly stale. "Beavis and Butt-Head" tapped into a growing sense of alienation and self-centeredness in its target audience, giving it a surprisingly deep relevance. The original show spawned two movies and multiple revivals, keeping its core duo just as stuck in arrested development as ever. A lo-fi alternative to its more polished animated contemporaries, "Beavis and Butt-head" embodies a continually disaffected generation.

Before its crossovers with "Family Guy" or "Futurama," "The Simpsons" had its crossover with fellow Fox animated series "The Critic." Created by former "Simpsons" showrunners Al Jean and Mike Reiss, "The Critic" starred Jon Lovitz as 30-something professional movie critic Jay Sherman. While Sherman doesn't hold back with his scathing reviews on his television show, often bordering on obnoxious observations, he is much more unsure of himself in his daily life. Across its two-season run, "The Critic" skewered and referenced both contemporary films and classic cinema as Sherman balanced his professional and personal lives.

Though sharing comedic sensibilities with "The Simpsons," along with a fair amount of its voice cast and writing staff, "The Critic" was a much more nuanced and mature show. Lovitz is perfectly cast as Sherman, with his usual sardonic humor informing much of his character and the series. While "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening saw the "Critic" crossover as a huge mistake and distanced himself from it, the latter show feels like a natural outgrowth from it. A cult classic gone far too soon, Lovitz's celebrated animated series continues to find new audiences years after its cancellation.

After focusing on disillusioned heavy metal-fueled youth, "Beavis and Butt-head" creator Mike Judge turned his attention to more mature Texan characters for his 1997 animated series "King of the Hill." Hank Hill (Judge) maintains an unfailingly calm demeanor as he raises his family and works as a propane salesman. Joining Hank are his memorable neighborhood buddies, regularly hanging out with him to drink cheap beer and watch the world go by. This unassuming lifestyle is regularly challenged by various incidents, usually involving Hank's son Bobby (Pamela Adlon) or their friends and family.

If "The Simpsons" follows a patriarch who is arguably the least mature member of his family, "King of the Hill" gets its comedy from challenging the unflappable Hank. This simple formula never wears out its welcome, giving "King of the Hill" a consistency in slice-of-life comedy that endures its entire run. Neither "The Simpsons" nor "King of the Hill" grow, but that works to their favor, with the times changing around them giving the shows their creative mileage. An understated fixture on Fox for years, the latter series proves not all animated comedies need to go loud to get laughs.

"Beavis and Butt-head" received its own spinoff series in "Daria," focused on the recurring character of the same name voiced by Tracy Grandstaff. The show continues the story of high schooler Daria Morgendorffer, making wry observations about her peers with her best friend Jane (Wendy Hoopes). As smart as she is cynical, Daria adjusts to moving from the small town in Texas where she met Beavis and Butt-head to a nondescript mid-Atlantic suburb. As the series progresses, Daria and Jane's friendship is strained over her own complicated feelings for Jane's boyfriend Tom (Russell Hankin).

If "Beavis and Butt-Head" were lovingly low-brow, both in physical appearance and sense of humor, "Daria" goes for more well-articulated observational comedy. Subversive and misanthropic, Daria was as much a voice for a generation as Beavis and Butt-head were, just considerably more refined. Daria captured the unfailingly monotone and deadpan delivery that remains popular with actors like Aubrey Plaza decades after the show's debut. Somehow feeling more authentic than contemporary live-action teen shows, "Daria" feels just as relevant as ever.

After "South Park" premiered on Comedy Central in 1997, American animated programming was never the same again, at least in the televised mainstream. Created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the show is set in its eponymous small town in Colorado while focusing on a quartet of elementary school students. Despite their young ages, this group is as foul-mouthed and politically incorrect as they come, constantly reacting to the changing culture around them. This occasionally veers into outright fantasy and science fiction, ranging from team-ups with various religious deities to finding a portal to a dimension where all fictional characters exist.

The satire throughout "South Park" always thoroughly skewers whatever it's examining in a particular week, with no care if anyone gets offended in the process. If anything, the show goes out of its way to ruffle feathers, leading to several "South Park" episodes being banned over the years. This, of course, also enhances the unabashedly profane humor the series has been dispensing for over 25 years, with no signs of slowing down. Certainly not intended for everyone, "South Park" is a vulgar hallmark that revels in how much it pushes the envelope.

"Simpsons" creator Matt Groening caught animated lightning in a bottle for a second time with his sci-fi comedy series "Futurama." Unassuming pizza delivery boy Philip J. Fry (Billy West) is accidentally cryogenically frozen and revived in the 31st century. Despite the drastic change in time period, Fry finds himself still running deliveries, just on an interstellar scale. Joining Fry is a whole host of co-workers, some human and some decidedly alien, including his eventual wife Leela (Katey Sagal).

Though "Futurama" shares a lot of comedic sensibilities with "The Simpsons," even featuring a crossover episode between both series, it still is very much its own show. The characters in "Futurama" are allowed to visibly grow more than their "Simpsons" counterparts, settling down and having families. This progression doesn't detract from the laughs, of course, particularly for the show's resident robotic Homer analog, Bender (John DiMaggio). Far more than a sci-fi take on "The Simpsons," "Futurama" is one of the most beloved animated series to come from Groening and longtime showrunner David X. Cohen.

Prolific animator Seth MacFarlane's expansive career really kicked into high gear with the Fox series "Family Guy," which debuted in 1999. Set in the fictional Rhode Island suburb of Quahog, the show follows the Griffin family, led by blue-collar patriarch Peter (MacFarlane) and his wife Lois (Alex Borstein). Peter and Lois raise their three children, including the murderously devious Stewie, and their talking dog Brian, with both of the latter roles also played by MacFarlane. Joining Peter are their eclectic neighborhood friends, with the Griffins pulled into numerous outlandish adventures.

While cutaway gags — often involving various pop culture references — had existed before "Family Guy," no other series popularized the technique quite like the series. "Family Guy" has survived cancellation twice, with its large fan base keeping the show's irreverent humor alive for decades. In the interim, MacFarlane has expanded his entertainment industry presence into an entire empire, fueled, at least initially, by the success of "Family Guy." Turning into as much of a Fox programming staple as "The Simpsons," "Family Guy" continues to stand the test of time.

After the enormous success of "Family Guy," Seth MacFarlane co-created its long-running sister series "American Dad!," which premiered in 2005. "American Dad!" took on a decidedly more political bent than its predecessor, skewering the jingoistic patriotism that took root in the post-9/11 United States. Ultra-conservative CIA operative Stan Smith (MacFarlane) is ready to defend American interests at any cost, to his family's continued exasperation. In addition to Stan's wife and children, this includes the talking East German goldfish Klaus (Dee Bradley Baker) and flamboyant extraterrestrial Roger (MacFarlane).

"American Dad!" might not be consistently funnier than "Family Guy," but it does generally offer a sharper and more focused brand of comedy. As such, the show's laughs don't come primarily from cutaway gags, like "Family Guy," but instead from its inane characters and their interplay. Ironically, "American Dad!" outdoes "Family Guy" in family-based humor, often in how the Smiths react to Stan's latest antics. "American Dad!" quickly proved that MacFarlane was no one-hit wonder as it remains popular after well over a decade on the air.

Fox's popular adult-oriented prime-time animation block got another long-standing success with "Bob's Burgers" in 2011. Created by Loren Bouchard, this show centers on the Belcher family and their small restaurant business in a coastal New Jersey town. Bob (H. Jon Benjamin) and Linda (John Roberts) raise their three young children, while the entire family helps run their burger joint. After the show's steady popularity, "Bob's Burgers" produced a spinoff movie, retaining the charm while heightening the stakes.

Though largely focused on slice-of-life comedy within the Belcher family and the surrounding community, "Bob's Burgers" occasionally veers into the absurd, with musical numbers and fantasy sequences. By its second season, the show had firmly found its comedic voice, continuing to refine and hone it as it continued. What "Bob's Burgers" has that its animated contemporaries often lack is a subtler, unassuming sense of humor that finds the laughs without a lot of noise or flash. Wacky and weird in its own understated way, "Bob's Burgers" delivers hilarity as reliably as Bob Belcher flips cheeseburgers.

Seth MacFarlane is a huge "Star Trek" fan, with his deep love for the science fiction franchise reflected in both his animated and live-action work. In the case of the latter, MacFarlane's television series "The Orville" is an ambitious and overt love letter to "Star Trek" as a whole. Set in the 25th century, Captain Ed Mercer (MacFarlane) and his ex-wife Kelly Grayson (Adrianne Palicki) command the exploratory spacecraft known as the Orville. Joining them is a crew made of different species from the Planetary Union as they venture across the cosmos.

"The Orville" starts strong as a clear "Star Trek" spoof, but the show really finds itself in its second season. With this foundation, the series moves away from its parody roots and blends comedy with genuine sci-fi spectacle and stakes. This shift meant that "The Orville" wasn't afraid to get serious and really dig into its main characters' emotions, something that improved the show significantly. As funny as it can be heartbreaking, "The Orville" is the most earnest project that MacFarlane has ever created.

Following successful explorations of contemporary suburbia and the cosmic possibilities of science fiction, "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening set his sights on high fantasy with "Disenchantment." The Netflix original animated series follows Princess Bean (Abbi Jacobson), who dismisses her expected royal responsibilities to go on a magical quest. Bean is joined by her personal demon, Luci (Eric André), and Elfo (Nat Faxon), as they explore their medieval kingdom of Dreamland. This leads Bean to reconcile with her own family history, including that of her evil sorceress mother, Queen Dagmar (Sharon Horgan).

"Disenchantment" feels very much within Groening's comedic wheelhouse, right down to its familiar animation style. Unlike its Groening-led predecessors, "Disenchantment" follows a serialized story, something that improves significantly as the show progresses. Bean's hero's journey is one of self-discovery and self-acceptance, with plenty of fantasy-fueled laughs along the way. An offbeat standout, any fan of Matt Groening would do well to check out his first Netflix project.

Before creating the acclaimed "Star Trek: Lower Decks," Mike McMahan teamed up with "Rick and Morty" co-creator Justin Roiland for the Hulu original series "Solar Opposites." The show follows a family of aliens that crash-land on Earth and live among the humans in modern suburbia. Though the family's patriarch, Korvo (Dan Stevens), initially wants to repair their ship and leave the planet, he begrudgingly accepts settling down on Earth. As the Solar Opposites — as they become known — settle into their new lives, sci-fi hijinks regularly ensue.

"Solar Opposites" has all the madcap science fiction chaos that made "Rick and Morty" so popular, but with a surprising amount of heart. Like "Lower Decks," "Solar Opposites" moves fast, and so do its jokes, taking viewers on a cosmic rollercoaster ride of comedy. The show also boasts a stacked cast, with both comedy and voice-acting veterans bringing the colorful characters to life. A family comedy with an extraterrestrial twist, "Solar Opposites" has consistently stood as one of Hulu's best original sitcoms.