Television is the perfect home for a well-told dramedy. Blending dramatic storylines with lighthearted and often laugh-out-loud comedy, these shows find the sweet spot between tragedy and humor. Their storylines sometimes get quite heavy, but the laughs are never far away.
From beloved classics from the noughties like Gilmore Girls to modern, game-changing gems like Fleabag, these dramedies keep entertaining audiences with their timeless storylines. Fans can't and will probably never get enough of them, rewatching every episode as if it was the first time. And while each series is great, some are better than others.
10 'Sex and the City' (1998-2004)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 70%
HBO's game-changing Sunday night show, Sex and the City, redefined audiences' perception of female sexuality and New York City. Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon starred as four single women in their thirties navigating NYC's chaotic dating scene.
Sex and the City challenged conventions and revolutionized television. The show's six seasons remain endlessly rewatchable, especially once fans get used to the main characters' idiosyncrasies. With its unique approach to sex, humor, and tragedy, Sex and the City is a one-of-a-kind show that will forever remain one of HBO's crown jewels.
9 'Weeds' (2005-2012)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 70%
Mary-Louise Parker and Elizabeth Perkins starred in Showtime's subversive dark comedy Weeds. The show centers on Nancy Botwin, a widowed mother who begins growing and selling marijuana to support her two children.
Elevated by Parker's spectacular performance, Weeds is a funny and biting look into the drug business. The show's quality fluctuated throughout its eight seasons, with the final season disappointing many. However, the show remains incredibly rewatchable, if only because of how game Parker, Perkins, and the rest of the cast are.
8 'Desperate Housewives' (2004-2012)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 72%
Debuting in the fall of 2004, Desperate Housewives was an instant success. The show starred Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, and Eva Longoria as four housewives whose lives get disrupted by the sudden suicide of their close friend, throwing the deceitfully peaceful Wisteria Lane into disarray.
Walking a fine line between biting satire and melodrama, Desperate Housewives is one of the shows that defined the 2000s. Throughout its eight seasons, the show explored numerous issues, introducing increasingly wacky mysteries that kept audiences on the edge while providing more than enough laughs to cement its place as one of television's all-time great dramedies.
7 'Shameless' (2011-2021)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%
Oscar nominee William H. Macy led the cast of Showtime's Shameless. An American adaptation of the equally successful British show, Shameless follows the highly dysfunctional Gallagher clan as they try to deal with life's many dramas in their own chaotic way.
Shameless received positive reviews throughout its run, with most praise going to the cast. Macy and Emmy Rossum, in particular, gave career-best performances, finding the humor in the increasingly problematic and unbelievable situations the show satirized. Shameless found the right balance between comedy, tragedy, and everything in between, quickly becoming one of the new millennium's best and most disruptive shows.
6 'Gilmore Girls' (2000-2007)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
Amy Sherman-Palladino's timeless ode to quirk and pop culture, Gilmore Girls is the definition of a comfort watch. The show stars Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel as a mother-daughter duo with a very close bond as they navigate life and love.
Gilmore Girls is equal parts quirky comedy and familial drama, resulting in a unique mix of tones that made it stand out among contemporary shows. Although it finished in 2007 with a controversial finale, Gilmore Girls found new life on streaming, becoming a fan-favorite show with high rewatch value. A sequel came to Netflix in 2016, but nothing beats the original.
5 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' (2017-)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%
Another Sherman-Palladino show makes for an awesome rewatch, especially now that it's nearing its ending. Prime Video's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel stars Rachel Brosnahan as Midge Maisel, a housewife who tries to build a successful stand-up career in 1950s New York City.
Thanks to a charming star-turn from Brosnahan and Sherman-Palladino's trademark dialog, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a clever and ironic trip to the past. The show's charm makes it highly rewatchable, thanks to its colorful cast of characters and the numerous guest stars over the season, many of whom are Stars Hollow's favorites.
4 'Fargo' (2014-)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%
Based on the Coen Brothers' Oscar-winning 1996 film of the same name, Fargo is an anthology series and one of FX's crowning jewels. Each season focuses on a new crime, with the show attracting some of Hollywood's best actors, including Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Freeman, Kirsten Dunst, Ewan McGregor, and Jessie Buckley.
Fargo uses black comedy and intense violence to deliver compelling stories about ambition and crime in Midwestern America. The show is funny, insightful, and ruthless, living up to the Coens' original while successfully expanding on its lore and themes.
3 'White Collar' (2009-2014)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
Matt Bomer starred as Neil Caffrey in the USA Network's long-running dramedy White Collar. The plot centered on a charming and highly-skilled con man who abandoned his criminal ways to become an advisor and informer for the FBI.
Thanks to Bomer's unbelievably charming performance, White Collar was an instant hit. The show has tremendous rewatch value, thanks to its case-of-the-day format mixed with some season-long storylines, mostly centered around Caffrey's personal life. Adding a large cast of memorable supporting characters and fans have one of the most underrated yet binge-worthy shows of the late noughties.
2 'Barry' (2018-)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%
Bill Hader's masterpiece, Barry, is surely among the best, most complex and acclaimed shows of the 21st century. It follows the titular character, a Cleveland hitman who abandons his criminal ways to join an acting class in Los Angeles. The show also stars tv legend Henry Winkler alongside a large cast of supporting characters.
Barry has received universal critical acclaim, with praise for Hader's acting, writing, and directing. The show is the perfect combination of comedy and drama, unafraid to explore the dark sides of its premise without abandoning the touch of absurdity that made it famous in the first place. The upcoming fourth season of Barry will be its last, meaning fans will get an explosive but worthwhile ending.
1 'Fleabag' (2016-2019)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
It isn't an overstatement to call Fleabag a masterpiece of modern television. Phoebe Waller-Bridge's cringe comedy about a young English woman breaking the fourth wall to talk about her angry and confused thoughts is peak television, a topical and profound exploration of trauma and human connection.
Fleabag features a wonderful supporting cast, including the scene-stealing Oscar winner Olivia Colman. The show is wicked and hilarious, with fans often going from laughing to crying in mere seconds. Clever and insightful, Fleabag is a bonafide work of art, with both seasons allowing for numerous rewatches where fans can discover and appreciate new things.