Sayak Basu
‘One Day At A Time‘ is a Netflix original sitcom based on a similarly-titled 1975 show by Norman Lear. The series centers around a woman called Penelope and the members of her family. Penelope is an army veteran who now works as a nurse. Being a single mother, it is quite difficult for her to raise her three children while maintaining a full-time job.
The struggles and joys which this family and some other supporting characters go through, is basically what this show is all about. The best aspect of this relaunched series is that it is a fresh and interesting take on the original story. The characters are rather well-written and the humor is also on point. If you have enjoyed watching ‘One Day At A Time’, here are some other sitcoms you might want to check out.
7. Fresh Off The Boat (2015-)
This 2015 sitcom centers around one Taiwanese family which moves from the Chinatown area of Washington D.C. to Orlando, Florida. The father opens up a steakhouse and is quite eager to follow the American Dream. However, the other members of his family, including his wife and his son have a rather hard time adjusting to these conditions.
The show makes us aware of the struggles of an immigrant family with a layer of humor. With some rather endearing characters and heartfelt moments, ‘Fresh Off The Boat‘ is a series you must check out.
6. The Goldbergs (2013-)
‘The Goldbergs‘ is a sitcom told from the perspective of a young boy who constantly documents his family life on a camera. His rather dysfunctional family is filled with eccentric characters, and their quirks become the essence of the show’s humor. ‘The Goldbergs’ is set in the 1980s, and thus the costumes and dialog also have a feel of the era.
5. Black-ish (2014-)
‘Black-ish‘ is the story of a rather well-to-do African-American family that lives in a predominantly white neighborhood. While the members of the family are not that friendly with everyone who lives in their locality, the patriarch Andre ‘Dre’ Johnson tries rather hard to create a rapport with his neighbors.
The series mainly centers around the lives of the members of this family and often delves into issues like race and identity politics in the American society.
4. Master Of None (2015-2017)
Created by and starring the eminent comedian Aziz Ansari, this exquisitely filmed comedy-drama series centers around an Indian-American actor called Dev who lives in New York. Despite being around 30-years-old, he has still not landed a major acting gig and a television commercial is his only claim to fame.
The show follows Dev, the struggles in his professional life, and his relationship with his family and friends. Some of the episodes often pay tribute to the legendary Italian directors De Sica, Fellini, Antonioni, and others.
Read More: Shows Like Master of None
3. Brown Nation (2016-)
This series also revolves around an Indian immigrant living in New York, but its humor is more slapstick than what we witness in ‘Master Of None‘. The central character of ‘Brown Nation’ is Hasmukh Parikh, who runs a failing IT business and is constantly pestered by his wife.
Parikh’s wife is of the opinion that he is the reason behind her failure to become a successful artist. Parikh’s struggles to keep his business running and his wife happy find him in some rather hilarious situations.
2. Arrested Development (2013-)
A brilliant family sitcom, ‘Arrested Development‘ is the story of the Bluth family who was once quite rich. However, after the patriarch messes things up and gets arrested for fraud, the family realizes that they are in a huge mess.
Now the responsibility to pick the entire family up falls upon the shoulders of Michael Bluth, the only person in the family who has some sort of sanity left in him. Widely considered one of the best sitcoms of all time, ‘Arrested Development’ is hilarious, packed with amazing dialog, and the cast is also adorned by some rather powerful performers.
1. Roseanne (1988-2018)
‘Roseanne‘ is the story of the Conner family. They are a loud working-class family living in a suburban area. The show centers around their daily lives and the relationships they share with each other. Roseanne Burr, the matriarch of the family is the central character of the series and is also played by the similarly-named comedian.
The series brilliantly picks on current socio-political issues while also being hilarious. The show was canceled after a racist tweet by Barr sent shockwaves around the country.
Read More: Shows Like The Conners
