Top 20 Funniest TV Moments of the Century (So Far)

“Schitt's Creek“ (2015-20)
When you live with a silver spoon in your mouth, you don’t usually have to worry about trivial things such as being ‘self-reliant’ or ‘knowing how to cook.’ But with the Rose family’s wealth all gone, Moira decides it’s time for them to learn. She tries to instruct David on how to cook enchiladas… and it’s a delicious disaster! Moira fails to give clear instructions, David is cooking in a sweater, and neither of them knows how to fold in the cheese. It’s honestly a miracle the enchiladas were somehow edible, but if learning to cook is this hilariously stressful, we should count our blessings that these two don’t work in fast food.

“The IT Crowd” (2006-13)
Is your Emergency Services number too easy to remember? Don’t worry, “The IT Crowd” shows us the perfect solution to this. The second episode features a commercial promising a better, more efficient Emergency Service… before dropping an inconveniently long new number “0118, 999, 881, 999, 119, 725... 3” -complete with a catchy jingle. The juxtaposition is already hysterical, but later in the same episode, we see the rib-tickling consequences of this change when a fire breaks out in Moss’ office, and he can’t reach them by phone so he has to EMAIL them. Despite its length, many fans likely have the new number memorized purely because of this scene’s comedy gold.

“How I Met Your Mother” (2005-14)
Have you ever looked back at your past self and winced at how cringy you used to be? Rest assured, it could’ve been worse… you could’ve been Robin. For context, Barney discovers an old video of Robin from her teenage years. The gang puts the video on and at first, it looks like an adult film in the making…. Before exploding into an ‘80s music video. Yes, turns out Robin was once a teen pop star named Robin Sparkles… and her biggest hit, “Let’s Go to the Mall” is an amazing trainwreck. The annoyingly catchy tune, the ‘80s pop culture references, and witnessing Robin’s greatest shame make the sequence way too funny to look away.

“Broad City” (2014-19)
Have you ever wondered what kind of person you become when you get black-out intoxicated? Well, with any luck, you could end up like Abbi. Regularly, Abbi is awkward, reclusive, and tries to be the responsible one. But when she has one too many shots, she completely transforms into Val – a charismatic, swinging jazz singer straight out of a classic Hollywood flick. Just to add to the ridiculousness – Val can blow cartoon smoke rings like a “Looney Tunes” character. This insane Jekyll and Hyde scenario is just too funny given how it gives a sensible, sympathetic girl like Abbi such a wild alter-ego… it’s kind of sad this only happens when she hits the sauce.

“What We Do in the Shadows” (2019-)
It’s not easy being an ancient vampire living in the modern world; if you can’t keep up with the fast-paced energy of the new world, you’ll quite literally burn out. Baron Afanas learns this the hard way when he takes our leading trio for a night on the town. What happens is your typical “ghoul’s night out”, you know what we mean? Going bar to bar, getting buzzed from drinking blood infused with various substances, and projectile vomiting into the air after eating pizza. It’s a classic wild narrative but made more hilarious with the vampire shenanigans. Unfortunately, the party ends too soon when the Baron perishes in the sunlight… talk about a buzzkill.

“The Good Place” (2016-20)
To save their friend, Eleanor and Chidi make a hard decision – they have to reboot Janet. Unfortunately, Janet isn’t making it easy for them. Although she assures them that what they’re doing ISN’T murder and ENCOURAGES them to press the button, she has a failsafe that causes her to panic and beg for her life. Janet’s actress, D'Arcy Carden, honestly deserves an award for this performance – she’s able to change between robotic and desperate on a dime, making a moral dilemma even worse. Just to add to the punchline, Chidi ends up accidentally pushing the button, and Janet posthumously adds salt to the wound. When did trying to do the right thing become such a mess?

“Abbott Elementary” (2021-)
Have you ever had trouble remembering a celebrity’s name? Don’t feel ashamed, it’s a relatable issue. Barbara from “Abbott Elementary” just takes this scenario to hilarious extremes. Our favorite teacher can’t keep some celebrity names straight to save her life. It’s endearing, but it’s made even funnier by how she keeps mixing names up solely because of how similar they are. What’s even better is right when it looks like she might get one right…. she still slips up. It’s honestly cute and amusing, but it makes us wonder… which Michelle Williams WOULD make a great female Spider-Man? These are the important questions no one’s asking!

“Fleabag” (2016-19)
We don’t like to admit it, but a good or bad hair day can decide how the rest of our day goes. “Fleabag” teaches us this lesson in the funniest way when Claire gets a HORRENDOUS haircut. First, Fleabag tries, and fails, to convince her sister that it’s not ugly, it’s just French. She then goes to confront the hairdresser, delivering a harsh-but-true speech about the importance of hair. And the punchline…. The cut Claire got is EXACTLY what she asked for based on the reference photo. While seeing the sisters looking out for each other is endearing, the buildup and payoff have us in stitches, as it reminds us to be careful what we ask for.

“Malcolm in the Middle” (2000-06)
A recent breakup has completely turned Malcolm’s life upside down. In a desperate attempt to escape reality, he decides to try jumping on the bouncy house, and absolute chaos breaks out. The bouncy house explodes and collapses, the party falls apart, and Hal panics trying to rescue all the kids… with a butcher knife. Thankfully, everyone turns out just fine, and we’re free to guffaw at the scene’s utter wackiness, from the “Sesame Street” theme playing over Malcolm’s ill-fated leap to the explosion itself, and especially Hal’s overzealous rescue attempt. Unfortunately for Malcolm, this whole fiasco is just another life lesson he has to learn the hard way.

“New Girl” (2011-18)
How does something as simple as a jigsaw puzzle become a matter of life and death? In the Season Three premiere of “New Girl”, Winston answers this for us when he struggles while puzzling. Despite how focused he is, half the pieces are upside down or horribly mismatched, and he can’t even figure out what a corner piece is. Halfway through, we discover Winston is colorblind — he can’t tell that Kermit the Frog is GREEN! We should empathize with Winston, but at the same time, we can’t help but snicker at all this turmoil over a puzzle! Thankfully, he later gets special glasses to fix his predicament…only to discover a deep hatred for the color blue.

“Nathan for You” (2013-17)
There are times when you come across a joke that’s incredibly cringy and yet still has a hilarious execution. Nathan demonstrates this in the wake of his rebate ploy — the rebate itself is funny because of how over-the-top it all is. A whole plethora of strange happenings occurred during the ordeal, and yet when Nathan tells a gas station owner about it, the owner manages to outweird the whole thing. He offers Nathan some questionable health advice involving urine. In any other circumstance, we’d all be wincing in disgust over the joke. Still, it’s delivered so naturally and unexpectedly that we can’t help but crack up at the exchange, and even Nathan’s thrown off by the response.

“Veep” (2012-19)
Appearing in court is a terrifying experience; but with any luck, your experience won’t be any worse than the testimony episode of “Veep.” To set the scene, Selina’s campaign is giving testimony following a recent data breach. Among the files is a document labeled “The Jonad Files” with a long list of colorful, savage nicknames for Jonah. The committee members read each nickname one by one, and each one is funnier and more brutal than the last. On the one hand, poor Jonah; on the other hand, we can’t help laughing at how creatively vicious these nicknames got.

“Community” (2009-15)
Do you believe in the butterfly effect? You will when you see “Community” utilize it hilariously. The study group is trying to decide who will get the pizza for the crew, with each roll of the dice resulting in a different timeline. In one such timeline, Troy dashes out of the apartment to collect the pizza, and all hell breaks loose. Pierce gets shot in the leg, a fire breaks out, and Troy is traumatized by the troll doll. According to the end tag, things only spiraled more in this timeline, causing Abed to go full “Evil Spock” mode. It’s amazing how one little change can unravel into a hilarious catastrophe.

“Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (2013-21)
In the funniest cold opening for “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” Jake is examining a lineup of murder suspects. The true perpetrator was heard singing “I Want It That Way” by The Backstreet Boys, so Jake has the lineup singing the catchy pop tune to identify the murderer. But naturally, all of them, especially Jake, get too into it, and even the perp can’t resist belting out the song. The punchline for when they find the true culprit is even funnier, showing how easy it is to get lost in the rhythm of a catchy tune. Let’s be honest, if we were ever put in charge of a police lineup, we’d all probably do this at some point.

“30 Rock” (2006-13)
Tracy has been dealing with some aggression issues, so Jack takes him to see the studio’s shrink to help him out. While there, Jack assists with the therapy with some roleplaying. What happens next is both politically incorrect and somewhat glorious. Jack starts performing all these problematic impressions of Tracy’s family, and even Tracy himself. The therapist’s clear discomfort already sells the joke, but what makes this even funnier is how it actually… works. Jack’s roleplaying makes a breakthrough and Tracy’s able to overcome his anger issues. While Jack’s methods may not be kosher, we can’t argue with the results, and we definitely can’t help but bust a gut at the off-color insanity.

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” (2000-)
How hard is it for a person to resist instant gratification? For Larry, it’s not that hard of a choice when a Palestinian chicken restaurant opens in a particular neighborhood location, much to the horror of Larry’s friends. Of course, that doesn’t stop Larry from eating the chicken… or getting intimate with one of the owners, despite major issues. We WANT to be mad at Larry for his selfishness, but can we really pretend we don’t want some great chicken and sex? The last shot of the episode, with Larry literally stuck in the middle of the debate with the circus-like theme song, really brings the comedy gold home.

“Arrested Development” (2003-06; 2013-19)
Let’s be frank, the Bluth family is a complete mess. Think of how dysfunctional YOUR family can be… then crank that up to 11 at best. In one of their earlier examples, Michael suspects that his son George is using substances, so he decides to scare him straight by using sexy dancers… because why not? However, Michael’s own father ends up scaring HIM straight about not teaching lessons, in the most traumatic, gruesome way possible. This season one episode set the bar for how twisted this family’s dynamic truly is, and we can’t help but bust a gut at how morally bankrupt the Bluths are. The real lesson here today - don’t try to trick your kids.

“Parks and Recreation“ (2009-15)
Murphy’s law states that anything that can go wrong WILL go wrong. The “Parks and Recreations” episode “The Comeback Kid” hilariously proves this theory on the night of Leslie’s campaign speech. For starters, the campaign is in an ice rink, so when it’s time for her to speak, the gang slips and stumbles trying to get to the podium, all while Gloria Estefan's "Get On Your Feet” keeps looping in the background. Not only that, but the podium is way too small, Leslie’s speech is muddled, and a dog relieves itself on Ron’s leg in the middle of the rink. To top it all, right when “Pistol” Pete swoops in to save Leslie’s campaign, he slips and breaks his arm.

“It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia” (2005-)
Part of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s” charm comes from how unhinged and hilariously unredeemable its cast can be. For example, Mac and Dennis try to help Charlie’s romance game by setting up a dating profile for him; unfortunately, setting up his bio is a nightmare. His photo is unflattering, and his answers to the questionnaire make him look like a psycho weirdo. Mac and Dennis spruce up his profile and actually get Charlie a blind date; but between their bad advice and Charlie’s own bumbling, it quickly devolves into an uproarious trainwreck. Honestly, with friends like Mac and Dennis as his wingmen, Charlie’s probably better off alone.

“The Office” (2005-13)
Following a fire drill fiasco -courtesy of Dwight, the employees at Dunder Mifflin are forced to take a CPR class, and it goes about as well as you expect – hilariously chaotic. Everyone is too easily distracted and what should’ve been a serious learning session turns into a dance party. But of course, it only devolves further into chaos when it turns into a “Silence of the Lambs” remake, once again compliments of Dwight. Would you believe this is just another day at the office? And yet it’s the chaos and absurdity from this one scene alone that captures what makes “The Office” one of the most beloved sitcoms of the 21st century. If only our regular workplaces were this insane.