A goodsitcomtranslates into timeless fun. It makes you laugh, feel seen, and want to revisit its world over and over again. But sitcoms are also tricky. The genre is one that thrives on familiarity, and yet, it demands evolution and cultural relevance. If a sitcom treads too lightly, it loses spark. And if it pushes too far, things get awkward.
Some sitcoms likeFrasier,Everybody Hates Chris,Arrested Development, andBrooklyn Nine-Ninehave aged like fine wine. But in recent years, many sitcoms have tried to piggyback on the success of the 1990s and 2000s. They borrow the multi-cam setups, the laugh tracks, the “group of friends in a city” formula, and let the nostalgia take over. But the world has changed, and audiences seek an emotionally intelligent narrative, cultural awareness, and characters that are flawed but willing to evolve.
This list counts down 10 modern sitcoms that missed the mark and already feel outdated.
10’Man With a Plan' (2016 – 2020)
InMan With a Plan, Matt LeBlanc stars as Adam Burns, a Pittsburgh contractor who is suddenly thrust into picking up parenting duties full-time after his wife Andi returns to work. The show centers on Adam’s chaotic attempts to juggle his business, his three kids, and his old-school parenting instinct. He gets some help from his brother and overbearing father, but for the most part, he’s clueless.
A Rerun of ‘90s Tropes
The premise definitely has potential and LeBlanc is charming, butMan With a Planfeels like a sitcom that missed the memo onevolving family dynamics. Its portrayal of fatherhood is rooted in the bumbling dad trope. He is constantly overwhelmed, emotionally detached, and not willing to change. This would have worked a decade ago, when sitcoms demonstrated the mom as the multitasker and the dad as the lovable mess, but now the notion is outdated.
9’The Ranch' (2016 – 2020)
In the same vein, we haveThe Ranch. Set in rural Colorado, The Ranch follows Colt Bennett, a washed-up football player who returns home to help run the family cattle ranch. He is joined by his gruff father, Beau, his estranged brother, Rooster, and his on-again-off-again love interest Abby. There are family feuds, romantic tensions, and even criminal subplots.
Masculinity and Missed Potential
Created by Don Reo and Jim Patterson for Netflix, this one had the pedigree to succeed, especially with Ashton Kutcher andSam Elliott as leads. Despite having moments of genuine heart and tackling themes like alcoholism and PTSD, it often felt like it didn’t know what kind of show it wanted to be. The humor was bro-esque and repetitive, and its portrayal of masculinity, emotionally stunted sons, and stoic dads, with women as their moral anchors, feels like a throwback to 2000s dramas.
8’Friends From College' (2017 – 2019)
A Netflix ensemble comedy,Friends From Collegerevolves around a group of Harvard alumni as they navigate their messy adult lives in New York City. Starring Keegan-Michael Key, Cobie Smulders, and Fred Savage, the sitcom dives into romantic affairs, career crises, and lingering tension from college days. It’s basically a show about privileged adults behaving badly and still expecting sympathy.
A Group Text You Keep On Mute
With its darkly comedic tone and characters that constantly make bad decisions,Friends From Collegetries to be edgy and introspective, but it mostly comes off as smug and emotionally hollow. The characters are flawed, which is supposed to be realistic, but they lack the kind of depth that makes them compelling. The central affair between two married friends drags on, and the friendships are toxic. In an era when sincere and emotionally intelligent sitcoms likeTed LassoandHacksare making waves,Friends From Collegefeels exhausting.
7’The Conners' (2018 – 2025)
Following the abrupt cancellation ofRoseannein 2018,The Connersarrived to pick up the pieces and continue the story of the working-class family in Lanford, Illinois. Roseanne Barr’s character is written off and the show shifts its focus to Dan, Darlene, Becky, and Jackie, as the traverse the difficult waters of grief, financial hardship, and generational clashes.
A Pale Imitation of a ’90s Classic
Over seven seasons,The Connersremains one of ABC’s most-watched recent comedies, and it wrapped up in 2025 with a six-episode farewell arc. It also holds a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but thatdoesn’t mean the show successfully reinvented itself. The comfort and nostalgia easily slip into a creative slump where the humor relies heavily on recycled dynamics fromRoseanne,and the characters barely undergo organic growth.
6’Last Man Standing' (2011 – 2021)
Not as recent as the rest of the sitcoms on the list but spanning 10 seasons,Last Man Standingstars Tim Allen as Mike Baxter. He is a conservative outdoor goods executive and father of three daughters, navigating the complexities of family life and workplace antics in Denver. The show’s humor comes from Mike’s traditional values clashing with modern sensibilities and his liberal-minded wife and daughters.
Stuck in a Culture War Loop
Initially, the sitcom resonated with audiences looking for something that reflected on its own conservative values. But the later seasons felt like stepping into a time capsule where the job had to be filtered from a political and cultural lens to effectively land. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave it a disappointing 14% and fans admitted the show lost its spark after multiple cast changes and repetitive storylines.
5’Call Me Kat' (2021 – 2023)
Call Me Katis inspired by the British series Miranda, and it stars Mayim Balik as a quirky, single woman who opens a cat in Louisville after leaving her job as a professor. Breaking the fourth wall frequently, it follows Kat as she narrates her inner thoughts during awkward encounters and navigates the challenges of small business ownership with a healthy dose of self-deprecating humor.
Too Quirky and Stuck in 2010s
The ensemble ofCall Me Katincludes Leslie Jordan, Swoosie Kurtz, Kyla Pratt, and Cheyenne Jackson, and they each add their own flavor to the café. Despite its lighthearted premise, the sitcom was canceled after three seasons in 2023. It had all the ingredients for a cozy and offbeat comedy,the fourth-wall breakingwas an interesting angle forFleabagfans, but the show never fully utilized Bialik’s comedic range, and thus, already feels outdated.
4’Mr. Mayor' (2021 – 2022)
Created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock,Mr. Mayoris a high-concept sitcom that follows Neil Bremer, a wealthy retiree who impulsively runs for mayor of Los Angeles to impress his teenage daughter. Once elected, he fumbles through the political landscape with the help of his eccentric staff, including Holly Hunter’s deputy mayor and Bobby Moynihan’s communications director.
Political Satire That Forgot to Satirize
For a show set in one of America’s most politically charged city, the humor inMr. Mayorfeels oddly safe. Ted Danson plays Neil in the best way he can, and yet, the character isn’t as complex as others likeVeep’sSelina Meyer orParks and Rec’sLeslie Knope. Even the show’s satire is watered down, which negates the whole point and it’s hard to understand what it’s poking fun at.
3’Young Rock' (2021 – 2023)
Young Rockis a semi-autobiographical sitcom thatfollows Dwayne “The Rock” Johnsonacross three distinct eras. From his childhood in Hawaii to his teenagehood in Pennsylvania to college football days at the University of Miami, each episode uses flashbacks to chronicle his life and formative moments, as well as family dynamics and his early brushes with fame.
A Biopic Sitcom That Feels Too Scripted
Created by Dwayne Johnson, Jeff Chiang, and Nahnatchka Khan,Young Rockboasts heartfelt storytelling and features larger-than-life wrestling cameos from characters like André the Giant, The Iron Sheik, and Randy Savage. But there are two reasons it feels outdated. One, the show’s format is disconnected from the emotional core it intends to portray. And two, the comedy is one-dimensional, making the episode feel more like PR than personal reflection. By Season 3, ratings dropped and NBC canceledYoung Rockin 2023.
2’How I Met Your Father'(2022 – 2023)
Set in the same universe asHow I Met Your Mother, this Hulu spin-off follows Hilary Duff’s Sophie, a hopeless romantic traversing the harsh waters of dating apps, career confusion, and friendships in New York City. Told through flashbacks from her older self to her son, it mirrors the structure of the original, with a group of friends, a central romantic mystery, and a whole lot of bar-hopping banter.
Recycled Format With Shallow Execution
How I Met Your Fatherfeatures cameos from fan-favoriteHIMYMcharacters like Robin and Barney, while the overall narrative tries to modernize the formula with a Gen Z aesthetic. But there’s a reason it wascanceled after two seasons. It tells a story we’ve already grown out of. The central mystery has no urgency, and the characters, diverse on paper, are just archetypes trying too hard to be relatable. In a post-Fleabagworld, this kind of sitcom needs more than cameos to feel relevant.
1’That ’90s Show' (2023 – 2024)
That ’90s Showis a sequel toThat ’70s Showand it’s set 20 years after the events of its predecessors. It follows Leia Forman, daughter of Eric and Donna, as she spends the summer with her grandparents, Red and Kitty, in Point Place, Wisconsin. She’s surrounded by a new group of teenagers. There are crushes, rebellion, and awkward phases.
Nostalgic Without Real Substance
The prospect of revisiting familiar faces was definitely enticing for fans of the original series.The ‘90s Showhad the setup, the legacy, and the fanbase. But still, it never found its own voice. The characters aren’t well-developed, thecultural references rely more on surface-level callbacks, and there is no meaningful commentary. It’s a prime example of a modern sitcom so obsessed with the past that it fails to offer anything remotely exciting to contemporary audiences.
That ’90s Show
