Presenting the best sitcoms to binge on while you're in coronavirus isolation, from Cheers to New Girl

Paste Magazine

"The best reason to watch Cheers during your period of self-isolation is because it’s maybe the greatest sitcom of all time," says Garrett Martin. "It’s smart, hilarious, full of well-drawn and believable characters who deal with recognizable human issues, and often feels less like a sitcom than a joke-filled one-act play. It’s the model for the ensemble comedy, and its influence can still be felt in every sitcom about any group of adults occupying a common space. The second best reason to watch Cheers during your period of self-isolation is because it has, like, 300 episodes, or something. (Okay, 275, to be precise.) You could live off this show for over a week, and never regret it—somehow Cheers was almost as great in its 11th season as it was at its peak." He adds of New Girl: "When New Girl started it was a sharp hang-out sitcom for the 21st century, updating the basic template of Friends into the modern day, but with a looser, more improvisational feel to the humor that makes it seem at least a bit less artificial. Like Friends, the show’s greatest strength is less the writing than the performances and chemistry of its cast—few shows can milk as much out of its characters lounging around a living room, or drunkenly playing a made-up game with no clear rules."

ALSO:

• Judd Apatow urges everybody to watch Undeclared during your coronavirus quarantine: Apatow's 2001-2002 Fox college comedy follow-up to Freaks and Geeks doesn't have a streaming home. But every episode is available on YouTube. Undeclared starred Jay Baruchel, Seth Rogen, Carla Gallo, Monica Keena and Loudon Wainwright, with Amy Poehler and Kevin Hart in recurring roles.
• Here's how to get a free trial of every streaming service: Every streamer offers free trials, from Amazon Prime's 30 days to Disney+'s seven days
• PBS' streaming service only costs $5 a month and features tons of programming, including "Broadway on PBS"