Summary

• British sitcoms have a unique dry wit that can be enjoyed by anyone around the world, but they often have short seasons.
• Some underrated British sitcoms like W1A and Fresh Meat comment on specific aspects of British culture, making them less relatable for foreign audiences.
• Underrated shows like Detectorists and Flowers offer a fresh take on the sitcom genre, exploring middle-aged friendships and dysfunctional families in a hilarious yet heart-breaking way.

Only a few British sitcoms make it to an international audience, but there are plenty more hidden gems that deserve a bigger audience. The best British sitcoms display the country's famous dry wit, but they can be enjoyed by anyone around the world. Unfortunately, British shows usually don't have very long seasons. It's not uncommon for popular shows to only produce six episodes a year, which means that fans of British sitcoms are constantly on the hunt for their next favorite. The good news is that there are always plenty more underrated shows waiting to be discovered.

Some brilliant British shows don't reach global audiences because they comment on specific aspects of British culture. For example, W1A satirizes the BBC and Fresh Meat focuses on British student culture. This makes them a little less relatable for foreign audiences, but their humor is just as sharp. Looking beneath the surface, both of these shows have broader themes. W1A is a workplace sitcom, and Fresh Meat is about living with friends at a young age. British sitcoms don't always get a chance to shine on the international stage, leaving some underrated shows without the audiences they deserve.

10 W1A (2014-2020)

A BBC sitcom about the ridiculous nature of the BBC

W1A benefits from razor-sharp writing and a fantastic ensemble cast.

W1A is the BBC's self-satirizing sitcom which lifts the lid on the inner workings of the broadcasting corporation. Hugh Bonneville plays Ian Fletcher, who is brought in as the BBC's new Head of Values, a position which he doesn't really understand. He is constantly dragged into meetings with the comically useless department heads, each of whom finds their own unique way to make sure there is never any progress. W1A is a great TV show about making TV shows, similar to 30 Rock in that regard. W1A benefits from razor-sharp writing and a fantastic ensemble cast.

9 Detectorists (2014-2022)

Two middle-aged hobbyists who choose to ignore their problems

Mackenzie Crook and Toby Jones play two friends who regularly meet up with their metal detectors to search for buried treasure. What they usually find instead is an assortment of worthless garbage, including tent pegs, tin cans, and toy cars. Metal detecting is a therapeutic activity for Lance and Andy. They dream of unearthing a semi-mythical Saxon hoard, but they are content with muddling along together and ignoring the outside world. Detectorists pushes the boundaries of the sitcom genre by representing middle-aged male friendships and subverting the traditional formula of character growth.

8 Flowers (2016-2018)

Hilarious and heart-breaking in equal measure

Flowers is the very darkest kind of dark comedy, revolving around a dysfunctional family trying to live together in harmony. Julian Barratt and Olivia Colman play Maurice and Deborah, whose marriage woes play out in front of their two adult children. Donald and Amy Flowers are just as troubled as their parents, consumed by delusions of grandeur and constant bickering. Through it all, the family are accompanied by Shun, the cheery Japanese illustrator who works with Maurice on his children's books. Flowers is a heart-wrenching meditation on home and belonging, wearing the mask of a family sitcom.

7 Garth Marenghi's Darkplace (2004)

Retro-spoofing comedy which perfects the art of bad acting

Garth Marenghi is a fictional horror author, and Darkplace is his magnum opus, a TV show deemed too radical and shocking for audiences in the 1980s. The show is intercut with commentary by Marenghi and his publisher, Dean Lerner. Both men also act in the hospital-based horror, although they are woeful performers. Garth Marenghi's Darkplace is a hilarious spoof of 1980s TV and horror writing in general, with absurd stories about people being turned into broccoli and a half-man-half-grasshopper wreaking havoc on the hospital and its staff. Marenghi's pedantic prose ensures that there can never be any real stakes.

6 Toast Of London (2012-2020)

Matt Berry at his blustering, bombastic best

Toast of London is one of Matt Berry's best TV shows. He had already been an outstanding ing character in other hilarious British sitcoms like The IT Crowd and The Mighty Boosh, but Toast of London gave him the opportunity to fully explore his own unique flavor of absurdist humor. Berry plays Steven Toast, a pompous actor who considers himself a success, despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary. His only allies are his eccentric roommate and his air-headed agent. The fourth season, titled Toast of Tinseltown, sends Steven to Hollywood and features Fred Armisen and Rashida Jones.

5 Not Going Out (2006-)

An apartment-share sitcom with two of Britain's most popular stand-up comedians

Not Going Out is one of Britain's longest-running sitcoms of all time, and its premise is so simple that it can be enjoyed by anyone. Not Going Out follows lovable loser Lee, who lives in an apartment with his best friend's sister, Lucy. Lee is a notorious slacker, but his efforts to impress Lucy motivate him to be better. As the title suggests, most of Not Going Out takes place within the apartment. It's a rapid-fire one-liner machine with Lee Mack and Tim Vine both masters of puns, put-downs and sarcastic wit.

4 Fresh Meat (2011-2016)

A hilarious glimpse of British university life

It comes as no real surprise that Fresh Meat never gained much of an international audience, since there are several references to the particulars of the British university experience. However, while Fresh Meat dissects British student culture, it's also extremely relatable for anyone who has struggled with leaving home for the first time. The characters each represent a different archetype of British youth, and they are each desperate to reinvent themselves when given the opportunity of a fresh start. At its best, Fresh Meat conveys the fear and excitement of building a new life.

3 Black Books (2000-2004)

A cynical sitcom with a brilliant cast

Irish comedian Dylan Moran plays the misanthropic owner of a small bookshop in Black Books. Bernard treats every customer as an irritating pest who dares to disturb his peace, so he is forced to hire an overzealous, neurotic assistant, played by Bill Bailey. Tamsin Greig rounds out the main cast, and the three actors share a wonderful dynamic which keeps the show light despite Bernard's consistently grouchy behavior. Many of the show's best episodes revolve around Fran and Manny trying to let some light into Bernard's life, but these efforts usually end in disaster.

2 Ghosts (2019-2023)

The past collides with the present in the BBC sitcom

Ghosts lampoons Britain's shared cultural history, but the show gradually reveals more about its characters.

When Alison and Mike luck into a surprise inheritance, they move out of the city and into a crumbling countryside estate. Shortly after they arrive, Alison starts to see the eclectic group of ghosts which also inhabit Button House. This collection of stereotypes from British history ranges from a neolithic-era caveman right up to a sleazy 1990s career politician. Ghosts lampoons Britain's shared cultural history, but the show gradually reveals more about its characters. Eventually, they develop into three-dimensional human beings, and Ghosts becomes a touching sitcom about found families facing mortality together.

Ghosts has been remade in the U.S. by CBS.

1 Green Wing (2004-2007)

A hospital sitcom with a unique sense of style

Green Wing only produced two seasons, but it still has more big laughs than many sitcoms which run for years and years. The show follows a team of eccentric doctors, battling their own egos as they try to function without any major catastrophes. The usual stakes of medical shows are completely absent, replaced by the relationship troubles of the doctors and some surreal slow-motion sequences. The team behind Green Wing had already honed their winning formula with the sketch show Smack the Pony, and Green Wing offers them a chance to inject some silliness into the sitcom format.