23 Worst Sitcoms of All Time According to Viewers

Television situation comedies, or sitcoms, have generated a lot of laughs — genuine, canned, or both — since the late 1940s. However, some sitcoms were just painfully unfunny even if they somehow aired for years.

According to IMDb voters, the lamest sitcoms in history include ones that were spun off from superior movies, spin-offs or reboots of previous successful sitcoms, or original series that just come across as forced humor. The point of sitcoms is to make people laugh, which shows such as Clueless, Webster, and Animal Practice largely failed to do.

The following sitcoms are some of the lowest-rated of all time according to IMDb users. Be honest: did any of them make you laugh out loud?

1. Clueless (1996–1999)

The teen sitcom Clueless is a spin-off of the popular movie starring Alicia Silverstone as the sweet-yet-dippy Beverly Hills high school student Cher Horowitz. Several actors from the movie, including Stacey Dash and Donald Faison, reprise their roles on the TV series. However, Cher is played by Rachel Blanchard on the sitcom.

Clueless premiered on ABC and aired there for one season before moving to UPN for two more seasons. Despite retaining some of the movie’s actors, the Clueless series didn’t recapture the youthful energy or sparkle that endeared the movie to fans. Silverstone owned the role of Cher in the movie, so anything Blanchard did just seemed like an “as if” imitation.

IMDb users rated Clueless a flunking score 5.8/10.

2. Webster (1983–1989)

The ABC sitcom Webster stars Emmanuel Lewis as the titular five-year-old African-American orphan who is adopted by a White couple after his parents are killed in a car accident. Alex Karras plays Webster’s godfather, a retired NFL player, and Susan Clark plays his wife.

From its premiere, Webster just seemed like an obvious rip-off of the sitcom Diff’rent Strokes, which also featured an adorable Black kid (Gary Coleman) adopted by a White guy. Although Lewis charmed viewers enough to keep the show going for six seasons, Webster never escaped comparisons to Diff’rent Strokes and always came up short.

IMDb users rated the formulaic and uninspired Webster sitcom 5.8/10.

3. Mulaney (2014–2015)

Former SNL writer and stand-up comedian John Mulaney had a short-lived sitcom named Mulaney in which he plays a fictionalized version of himself. If this sounds a lot like Seinfeld, you’d be correct, except that Seinfeld ran for nine seasons and actually made people laugh.

On Mulaney, John plays a NYC-based comedian whose life changes when he is hired as a writer for legendary comedian Lou Cannon (Martin Short).

After the show’s cancelation, Mulaney reportedly said, “I look back on making the show really fondly. It’s my noble failure. I tried, and I wanted to do it this way. Some people liked it — just not enough.”

IMDb voters did not like it, rating Mulaney a not-so-funny 4.1/10.

4. Cavemen (2007–2008)

If you think basing a sitcom on a TV commercial sounds like a terrible idea, where were you when someone pitched making a show featuring the GEICO Cavemen? Cavemen ran for a little over a month on ABC before our collective sense of humor evolved in a hurry and the show was abruptly canceled.

Cavemen is considered by many publications as one of the worst TV series of all time. The New York Post reportedly declared the show “extinct on arrival,” as did the few people who watched any of the show’s 13 unfunny episodes.

Cavemen currently rocks a 4.4/10 rating on IMDb.

5. That ’80s Show (2002)

Although That ’80s Show shares many of the same writers and production workers as the similarly titled That ’70s Show, the former is actually not a spin-off of the more successful That ’70s Show. That ’80s Show is set in 1984 and follows a group of friends living in San Diego who have no connection with the characters on That ’70s Show.

For those with a working memory of the MTV era, a cursory glance at the promo trailer for That ’80s Show tells you what went wrong: The characters look like they are all dressed for an ’80s-themed costume party. Unlike That ’70s Show, the actors on That ’80s Show lack chemistry and just seem like they are awkwardly playing dress-up. It didn’t help that in 2002, ’80s nostalgia was still a few years away from kicking in.

IMDb voters rated That ’80s Show a totally not awesome 4.8/10.

6. How To Be a Gentleman (2011–2012)

How To Be a Gentleman stars David Hornsby and Kevin Dillon as an etiquette columnist and a personal trainer, respectively, who didn’t get along in high school but discover they can learn from each other as adults while living in New York City.

This twist on The Odd Couple premise had potential, but How To Be a Gentleman‘s forced humor didn’t land with viewers. CBS cut the episode order from 13 to 9 and canceled the series after 1 lackluster season. Hornsby went on to find success on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, while Dillon failed to recapture the success he experienced on Entourage.

IMDb voters gave this odd pairing a not-so-polite rating of 4.7/10.

7. Kath & Kim (2008–2009)

Kath & Kim stars Molly Shannon and Selma Blair as the titular dysfunctional mother-daughter pair on this Americanized version of the Australian sitcom of the same name.

Although the U.S. and Australia are both English-speaking countries, something got lost in translation with the American version of Kath & Kim. One problem is that Shannon is only about eight years older than Blair, so Shannon playing her mother is a considerable stretch. Shannon and Blair are both funny ladies in other projects, but they just weren’t believable as mother and daughter here. Despite guest-star appearances by Maya Rudolph and Pamela Anderson, NBC canned Kath & Kim after one season.

IMDb voters gave the Americanized Kath & Kim a 4.9/10 rating.

8. Are You There, Chelsea? (2012)

Are You There, Chelsea? is based on a book by Chelsea Handler about her comedic adventures during her vodka-soaked 20s. That ’70s Show actress Laura Prepon plays the titular character, Chelsea Newman, on Are You There, Chelsea?

Although the sitcom and Prepon tried hard to capture the sardonic and caustic humor patented by Handler, Are You There, Chelsea? missed the mark. Maybe the only person who can do Handler justice is Handler herself. As a result, NBC canceled the critically panned series after one season.

IMDb voters were not amused by the sitcom, giving it a 5/10 rating.

9. I Hate My Teenage Daughter (2011–2012)

I Hate My Teenage Daughter is about two mom BFFs (Jaime Pressly and Katie Finneran) who realize that their teen daughters are obnoxious high school bullies. The show had a total of 13 episodes, 6 of which were never aired in the U.S.

Critics hated I Hate My Teenage Daughter because of its subpar writing and overreliance on tired stereotypes. After Fox canceled the series on May 10, 2012, the remaining six episodes aired only in Australia and New Zealand.

IMDb voters didn’t have much love for I Hate My Teenage Daughter either, rating it 5.2/10.

10. Are We There Yet? (2010–2012)

The TV sitcom Are We There Yet? is a spin-off of the movies Are We There Yet? and Are We Done Yet? starring Ice Cube as family man Nick Persons. Unlike the TV series Clueless, which retained some actors from the film, the TV spin-off of Are We There Yet? recasts Ice Cube with Terry Crews and features all-new actors in the main roles.

Ice Cube, one of the show’s executive producers, didn’t reprise his role from the movies but did have a recurring role as the kids’ uncle. Maybe enough fans of the movies and Ice Cube helped extend the life of Are We There Yet? to three seasons, or perhaps TBS just didn’t have enough scripted programs to cancel the struggling sitcom after season one.

Either way, Are We There Yet? never arrived at the top of IMDb viewer ratings and currently has a score of 5.5/10.

11. Hope & Faith (2003–2006)

The ABC sitcom Hope & Faith stars Kelly Ripa as Faith Fairfield, a former soap opera actress who moves in with her sister, Hope (Faith Ford), and her family in suburban Ohio after Fairfield’s character is killed off.

Hope & Faith tried to replicate the formula of Full House to goose the ratings of ABC’s TGIF lineup, but it didn’t work out that way. Critics blasted Ripa’s over-the-top performance and although the sitcom ran for three seasons, audiences never truly embraced the series.

IMDb viewers didn’t have much faith in Hope & Faith either, rating it 5.5/10.

12. We Are Men (2013)

We Are Men is a bro-humor sitcom about a man who is left at the altar and befriends three divorced older men (Tony Shalhoub, Jerry O’Connell, and Kal Penn) at a short-term rental.

This male version of And Just Like That… tries to mine midlife-crisis jokes as fuel for a sitcom and runs out of gas fast. Even O’Connell taking off his shirt a lot didn’t make his character or any of the others seem like guys we’d want to hang out with or know even in passing. CBS canceled the show after two episodes, leaving eight unaired.

Men and women IMDb voters rated We Are Men 5.4/10.

13. Rob (2012)

Rob Schneider’s short-lived sitcom Rob follows the titular character who marries into a tight-knit Mexican-American family and tries to get closer to them.

Without a single Latino listed as a producer or writer on the sitcom, Rob‘s chances of finding any humor in cultural differences were next to nada. To say that critics found the sitcom mucho stupido is kind. CBS canceled the mid-season replacement after one season containing eight episodes.

IMDb users rated Rob 5.5/10.

14. The Cleveland Show (2009–2013)

The Cleveland Show is a spin-off of Family Guy that focuses on the character of Cleveland Brown and his family. The animated sitcom co-created by Seth MacFarlane ran for four seasons until Fox canceled it in 2013.

Although The Cleveland Show had some funny moments, it never fully escaped the shadow of Family Guy and came across as an unnecessary spin-off. After Fox canceled The Cleveland Show, Cleveland Brown and his family returned to Family Guy.

IMDb users rated The Cleveland Show 5.6/10. For comparison, Family Guy has an 8.1/10 rating on IMDb.

15. Clipped (2015)

The TBS sitcom Clipped starring Mike Castle and Ashley Tisdale is about a group of young people who ran in different crowds in high school but now find themselves working together at the same Massachusetts barbershop.

Clipped is another example of TBS’s push for original comedies that, at best, resulted in a forgettable, inoffensive, middling sitcom. TBS clipped Clipped from its schedule after one season.

IMDb users didn’t tip after getting Clipped, giving the show a 5.6/10 rating.

16. Kevin Can Wait (2016–2018)

After The King of Queens ended its run in 2007, Kevin James focused on movie roles such as Paul Blart: Mall Cop until returning to CBS as the lead character on the sitcom Kevin Can Wait.

You know a “new” sitcom is in trouble when, after the first season, the character of Kevin’s wife is killed off and Leah Remini — James’ costar on The King of Queens — shows up in season two as his business partner. Why not just revive The King of Queens instead of cooking up new characters for James and Remini to play?

It turns out that audiences wanted more The King of Queens, not a new comedy starring the same actors, and CBS canceled Kevin Can Wait after two seasons.

IMDb voters rated Kevin Can Wait 5.6/10, whereas The King of Queens has a 7.4/10 rating.

17. Free Agents (2011–2012)

Free Agents is based on the British sitcom of the same name. The Americanized version stars Hank Azaria and Kathryn Hahn as PR executives working at a Portland, Oregon advertising firm.

This is another example of a hit British comedy with humor lost on American audiences. NBC canceled the show after only airing four episodes due to low ratings. Hulu later released the remaining four episodes that were already shot.

Perhaps Free Agents just needed better publicity, but those IMDb users who saw the sitcom rated it 5.7/10.

18. The Bill Engvall Show (2007–2009)

The Bill Engvall Show stars stand-up comedian Engvall as a family counselor named Bill Pearson. The TBS show is notable for starring Jennifer Lawrence as one of Pearson’s children.

Filled with clichés and flat writing, The Bill Engvall Show never caught fire like the career of Lawrence, who went on to star in The Hunger Games and win an Oscar for Silver Linings Playbook. Had she already become America’s sweetheart when The Bill Engvall Show debuted, perhaps it would have lasted longer than three seasons.

The odds were not in favor of this ill-timed sitcom, which IMDb voters rated 5.7/10.

19. Whitney (2011–2013)

Whitney stars Whitney Cummings as a fictionalized version of herself and Chris D’Elia plays her boyfriend.

Once people figured out the sitcom was about Cummings and not Whitney Houston — the only Whitney we can think of that has earned mononym status — they were left with yet another sitcom about “modern dating” and a costar (D’Elia) whom many find offensive and unappealing. NBC canceled the show after two seasons, and Cummings still can’t get away with identifying herself only as “Whitney.”

IMDb users were saving all their love for some other show when they rated Whitney 5.7/10.

20. Animal Practice (2012–2013)

NBC struggled with sitcoms circa 2011. Animal Practice stars Weeds actor Justin Kirk as a veterinarian named Dr. George Coleman and the short-lived show is set at his vet office.

After canceling Animal Practice due to low ratings, NBC replaced it with Whitney, which is still not about Whitney Houston or funny. The final three of Animal Practice‘s nine episodes aired on NBC.com and Hulu to give Whitney plenty of space to underwhelm on broadcast TV.

IMDb users rated Animal Practice 5.7/10.

21. Veronica’s Closet (1997–2000)

The NBC sitcom Veronica’s Closet stars Kirstie Alley as Veronica “Ronnie” Chase, the owner of a New York City-based lingerie company that is clearly a play on Victoria’s Secret.

The late Alley gave us so many laughs on Cheers, Scream Queens, and in the movie Drop Dead Gorgeous, but Veronica’s Closet wasn’t her best vehicle. The sitcom got decent ratings during its first season because it was sandwiched between Seinfeld and ER, but ratings started to decline after NBC shuffled the schedule and Veronica’s Closet got canceled after three seasons.

IMDb users rated Veronica’s Closet 5.8/10 before the show sashayed away.

22. Dr. Ken (2015–2017)

Real-life doctor-turned-comedian Ken Jeong plays Dr. Kendrick “Ken” Park — a narcissistic general practitioner with a questionable bedside manner — on the sitcom Dr. Ken. Margaret Cho stars as his younger sister, who is also a doctor.

Despite reportedly being based on Jeong’s experiences as a doctor, Dr. Ken didn’t tickle the funny bones of many viewers or critics. ABC canceled the show after two seasons, and it’s kind of surprising that the sitcom even got renewed after the DOA first year.

IMDb voters rated Dr. Ken 5.7/10.

23. How To Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life) (2013)

And the award for the sitcom with the longest title in history and shortest life goes to How To Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life). The ABC show stars Sarah Chalke as an uptight divorced mother who, along with her daughter, moves back in with her parents (Brad Garrett and Elizabeth Perkins).

Garrett and Perkins are fun to watch in anything, even this otherwise lackluster sitcom. The problem here is Chalke’s annoying character with her tedious “rules” that seemed to turn off a lot of viewers. ABC canceled the series after one season.

IMDb voters rated How To Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life) 5.7/10.