With the cost of living consistently rising, more and more adults are truly considering living with roommates. It seems like an easy solution to a problem because a roommate will be able to split bills, and there is the opportunity to live with a buddy or even make a new friend. Shows like Friends and How I Met Your Mother make the living arrangement look appealing and cost-efficient. These kinds of sitcoms rely on the fact that real people understand the laughs as well as the struggles that come with adults trying to establish their own life while living with another person.
From the easily established relationships to the petty conflicts, writers often make their characters live together in situational comedies. Creating that shared space between two or more characters gives a show an easy location that brings everyone together. The natural drama that occurs in the living quarters is simply an added bonus for potential storylines. Whether you are casually watching for the first or the fifth time (there is no judgment), here are the 10 best sitcoms about roommates that you need to watch next.
10 Friends
Monica’s purple apartment in Friends will forever be iconic for housing each of the characters in this popular sitcom. From Ross staying there with his late grandmother for a summer to Joey and Chandler winning it over from the Monica and Rachel, these friends have countless stories to tell about their time living with one another. When each character inevitably undergoes heartache or receives incredible news, they know they can either go to the coffee shop or the beloved apartment and share their tale with their friends.
Friends was unique for its time because it portrays adults starting their lives over, the struggles with changing careers, and the evolution of good and bad relationships. The characters may not always agree, but they continue to love and support one other.
9 The Big Bang Theory
Though most of the characters in The Big Bang Theory have a higher-than-average IQ, you do not have to be a genius to follow along with these scientists’ jokes. Sheldon and Leonard opened their apartment door — after some original protesting from Sheldon — to a group of friends who made the spacious place feel like home. With Penny joining as the cute and lovable girl-next-door that forces the original group of boys to conquer their social awkwardness, there is nothing this gang cannot overcome.
Each member of the group goes through relationship trouble, questionable family members, and personal growth. To see the world of academics collide with witty and down-to-earth banter, The Big Bang Theory is something anyone can enjoy.
8 Two and a Half Men
After you and your siblings move out of the house, it seems like the only times you see one another are during the holidays and special occasions. Though Charlie Harper would have loved for that to be the case with his brother, Alan, the latter moved into his older brother’s beachfront home with his son in tow in Two and a Half Men.
This sitcom deals with a successful yet lonely bachelor having to compensate for his brother’s failed marriage. Even though the two grew up together, there is obvious tension with living together as an adult, but the snarky one-liners and different personalities makes for a great comedy.
7 Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23
When moving from a small town to New York City in pursuit of her dreams, in Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23, June Colburn knew she was going to face some challenges. However, she did not expect to meet the cattiest woman alive when she moved into her new apartment. Chloe is known as a con artist in her building due to her tactics of getting her roommates to leave within days after paying their rent upfront.
June is by no means her equal when it comes to manipulative behavior, but there is an ounce of respect shared between the two after Chloe realizes June is there to stay. After some time together, the two develop a rather strange friendship; Chloe remains the blunt and strange character, and June grows a backbone while living with such an eccentric roommate.
6 How I Met Your Mother
In the year 2030, Ted Mosby recounts to his two children all the shenanigans and dates he went through that lead to him finding their mother. This frame tale mostly takes place in Ted’s past, where he and his four best friends navigate life in New York City. In the beginning of How I Met Your Mother, Ted and Marshall are the only roommates out of the group, but Lily, Marshall’s fiancé at the time, was quick to move in with the guys.
The apartment becomes a character of its own over the series due to how Ted cannot seem to let it go. Four of the five characters live in it for an extensive period of time, and the stories and history that lie within its walls makes it a sentimental place for the hopeless romantic.
5 New Girl
Bringing a girl into a guy’s apartment often looks very different from how Jessica Day entered into her roommates’ lives in New Girl. It started with a breakup and plenty of tissues, and then there was immediate bonding between the flatmates when they stormed into an ex’s house together to recover a flat screen TV.
Over the course of seven seasons, the roommates get into some wild situations while also helping one another grow. Some find love within their shared apartment, one finds himself in debt to the “Douchebag Jar,” and a couple others discover their passions while having nervous breakdowns in the comfort of their home. This sitcom reminds 20-something-year-olds that it is okay to not have everything figured out yet. A group of good friends and a safe place is all you need sometimes.
4 The Golden Girls
Buena Vista Television
Age is but a number when it comes to the leading women in The Golden Girls. Blanche Devereaux went old school and posted an ad for roommates in the local grocery store. Two women, Rose and Dorothy, saw the paper, thought it over, and took her up on the boarding offer. Within the first episode, Dorothy’s mother, Sophia, joins the group after her retirement home burns down.
The four women live together, though it is rarely in harmony. From petty fights to mumbled insults, these gals will have anyone laughing and reminiscing of their days spent living with hardheaded yet beloved individuals.
3 Grace and Frankie
Thrown together out of necessity rather than choice, Grace Hanson and Frankie Bergstein had their retired, laid back lifestyles yanked out from under them in Grace and Frankie when their husbands announced they were in love with one another. Given that no one else understands their situation, the polar opposites find mutual ground and eventually become friends.
This show is unique because the women are restarting their lives after menopause rather than being the spunky fresh-out-of-college characters we typically see in today’s sitcoms. Don’t let their ages fool you, however, these women rediscover their passion for life and are feisty as ever. From discussions about sex to wading through family drama, this pair will have you belly laughing in no time.
2 2 Broke Girls
Opposites attract when it comes to the formerly-living-off-daddy’s-money blonde, Caroline, and the rough and snarky girl from the working-class, Max. These best friends in 2 Broke Girls not only live and work together, but they share a dream to one day have their own successful cupcake business. The only thing stopping them is the lack of funds in their bank accounts.
While doing their best to raise money by waitressing and trying not get fired due to sassy comments and terrible customer service skills, they help one another grow and find their own independence. With the amount of reality checks and honest conversations shared between the two, this show will have you wanting to join your best friend at the hip.
1 Baby Daddy
Baby Daddy begins with Ben Wheeler, his older brother, Danny, and his best friend, Tucker, sharing an apartment together when a knock on the door changes their lives forever. A one-night stand left a baby girl on their door step along with documentation to prove she is Ben’s daughter. The show follows the three bachelors as they mature into successful men.
The Wheelers’ mom, Bonnie, along with the cheeky yet brilliant girl-next-door, Riley, help the boys adjust their lives to their newest tiny roommate while also laying on some snarky commentary when the guys seem oblivious to common sense. In this show, gender roles are reversed, heart-to-hearts are had, and the expected chaos ensues when it comes to throwing a newborn into the mix.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
