Not all sitcoms offer a likable set of characters. A lot of comedy series exploit character flaws to create annoying yet hilarious archetypes. However, when people are looking for a comfort series, they usually prefer a show with all likable characters and wholesome situations.
This isn't to say that likable characters are perfect. These characters are still pretty flawed, but the audience can sympathize with their specific situations. Additionally, the narrative tends to eventually redeem these characters even when they do something wrong, so they never really lose the love of the audience.
10 Parks & Recreation
While most of the characters in Parks & Recreation can be a bit annoying at times, it's also true that they're annoying in a funny way. Furthermore, even the characters that make mistakes often (like Tom or Andy) eventually redeem themselves by doing something nice.
Even Ron Swanson, who is supposed to be a bitter man who doesn't care about his job, ends up helping Leslie achieve her dreams. Everyone in Parks & Recreation is a softie, and the audience can't help to develop a soft spot for each one of these characters.
9 Friends
Friends wouldn't be the iconic show it is if people didn't love each of the six main characters of this series. Each of them is supposed to be a relatable stereotype, and while people may love some of them more than others, it's a fact that all of them are thoroughly beloved.
From Monica's organized and obsessive behavior to Joe's witless but lovable personality to Rachel's spoiled but kind attitude, all of these characters provide something unique to the show. They're flawed, and people may not always agree with them, but all of them have a special spot in the fandom's hearts.
8 The Good Place
At the beginning of The Good Place, it seems that some characters, like Eleanor or Michael, are going to be unlikeable, but soon enough, they prove the audience wrong. These characters spend most of their time trying to become better people, despite all their previous mistakes.
Viewers of The Good Place may not relate to all these characters, as they are all very different from each other, but they see their good intentions and efforts to create a better system for the afterlife. Furthermore, they are all incredibly funny, so it's hard not to love them.
7 The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Dick Van Dyke Show follows the lead character Rob Petrie, a TV comedy writer, and the many goofy situations at his job and in his family home. Of course, the characters aren't as relatable now as they were in the 1960s, but this series is still considered one of the best-written comedy series in history.
The Dick Van Dyke Show is an amazing example of a thoroughly feel-good series. This classic show manages to create plenty of humorous situations without making crude jokes or creating exaggerated stereotypes. Instead, most of the running gags are wholesome and nice.
6 Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt has a dark premise with a very optimistic approach. Even though Kimmy spent 15 years enclosed in an underground bunker, when she escapes, she wants to truly experience the world. During her journey, she meets all kinds of eccentric characters that soon learn to love her.
Kimmy Schmidt has one of the wackiest approaches to the found-family trope. Kimmy and her friends (Titus, Lilian, and Jacqueline) are flawed, but mostly in a naive way that makes it seem all of them have been living in a bunker as well. Even though they can be selfish sometimes, they're mostly like idealistic kids that found each other amidst the bitterness of the world.
5 Abbott Elementary
One of the most beloved modern sitcoms, Abbott Elementary follows the lives and the struggles of the teachers who work at this underfunded school. These characters care deeply about the children they teach, so even the most flawed of them are very likable.
For example, in the beginning, Ava seems like an irresponsible principal. However, as the show progresses, it becomes clear that Ava cares in her own way. In the same way, each one of these characters slowly and steadily gains the audience's sympathy.
4 New Girl
New Girl has a very charismatic cast that makes it one of the best feel-good TV shows. Since the main characters are a group of friends, it makes sense that none of them are particularly mean or annoying (as it would happen in a work-related sitcom). Most of the jokes in the show come from their various misunderstandings and absurd situations.
All the characters in New Girl are likable and beloved by the audience. The only issue people may have with these characters is how long it took for the main couples (Nick and Jess and Cece and Schmidt) to figure things out and end up together.
3 One Day At A Time
One of the most underrated sitcoms of recent times, One Day at a Time follows the Alvarez family and their everyday struggles as Cubans in the United States. With such a lovable cast, the audience can't but love each and every character in this show.
From the conservative yet well-intentioned abuela to the independent and hardworking single mom to the mischievous younger sibling and the uptight older one, each one of these characters is relatable. They make viewers cry, laugh, and feel understood, especially those with Latin American roots.
2 Derry Girls
Derry Girls is one of the funniest Netflix shows. It revolves around a group of teenagers in Northern Ireland in the '90s who are dealing with their complex social lives amidst tense political tension. While the characters may be erratic, absurd, and even petty at times, all of them are pretty likable.
Even the secondary characters in Derry Girls are extremely lovable. Fans of the show love not only the main five characters but also Erin and Orla's hilarious family (even boring Uncle Colm) and particularly Sister Michael, the sarcastic and detached headmistress of the school.
1 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is a goofy and wholesome family show. Even though most of the jokes revolve around Will's and the Banks family's different social classes, all the characters end up being pretty likable. People even love Uncle Phil, with his stubborn personality, because it's obvious he cares deeply about his family.
While most of the characters of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air are based on family stereotypes, the show doesn't really explore toxic family dynamics like Malcolm in the Middle or Everybody Loves Raymond. All the characters have unbecoming and laughable traits, but all of them are still likable.