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5 TV Comedies To Replace '30 Rock'

Reid Nakamura |
February 8, 2013 | 3:40 p.m. PST

Staff Reporter

"Parks and Recreation" title card (NBC)
"Parks and Recreation" title card (NBC)

Now that "30 Rock" is over, some of you may be wondering if you'll ever love another TV show again. To help you cope with your loss, here are 5 TV comedies that you just might enjoy.

Parks and Recreation
(NBC, Thursdays at 8:30)

What Makes It Great: Every week “Parks and Recreation” seamlessly blends wit and heart, turning the potentially dull local government of Pawnee, IN into a zany and entertaining show. The diverse cast, led by Amy Poehler (“Saturday Night Live,” “Baby Mama”) as the dedicated city official Leslie Knope, is one of the strongest on television. From the over-the-top energy of Aziz Ansari (“Funny People,” “30 Minute or Less”) as Tom Haverford to the deadpan delivery of Aubrey Plaza (“Safety Not Guaranteed”) as April Ludgate, “Parks and Recreation” is full of memorable characters beloved by fans.

What 30 Rock Fans Will Like:  “Parks and Recreation” stars Tina Fey’s long-time friend and former “SNL” co-star Amy Poehler. 

Best Moment: In a Season 4 episode, Donna (Retta) and Tom share their tradition of using one day to spend obscene amounts of money on anything they want. “Treat Yo’ Self” has since become one of the most referenced scenes from the show.

 

Community
(NBC, Thursdays at 8:00)

What Makes It Great: Set in the fictional Greendale Community College, “Community” is always daring. Whether it’s a Star Wars-style paintball war, a pitch perfect "Law & Order" parody, or a Claymation Christmas adventure, no episode fails to amuse. At the core of all the craziness is a Spanish study group led by Joel McHale (“The Soup”) as Jeff Winger, a disgraced lawyer. “Community” draws consistently low ratings, but it’s fiercely loyal fans have elevated the show to cult status and kept it on TV.

What 30 Rock Fans Will Like: Taking self-referential humor to its extremes, “Community,” much like “30 Rock,” is constantly pushing the boundaries, crafting jokes and stories unlike any that of any other show.

Best Moment: In the tag from the second episode of “Community,” Troy (Donald Glover) and Abed (Danny Pudi) use what little Spanish they’ve learned to put together a rap. Full of non-sequiturs, but unquestionably entertaining, this early moment summed up what the show was to become. Watch it here.

 

The Mindy Project
(FOX, Tuesdays at 9:30)

What Makes It Great: The only freshman comedy on this list, “The Mindy Project” is still going through a few growing pains, but the brainchild of former “The Office” executive producer Mindy Kaling remains incredibly self-assured with its unique sense of humor. A true romantic comedy for television, the show follows a successful OB/GYN as she tries to balance her career and her love life. “The Mindy Project” smartly avoids typical romantic comedy tropes and brings real laughs back to the genre.

What 30 Rock Fans Will Like: Like Tina Fey, Mindy Kaling has gone from writer of one successful show to writer/producer/star of her own. Whether “The Mindy Project” will be as great as “30 Rock” is yet to be seen, but it has the potential.

Best Moment: In the episode "Danny Castellano Is My Gynecologist" bickering co-workers Mindy and Danny (Chris Messina) play a game of chicken to see who will be more uncomfortable if Danny were to become Mindy's OB/GYN. The dialogue throughout the episode is a lot of fun and showcases Kaling's voice as a writer.

 

Cougar Town
(TBS, Tuesdays at 10:00)

What Makes It Great: The underappreciated “Cougar Town” has long ago outgrown its gimmicky title and initial premise. Over the past 3 seasons, “Cougar Town” has become an unabashedly goofy sitcom about a suburban group of adults who love to drink red wine. Like creator Bill Lawrence’s last sitcom, “Scrubs”, “Cougar Town” balances crazy gags with sweet moments between characters fans can love. Starring Courtney Cox (“Friends”) as the recently divorced Jules Cobb, “Cougar Town” has grown into a fun show that has nothing to do with cougars.

What 30 Rock Fans Will Like: Those missing the quotable moments from “30 Rock” will find plenty of lines to quote with their friends in “Cougar Town.”

Best Moment: Early on in the series Jules’s giant wine glass is introduced. Large enough to hold an entire bottle and then some, “Big Joe” becomes a regular on the show. Though “Big Joe” breaks in season 2, the show has seen several other iterations including “Big Carl” and “Big Kimo.”

 

How I Met Your Mother
(CBS, Mondays at 8:00)

What Makes It Great: Told entirely in flashbacks, “How I Met Your Mother” seizes the opportunity to play around with traditional story structures to produce some unique and memorable episodes. The show uses its deep memory to set up gags and storylines that pay off over seasons. The show’s biggest promise, to recount story of how Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) meets the mother of his children, might finally be fulfilled in its recently announced final season. For fans who have grown wearisome of the countless teases at the mother’s identity, now might be a good time to return to this long-running show.

What 30 Rock Fans Will Like: “30 Rock” fans know better than anyone how having an ending to work toward can reinvigorate a show.

Best Moment: In Season 2 it’s revealed that the gun toting, cigar smoking Robin (Cobie Smulders) once had a brief career as a pop star during her teenage years in Canada. After 6 years “Robin Sparkles” is one of the show’s longest-running gags.

Reach staff reporter Reid Nakamura here



 

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