Entertainment
10 Greatest Sports Comedy Shows of All Time
Sports may not be for everyone, but comedy sure is! When it comes to television‘s greatest comedies, we often think of family sitcoms or workplace comedies; rarely do sports-themed shows come to mind at first. But then, when we really think about it, we realize that some of our favorites are among the best of the best. This list is meant to celebrate those titles.
Though there are many other shows that could have easily slipped in, these shows are the champions of the world. From coaches that bring inspiration beyond their team to athletes whose egos know no bounds, many of these sports shows use the game as the canvas for exceptional characters. No matter the game or the subject, they have brought us hearty chuckles and moments of inspiration that have stayed with us for a long time.
10
‘Shoresy’ (2022–Present)
Perhaps you’re arriving at this entry unaware of this show, but Shoresy is one of the most underappreciated comedies in recent memory. Created and starring Jared Keeso, Shoresy is a spin-off of Letterkenny, the 12-season comedy about the adventures of the residents of the fictional rural Ontario community. One such resident is the titular character. The series follows Shoresy (Keeso), the foul-mouthed hockey trash-talker on a quest to save the struggling team, the Sudbury Blueberry Bulldogs, a lowly Senior AAA hockey team. With a mission to “never lose again,” Shoresy completely revamps the locker room culture and recruits a colorful cast of gritty players to turn their losing streak around. Five seasons in, the series progresses past his initial playing days, transitioning into a mentor role, tackling sports talk commentary, and dealing with the changing, increasingly physical nature of hockey.
Jam-packed with non-stop crude humor, rapid-fire insults, and raunchy locker room banter, Shoresy is the modern take on the classic hockey film, Slap Shot. Beyond the vulgarity is a show with genuine heart, deep loyalty, and emotional depth. The series highlights a diverse, tight-knit group of athletes bonded by fierce love for the sport and pride for the community. Shoresy transitions a one-note joke character from the original series and turns him into a deeply passionate and hilarious character who just so happens to be surprisingly wholesome. Keeso makes Shoresy a character you want to champion. It’s certainly a “dudes rock” comedy, but it’s not one that alienates viewers. If you like underdog stories, adversity on the ice, and training monologues, Shoresy has you covered. Don’t fret that it may be too grotesque for you; Shoresy has more heart and charm than you’d imagine. With a fast-paced format of short episodes, you’ll end up binging the series quite quickly.
9
‘Eastbound & Down’ (2009–2013)
HBO was dominated by a certain fantasy series during the early 2010s, but during that era, there was a sports comedy you certainly saw commercials for: Eastbound & Down. Created by Ben Best, Jody Hill, and Danny McBride, the series follows Kenny Powers (McBride), an arrogant, washed-up former Major League Baseball star. After his career collapses due to his toxic personality, he returns to his North Carolina hometown of Shelby County as a middle school teacher, perpetually chasing a delusional comeback through chaotic misadventures in Mexico and local television. Eastbound & Down brilliantly subverts the sports comedy genre as chaotic humor anchors the series through a deeply dark character study of an egoist refusing his own obsolescence. It balances offensive, over-the-top comedy with moments of pathos about failure, aging, and redemption.
McBride shines brightly as he introduced the world to one of the most iconic characters of his career. Kenny Powers is a powerhouse. He has zero self-awareness and endless toxic bravado, and yet we don’t dismiss him because his journey to rock bottom and fight to leave it is relatable. Keny believes he belongs on top, turning his constant self-sabotage into a hilarious spectacle. Kenny is the ultimate embodiment of the desperation for the American Dream. In turn, the series is a wonderful satire that makes his failures repulsive and magnetic. Kenny is only as good as the individuals he surrounds himself with. Steve Little as Stevie, Kenny’s pathetic, fiercely loyal sidekick, and John Hawkes as Dustin, Kenny’s brother who is forced to serve as his grounded foil, build a world that lasts for four seasons. Each season reinvents the show by placing Kenny in a new environment with fresh targets for his chaos. Eastbound & Down treats professional sports and fame not with reverence, but as a gritty, greasy machine.
8
‘Blue Mountain State’ (2010–2011)
Between playing a hero like Aquaman and long before becoming the ultimate warrior as Jack Reacher, Alan Ritchson made a name for himself as a complete buffoon as Thad Castle on Blue Mountain State. He was the heart of the completely hilarious and totally unhinged comedy created by Eric Falconer and Chris Romano. The raunchy sitcom follows a fictional Midwestern university and its powerhouse college football team, the Mountain Goats. Alex Moran (Darin Brooks) is a talented backup quarterback who prefers the low-stress life of a second-string player so he can focus on partying. Thad Castle (Ritchson) is an overtly intense captain and linebacker who is known for extreme hazing rituals and undergoing completely uncouth antics. Coach Marty Daniels (Ed Marinaro), the former NFL player and head coach, is grossly obsessed with winning, doing whatever it takes to lead his team to victory. And then there is Sammy Cacciatore (Romano), Alex’s best friend, who is not altogether there, becoming the team’s eccentric mascot. Modeled after classic 1980s and 90s college party movies like Animal House and American Pie, Blue Mountain State focuses on crude humor, absurd situations, and fraternity culture with the actual sport sprinkled in as the backdrop.
Blue Mountain State may not have been your college experience, but it leans completely into unhinged, high-energy college humor. It mixes outrageous party culture, raucous locker room hilarity, and memorable, cartoonish characters that elevated it to its legendary status. Other football shows of the time focused on growing as individuals and winning as a team; Blue Mountain State couldn’t care less about that. There was never any preaching or moral lessons. Everything was for a laugh. These student athletes just wanted to have fun. And fun they had. The writers pushed boundaries with absurd, no-holds-barred jokes that fully committed to the bit. It’s why Ritchson became an instantly memeable character who could have lived long beyond the show’s three-season run. To be fair, Ritchson does not get the praise for his comedic prowess, as Thad Castle is one of the greatest and most ridiculous characters of the 21st century. Blue Mountain State is pure, unadulterated fun. It’s completely self-aware and highly entertaining. Earning a cult following and a feature film following its ending, Blue Mountain State‘s infectious energy made it a brilliant single-camera sitcom whose mission is to make you escape reality and laugh.
7
‘Sports Night’ (1998–2000)
Aaron Sorkin may be best known for The West Wing, but just before the legendary show’s arrival, he delivered one of his greatest and most underappreciated shows: Sports Night. Running for two seasons on ABC, the critically acclaimed comedy follows the behind-the-scenes chaotic environment, personal relationships, and professional ethics of the staff producing a fictional, live nightly cable sports news program. Casey McCall (Peter Krause) and Dan Rydell (Josh Charles) are charismatic, fast-talking co-anchors and best friends on and off the screen. Dana Whitaker (Felicity Huffman) is the high-strung executive producer who keeps the show running under intense pressure. Friends since college, Casey and Dana must keep their romantic tension at bay as managing editor Isaac Jaffe (Robert Guillaume) hovers over his staff as a benevolent but uncompromising father figure. Following an ensemble of producers, associate producers, and writers who navigate office romances, corporate interference, and personal crises, Sports Night showcased Sorkin’s signature style of snappy, highly intellectual, walk-and-talk dialogue that defined his future works.
Sports Night was very much the precursor to The Newsroom. Part of the reason why Sports Night was abandoned was so Sorkin could focus on The West Wing. Nonetheless, the 45 episodes that did exist were sublime. The scripts were both witty and deeply rhythmic, making other television shows look slow-paced in comparison. Sports Night focused on themes of human ethics, friendship, and professional dedication rather than constant sports trivia. It was there to center the story. Sports Night was an example of brilliant ensemble work. In addition to Krause, Charles, Huffman, and Guillaume, the cast featured Joshua Malina, Sabrina Lloyd, Brenda Strong, William H. Macy, and more. We all had a fascination with ESPN’s SportsCenter; Sports Night gave us a chance to see what that experience was truly like.
6
‘The League’ (2009–2015)
We may not have the opportunity to play the game or even work in the front office, so we get to play pretend through fantasy football. And that was the premise of the beloved FX series The League. Created by Jeff and Jackie Schaffer, The League follows a tight-knit group of old friends in Chicago who care deeply about one another—so deeply that they use every opportunity to sabotage, insult, and make each other’s lives miserable over their obsession with winning their fantasy football league. Pete (Mark Duplass) is the laid-back, perennial league champion who coasts on natural talent. Kevin (Stephen Rannazzisi) is the league commissioner trying to balance his family life and his wife’s secret influence over his team. Jenny (Katie Aselton) is Kevin’s sharp-witted wife, who is often the best football mind in the house. Ruxin (Nick Kroll) is a paranoid defense attorney convinced everyone is conspiring against him. Andre (Paul Scheer) is a successful plastic surgeon who serves as the group’s constant punching bag and target of ridicule. And Taco (Jon Lajoie) is Kevin’s stoner younger brother, a part-time musician who barely understands football. The show borrows the loose, half-improvised, boundary-pushing style of Curb Your Enthusiasm to focus on adult humor, relentless trash-talk, and how the cutthroat desire to win bragging rights spills over into marriages, jobs, and daily life.
The League uses fantasy football as a brilliant vehicle for sharp, semi-improvised comedy about male ego, deep-seated rivalries, and brutal friendly abuse. The best part about the series is you don’t have to love football to appreciate The League. The core appeal is the comedic chaos. Non-fans can easily enjoy the rapid-fire insults, recurring bit gags, and the sheer desperation of adults treating a minor local trophy, The Shiva, and a last-place punishment, The Sacko, like life-or-death matters. The League was an NFL fan’s favorite thanks to the revolving door of stars that popped through, including Terry Bradshaw, Jay Cutler, Deon Sanders, Marshawn Lynch, and many more. And that’s on top of some of Hollywood’s funniest people. The League was the type of show that delivered memorable moments and quotable lines, all thanks to the stellar dynamic of the ensemble. With such strong improvisers, the structured outline allowed the likes of Kroll, Scheer, and Duplass to do what they do best. The cast worked as an ensemble, supporting each other rather than fighting for individual punchlines, making the delivery feel authentic and unscripted. The League is a series of its time that just so happens to be timeless. Reboot when?
5
‘Brockmire’ (2017–2020)
Often you see Hank Azaria as a supporting player in comedies, but in Brockmire, he was the star. In the underrated hidden gem, Azaria plays Jim Brockmire, a famous Major League Baseball announcer who suffers a very public, profanity-laden on-air meltdown after catching his wife cheating. A decade later, he tries to restart his career by calling minor league games for the Morristown Frackers in a struggling Rust Belt town in rundown Pennsylvania. He works alongside Jules James (Amanda Peet), the hard-drinking team owner, and Charles (Tyrel Jackson Williams), an eager young intern. A star vehicle for a profoundly versatile performer, Brockmire sees Azaria’s stellar, fast-talking comedic prowess paired with a surprisingly deep look at personal redemption. Brockmire balances vulgar, sharp-tongued humor with genuine emotional heart, creating a heartfelt arc that works even if you do not care about baseball.
Across four seasons, Brockmire refuses to stay in a single lane. It evolves from a genuine redemption story as it makes way to tackle addiction, modern cultural absurdities, and even jumps forward into a satirical, dystopian future for baseball. Azaria infuses a classic announcer into his titular character. Having a rhythm and cadence with a classic vocal boom, Brockmire sounds like he could have come straight from any real MLB broadcaster booth. Azaria and Peet have wonderful chemistry. Together, they add a lovely layer of wit and wounded humanity to the truly rich narrative. They’re magnetic. Underneath the booze, ego, and rants, Brockmire treats its titular character with heartbreaking truth and actual emotional growth. Brockmire is poignant and messy, offering laugh-out-loud, profane sports commentary with deep emotional vulnerability. Brockmire is a must-watch.
4
‘Stick’ (2025–Present)
Perhaps thanks to the Ted Lasso boom, many streamers have tried their hand at sports comedies. While we have loved and admired shows and films like The Dink, The Hawk, and Running Point, the best new sports comedy is Stick. Created by Jason Keller for Apple TV, Stick stars Owen Wilson as Pryce Cahill, a washed-up former professional golfer whose career was ruined by an on-course meltdown decades prior. Struggling through a divorce and working in a golf shop, Pryce stakes his remaining hopes on mentoring Santi Wheeler (Peter Dager), a troubled 17-year-old golf prodigy. Pryce takes Santi under his wing to help shape the teen’s raw talent into professional potential, as they both deal with past trauma, broken family relationships, and the psychological hurdles of the game. Stick is a show that focuses on supportive, low-key community bonds and getting a second chance at life through the allure of the generation gap. Stick opts for understated, soulful humor and gentle pacing over loud, laugh-out-loud gags.
Like its Apple TV sports companion, Stick masters the comforting, low-stakes found family formula. You do not need to care about or understand golf to enjoy the character dynamics. The sport serves merely as a metaphor for dealing with past mistakes. Golf is treated as an internal battle of the mind, mirroring personal baggage and past mistakes. Wilson utilizes his strengths, bringing a signature laconic, wounded, and unexpectedly wise energy to a character looking for a second chance. The story may be about Pryce and Santi, but his chemistry with Marc Maron as a cynical former caddy Mitts and Mariana Treviño as Elena Wheeler, Santi’s fiercely protective mother, serve as the heartbeat of the piece. Oh, and if you’re a Timothy Olyphant superfan like myself, he’s a ham as Clark Ross, Pryce’s former playing partner and rival. Olyphant and Judy Greer, as Pryce’s ex-wife Amber-Linn, have been bumped up to main cast for Season 2.
3
‘GLOW’ (2017–2019)
Timing is everything, and unfortunately for GLOW, the timing couldn’t be worse as it was canceled just as it was about to blow up again. Nevertheless, the Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch-created comedy remains one of the greatest Netflix entries. Inspired by the real-life 1980s women’s professional wrestling promotion, the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, the series, set in Los Angeles, follows a group of outcast women who learn to wrestle and build a campy, spandex-clad TV show under washed-up B-movie director Sam Sylvia (Marc Maron). They are led by Ruth Wilder (Alison Brie), a struggling actress in 1985 who sees the wrestling show as her big chance at fame, and Debbie Eagan (Betty Gilpin), a retired soap star and Ruth’s former best friend who joins the cast after a personal betrayal creates intense real-life friction between them. The show pokes fun at and analyzes the over-the-top, stereotypical personas the women adopt for the ring. GLOW celebrated female artists and performers as they navigated sexism and searched for meaningful professional outlets in the entertainment industry.
GLOW was not only just a breath of fresh air, it was a brilliant female-led ensemble series with strong characters and daring scripts. It balanced sharp comedy with deep, emotional drama and tackled social issues without feeling preachy. The show thrives through its diverse cast of misfits, as each woman is allowed to grow beyond their initial 1980s stereotype. The standouts from the bunch included Britney Young, Gayle Rankin, Kate Nash, and Jackie Tohn. GLOW‘s brisk pacing and snappy, rhythmic narrative made every moment feel earned and exciting. GLOW is a seamless mix of genuine heart and neon-soaked ’80s fun. GLOW treats professional wrestling with genuine respect, using the mechanics of the squared circle as a brilliant mirror for personal conflict, teamwork, and breaking social stereotypes. GLOW remains one of the most important shows of the last decade.
2
‘Coach’ (1989–1997)
The late ’80s and early ’90s were known for some legendary sitcoms—Cheers, Seinfeld, The Golden Girls, Designing Women, Wings—but one of the very best that doesn’t always get lumped into that group is Coach. For nine seasons, the Barry Kemp series told the story of Hayden Fox (Craig T. Nelson), the obsessive head coach of the fictional Minnesota State University Screaming Eagles football team. Alongside his quirky, loyal, but dim-witted assistant coaches, Luther Van Dam (Jerry Van Dyke) and Dauber Dybinski (Bill Fagerbakke), Hayden balances his intense career with his personal life and romance. Most of the show centers around the pressure to win, locker room antics, and campus athletics at Minnesota State, but the heart of the series is the comedy surrounding the friction between Hayden’s total obsession with football and his relationship with Christine Armstrong (Shelley Fabares), Hayden’s smart, successful news anchor girlfriend and later wife, and his daughter Kelly (Clare Carey). Coach is the epitome of a classic sitcom, blending old-school comedy with genuine heart and soul.
Coach is comforting and harmlessly funny, where nothing terrible ever happens, and you just want the characters to succeed. Hayden brings light-hearted banter as Luther and Dauber provide lovable slapstick stupidity. And yes, that is the guy who voices Patrick Star. Coach succeeded because they balanced authentic collegiate and professional sports culture with genuine character heart, avoiding pure slapstick to focus on the human side of athletics. Throughout its run, the comedy was rooted in teal-world football culture as many NFL stars popped up, including Troy Aikman, Mike Ditka, Eddie George, Frank Gifford, Joe Thiesmann, and Johnny Unitas. Coach was meant to have a sequel reboot in 2015, but sadly it was canceled. Nevertheless, Coach remains an integral product of the decade. Whenever you hear the theme song, which just so happens to be the real-life Iowa State Fight Song, you’ll be transported back to Coach.
1
‘Ted Lasso’ (2020–Present)
There truly is no other show that sparks more joy and brings ultimate comfort than Ted Lasso. Developed by Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, and Joe Kelly and based on a character Sudeikis portrayed in a series of promotional media for NBC Sports’ coverage of England’s soccer Premier League, the series follows Ted Lasso (Sudeikis), an optimistic American college football coach hired to manage a British soccer team, AFC Richmond. The club’s new owner, Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham), originally hopes his total lack of experience will ruin the team out of spite, but Ted’s kind nature and relentless hope win everyone over. The series follows AFC Richmond’s journey through wins, losses, and major life changes. Over the seasons, the show explores mental health, personal struggles, broken relationships, and healing within the team and coaching staff in a heartfelt, vulnerable manner. Ted Lasso pairs a warm, fish-out-of-water sports comedy with deep emotional intelligence, using Ted’s relentlessly optimistic, biscuit-baking coach to subvert cynical tropes for morals and empathy.
Ted Lasso has given us all a reason to believe again. The titular coach is always offering a bevy of life lessons like “be a goldfish” and “be curious, not judgmental” in order to inspire players and audience alike. In turn, Ted becomes an individual who practices what he preaches. Ted Lasso is one of the most prominent series to discuss and address mental health, panic attacks, and toxic masculinity with surprising nuance. Ted’s golden-retriever outlook is balanced by real human vulnerability and hidden emotional depth. The series is filled with characters who grow and evolve from simple clichés into profound individuals. Ted Lasso boasts one of the greatest ensembles of the era, featuring Phil Dunster, Brett Goldstein, Nick Mohammed, Jeremy Swift, and Juno Temple. Ted Lasso is more than just the X’s and O’s. It’s a celebration of found family. As we celebrate the women coming to the pitch in Season 4, Ted Lasso remains at the top of the comedy list, regardless of the sports connection.
Ted Lasso
- Release Date
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August 14, 2020
- Network
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Apple TV
- Directors
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Declan Lowney, MJ Delaney, Erica Dunton, Matt Lipsey
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