Looking for shows like ‘Friends’? Try these 5 sitcoms next

Maybe you've watched ‘Friends’ from beginning to end more times than you'd like to admit and can recognise an episode from the first few seconds. But if you are looking for something new, there are plenty of sitcoms that offer the same easy combination of friendship, romance, workplace chaos and characters you eventually start to care about.

These five are a good place to begin.

New Girl

If what you really miss about Friends is watching a group of people spend an unreasonable amount of time together, start here.

After a bad break-up, Jessica Day moves into a Los Angeles loft with three men she barely knows. What starts as an awkward living arrangement slowly turns into a friendship group full of inside jokes, arguments, disastrous dates and the sort of ridiculous situations that somehow become completely normal when you've known someone long enough.

Why watch it: The friendships are the real heart of ‘New Girl’, but the slow-burn romances and ridiculous flatmate drama give you plenty to get invested in too.

Where to watch: ‘New Girl’ is currently streaming on JioHotstar.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

What if the six friends from Friends worked together at a police station? You'd probably end up with something that resembles ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’.

The series follows Jake Peralta, a talented but immature detective, and the colleagues around him at Brooklyn's 99th precinct. There are investigations, office rivalries and the occasional serious case, but much of the fun comes from watching this very odd group become a genuine family. And like Friends, it knows when to let a joke land and when to slow down for a genuinely emotional moment.

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Why watch it: It's funny without being mean-spirited, and the relationships between the characters become just as important as the comedy.

Where to watch in India: ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ is currently available on JioHotstar.

Abbott Elementary

If the workplace chaos of Friends was your thing, ‘Abbott Elementary’ gives you a completely different workplace but a similarly lovable group of characters.

Set in a Philadelphia public school, the sitcom follows a group of teachers trying to do their jobs despite limited resources, eccentric colleagues and a principal who has a rather unusual understanding of what makes a good school leader.

Why watch it: It's easy to get attached to the characters, and the show has the same sense of watching a group of people slowly become each other's support system.

Where to watch: ‘Abbott Elementary’ is currently streaming on JioHotstar.

The Good Place

This one starts with a rather unusual question: what happens after you die?

Eleanor Shellstrop arrives in what appears to be a perfect afterlife, complete with frozen yoghurt, beautiful surroundings and neighbours who seem suspiciously nice. There's just one problem: Eleanor knows she doesn't really deserve to be there. From that simple setup, ‘The Good Place’ turns into a clever, funny and surprisingly thoughtful sitcom about friendship, morality and whether people can actually become better versions of themselves. It doesn't have the everyday realism of Friends, but it does have something equally addictive: a group of very different people who gradually become important to one another.

Why watch it: If you like sitcoms that make you laugh but also leave you thinking about life, relationships and the choices people make, this is an easy recommendation.

Where to watch: ‘The Good place’ is currently streaming on Netflix

The Big Bang Theory

If you've somehow managed to avoid ‘The Big Bang Theory’, this might be the easiest show on this list to slip into after Friends.

Leonard and Sheldon are physicists who spend most of their time in their apartment talking about science, comic books and whatever else interests them. Their social circle expands when Penny, an aspiring actress who moves in next door, becomes part of their lives, bringing the group into a very different world of dating, relationships and everyday problems.

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The science is part of the joke, but you don't need to understand physics to enjoy the show. The real appeal is watching this odd little group grow, change and become much closer over the years.

Why watch it: Like ‘Friends’, it combines romance, friendship and running jokes with characters who gradually start to feel familiar.

Where to watch: ‘The Big Bang Theory’ is currently streaming on Netflix and JioHotstar