Best of 2014: TV's Top 10 Comedies of the Year Are...

TV is filled to the brim with hilarious, heartbreaking and downright amazing comedies

By Tierney Bricker, Chris Harnick Dec 03, 2014 4:00 PMTags
The Mindy Project, Playing House, The Comeback, TransparentFox; USA; HBO; Amazon

Don't let anybody tell you the TV comedy is dead. Far from it! It's just evolved beyond your wildest imagination. Some of TV's best comedies aren't even on TV. There's the one about a female prison, the one that follows a transgender woman and her family, and who could forget the one about a sitcom star so desperate for fame she will stop at nothing to get it? We live in a great age of comedy—it's just not the "beat, beat, joke, laugh" brand people still tend to think of when they hear the words "TV comedy."

It was painstaking, but below in no particular order are the Best TV Comedies of 2014, according to us, your esteemed TV-loving fools at E! Online.

Agree? Disagree? Chime in in the comments.

Lacey Terrell

Getting On (HBO)
It's the best comedy you're not watching. Seriously, why aren't you watching this hospital comedy—almost dramedy at times—on HBO? Laurie Metcalf is stellar as Dr. Jenna James. She's clueless, selfish and comedy at its best. She does more with facial expressions in a single episode than some actors do with pages of dialogue.Then there's Family Guy's Alex Borstein as almost endearingly pathetic Nurse Dawn Forchette, and Niecy Nash is a revelation as Nurse Denise Ortley. It's touching, bleak, hysterical, sad and whip-smart. Getting On is unlike any other show we've seen in years.

Comedy Central

Broad City (Comedy Central)
Imagine if Workaholics and Girls had an insane, drug-fueled one night stand and produced a hilarious, laugh-until-you-vomit spinoff baby. That baby would be Broad City, created by Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson, who also star. It is executive produced by Amy Poehler. Broad City simultaneously celebrates and mocks the mundane, and features one of the best female friendships in recent TV history. We love it so hard we want to remake Tyga's "Rack City" and change it to "Broad City." Yeah, that hard. (Also, Fred Armisen's epic premiere guest appearance almost deserves its own spot on this list.)

HBO

The Comeback (HBO)
Valerie Cherish is one of the most interesting, complex, laugh-inducing, cringe-inducing and overall real characters on TV. Lisa Kudrow returned to the role nine years after the first season ended in 2005. The show about sitcom actress (Kudrow's Val) is pure gold. Like, better than gold. It's like a gold People's Choice Award. It matters, because it's from the people. In addition to Kudrow's amazingly nuanced performance, viewers are treated to the pitch-perfect Robert Michael Morris as Mickey, Val's best guy and trusted hair stylist. They're a comedy duo like no other. If all we get are these eight new episodes of The Comeback, we'll be heartbroken, but also OK with it because these episodes are nothing short of great.

Jordin Althaus/FOX

The Mindy Project (Fox)
Now in its third season, Mindy Kaling's The Mindy Project found an incredibly steady stride. Kaling and Chris Messina are your new comedy queen and king. With the addition of Cheers' Rhea Perlman as Annette "Ma" Castellano, Annette's BFF Dot (Jenny O'Hara) and the reduction of work-related stories, The Mindy Project became a force to be reckoned with in its third season. Please don't take it away from us, Fox. Where else will we get scenes of Beth Grant randomly husking corn in a doctor's office with no explanation—and none needed?!

Amazon

Transparent (Amazon)
Jeffrey Tambor...who knew? Yes, the Arrested Development actor always had us laughing as George Bluth, Sr., but when he became Maura Pfefferman on Amazon's breakout hit Transparent, well, everybody took notice. Granted it's more of a dramedy, Transparent is one of the most complex and touching shows on TV (even if it's not from a TV network by old standards). We're going to need new episodes ASAP, please and thank you.

Steve Jennings/NBC

Parks and Recreation (NBC)
It's a crime that Parks and Recreation has never been given any Emmy love. Whatever, we're here to give it some Best of 2014 love! The NBC comedy, which will enter its seventh and final season on Jan. 13 at 8 p.m., has been a stellar player year after year. Anchored by Poehler and an exceptional cast of supporting players—Adam Scott, Chris Pratt, Retta, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Aziz Ansari and Jim O'HeirParks and Rec will be sorely missed. This last year we laughed along as Leslie Knope met Michelle Obama, cried when she said goodbye to Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones) and gasped when the show jumped three years into the future. Pawnee forever!

HBO/Mark Schaffer

Girls (HBO)
Dare we say Girls' third season was its best yet? Our foursome is growing...and still experiencing some serious growing pains, making them all the more realistic. We are still rooting for them, even if we sometimes want to slap them. And "Beach House," the episode featuring the now-infamous fight between the girls, is one of our favorite 30 minutes of television this year. Rage on, Lena Dunham.

NBC

Playing House (USA)
Your TV best friends Jessica St. Clair and Lennon Parham reunited for a USA comedy that had all ingredients to be the best: Leads with phenomenal chemistry, a true-to-life friendship between the main characters, wacky townsfolk, good guest stars and above all else, jokes. So many bangin' jokes. If this is it for the beloved comedy—USA Network has yet to order a second season—it'll be a shame, but at least we went out with happy tears during the final scene. We'll always have Birdbones, Bosephus and Jandana.

Netflix

Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
The saga of Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling), Red (Kate Mulgrew), Crazy Eyes (Uzo Aduba), Poussey (Samira Wiley) and the rest of the Litchfield inmates is so compelling and addicting. It almost makes prison look like fun. Almost. Netflix's hit refocused in the second season, giving the supporting cast more time to shine and boy are we glad they did. From the heart wrenching moments to the hilarity that is Pennsatucky (Taryn Manning), OITNB is marvelous.

Paul Schiraldi/HBO

Veep (HBO)
There's good and then there's Julia Louis-Dreyfus good. The HBO comedy starring the Seinfeld veteran as Vice President Selina Meyer reached new heights this year when the veep became POTUS...by default and with a bad new haircut, but still. Try not to laugh when you watch this scene between Tony Hale as Gary and Louis-Dreyfus' Selina as they celebrate her new title—a highlight from a season full of laughs.