12 TV Comedies You Need To Be Watching

Even with House of Cards and Orange Is The New Black in the mix, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt might be the best original show on Netflix.

Created by Tina Fey, the series feels very reminiscent of 30 Rock, right down to using the same composer for the music and similar offbeat humour. With Parks and Recreation off the air, and with so many sitcoms relying on dark humor, Kimmy Schmidt is so infectiously optimistic that it can't help but put you in a good mood, and Kimmy is a good candidate for your new Leslie Knope.

The series begins with the rescue of a bunch of women who were kidnapped and trapped in a bunker for 15 years. In a story kind of similar to the Will Ferrell movie Elf, Kimmy experiences adult life for the first time, all with a gleeful, childlike innocence. The show mines a lot of humor from Kimmy being totally clueless about modern society, focusing on the experience of being thrust into everyday life after being removed from it for 15 years.

But the show quickly becomes much more than just that one gag, a genuinely compelling story about optimism and hope in the face of overwhelming sadness. Kimmy is one of the greatest new characters on TV, and Ellie Kemper absolutely knocks the role out of the park.

It's a goofy, hilarious show with a phenomenal cast that's actually about something, which can be surprisingly rare in television comedy.