10 Best Sitcom Casts Of The 21st Century (So Far)

Many of the shows on this list are episodic, low-concept, ‘hangout’ style sitcoms. This is far from a coincidence as, without high stakes or an intricate plot, these shows often live or die based on the merit of their casts- making a strong cast incredibly apparent.

However, The Good Place shows that a great cast can be equally as crucial in a heavily serialized, high-stakes narrative. The brilliance of the Good Place ensemble is evident in how the cast is consistently able to shine alongside the plot twists, narrative turns and weighty philosophical questions of Mike Schur’s rightfully acclaimed series.

If someone were to blindly watch The Good Place with no knowledge of the actors filmographies, they would likely be none the wiser that the cast consists of two television veterans (Kristen Bell and Ted Danson) and four relative newcomers (William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, Manny Jacinto, D’Arcy Carden).

This is because the entire ensemble integrates so seamlessly together and radiates screen presence and comedic timing at every opportunity. Every actor takes a character that could be reduced to a single trope in lesser hands (The Arizona white trash, the academic philosophy nerd, the spoiled heiress etc) and, along with the writers, grant them a likeability and depth that allow them to seem three dimensional whilst remaining the fodder for jokes.