The television landscape has spanned just about every genre and idea one could possibly think of. So, when a sitcom with an original concept debuts, fans are especially excited - it's not easy to be unique these days.
Many of the most popular sitcoms that have aired over the last few decades have been based on sitcoms that existed in other countries. Three's Company, for example, was modeled after a British sitcom called Man About the House. In other cases it has been the reverse, and other countries have taken American sitcom ideas and made their own versions. The Theorists, for example, is an obvious knock-off of The Big Bang Theory that airs in Belarus.
There are other instances, however, that involve two shows with very similar, though not identical, storylines. Or, it might be the approach, style, or format of the show that has been likened to one (or others) that came before it.
Friends (Living Single)
One of the most recently talked about instances of shows that drew inspiration from ones that came before it, a conversation that was reignited due to the recent Friends Reunion show, is this iconic '90s show and that series with an all-Black cast, Living Single, that debuted a full year before it.
While there are some marked differences between Friends and Living Single, including Living Single having a predominantly all-female cast while Friends combined guys and gals, people couldn't help but notice how similar the premises were. Living Single was about four young and single friends living together in a brownstone in Brooklyn, navigating their personal and professional careers. The show wasn't a single-season series either; it aired for five years from 1993 to 1998 and came out almost exactly one year before Friends hit the airwaves.
How I Met Your Mother (Friends)
Friends, or, it can be argued, Living Single, inspired many series that came after it. But not all of them were successes. One show that did manage to enjoy tremendous success, however, arguably somewhat close to level of Friends, was How I Met Your Mother.
The setting of New York City, the idea of five close friends, two who dated, one a womanizer, one quirky, another fiercely independent, one desperate and unlucky in love, sounded exactly like Friends. It even went right down to the local hangout where memorable scenes took place: for HIMYM it was a pub called MacLaren's versus a coffee shop (Central Perk.) The direction the story in HIMYM went, however, was very different. But there's no denying that the concept was at least in part inspired by the characters, situations, and humorous events in Friends.
Happy Endings (Friends And How I Met Your Mother)
One of the many shows that was cancelled too early, causing outcry from fans, Happy Endings drew a lot of inspiration from both Friends and How I Met Your Mother. The setting was different – Chicago, this time – but the focus was, once again, on six single friends navigating their personal and professional lives.
Having debuted in 2011, Happy Endings was a more modern and inclusive take on the same familiar concept, including both a Black and a gay main character. Rather than tell a love story, it did the opposite. Though even that precursor was similar to Friends, with the friends helping to pick up the pieces after one friend has left another at the alter. Friends begins, of course, when Rachel comes running into Central Perk after having left her fiancé at the alter.
WandaVision (Various)
This was a completely intentional strategy, but the biggest sitcoms to have ever graced television, dating all the way back to the '50s. It began with sitcoms like I Love Lucy, Leave it to Beaver, The Honeymooners, and The Dick Van Dyke Show then shifted to I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched.
Moving forward through the episodes, WandaVision drew inspiration from shows like The Twilight Zone, The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, and All in The Family. Others from the '80s, '90s, and '00s, included Growing Pains, Step by Step, Family Ties, Full House, Malcolm in the Middle, and, well, the list goes on. It's safe to say that WandaVision propped itself up with inspiration from every defining sitcom of each decade.
Family Guy (The Simpsons)
The Simpsons was one of the first, if not the first, animated sitcoms that was designed for an older crowd. When Family Guy debuted its first season however, the show took things to another level with adult topics and conversation that made the show considerably inappropriate for young eyes and ears.
It's clear that Family Guy was heavily inspired by The Simpsons, right down to the goofy father, the uptight and anxious mother, and three kids—one a bookworm, one an academic underachiever, and one a baby. Indeed, the shows even did a crossover episode whereby the Griffins accidentally ended up in Springfield on a road trip and met the family that came before them.
Parks And Recreation (The Office)
Immediately when The Office. Amy Poehler breaking the fourth wall and looking at the screen as Leslie Knope, the absence of a laugh track, and the faux documentary style were all part of The Office's strategy. Indeed, some even criticized Modern Family and its "mockumentary style" for doing the same.
But Parks and Recreation went beyond just the filming style in of demonstrating obvious inspiration from The Office. Poehler's character was dimwitted and clumsy like Steve Carell's Michael Scott — one of the best sitcom characters of the 21st century. And the concept of a tight team of workers in a small, regional office was all too familiar. That said, Parks and Recreation was lauded for finding its own rhythm by the second season, with Leslie becoming a smarter and capable leader, giving the show a direction of its own that made it noticeably different.
The Flintstones (The Honeymooners)
In one of the most interesting scenarios, the funniest characters, including Fred, Wilma, Barney, and Betty, were cartoonish versions that were at least inspired by Ralph, Alice, Ed, and Trixie from The Honeymooners.
Reportedly even Jackie Gleason, who played Ralph Kramden on the iconic sitcom, recognized the similarities but chose not to take legal action so as not to prevent kids from enjoying the family-friendly cartoon. Nonetheless, if the outfits and time period were different, The Flintstones could easily be viewed as a cartoon version of The Honeymooners.
Step By Step (The Brady Bunch)
In the '90s, Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Somers starred in a sitcom about a blended family that included two divorcees and their kids all coming together in one home. It dealt with the trials and tribulations of the kids trying to get along as the parents began their new marriage.
Sound familiar? That's because Step by Step has the exact same premise as best married sitcom couples to have ever been on television.