10 Sports Sitcoms Even Comedy Fans Forgot About (#1 Was Just Canceled)

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Sports make great television because they naturally offer both organized events and compelling personal stories. The most successful sports shows on TV use the structure of competition to create humor, drama, and relatable moments of struggle for the characters.

Popular sports dramas, much like the acclaimed series Friday Night Lights, often focus on serious themes. This is because the nature of competition automatically creates high-pressure situations, defined outcomes, and strong emotions. Creating a sports comedy is tricky – it needs to relieve tension while still feeling like the stakes matter, which is essential for a compelling sports story.

Some comedies, like A Whole New Ballgame, The League, and Eastbound & Down, are connected to the world of sports, but aren’t about the sport itself. They’re usually set around things like sports commentary, fantasy football leagues, or school gym classes, offering a comedic look at the people around the games rather than the games themselves.

The most successful sports comedies don’t just focus on the game; they use humor to show the relatable human side of striving for goals and dealing with setbacks. Popular shows like Ted Lasso and Blue Mountain State work so well because they use sports as a setting for funny stories about the characters, rather than making the technical aspects of the sport the main focus.

Sports sitcoms are a pretty limited genre, and the really popular shows always seem to grab all the spotlight. While shows like Ted Lasso become huge hits, many other funny and well-made sports comedies never get the chance to shine, despite having a lot of potential.

Ball Four

1976

Published in 1976, the baseball sitcom Ball Four was surprisingly innovative for its time, but it was quickly cancelled and has since faded into obscurity. It was created by former Major League pitcher and author Jim Bouton, along with comedy writer Marvin Kitman and sportswriter Vic Ziegel.

The show was based on Jim Bouton’s tell-all book, Ball Four, which famously revealed the unglamorous realities of being a professional baseball player. This set it apart from most other, more idealized baseball shows on television.

The show revolved around a minor league baseball team called the Washington Americans and wasn’t afraid to address controversial topics for the 1970s, like drug use, cheating, faith, and homosexuality within the world of sports. It was even groundbreaking for including one of the first openly gay characters to appear regularly on television. While critics loved the acting, the show was canceled after only five episodes because it pushed the boundaries of what networks typically allowed.

Big Shot

2021-2022

Despite being a well-made and funny sports drama, Big Shot didn’t get the recognition it deserved during its two seasons on Disney+. The show, created by David E. Kelley, Dean Lorey, and Brad Garrett, centers around Marvyn Korn, a passionate basketball coach played by John Stamos, who finds himself unexpectedly coaching a competitive girls’ high school team in California after being fired from his college job.

Though it felt more like a touching comedy-drama than a typical sitcom, Big Shot worked well thanks to its positive feel and the charming actors, especially John Stamos. The show managed to steer clear of common sports drama tropes while authentically supporting women’s sports and the importance of having good mentors.

Disney+ canceled the show as part of a larger effort to reduce costs. But fans of heartwarming stories about teamwork and overcoming challenges, like those found in Ted Lasso, will probably enjoy Big Shot.

Phenom

1993-1994

Although many excellent tennis movies exist, TV shows about the sport are surprisingly rare. Phenom stood out as a truly original sports comedy, focusing on the challenges faced by young tennis star Angela Doolan as she tried to navigate the typical ups and downs of being a teenager alongside the demands of professional athletics.

Judith Light portrayed Angela’s mother, who was navigating life after a sudden separation, and the show also featured a tough coach determined to help the young athlete succeed, even if it meant making sacrifices. The series uniquely combined family issues, the world of competitive sports, and the challenges of growing up, setting it apart from typical sitcoms of the time.

The show’s blend of tones might have actually worked against it. While the story about teen sports suggested it was for younger audiences, the show’s relaxed speed and gentle writing felt more like a classic family drama from the early 1990s.

While Phenom had a certain appeal and featured good acting, it didn’t quite resonate with adult viewers who were used to more sophisticated comedies. Despite being popular when it first aired, the show only lasted a single season and isn’t widely remembered now.

GLOW

2017-2019

GLOW is a standout sports comedy from the age of streaming. The show, which takes inspiration from the 1980s women’s wrestling circuit Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, centers on a diverse group of actresses and misfits who discover a new sense of direction while performing in the colorful and over-the-top world of televised wrestling.

As a critic, I found this series to be a really interesting blend – it’s less about quick jokes and more about a continuing story, which is unusual for a sitcom. But the world of professional wrestling actually helps the comedy, giving it a natural rhythm of build-up and payoff that you don’t often see in sports dramas. What really elevates it, though, is the quality of everything else. The writing is incredibly smart, the 80s aesthetic is perfectly captured, and the cast – especially Alison Brie and Betty Gilpin – is phenomenal. It’s a truly exceptional ensemble.

The show GLOW was unexpectedly canceled when production shut down due to COVID-19, leaving fans without a planned final season. This makes the show feel even more underappreciated now, despite the fact that critics loved it.

Stick

2025-Present

Apple TV+’s Stick is a charming sports comedy that unfortunately doesn’t get as much attention as Ted Lasso. The show features Owen Wilson as Pryce Cahill, an ex-golfer who gets a fresh start when he begins coaching a promising young player named Santi Wheeler.

Stick stands out due to its easygoing nature and genuinely touching emotional depth. Instead of being primarily about golf as a sport, the show uses it as a setting to explore themes of guidance, past mistakes, and starting over.

Daniel Wilson’s subtle acting brings a gentle warmth to the comedy, making the series surprisingly engaging, even though Apple TV hasn’t promoted it heavily. Luckily, the show has been renewed for a second season, leaving plenty of opportunity for it to become a major hit.

How We Roll

2022

Bowling doesn’t often take center stage, even in films about the sport. The series How We Roll changes that, drawing inspiration from the true story of professional bowler Tom Smallwood. It follows Pete Holmes as a man from the Midwest who loses his job and decides to chase his dream of becoming a professional bowler to provide for his family.

The show follows a familiar underdog story, but what makes it special is its genuine heart and positive outlook – it avoids the usual over-the-top sitcom antics. In 2022, CBS was known for feel-good comedies like Young Sheldon and Ghosts, and this show comfortably fit that classic, comforting style.

Sadly, this also meant it was easily missed. Even though the show had a charming cast and a feel-good vibe, it didn’t last long, becoming another example of how quickly broadcast comedies are forgotten these days.

Chad Powers

2025-Present

Chad Powers is a funny and unusual sports comedy that started as a popular segment on ESPN’s ‘Eli’s Places.’ Glen Powell plays two roles: Russ Holliday, a once-promising quarterback whose career falls apart, and Chad Powers, the clumsy persona Russ adopts to secretly rejoin college football and try for a comeback.

The show is a funny mix of being a stranger in a strange land, mistaken identity humor, and an often-awkward look at how people deal with their egos and try to change themselves. The actor Powell is fantastic, skillfully blending silly, physical comedy with moments that feel genuinely heartfelt and real.

The show deliberately creates uncomfortable moments, focusing on embarrassing situations and conflicting ideas instead of typical sports triumphs. A new season is coming out later this year, and it will continue to question whether people can truly change or if they’re just pretending to.

1st & Ten

1984-1991

1st & Ten was a groundbreaking TV series – one of the first to tell a fictional story about professional football. It paved the way for many of the popular football shows and movies we enjoy today. Created during a time when HBO was trying to gain viewers, the show benefited from the creative freedom that cable television offered, allowing it to include language and scenes that wouldn’t have been allowed on traditional networks, resulting in a more realistic and gritty feel.

I was completely captivated by this show! It really dives into the lives of the California Bulls, a pro football team, showing everything that happens both on the field and behind the scenes. You see how they deal with new owners, constant attention from the media, and all the drama within the team itself. What I found particularly interesting was that the team was frequently led by a woman owner – it felt really groundbreaking for its time and added a unique layer to the story.

Though not every season was a hit, 1st & Ten is important because it was one of the first sitcoms to focus on sports. It successfully combined the humor of a workplace comedy with the world of athletics, paving the way for shows that explore team life, like the more recent sports comedy Running Point.

Shoresy

2022-Present

Shoresy is a comedy series spun off from Letterkenny, and it’s all about hockey – the players, their personalities, and what drives them. Created by and starring Jared Keeso, the show follows Shoresy as he moves to Sudbury to try and turn around a losing hockey team, the Bulldogs.

Following Shoresy, I’ve noticed how much the coach pushes his team – it’s not just about wanting to win for him, it’s about absolutely despising losing. What really sets this show apart from other sports comedies, though, is how genuinely it portrays the game itself. It’s not just jokes; you really feel the physical intensity, the bond within the locker room, and how much the team means to the community. Even with all the quick, funny, and often ridiculous dialogue, it feels surprisingly real.

The show is a hit with a dedicated fanbase, especially among comedy and hockey fans, but hasn’t broken into the mainstream. It’s a great example of a modern sports sitcom that finds success without widespread recognition. The fifth season recently finished airing, and they plan to start working on the sixth season this fall.

Stumble

2025-2026

Stumble is a funny TV show about cheerleading that had a great idea but didn’t get enough attention. It centers on Coach Courtney Potter, a successful coach who takes on the challenge of turning around a college cheerleading team that’s not doing well, and helping its inexperienced members improve.

The show portrays cheerleading as a real, competitive sport, and builds a fast-paced, funny workplace comedy around it. It relies on visual gags and silly wordplay for laughs, reminding viewers of classic comedies like Airplane! and The Naked Gun more than today’s typical sports comedies.

Even though critics and viewers generally liked the show, it didn’t get much attention. Airing on NBC on Friday nights and then moving to the Peacock streaming service made it hard for people to find, and ultimately, Stumble was canceled after just one season. It’s a shame, as it joins the list of good, but overlooked, sports comedies that don’t get the recognition they deserve.

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2026-05-11 20:35