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The Five Best Sitcoms To Watch on NOW TV

Looking for something to binge? Ali Plumb has got your back

Not sure what to watch?

Radio 1's film critic Ali Plumb has put together his favourite TV shows which are available to watch across all major streaming platforms: BBC iPlayer, Netflix and Amazon Prime.

And below he rounds up the very best sitcoms available on Now TV.

30 Rock

7 seasons, 138 episodes

Based on Tina Fey's own experiences as the head writer of the legendary US sketch show Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock was a knowing, clever, witty sitcom that poked fun at pretty much everything, delivering its barrage of jokes and references at a bouncy, near-manic pace.

You can just tell how much love and effort and time was poured into the script, just how well-put together it is, just how intelligent the folks behind the camera were - and in front of them, sure, let's not forget Tina Fey is the lead here.

I've recently started rewatching the show and it kicks off strong, machine-gunning you with gags from the very beginning as it drops the electric energy of Tracy Jordan on you, capped off with Alec Baldwin's incredible one-liner delivery.

This show is just so, so, so good.

Why you'll love it: Alec Baldwin's one-liners hit hard, like 'You look terrible, and I once watched you eat oysters while you had a cold' and 'Good God, Lemon, your breath! When did you find time to eat a diaper you found on the beach?'

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The Comeback

2 seasons, 21 episodes

The Comeback is a very curious show. "Meta", you might say, but "curious" sits right with me.

It tells the story of a once-famous TV star called Valerie Cherish (Lisa Kudrow) as she lets a reality TV crew document her return to "the big time" in a new sitcom called 'Room and Bored'.

Needless to say, what we end up seeing is not that flattering in a delightfully cringey way. The first season came out to mixed reviews in 2005, with it taking nine years for HBO to bring it back for a second crack of the whip in 2014, a wonderful case of life imitating art.

It's a knowing, bittersweet, "inside baseball" show that strikes at the heart of the reality TV industry, and the mass market manufacture of TV generally.

Also let it be said that Lisa Kudrow is an extraordinary actress and utterly, utterly brilliant. You know that already but I just wanted to be very clear.

Why you'll love it: "It's Lisa Kudrow as you've never seen her before!" That's not from any promotional materials, it's actually exactly what I think.

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Flight Of The Conchords

2 seasons, 22 episodes

It's your favourite comedy show about two comedy folk musicians from New Zealand trying to make it in the US! There are songs! And lots of dry humour! And weird bits! And lots of cameos from other comedy folk, like Kristen Wiig and Greg Proops and Patton Oswalt!

It's entirely loveable and very "cute", stuffed full of funny songs and wry asides. It's not for everyone, as I so often find myself saying, but if you've never caught it, maybe now's the time...

Why you'll love it: There are so many reasons, but the song 'Hiphopopotamus Vs. Rhymenoceros' is a good one. With lyrics like "I'm the mother flippin' Rhymenocerous. My beats are phat and so are the birds are on my back", what's not to love?

Curb Your Enthusiasm

10 seasons, 99 episodes

Ah, Curb. Seinfeld veteran Larry David's masterpiece of awkwardness, a superbly-written love letter to clumsy social interactions and getting yourself into troublesome situations and blowing up in anger about it.

With the show back after several years, it's a real treat to revisit a comedy that's at the top of so many TV critics "Best ever" lists, and may be on yours too - as long as you can handle the cringe. Because seriously, this show should come with a very clear cringe warning.

Why you'll love it: Because so much of what "Larry David" gets so worked up about actually hits home. Why shouldn't he sit in the back seat of the car? Why? Why not?

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Veep

7 seasons, 65 episodes

First, there was The Thick Of It. Then Armando Iannucci took his bilious British political satire and slapped the stars and stripes on it and Veep was born (it actually wasn't as simple as that sounds, but roll with me on this).

Starring the appallingly talented, award-winning comedy machine that is Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer, a fictional vice president who blunders her way around the US corridors of power, aided and hindered by her clutch of assistants and advisors, including two-time Emmy-winner Tony Hale.

Louis-Dreyfus herself scored a staggering six consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for this show. That's how good she is, and how good the show is.

Why you'll love it: For giving you a whole host of new acerbic invectives to sling at your nearest and dearest. You know, in a good way.

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