Television series

Detroiters

Name: Detroiters
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2017
Cast: Jason Sudeikis, Steve Higgins, Sam Richardson, Tim Robinson

Buddy comedy
Light-hearted

Two scrappy Detroit ad guys build their small-time agency through sheer stubbornness and genuine affection for each other. It's a comedy about friendship, ambition, and loyalty—warm without being sentimental, funny without cruelty. For people who like character-driven comedies where the relationship matters more than the punchlines.

TVMaze rating

2.6

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy sitcoms where the comedy comes from earnest, overconfident people refusing to see how small their world is, and where a loving friendship sits underneath the chaos.

Skip it if you want tight plotting and steady forward momentum, since its jokes often arrive through rambling side tangents and deliberately awkward pauses that some viewers will find exhausting.

What it asks of you: Twenty half-hour episodes across two seasons, so it is easy to fit in. It rewards patience with its odd rhythms and lets scenes sit a beat longer than you expect.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Eastbound & Down2009

A washed-up baseball player returns home to his small town; like Detroiters, it's about masculine friendship, regional pride, and the gap between ambition and reality. Sharp, deeply funny, genuinely touching.

But Brutally crude and mean-spirited in places. The protagonist is often deliberately unlikeable, which some find exhausting rather than compelling.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia2005

A tight ensemble where the chemistry between friends IS the show. Character-driven, absurdist, endlessly inventive. Ten seasons of proof that you don't need a high concept, just good people doing terrible things.

But Aggressively vulgar and morally rancid. If you want your comedy to include basic human decency, you'll hate it.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia poster

Party Down2009

Struggling actors working catering jobs in LA. Same DNA as Detroiters—smart, affectionate ensemble comedy about people barely scraping by while staying weirdly hopeful. Only two seasons, but they're gold.

But Cancelled prematurely and never got full resolution. The second season feels like the show's still finding its feet when it ended.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Detroiters

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Halt and Catch Fire2014

Both center on characters with outsized ambition in unglamorous places, united by affection that outlasts success or failure.

Four people build a computer company in Texas in the 1980s. Like Detroiters, it's fundamentally about ambition, loyalty, and the bonds forged through shared struggle. But it trades comedy for genuine stakes, and the writing is novelistic. A portrait of friendship and obsession.

But Utterly serious and often genuinely sad. If you want laughs, you won't find them here. Demands investment in characters and their emotional arcs.

Schitt's Creek2015

A wealthy family loses everything and builds a life in a small town. Starts as broad comedy but transforms into something genuinely moving about chosen family and personal growth. Warm without being saccharine.

But Takes half a season to find its footing. The early episodes rely on fish-out-of-water jokes that feel dated quickly.

Community2009

A study group becomes a family. Obsessed with character dynamics, weirdly sincere underneath the genre pastiches. That mix of comedy and genuine affection for your ensemble is Detroiters' closest cousin.

But Wildly inconsistent quality across seasons. Lost much of its charm after season three when the show's identity became unclear.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine2013

Workplace comedy built on ensemble chemistry. Everyone genuinely likes each other, and the show trusts that warmth is funnier than cynicism. Simple formula, executed with real craft.

But Can feel relentlessly cheerful and plot-driven rather than character-driven. Some find it exhausting to be around characters who are *that* likeable.

Scrubs2001

Medical comedy about friendship in a workplace where everyone's bound together by circumstance. Mix of gags and moments of real emotional weight; J.D. and Turk's friendship is genuinely moving without being maudlin.

But Becomes uneven after season five and starts leaning harder on sentimentality. Later seasons feel like they're retreading old ground.

The Good Place2016

Smart, character-focused comedy about four people becoming a family through circumstance. Witty writing, genuine stakes, and it sticks its landing in a way most shows don't. Leaves you happy.

But The premise is a spoiler delivery system—once you know the first twist, you're always anticipating the next one. Some find that exhausting rather than clever.

Kim's Convenience2016

Warm, funny half-hour about a Korean-Canadian family running a convenience store in Toronto. Character-first comedy that's genuinely joyful without being saccharine. Small-scale, deeply felt.

But Quiet and low-key; if you want big laughs and constant energy, it feels slow. Also ended abruptly after five seasons with unresolved tension.

Severance2022

Both obsess over the question of loyalty and intimacy within hierarchical relationships—what you owe people, what you withhold, what binds you.

Sci-fi thriller about workers whose memories are split between work and home. Structurally, it explores belonging—who you are at work versus who you are with the people you love. Precisely constructed, visually stunning, genuinely unsettling.

But Bleak and increasingly dark. The ambiguity gets frustrating rather than intriguing if you need narrative momentum. Also a slow burn.

I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson2019

Same Tim Robinson, opposite register. Here he gets to be bizarre and chaotic; in Detroiters, he's grounded and sincere. Seeing the range clarifies what he brings to that character.

Sketch comedy from Tim Robinson that's strange, hilarious, and weirdly vulnerable. Not narrative, but genuinely inventive and anarchic. Proves Robinson's capable of comedy that's both completely unhinged and oddly touching.

But Utterly absurdist. If you need plot logic or conventional structure, you'll be frustrated. Also very silly—some sketches commit fully to stupidity.