If you’ve ever thought your life could have been made into a sitcom, chances are, you’re probably right. It’s honestly kind of surprising just how many sitcoms have been based on the lives of famous people, no matter how loosely. While, of course, some of the funny situations are upstaged to make it more entertaining, for the most part, many of these shows are at least a little bit grounded in reality. Many of them center on a specific period in their main character’s lives, showcasing all the ridiculous events happening to them.
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This is an idea that certainly isn’t new, as even some early and highly successful sitcoms are actually about certain people if you dig deep enough. Other times, though, these shows make their inspiration known right from the get-go. There are lots of ways to go about it, but the fact still stands that these shows are influenced by the lives of celebrities.
10 ‘Two and a Half Men’ (2003-2015)
Based on the lives of Chuck Lorre & Charlie Sheen
Image via CBS
Two and a Half Men may have overstayed its welcome, but in the earlier part of its run, it was actually pretty good. What creator Chuck Lorre and star Charlie Sheen don’t tell you is that it is based on both of their lives. The main character is a hedonistic celebrity living in a wealthy mansion who spends much of his time gambling and on one-night stands. This is pretty similar to Charlie Sheen’s real persona, which he has never been shy about expressing. The main character is even named Charlie, for crying out loud.
As for the rest, a lot of the stories featured in the episodes are based on experiences that Chuck Lorre had in his adulthood. Most prominently is Charlie’s abrasive, distant relationship with his mother, Evelyn (Holland Taylor), which is meant to mimic the relationship that Lorre has with his own mother. Two and a Half Men may not be the greatest sitcom of all time, but before its dive off the deep end around the tenth season, it was extremely popular thanks to its crude humor and great acting performances.
Two and a Half Men
Release Date September 22, 2003
Creator Lee Aronsohn, Chuck Lorre
Seasons 12
9 ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ (2015-2020)
Based on the life of Eddie Huang
Image via ABC
Celebrity chef Eddie Huang wrote his memoir, Fresh Off the Boat, back in 2013. The memoir details Huang’s life growing up in America with Taiwanese immigrant parents. Shortly after the memoir’s release, Nahnatchka Khan adapted the memoir for television. The young hip-hop-loving Eddie would be played by Hudson Yang and Eddie’s parents would be played by Randall Park and Constance Wu. However, the real Eddie Huang would later go on to say that the show is quite removed from his memoir and that he can’t even recognize his own life while watching it.
Huang’s input on the show was sadly, minimal, as he only serves as the narrator for the first episode, and has no other role throughout the series’ run. That aside, on its own, it’s a pretty good show. It featured some experienced actors and some new names, too, proving to be a big break for Hudson Yang, Forrest Wheeler, and Ian Chen, who play Eddie’s siblings. While perhaps not the most accurate depiction of Eddie Huang’s life, it’s a fun show with a lot of great moments.
8 ‘The Goldbergs’ (2013-2023)
Based on the life of Adam F. Goldberg
Image via ABC
The Goldbergs is based on the life of Adam F. Goldberg, a television producer and writer who created this show. It portrays his adolescence, in which a younger version of him is played by Sean Giambrone. The Goldbergs ran for 10 well-received seasons before coming to a close just last year. From the get-go, it is clear that Adam F. Goldberg was destined for TV, as he filmed various scenarios that took place in his home in Pennsylvania during the 1980s. These events are reenacted by the cast on camera, and then, interestingly, the real home video of the event is sometimes shown at the end credits.
This occurs while the present-day Adam narrates the show, however, the narrator is not Adam Goldberg himself, but Patton Oswalt playing the role of the modern Adam. The show tried a lot of creative things that weren’t typical of the genre. Aside from the reenactments of real events, real people from Adam’s life sometimes guest star on the show, sometimes even as the parents of a child actor playing themselves. It’s so well done, which is precisely why it lasted so long.
The Goldbergs
Release Date September 24, 2013
Seasons 10
Studio ABC
Based on the life of Dan Harmon
Image via NBC & Yahoo!
Community follows a group of students at a community college who befriends a suspended lawyer named Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) after he loses his license on account of the fact that he doesn’t have a real degree. These friends form a study group, which can sometimes be at odds with the faculty of the college. As it turns out, the show’s creator, screenwriter Dan Harmon, based the show on his own college experiences. While he was never a lawyer, Jeff Winger is very much based on him, as Harmon attended college as an older adult and found himself making friends with an unlikely group of people via a study group.
Harmon was fired from the show after Season 3, and it continued to go on without him. But Harmon himself was never really the best part of the show. The best part comes from how odd it is, making it a sort of cult series. There are also some really good names in there like Donald Glover and Ken Jeong, all of whom bring some great chemistry and wacky comedy to a series that is sorely missed nearly 10 years later.
Community
Release Date September 17, 2009
Seasons 6
6 ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ (1990-1996)
Based on the lives of Will Smith & Benny Medina
Image via NBC
It’s no secret that Will Smith plays a fictionalized version of himself in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Heck, the character literally has the exact same name as him and raps the iconic theme song. But that’s pretty much where the similarities end between the real and fake Will Smith. The story of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is actually based on the life of record producer Benny Medina.
Medina’s influence in the show is minimal, having only conceptualized it before sending it off to professional TV producers. However, the plotline does loosely follow the events of his adolescence. He grew up in an impoverished community and was raised by his aunt after repeatedly running away from home. Following this, he befriended an affluent teenager, whose family allowed Medina to live in a repurposed garage on their property in Beverly Hills, where he then attended high school. This extreme transition from lower to upper class eventually served as the basis for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In the show, Will Smith is sent to live with his aunt in a rich neighborhood after causing too much trouble back in his lower-class home in Philadelphia. It later became a huge phenomenon with its classic acting performances, catchy theme song, timeless humor, emotional moments, and its 90s aesthetics, marking it as a staple of the era.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Release Date September 10, 1990
Cast Will Smith , James Avery , Janet Hubert , alfonso ribeiro , Karyn Parsons , Tatyana Ali , Joseph Marcell , Daphne Reid , Ross Bagley
Seasons 6
5 ‘Everybody Hates Chris’ (2005-2009)
Based on the life of Chris Rock
Image via The CW
Everybody Hates Chris certainly isn’t shy about being based on the life of comedian Chris Rock. Rock serves as the narrator for every single episode and has a heavy hand in the production of the show. While most of the characters in the show are fictionalized versions of Rock’s family members in fictional situations, the show is still meant to convey Rock’s childhood growing up in the 1980s. His father, Julius, was played by none other than Terry Crews, who is always a welcome presence in anything he’s in. Chris himself is played by Tyler James Williams, who also acted in a few movies during the show’s production.
Everybody Hates Chris contains Chris Rock’s signature style of comedy, along with input from the man himself in the form of narration. Many who lived similar childhoods found that the show did a good job summing up what it’s like to grow up as a young Black person, while also being hilarious. The show was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2006, along with two Emmys the same year. It’s funny, observant, and in some cases, relatable, while also being partially based on true events.
Everybody Hates Chris
Release Date September 22, 2005
Seasons 4
4 ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ (1999-2006)
Based on the life of Linwood Boomer
Image via 20th Century Fox
A lot of people don’t know this, but Malcolm in the Middle is indeed loosely based on true events. Specifically, on the life of the show’s creator, Canadian actor and writer Linwood Boomer, who also created the show. Boomer has stated that he was placed in the gifted program at school when he was a kid and didn’t quite fit in because he was blunt and standoffish. Sound familiar? If you’ve seen the show, you’ll know that this perfectly describes the titular Malcolm, played by Frankie Muniz. Many of the events of the first season are based on actual things that happened. An example of this would be in the fourth episode, where Malcolm beats up a bully, only to find out that the bully is only seven years old and is just a really big kid, which causes Malcolm to feel terrible. This, reportedly, is similar to an experience Boomer had.
While Malcolm is a scientific genius, which Boomer isn’t, he is subject to the same overbearing mother, four brothers, and underprivileged family that Boomer was, and struggles to fit in a world that won’t accept him. However, a lot of changes were made to the show in accordance with the fact that Boomer wanted the show to be an extreme version of his own family. As such, many of the situations can be completely ridiculous, which adds to the charm. Overall, the show not only gives an honest look at middle-class families but also provides unforgettable humor and a memorable cast of characters to deliver it.
Malcolm in the Middle
Release Date January 9, 2000
Creator Linwood Boomer
Cast Frankie Muniz , Jane Kaczmarek , Bryan Cranston , Justin Berfield , Erik Per Sullivan , Christopher Masterson
Seasons 7
3 ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ (1996-2005)
Based on the lives of Ray Romano & Phil Rosenthal
Image via CBS
Everybody Loves Raymond is similar to Two and a Half Men and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, in that the main character plays a fictional version of themselves, whilst the actual events of the show are based upon the life of its creator. The main character in question is Raymond, played by actor and comedian Ray Romano. The storyline is actually about Phil Rosenthal, who created the show as a way of creating humor out of his miserable life experiences.
According to Rosenthal, 90 percent of what is featured on the show actually happened in real life. Rosenthal also revealed that many of the marital issues the married couples in the show face are based on his and his wife’s real troubles. But it seems it’s mostly water under the bridge, since Rosenthal’s wife, Monica Horan, is actually in the show, playing the role of Amy. The show is not only funny, but it’s nice to see some negative experiences get turned into something that brings people joy.
Everybody Loves Raymond
Release Date September 13, 1996
Cast Ray Romano , Patricia Heaton , Doris Roberts , Peter Boyle , Brad Garrett
Seasons 9
Network CBS
2 ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ (2000-2024)
Based on the life of Larry David
Image via HBO
Actor Larry David wrote Curb Your Enthusiasm about a retired television writer, which, as it happens, was basically what he was at the time of its release. Known for his work on Seinfeld, David eventually penned and starred in Curb Your Enthusiasm, a show that encapsulated all of his frustrations and difficulties as an aging TV producer. In this show, David plays himself, albeit an exaggerated version of himself.
The show proved to be a smash hit, lasting for 24 years before its eventual closure. It actually lasted longer than Seinfeld. Granted, there are some substantial gaps between seasons in Curb Your Enthusiasm. The show features the quality one could expect from a seasoned veteran like Larry David, including top-tier humor and meticulously crafted scenes. On top of that, the show’s theme song has become something of an internet meme thanks to its strong aura of humiliation. This is an autobiographical show that no comedy fan will want to miss.
1 ‘Seinfeld’ (1989-1998)
Based on the life of Jerry Seinfeld
Image via NBC
Seinfeld is a sitcom classic that needs no introduction. Quite possibly one of the best sitcoms of all time, it features comedian Jerry Seinfeld playing himself over a course of nine hilarious seasons before it drew to a close. An icon of the late 80s and 90s and the subject of several internet memes, Seinfeld is a real milestone in the sitcom genre. Of course, with Seinfeld playing himself, it’s only logical that many of the series’ episodes are in fact based on true events.
Many of the characters are based on real people that Seinfeld and co-creator Larry David personally knew, and many of the jokes in the show are based on Seinfeld and David’s banterous conversations. What made Seinfeld so endearing is the star being allowed to play himself. Much of what he says and does is akin to Seinfeld’s persona, which makes the show feel more personal and relatable, and thus, funnier.
Seinfeld
Release Date July 5, 1989
Creator Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld
Seasons 9
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