When it comes to modern television, few names are as powerful or profitable as Chuck Lorre. For the past few decades, Lorre has written for, produced, and created several hit television series that have not only helped shape the landscape of primetime network sitcoms but often set the trend for comedy TV moving forward. By and large, Lorre’s shows either feature relatable, everyday people in extraordinary situations or find the relatable human elements ignored when focusing on extraordinary people.

Having earned his stripes as a TV writer on shows like “Charles in Charge” and “My Two Dads,” Lorre has been a staple of the industry for over 40 years. He’s proven time and again that he understands the key to finding commercial success, despite the many valid criticisms of his reliance on formulaic humor. Hence, we’re here to highlight the five best Chuck Lorre shows, with the focus being solely on the ones he’s created or co-created (sorry, “Roseanne” and “Mike and Molly”). That also includes his ventures beyond broadcast TV and into the world of streaming.

Chuck Lorre may be “The King of Sitcoms,” but his golden goose comes in the form of 12 seasons of the pop culture phenomenon “The Big Bang Theory,” which he co-created with Bill Prady. Few popular sitcoms have ever been as polarizing as “The Big Bang Theory,” with its undeniable popularity bringing in millions of viewers (and dollars) despite the numerous critics and viewers alike who consider the show one of the worst comedies ever made. Regardless of how anyone feels about the show or how it ended, to deny the impact and sitcom cultural shift that occurred in the wake of “Big Bang Theory” is to be ahistorical. Not only has the show spawned two separate spin-off series, but it also helped to normalize geek culture as no longer being a niche interest, all while comic book movies and the new eras of “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” picked up steam.

More importantly, it also proved there was still value in the multi-camera sitcom performed for a live studio audience, absolutely crushing it in the ratings game when it looked like the form was going to shift to prioritize single-camera comedies that often broke the fourth wall. The show, which revolved around four scientists and a “normal” gal named Penny, relied on well-trodden tropes and surface-level punchlines, but people couldn’t get enough of it. “Bazinga” shirts sold like hotcakes, and once the series finally introduced two female scientists in season 4 to balance its gender dynamic, “The Big Bang Theory” stopped being quite so cringe-worthy and instead started to resemble a hang-out sitcom about people with varying levels of social skills learning how to be a community. Love it or hate it, the sitcom landscape as we currently know it owes a hell of a lot to the “Big Bang.”

Chuck Lorre has set a number of his shows in Los Angeles and featured characters working in the entertainment industry. However, the popular 1990s sitcom “Cybill,” in particular, really helped open general audiences’ eyes to the inherent sexism found in Hollywood. Starring Cybill Shepherd as Cybill Sheridan, the series centers on an aging woman who has been relegated to playing bit parts, guest spots, and appearing in commercials because she committed the unforgivable crime of, you guessed it, aging. Many episodes featured a show-within-a-show format where Cybill played the different characters she had been cast as, and many of the storylines were pulled from Shepherd’s real-life experiences. Shepherd was joined by a stellar supporting cast that included Christine Baranski, Alicia Witt, Alan Rosenberg, Dedee Pfeiffer, and Tom Wopat.

Although the show ended after four seasons (with CBS citing a lack of ratings), Shepherd alleged in her autobiography “Cybill Disobedience” that the show was canceled due to the network’s unease with the series’ feminist leanings and “frank depiction of female sexuality.” Throughout its run, “Cybill” was nominated for 12 Emmy Awards, winning the 1996 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy. Shepherd won her third Golden Globe Award for her performance, while Baranski received an Emmy, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and an American Comedy Award for her performance as Cybill’s best friend, Maryann Thorpe. “Cybill” walked so “Sex and the City” could run. 

I’m firmly convinced that the loudest haters of “Young Sheldon” are those who have never seen the show and think it’s just a cheap cash-grab in the wake of “The Big Bang Theory.” It’s not unheard of for a spin-off to reach the same heights as the series that spawned it (shout out to “Frasier,” “The Jeffersons,” and “Daria”), but “Young Sheldon” is, in this writer’s opinion, the best thing to come from “Big Bang.” What started off as an origin prequel (which Chuck Lorre co-created with Steven Molaro) for the hit sitcom’s most memorable character soon evolved into a genuinely touching coming-of-age dramedy about a complicated family featuring a genius child.

Shifting tonally and narratively from its multi-camera predecessor, “Young Sheldon” featured narration from the adult Sheldon (Jim Parsons) as he looked back on his childhood while writing his memoir. This gives the show a sentimental air among the comedy, making it feel more like “The Wonder Years” than “Big Bang.” While it only made it to seven seasons compared to the massive 12 of its parent series, the show concluded on its own terms and with a satisfying ending to appease its massive viewership. And if fans are missing some of their favorite characters, the spin-off of this spin-off, “Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage,” is currently on the air at the time of publication.

“Whatever happened to Anna Faris after the ‘Scary Movie’ movies?” is a question I hear unfortunately all too often — because it means folks not only missed out on her truly incredible turn in “The House Bunny” but also all eight seasons of her sitcom with Allison Janney, “Mom.” Created by Chuck Lorre, Eddie Gorodetsky, and Gemma Baker, “Mom” centered on the dysfunctional relationship between Bonnie (Janney) and her estranged daughter Christy (Faris), who are both recovering addicts on the path to staying sober. “Mom” often tackled tough, real-life difficulties like alcoholism, teen pregnancy, terminal illness, domestic violence, mental health, sexual assault, and garden-variety misogyny, but helped characters and the audience alike get through it with gallows humor and a whole lot of heart.

Faris and Janney are both at the top of their craft (Janney even nabbed two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series), and as is customary with Lorre shows, they’re supported by a banger ensemble, including Mimi Kennedy, Jaime Pressly, Beth Hall, William Fichtner, Sadie Calvano, Blake Garrett Rosenthal, Matt Jones, French Stewart, and Kristen Johnston. Although Faris’ decision to leave the series after season 7 helped speed-run the show’s end with season 8, “Mom” was a hilarious watch and a fantastic showcase of some of the funniest women in comedy.

Although it only lasted for three seasons, Chuck Lorre’s Netflix series “The Kominsky Method” is undoubtedly the best show he’s ever made in terms of quality. Starring Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin (in his final television role), the series follows Sandy Kominsky (Douglas), a former successful actor who now works as a beloved acting coach in Hollywood. He also runs a studio with his daughter Mindy (Sarah Baker), his longtime agent Norman Newlander (Arkin) always by his side. 

“The Kominsky Method” is a fascinating examination of how former A-listers navigate a city and industry that prioritizes youth and beauty. Its supporting cast is equally stacked, with Nancy Travis, Paul Reiser, Kathleen Turner, Emily Osment, Ann-Margret, Jane Seymour, and Haley Joel Osment rounding out the big names. That’s to mention nothing of the flurry of guest stars in the forms of celebrities playing themselves, including Jay Leno, Patti LaBelle, Elliott Gould, Eddie Money, Allison Janney, Morgan Freeman, and Barry Levinson. Even folks like Bob Odenkirk, Willam Belli, and Danny DeVito make cameos along the way.

Having nabbed Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe Awards (for Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy and a Best Actor — Television Series Musical or Comedy statuette for Douglas), “The Kominsky Method” was a great way to remind audiences that Lorre is capable of more than just laugh-track enhanced comedies.