Hilarious Comedy Shows to Stream on Netflix Now
Hilarious Comedy Shows to Stream on Netflix Now
Let's face it—the past year or so has left us all sorely in need of some light relief, and you can't go far wrong with bingeing a great comedy series. Whether you're in the mood to indulge in some comfort viewing and rewatch an old favorite, or finally catch up on some of the classic sitcoms you missed, Netflix has your comedy TV needs covered. From blackly comic British imports like Derry Girls, to innovative modern classics like The Good Place and BoJack Horseman, to family sitcoms like Arrested Development and One Day At A Time, you're bound to find something on the platform that'll hit the spot. Here's a list of 15 of the best comedy series you can watch on Netflix right now. (Oh, and if you're specifically craving a really great romantic comedy to watch on Netflix, we've got a whole list of those over here.)
1) New Girl
This Zooey Deschanel sitcom, about a kooky 30-something woman who moves in with three male roommates after a breakup, has become a modern classic. Every character is charmingly dysfunctional in their own unique ways, and the dynamics between the central foursome stayed fresh throughout the show’s seven-season run.
2) One Day At A Time
This cancelled-too-soon Netflix reboot of Norman Lear’s beloved 1975 sitcom centers on a Cuban-American family in L.A., and it’s one of the most heartfelt and comforting shows you can binge. Anchored by a dynamic performance from Justina Machado (and a scene-stealing supporting turn from Rita Moreno), ODAAT is both hilarious and insightful, tackling subjects from mental illness to immigration to LGBTQ identity, and making it all look effortless.
3) Flowers
If you like your comedy dark and British (and you’ve already binged Fleabag multiple times), look no further than this truly singular series from the UK’s Channel 4. Olivia Colman stars as the matriarch of the deeply troubled Flowers family, who has a troubled relationship both with her depressed husband, a children’s book author (Julian Barratt), and with her 25-year-old twin daughters, who still live at home. To say any more would be to spoil the surprises of this imaginative and often demented gem.
4) Schitt's Creek
It takes a few episodes—some would argue a full season—for this beloved sitcom to find its feet and its comedic voice, but it’s well worth the time investment. A wealthy, distant family lose everything and are forced to start over in a seemingly dead-end small town, which turns out to be the best thing that ever happened to them. Featuring star-making performances from Dan Levy and Annie Murphy, and star-retaining performances from Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara as their parents, Schitt’s Creek lives up to the hype.
5) Arrested Development
…and once you’re done with your Schitt’s Creek binge, you’ll also want to check out the show that is in many ways its spiritual predecessor. Arrested Development is more acerbic and less warm-hearted than Schitt’s Creek, but similarly focuses on a wealthy family of weirdos who are forced to find new ways to relate to each other in the wake of a crisis. The first three seasons, which aired on Fox back in the day, are pure gold. The later Netflix-produced seasons are more of a mixed bag, but unmissable nonetheless.
6) Derry Girls
A coming-of-age sitcom set in 1990s Northern Ireland during the period of intense conflict known as the Troubles, this deadpan Irish export is unlike anything else on television. Following a group of Catholic school students navigating the usual challenges of adolescence against a backdrop of political strife, Derry Girls is black comedy at its most raw and surprising.
7) The Good Place
The premise of The Good Place is so high-concept that its longevity is nothing short of a miracle—a group of dysfunctional people find themselves in the afterlife, and undergo a series of emotional and philosophical challenges as they explore what it actually means to be “good.” Kristen Bell and Ted Danson lead a flawless ensemble, and the show is consistently unpredictable and daring, all the way through to the instant classic tearjerker of a finale.
8) Sex Education
There’s no shortage of teen coming-of-age dramas to choose from on Netflix, but this should be at the top of your binge list. Asa Butterfield’s Otis is a shy teenager and son of a renowned sex therapist (Gillian Anderson), who semi-reluctantly starts counseling his high school classmates through their own sexual issues, despite his own inexperience. Packed full of lovable characters and surprisingly resonant teen romances, Sex Education will be returning for a third season later this year.
9) BoJack Horseman
Will Arnett leads the voice cast of this groundbreaking animated dark comedy, playing the role of a cynical, self-loathing and washed-up sitcom actor who’s trying desperately to revive his stalled career with an autobiography. The fact that he’s also an anthropomorphized horse should give you some indication of just how surreal BoJack gets—but it’s somehow also one of the most grounded and human shows available to stream.
10) Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Don’t be put off by the title: this razor-sharp musical comedy is all about deconstructing toxic and misogynistic tropes about women, dating, sexuality, and more. Rachel Bloom stars as Rebecca, a high-powered attorney who blows up her entire life to chase her ex-boyfriend to the west coast—but the show is anything but a traditional love story.
11) Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
One of Netflix’s very first original comedy shows remains one of its best. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt starts out from an intriguingly dark premise—a young woman (Ellie Kemper) tries to reintegrate into society after escaping a doomsday cult—and successfully walks a tonal tightrope, making Kimmy’s relentless optimism genuinely funny, without ever making her trauma into a joke.
12) Great News
One of the most criminally under-appreciated shows of recent years, Great News made it for only two seasons on NBC before being cut short, but is available to stream in full on Netflix. Produced by Tina Fey, the show follows an up-and-coming TV news producer (Briga Heelan) who’s horrified to discover that her new intern is her mother (Andrea Martin), who’s seeking a career reinvention.
13) Community
A disbarred lawyer enrolls at community college and starts up a study group with a gang of equally eccentric classmates—only Community is infinitely weirder, more surreal and more inventive than that synopsis suggests. The show is full of breakout performances from actors we all now know and love, from Donald Glover to Alison Brie to Gillian Jacobs, and despite a significant amount of behind-the-scenes drama (just Google it), it stays mostly great throughout.
14) Love
If you’re nostalgic for the good old days when Hollywood actually made romantic comedies, this Judd Apatow co-created series will satisfy that craving. Series co-creator Paul Rust and Gillian Anderson play Micky and Gus, two Angelenos weighed down by emotional baggage who nevertheless try to make a relationship work. A down-to-earth and sometimes cynical depiction of modern dating, but there’s enough heart to keep you invested.
From old favorites to new classics, there's a pick for everyone.