The new HBO series The Baby is disturbing and humorous, blending together the comedic and the horrifying. While a less-skilled series might lean in one direction or the other, the show’s brilliance lies in its ability to keep these two elements of its story in a useful tension.
This certainly sets it apart from many horror shows currently populating the television landscape, but there are actually quite a few other series, both past and present, that have managed to both disturb and amuse their audiences. All of these iconic series are sure to appeal to fans of The Baby.
American Horror Story (2011-Present) - Streaming On Hulu
Ryan Murphy has created many great movies and TV series, but there’s no question that American Horror Story is one of his most successful. Full of camp and schlock, it often has a comedic bite to it that is not always obvious at first glance, a feature it shares with The Baby.
With each season, however, Murphy’s anthology drama has demonstrated an ability to tease out the most horrifying aspects of American life, whether it’s the dysfunction at the heart of the nuclear family or a baby that is fated to become the Antichrist.
American Horror Stories (2021-Present) - Streaming On Hulu
Given the success of American Horror Story, it’s not surprising that it would spawn a spin-off. Like its predecessor, American Horror Stories has much to recommend it to fans of The Baby, in particular its blending of the humorous and the grotesque. What’s more, it also manages to tell a self-contained story with each episode (though there are some connections between one or two of them).
Filled with gore and blood, it manages to explore some of the darker aspects of the American psyche.
What We Do In The Shadows (2019-Present) - Streaming On Hulu
Part of what makes The Baby such an appealing show is its ability to make the audience laugh, even if they are uncomfortable doing so. A similar dynamic is at work in What We Do in the Shadows, arguably one of the best series on FX. Focusing on a group of vampires and their familiar as they try to survive on Staten Island, it manages to be both very funny and very disturbing at the same time.
At its heart, though, the series truly is about the strange yet touching bonds between the vampires and their familiar.
Chucky (2021-Present) - Streaming On Peacock
Chucky is arguably one of the most iconic figures in the history of horror. The diminutive toy who commits a series of horrifying murders continues to cast a peculiar spell, and the series’ blending together of absurd humor and gore means it will certainly appeal to fans of The Baby.
Just as importantly, the show is also notable for the way that it uses the horror genre to explore a number of timely topics, including sexuality, bullying, and the toxic heart of domestic life.
iZombie (2015-2019) - Streaming On Netflix
Along with the killer toy, the zombie is one of the most ubiquitous figures in horror, and there are many great movies and TV series focusing on this figure. One of the most ingenious is iZombie, which quickly established itself as one of the best series on the CW.
Throughout its several seasons, the show managed to capture a unique blend of horror, procedural, and comedy, and it is precisely its ability to hold these various genre influences in tension that will make it appeal to fans of The Baby.
Scream Queens (2015-2016) - Streaming On Apple TV+
Scream Queens is yet another offering from Ryan Murphy. It is more straightforwardly a black comedy than American Horror Story, as the title itself implies. Though it only lasted for two seasons, it nevertheless demonstrated that it had quite a lot of bite, which means it is sure to appeal to fans of The Baby.
Furthermore, it also featured some excellent performances from its cast, particularly Abigail Breslin, Emma Roberts, and Lea Michele. With its mixture of tastelessness and silliness, it is a pleasure to watch.
Santa Clarita Diet (2017-2019) - Streaming On Netflix
It takes a rare show to be able to keep its comedy and horror elements going in equal measure. The Baby is one that truly accomplishes this, and it is joined in this regard by Santa Clarita Diet, which focuses on a woman who slowly becomes a zombie, posing all sorts of problems for her family.
Though it contains a great deal of gore, the series also never loses sight of the fact that it is supposed to be funny, and it also includes two phenomenal leads in Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant.
The Addams Family (1964-1966) - Streaming On Prime Video
The Baby partakes in a long line of series that are a blend of the comedic and the horrifying. Arguably one of the best, and a classic sitcom in its own right, is The Addams Family. Based on the comic strip of the same name, the series focuses on the many weird adventures of the Addamses, whose bizarre lifestyle is often at odds with the norms of postwar America.
It is one of the shows that truly manages to be both deeply disturbing and uproariously funny at the same time.
The Munsters (1964-1966) - Streaming On Peacock
The Addams Family wasn’t the only 1960s series with a strange premise, for it was joined by The Munsters. Like The Baby and The Addams Family, The Munsters combines horror elements with comedy, in this case through the family of the title, all of whom–with the exception of Marilyn–are monsters of one type or another.
However, despite their obvious differences from their neighbors, they still do everything that they can to fit in with their more normal human community.
Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated (2010-2013) - Streaming On HBO Max
Scooby-Doo is one of the most iconic cartoon characters of all time, and he has appeared in numerous movies, TV series, and comics. Arguably one of the best recent offerings is Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, which immerses its characters in a very Lovecraftian story.
Of course, it doesn’t lose sight of the whimsy and humor that have always been a part of the Scooby-Doo brand and, with its peculiar mix of horror and light-hearted comedy, it is sure to appeal to fans of The Baby.