Summary
- Netflix offers a wide variety of hilarious comedy series to suit all tastes, from classic sitcoms like Seinfeld to animated comedies like BoJack Horseman.
- Shows like One Day at a Time, F Is for Family, and American Vandal provide both laughs and thoughtful commentary on serious topics.
- Other notable comedies on Netflix include After Life, Santa Clarita Diet, and Master of None, each with their own unique and boundary-pushing style of humor.
Audiences will find plenty of laughs among the best comedy series on Netflix. After kick-starting the world of streaming, Netflix has remained a big player in the game even with all the competition that has come along. One of the most popular aspects of the platform is all the hilarious comedy series that are available when Netflix users want to relax with a few laughs and a great show. Over the years, Netflix has acquired more than a few outstanding and hilarious comedy series.
From the Netflix originals like Master of None to favorites from network television like Community, Netflix has never been short on terrific comedies. There is a wide variety of selections for audiences of all tastes. There are classic sitcoms like Seinfeld as well as teen-focused shows like Never Have I Ever. There are animated comedies like BoJack Horseman and sketch comedy shows like Key & Peele. There are even shows that blend in other genre elements with the laughs. The best comedy series on Netflix offers something for everyone.
25 One Day At A Time (2017-2020)
While Norman Lear created some of the best sitcoms of the past, a remake of one of his classics proved his style has not waned in popularity. One Day at a Time follows a Cuban-American family headed by a single mother dealing with her own personal struggles while also raising her dysfunctional family. The show would tackle big issues but never lost sight of the sitcom antics that provided the laughs. It was a show that embraced its old-school sitcom feel in an effective way.
24 F Is For Family (2015-2021)
There are plenty of great animated comedy series on Netflix, but subscribers should not overlook F is For Family. Created by comedian Bill Burr, the show is set in the 1970s and follows a dysfunctional suburban family in Pennsylvania. Unlike the wholesomeness of One Day at a Time, F is For Family embraces its bitter and vulgar sense of humor making for some wildly hilarious moments. Yet it still manages to have a lot of heart at its center, being much more than just shock value.
23 American Vandal (2017-2018)
The mockumentary format has been used to create some of the funniest comedies in movies and television and American Vandal deserves to be mentioned alongside those hits. Spoofing true-crime documentaries, the show is set in high school and investigates cases of immature pranks and vandalism centered around obscene drawings and toilet gags. Despite the seemingly childish humor, American Vandal is a sharp commentary on modern entertainment as well as constructing genuinely clever mysteries in each season. Of course, it is also hilarious in its silliness and satire.
22 After Life (2019-2022)
A British comedy, After Life is a dark series written, created, produced, and directed by the hilarious Ricky Gervais (known for creating the British version of The Office). The show stars Gervais as Tony, whose life gets turned upside down after his wife dies of cancer. Although he decides to punish the world by speaking his mind in the most brutally honest ways, throughout the series, he grows and tries to help the people who helped him become a better person. It's one of those rare sitcoms that deal with serious topics such as grief and death and still manage to be hilarious. It is also tailor-made to Gervais' boundary-pushing style of comedy.
21 Santa Clarita Diet (2017-2018)
Silly comedy and graphic violence is a mix that not many shows have succeeded at but Santa Clarita Diet is a rare example of how wonderfully these elements can blend. Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant make for a brilliant comedic duo as a suburban married couple whose lives are turned upside down when she dies and comes back to life with a craving for human flesh. Seeing these two navigate this new situation terrific fun with lively performances from the talented cast. While a lot of people would have liked to see the show continue, Santa Clarita Diet's season 3 ending worked as a perfect unplanned finale.
20 Trailer Park Boys (2001-2018)
A mockumentary series, Trailer Park Boys focuses on three residents of Sunnyvale Trailer Park, Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles. The three of them try to make money through schemes and petty crime. The characters are what makes the show truly hilarious, with Julian being the leader of their schemes, Ricky being the dumb one, and Bubbles being the innocent one who rarely gets in trouble for their illegal exploits. There are fun guest stars and quotable lines galore.
19 Master Of None (2015-2021)
Coming off of the sitcom ensemble of Parks and Recreation, Aziz Ansari stepped into the spotlight creating and starring in his own series. Master of None finds him playing a young struggling actor in New York City looking for love and hanging out with his friends. Master of None helped to usher in the new era of prestige comedy series with a show that could have funny nonsense episodes as well as deeply thought-provoking ones. The show would sometimes leave the main characters and focus on completely new characters to tell a one-off story. It made for a beautiful, engrossing, and funny series in the early days of Netflix.
18 Jane The Virgin (2014-2019)
A comedic premise sets up the inventive and warm comedy series Jane the Virgin. Gina Rodriguez stars as a devout Catholic girl who is saving herself for marriage only to discover that she was accidentally inseminated at a doctor's appointment and becomes pregnant. The show follows the misadventures that spring from this unexpected event as Jane and her eccentric family all try to deal with it together. The sweet tone and lovable characters make this a must-binge comedy.
17 Documentary Now! (2015-)
Another mockumentary earns a spot as one of the funniest comedies on Netflix. Documentary Now! is a satire of classy documentary series that explore strange and untold stories from around the world. Each new episode of the comedy is a new documentary that deals with a variety of subjects, from the ill-fated production of an arthouse movie to a stone-throwing competition to the career of an overlooked band. With Dame Helen Mirren serving as the very classy host and a variety of celebrities popping up to play the eccentric subjects of these stories, Documentary Now! is a hilarious ride.
16 Key & Peele (2012-2015)
Keegan Michael-Key and Jordan Peele met on Mad TV and later started their own superior sketch comedy program with Key & Peele. The duo performs short yet often epic sketches that can range from a variety of subject matter like pop culture to domestic life to racial injustice while always keeping with surreal and wacky sense of humor. Standout sketches like the Key & Peele football names sketch, the angry Obama, and the valets highlight to brilliant of the show. Both have gone on to find more success, including Jordan Peele's great horror films.
15 Grace And Frankie (2015-2022)
The cast of Grace and Frankie is enough to recommend this early Netflix comedy. Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin reunite as two women who don't get along but are forced together when they find out that their husbands have been having a long affair together. While that is the initial setup for the show, it becomes a lovely and funny story of friendship between these unlikely pals who find each other later in life. It is a thrill to see Tomlin and Fonda together again and their chemistry is as sharp as ever. The series also landed a few notable Emmy nominations.
14 Never Have I Ever (2020-2023)
One of the best teen shows on Netflix is also one of its standout comedies. Never Have I Ever follows Devi, a young girl who, after losing her father and going through her own health scare, decides to do all of the things she's always wanted to do before high school ends. The nice mix of teen struggles and humor makes it an ideal series for anyone around this age. But there are plenty of light-hearted fun and interesting characters to make it an all-around winning series for older audiences too. The narration from tennis superstar John McEnroe is also an unexpected highlight.
13 Shameless (2011-2021)
A lot of great comedies on Netflix feature dysfunctional families, but it is likely none of them are as warped as the Gallaghers on Shameless. The Chicago-based super-sized family is filled with tough and rough individuals who make their own way in the world while all supporting each other and collectively trying to make the best of their mess of a patriarch, played wonderfully by William H. Macy. The mayhem of the show and the boldness of the characters make for a wild ride as the audience cheers for the Gallaghers while also being shocked by them.
12 Big Mouth (2017-)
Another Netflix animated series, Big Mouth is a cartoon about kids but certainly not for kids. The series takes a graphic and painfully relatable look at the awkward years of early puberty and teenage emotions as these young characters battle with their hormones and constant struggles of social life in school. The show presents these moments in hilariously inventive ways, with a whole world filled with Hormone Monsters and Shame Wizards affecting the children. It can be painful to watch at times but always funny.
11 I Think You Should Leave (2019-)
The most recent sketch show to emerge on Netflix has quickly become one of the funniest shows on television. While Tim Robinson's time on Saturday Night Live didn't result in many memorable characters, it seems all he needed was his own show to stretch his unusual brand of comedy. I Think You Should Leave features endless memorable sketches of characters making a social faux pas, misreading a situation, or being socially awkward and then proceeding to make matters exponentially worse. Robinson's unhinged performances have also become viral sensations.
10 Chappelle's Show (2003-2006)
Dave Chappelle is one of the most successful standup comedians of all time but his sketch comedy show, Chappelle's Show is perhaps what made him the star to the general public. Chappelle does not pull any punches in his skewering of pop culture, politics, racism, and social situations. It can be shocking at times, but the brilliant writing and endlessly quotable moments make for one of the funniest sketch shows ever made. From the Rick James story to the Black white supremacist to Wayne Brady cameo, there is too much brilliance in Chapelle's Show to name.
9 Insecure (2016-2021)
Issa Rae created and stars in the wonderful and personal series Insecure. She plays a young woman who constantly compares herself to her much more successful best friend as she struggles in relationships and finding the right career path. Rae is a charismatic and hilarious lead, bringing brightness to the role but also being willing to be the butt of the joke most of the time. It is an honest and relatable series that debuted on HBO but is now available on Netflix. The series was met with widespread acclaim throughout its entire run and helped make the talented Issa Rae into a star.
8 Beef (2023-)
Beef is a recent comedy starring Ali Wong and Steven Yeun that became one of the most talked-about Netflix shows of the year. The two leads play complete strangers who, following an incident of road rage that is taken way too far, seek to destroy each other's lives. Beef has some shocking moments and can be quite dark at times, but it always manages to seed some humor into those situations. Wong and Yeun are pitch-perfect as these complex characters each doing their part to make a bad situation worse.
7 BoJack Horseman (2014-2020)
BoJack Horseman is one of the most emotional, dark, and realistic character studies, and is funnily enough about a talking horse. Besides being hilarious, the show focuses on sensitive issues such as depression, anxiety, and addiction which other shows don't seem to touch upon. The show follows BoJack Horseman, a TV actor who peaked in the 90s, now struggling with alcoholism, looking to make a comeback in the industry. The show revolves around him trying to make his way through Hollywood with his roommate Todd, agent Princess Carlyn, fellow actor and rival Mr. Peanutbutter, and his ghostwriter Diane.
6 Derry Girls (2018-2022)
The small Irish comedy Derry Girls gradually emerged as one of the best shows on Netflix. The show is set in the town of Londonderry in the 1990s and follows a group of schoolgirls (and their male friend) as they attempt to meet boys, deal with their strict parents, and prepare for their future. Derry Girls is filled with real-life events from the era, including the violence of The Troubles, yet it manages to keep a lighthearted and sweet vibe throughout. The young cast is exceptional and form a beautiful television friendship while displaying uniquely Irish humor.