It was a sad day for The Office fans when the mockumentary series left Netflix. Viewers were even sadder when Parks and Recreation departed the streaming service as well. Luckily for sitcom fans, there are still plenty of comedy series on Netflix that elicit just as many laughs.
Religion, hardship, and broken family relationships may seem like tough subjects for comedies to tackle but shows like Beef and Cunk On Earth put a unique spin on these topics. These shows are guaranteed to poke funny bones with some dark comedy and lighthearted humor picks. Here are the best comedy series to watch on Netflix tonight.
Updated on 24 July, 2023 by Fawzia Khan: Netflix changes its programming regularly, and even as some top shows leave the service, the streaming giant has seen an influx of new comedy shows. This article has been updated with the freshest comedy series streaming on Netflix right now.
Seinfeld
Often touted as the show about nothing, Seinfeld brought to life the most vivid comedic moments that are remembered and replicated to date. Following the ordinary but amusing lives of four friends, Jerry, George, Elaine, and Cosmo, the sitcom is a clever mix between standup and situational comedy. In the absence of loud, flashy settings, it draws comedy from the everyday situations that the friends get into. Precise writing, naturally funny jokes, and a terrific ensemble cast set Seinfeld apart from others. This sitcom could definitely not be remade today.
Derry Girls
Derry Girls is a female-led British comedy with a likable ensemble cast. It revolves around the life of five teens living in the town of Derry, Northern Ireland in the '90s. The girls and (one) boy are hilarious in their day-to-day struggles, which is comically offset by the political climate of the country.
Creator Lisa McGee took inspiration from her own experiences as a teen in Derry to fill the show with sassy, sweet, and side-splitting moments that immediately warm the audience to the group. The sitcom walks the fine line between silly and complex. Fans wish that the episodes could be a bit longer than the half an hour that flies by.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Romance, original music, lost identities, and well-rounded characters -- Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has it all. It has a one-of-a-kind premise, revolving around a successful lawyer, Rebecca Bunch, who leaves her life behind to follow an old flame to California. She claims she is in search of the meaning of life, and totally in denial about the real reason why she moved.
The humor here is infectious and completely wild, but it manages to stay the course. The show is unafraid to touch on topics of mental health, sex positivity, female reproductive health, and more. This fearlessness and weirdness are present in every song and dialogue of the show, too.
The Mindy Project
Mindy Kaling is a certified comedy queen, and she shows her writing and acting chops, both, in The Mindy Project. She plays Dr. Mindy Lahiri, a gynecologist who is great at her job but bad at life. Her love life forms the crux of the comedy, as she dates unique characters, trying to find The One.
The New York-based sitcom manages to be sweet and charming, without going down the trodden path. Mindy makes her character as different as she can from the rest, with no mind for being likable. Thankfully, Dr. Lahiri and her supporting cast make audiences laugh with their hilarious personalities and amusing plotlines.
Bojack Horseman
Bojack Horseman follows the popular trend of animation shows going dark. The show follows the titular horse, who is a washed-up ex-star trying to navigate his life after his stardom faded. Bojack copes with his failing relationships, self-worth, and dark times by injecting humor into every situation.
Despite the gloomy undercurrent throughout the show, the jokes are nuanced and sharp. It derives its comedy through introspection, which is rare to find. Bojack Horseman is perfect for audiences who want a dose of existential dread and comedy, combined.
Beef
Considered one of Netflix's most binge-worthy shows, Beef is a black comedy that shows the lengths people will go to for revenge. Ali Wong and Steven Yeun play two strangers who lock horns after a road rage incident, and their rivalry spirals out of control as they entangle and undermine each other's lives. Beef gets dark and gritty but manages to maintain its sardonic humor throughout. The feud between Amy and Danny brings out their darkest impulses, which form the core of this tragicomic amalgamation of humor and existentialism.
Crashing
Created by Fleabag writer, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Crashing imagines a group of young adults who squat in a disused hospital so they can save money on rent. Their eccentric personalities inevitably clash over relationships, sex, and personal baggage.
Consisting of only six episodes, this comedy series is entirely too short and leaves fans begging for more. Waller-Bridge takes on television tropes head-on and subverts them cleverly without being preachy. It's a rare case where a show's strong opinions make it even funnier.
Cunk On Earth
Cunk on Earth is a combination of mockumentary and genuine historical documentary. Comedian Diane Morgan plays the weird and wonderful Philomena Cunk, a self-serious but ignorant traveling narrator who interviews real-world experts on topics from ancient Greece to mankind's future. She then provides her hilariously obtuse takes on the same.
Cunk on Earth is the perfect blend of low-brow and high-brow comedy, and Morgan is phenomenal as Cunk, who sometimes seems more real than the events she's reporting on. Cunk on Earth is one of the most masterfully executed spoofs of all time.
Never Have I Ever
Combining her own experiences as a second-generation Indian in the USA with her comedy prowess, Mindy Kaling creates a cutesy comedy with Never Have I Ever. This is the story of young Devi, who sits on the lower rung of the popularity ladder in high school but would do anything to clamber out of nerdhood (and have sex) before she goes to college.
Never Have I Ever offers great insight into the inner workings of a South Asian family, and also injects Devi's everyday struggles with humor and lightheartedness. Voiceovers by John McEnroe and Gigi Hadid only add to the sometimes absurd humor of this show but it's primarily a smart, relatable comedy about transcending adolescence.
The Good Place
In The Good Place, Kristen Bell leads an amazing cast in this philosophical show that manages to take on religion while staying funny and not inciting controversy. The show's plot evolved over its four seasons but maintained its initial focus on ethics, faith, and humanity. In this tale, Eleanor Shellstrop is sent to a Heaven-like utopia, but soon realizes she doesn't belong there when she meets her morally-righteous afterlife companions. Surprisingly, she devotes herself to ethics and tries to become better so she deserves to stay.
The Good Place garnered high praise for its creativity, and the first season's final plot twist is one of TV's greatest moments. While The Good Place ended after just four seasons, it managed to complete its complex story of good, evil, and eternal boredom and ended on a high note.
Arrested Development
Since its debut in 2003, Arrested Development has always struggled for a place on the air. The series debuted on Fox for three seasons between 2003 and 2006, and even though it had positive reviews, low ratings forced Fox to pull the plug on the sitcom. Seven years later, Netflix revived the series with two seasons, which concluded in 2019.
Despite the controversy surrounding its cancelation and revival, Arrested Development developed a cult following as a rare gem in TV's crown. The sitcom centers on the dysfunctional Bluth family who, after their patriarch is arrested for fraud, lose their money but continue living extravagant lives. Jason Bateman plays Michael, the closest thing the family has to a sensible leader, as he tries to get the Bluth Company back on track as his family undermines him at every turn, intentionally and accidentally.
Community
Community not only served up great, underrated comedy for six seasons but also created one of the most complex and funny microcosms in TV history, Greendale Community College. Replete with iconic guest stars and incredible performances from everyone to Chevy Chase, Donald Glover, and Alison Brie, it was smarter, stranger, and funnier than almost any other show on television. Most of Community's episode titles are spoofs of actual college course titles, from "Critical Film Studies" to "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons." Eminently binge-able, Community pairs with Netflix like a fine wine.
Shameless
Set in the South Side of Chicago, Shameless focuses on the Gallagher family's underhanded lives. An adaptation of a British show of the same name, Shameless did significantly better in the U.S., which embraced its grounded, darkly comic premise. William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum lead this dysfunctional family as the neglectful alcoholic father Frank and the oldest sibling/caregiver, Fiona, who both deliver powerhouse performances in this series.
Even though Shameless is a comedy at its core, its premise also lends itself to drama thanks to the reality of the Gallaghers' situation. The series often deals with dark themes like drug addiction, mental illness, and poverty, making it as heart-wrenching as it is funny.
Gilmore Girls
In some ways, Gilmore Girls was billed as a teen drama, but by dividing its plots between the titular mother and daughter, and introducing a constant stream of speed-of-light dialogue and pop culture references, it was also a comedic hit. Set in the small town of Star's Hollow, Lorelai and Rory Gilmore are both idyllic and weirdly dysfunctional, and the series explores their lives, loves, and epic fails over the course of its seven seasons.
Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, Lorelai distanced herself from her wealthy family after her unexpected teen pregnancy. Proud of her success with a bed-and-breakfast, she still has to reunite with her difficult parents when her academically-gifted daughter Rory needs money to attend an exclusive private school. Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel are iconic as the eponymous mother-daughter duo, the series also features great comedic performances from icons like Melissa McCarthy and Supernatural's Jared Padalecki.