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What are some good comedy series to watch lately ?

Recently I binge watched Abbot Elementary, and I couldn't get enough of it, watched the British version of ghosts and it was quite good too.

I have tried "what we do in the shadows" and it wasn't to my liking.

What are your suggestions about a light comedy series of the same genre ?

118 comments
    • The Good Place (a show about moral philosophy and the afterlife. This may sound dry, but watch the first couple episodes. They're not very long, trust me)
    • Good Omens (based on a Terry Prachett novel about an angel and a demon who become friends and then have to thwart the coming of the end-times to save humanity and their relationship)
    • Columbo (it's more detective show than comedy, but it's about a bumbling detective who seems to know whodunnit within 5 minutes of showing up to the crime scene, but then spends +45min whittling away at the murderer's psyche until they either crumble and confess, make a mistake, or he finds the evidence he's been looking for)
    • Monk (also comedic detective show, this one about a detective suffering from severe OCD after his wife died in a carbomb. I know the premise sounds dark, trust me, the shows' really funny and generally fairly light)
    • Psych (aaand another comedic detective show, this time about a man who's extremely perceptive and tries to help the police out on a case, but is too good at it and is accused of being the murderer. He then comes up with the claim of being a psychic to avoid getting arrested and then proceeds to get contracted by the cops as a psychic detective)
    • UK Top Gear/The Grand Tour (comedy car shows)

    If you feel like you need something dark and disturbing, but with a bit of humor to it:

    • Utopia (2013 UK version, NOT THE 2020 AMAZON VERSION) This series is one of the best shows I've watched, but it's also possibly the darkest, most disturbing TV show I've ever watched. The pandemic only made it worse. I put this here, however, because while it's primarily a conspiracy thriller, there is a fair amount of black comedy in it. I want to recommend watching it, even just for the relatively unique use of framing and cinematography, but jesus christ this show does not shy away from showing you things most directors would leave to the imagination.

  • Superstore is a good comedy/satire about people working at a Walmart-type store.

  • Detectorists - light hearted, warm and funny show about the lives of metal detector enthusiasts. Got to be my favourite British show to come out in years.

  • Maybe not the exact same style, but Blackadder (after the first series) and father ted are some of my favourites

  • Green Wing. It's a British sitcom set in a hospital. There's absolutely nothing medical-related in it; the hospital is just the place where everyone works - a backdrop and nothing more. It's somewhere between a sketch show, a soap opera and a comedy drama - it's surreal, exaggerated and definitely has a lot of "sketch-like" scenes, but the characters are fleshed out and consistent, and have proper emotional arcs.

    It has an absolutely fantastic cast, and a lot of them have gone onto have very successful careers since then. Olivia Coleman, for one, but I'm sure you'll recognise Tamsin Greig, Stephen Mangan, Michelle Gomez and Mark Heap - if not their names then at least their faces.

    It has an incredible editing style and score, too. Like, it's impossible not to notice how good they are, even if they're not something you're usually remotely interested in. In particular, it makes heavy use of slow-motion and fast-forward at the start and end of scenes, with the brilliantly catchy score as the only audio, which really highlights the actors' body language as well as making for great transitions between scenes.

    It's laugh-out-loud funny, memorable and surprisingly endearing for such a surreal show. I always found it surprising that Black Books - which is also fantastic (and also stars Tamsin Greig) - managed to find an American audience but Green Wing never seemed to. Both are on par with each other, I think.

  • You should check out the original British version of shameless

  • Futurama is great. Been around a while but just getting a new season

  • The latest season of Miracle Workers is great. This season's theme is End Times. I just wish they had more episodes.

  • If you've not watched Mork and Mindy, that's worth it. It was Robin William's breakout role in television, so if you know Robin, you know what you're getting. It's delightful.

    I've been really getting into Korean tv on Netflix lately, too. Best watched with subtitles and no dubbing. My gf and I have been watching Good Manager, which is about a tacky mob accountant trying to run away from his problems by skimming flagrantly from all of the dodgy businesses he manages. He gets hired at a large corporation and thinks he's onto his biggest scam yet, but the accounting team are sincere, the managers are psychos, and he's still got a glimmer of heart beneath his red hair dye and 1980's Sears catalogue suits that makes stealing from big business really, really hard when they take it out on the little guy. It's had me absolutely rolling; people's facial expressions, their theatrics, and vigorous use of the leitmotif really brought it together. 10/10, for me.

118 comments