You can never have too many comedies lined up for future binging. We’re always on the lookout for new titles to make us laugh or old classics to carry us through to the next release. If your backlog is looking a little light, or you’ve momentarily forgotten about a few of the bigger mainstays, here are a few of the shows that always guarantee us a laugh.
The Office
We’ve heard countless people talk about how The Office is their absolute favorite sitcom of all time. It’s a bold claim, as there are a lot of good sitcoms out there, but that just shows the incredible staying power this particular one has. There are annual watch parties, jokes about people not bothering to watch anything else on Netflix, and virtually every costume party has someone dressed as Dwight. What’s more, The Office absolutely earned its legacy. How can you not when “The Dinner Party” is part of your backlog? Watch
Arrested Development
Espousing the strengths of Arrested Development to an audience like you is about as effective as telling you it’d be more efficient to buy your bread pre-sliced. You already know everything we could possibly tell you here. So let’s treat this recommendation as a rewatch suggestion, not a first watch suggestion. It’s probably been a little while since you’ve watched the series all the way through, and with season 5 on the way, why not spend some more quality time with the Bluths. Besides, the show’s so densely packed with jokes, in-jokes, references, and call backs that you’re bound to notice at least one thing you didn’t on your 42nd time watching. Watch
Norsemen
Norsemen is a surprising show, which we’ve talked about before. To describe it in a few words, Norsemen is a workplace comedy set during the height of the Viking age. It doesn’t shy away from the more gruesome aspects of its time either. There are extended jokes about how enthusiastic one of the Viking women was about violating some monks, a group of old men who haven’t been completely sold on getting into Valhalla by way of ritual suicide, and a man not being allowed to go on a raid because he’d made previous plans to socialize with his neighbors. It feels like a modern take on an ancient culture, but it also reminds us that these situations probably aren’t as unique we might think. Your average person probably hasn’t changed much for a few thousand years, with the same everyday problems badgering people the whole time. Watch
The IT Crowd
This was the show that first turned us on to the comedic talents of Richard Ayoade and Chris O’Dowd, for which we will be forever grateful. It’s hard to think of another duo who had such quick and effortlessly believable chemistry in a sitcom, besides maybe Troy and Abed in Community. In fact, if that comparison is what helps convince you that this show is worth watching, then we’ve already done our job. Otherwise, consider this the next entry in your British Isles binging session. It doesn’t drag on too long, it masterfully avoids falling into sitcom tropes, and it has some of the greatest characters ever put to a script (Douglas Reynholm intro is the best character intro we’ve ever seen). Watch
Blue Mountain State
Blue Mountain State’s defining feature has to be its raunchiness. It’s easily one of the dirtiest, most ridiculous, and topically offensive shows we’ve ever seen. But sometimes you’re just in the mood for that. This is humor you can turn your brain off to and veg out, in a good way. Don’t expect anything groundbreaking, but there’s enough of a unique twist on the standard college athlete fare to keep you entertained for at least one watch session. We’d even bet you rewatch at least once, after either nostalgia or boredom brings you back. Watch
Freaks and Geeks
Freaks and Geeks is the favorite show of everyone who was “misunderstood” in the 90s, which is to say, it was everyone’s favorite show. Though that also means it was inexplicably cancelled after a single season. Like most of you, we have no idea what makes TV executives so trigger happy in the show cancelling firing squad. We just write about pop culture, we don’t actually control it. In any case, watch Freaks and Geeks so you can simultaneously laugh and say, “holy shit, they look super young here,” for everyone except Jason Segel. Apparently he ages like Paul Rudd. He’s just always looked like Jason Segel, so no one’s very impressed. Watch
Mystery Science Theater 3000
In terms of rapid fire quipping, no other show on this list compares to Mystery Science Theater 3000. No matter what iteration you watch, the jokes never come any slower and rarely miss the mark. The worst thing about the show is how many people watched it once and thought they could do the same thing. Not that we’re saying you need to stop having fun at the expense of crappy movies, just don’t get too high on your own talent (or lack thereof). It’s better to sit back and let the comedians in charge of the show make you laugh. You can drop a few of your own in there somewhere if you can find a gap to do it, but we don’t remember the hosts ever not talking, so good luck. Watch
Cheers/Frasier
Cheers and Frasier were just slightly too recent for us to include in our “Old Sitcoms” article, but come back in about ten years and we’d say they’re guaranteed an inclusion. Both shows are full of some of the most likable characters and best writing on that side of Seinfeld. Though maybe strike characters for Seinfeld. No one there is really likeable. Cheers is iconic and continues to inspire comedy writers today. Frasier made networks think spin-offs were sure-fire hits. Both have contributed to television history in hugely significant ways and we’re always surprised we don’t hear either show mentioned in the same breath as those older classics. Rectify a small part of that injustice by giving the gang at Cheers their due. Cheers | Frasier
F is for Family
Bill Burr is easily one of the best comedians working today and a lot of that talent comes from keeping modern culture firmly in context. Every one of his specials is worth watching if you haven’t seen it already, but if you want to see what he’s capable of with a team of writers and a complete lack of studio oversight, F is for Family is for you. It’s an unadulterated look at what people growing up in the 70s and 80s experienced. Not that those years were so long ago. If you didn’t get to grow up then, you’ve definitely heard your parents tell stories similar to what you’ll see in F is for Family. Watch
The Good Place
Talking about The Good Place is hard to do without spoiling some of the best, most creative aspects of the show. Right now, only the first season is available on Netflix, and while the first season is good, most of it is foundation laying. Not that you’d know that up until the season finale. There’s a lot of good stuff going on, with some new faces who will likely become fixtures in future shows. Ted Danson and Kristen Bell also turn in solid performances, as you’d expect. And hopefully, by the time you finish the first season, the second one will be up for you to continue on. Watch
American Vandal
American Vandal totally blindsided us. We never would have thought than an extended dick joke would make a list of the funniest shows on Netflix, yet here we are. Most of our enjoyment of the show comes from how many shots it takes at the true crime and documentary genres. Sure, we love a good one of either, but there’s an increasing number of releases that are collapsing under the weight of their own self-importance. Watching a bunch of high schoolers treat a dick joke the way pseudo-journalists think of crime in middle America shows how absurd it is to treat every single misdemeanor as the next great exposé. Watch
