Comedies are often the gateway to the wonderful world of TV. I remember frantically turning on ABC Family after school to watch a rerun of Full House each day. I stayed up late to laugh with George Lopez in his self-titled sitcom on Nick-at-Nite. TV comedy series serve as the appetizer for fans to dive into more complex series, but sometimes a sitcom or a comedy is good enough to satisfy audiences all on its own.
Netflix is home to some of the best comedy series available today. Not many streamers have the expansive library of original series and classic oldies to serve multiple generations of fans. These are the best comedy shows on Netflix to try out. If you don’t like at least one of these, then “NO SOUP FOR YOU!”
BEEF (2023)
BEEF is the darkly comedic road rage series that premiered on Netflix in 2023 to critical acclaim. A depressed man and an overly stressed woman engage in a game of back-and-forth that goes far beyond their wildest thoughts after an argument in a parking lot. With eight Emmy Awards on the mantle and a second season on the way with a new cast, this show stands as one of the pinnacles of Netflix’s original programming.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013)
Grace and Frankie (2015)
Comedy legends Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda are outstanding in this buddy comedy about two older women who find solace in each other after div0rcing their husbands. Both actresses received Emmy nominations for their performances. Grace and Frankie is a great LGBTQ+ series and one of the best Netflix original shows to come out in the last ten years.
Seinfeld (1989)
Seinfeld maintains its status as a 1990s classic while garnering new viewers in the 2020s because the show bluntly embraces its style of humor and doesn’t compromise its punchlines the way so many contemporary sitcoms do. Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine aren’t good people, but these four friends struggle with much of the mundane daily activities that afflict human existence, from finding where you parked to warding off nasty restaurant workers.
Arrested Development (2003)
That ’90s Show (2023)
How I Met Your Mother (2005)
How I Met Your Mother was the bridge between Friends and New Girl in the line of romantic sitcoms about a group of young lovers traversing their 20s and 30s with laughter and chaos. This show’s unique angle is how it tells the story from a past-tense point of view with a narrator. Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Segel are the best actors in the cast featuring plenty of talented folks. How I Met Your Father has helped keep this show relevant, too.
Young Sheldon (2017)
The Bernie Mac Show (2001)
The late Bernie Mac was one of dozens of stand up comics who got their own sitcom in the 1990s and 2000s. The Bernie Mac Show developed a cult following for its brash sense of humor and ability to turn tropes upside down. Mac plays a fictional version of himself, one who must figure out how to be a father to his nieces and nephews on the fly.
Orange Is the New Black (2013)
Orange is the New Black revolutionized original comedy programming on Netflix and even blazed a trail for the streamer in other genres. Set in a women’s prison, the show features dark humor and a lot of likable characters who figure out how to live their best lives behind bars.
