With a fair bit of the country currently in lockdown, we are all likely in need of a good laugh. Hell, even if you’re not in lockdown (lucky you!), you could probably still do with a giggle or two because you’re human and laughter is the best.
Streaming is a natural antidote to feeling a bit ‘meh’ with so many old and new comedy series to watch to lift your mood, fall in love with new characters or get reacquainted with ones you’ve known and loved for a while.
With that in mind, we put together a list of the best comedies to stream when you’re over lockdown or just in need of a good old LOL.
Ted Lasso
There’s a reason that Ted Lasso starring Jason Sudeikis earned 20 Emmy nominations for 2021.
The heartwarming series broke records by becoming the most nominated comedy series this year, as well as the most nominated freshman comedy series in history, which is refreshing seeing as this show proves that being kind to each other can be damn funny.
Watch it on: Apple TV+
Arrested Development
“Now the story of a wealthy family who lost everything and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together.”
Arrested Development is just one of those shows that somehow gets funnier each time you watch it. It is bitingly clever, wonderfully inappropriate and features perhaps one of the best comedy casts of all time.
Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, David Cross, Portia De Rossi, Jeffrey Tambour, Tony Hale, Henry Winkler, Bob Odenkirk, Amy Poehler, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and the late and legendary Jessica Walter are just some of the hilarious stars of this cult-comedy classic that is always worth a rewatch.
Watch it on: Netflix
Big Mouth
Adult animation is all the rage and Nick Kroll has delivered the goods with Big Mouth — a series about the pitfalls of puberty. The show also explores themes of anxiety, sexuality and consent, which exist seamlessly alongside signature profane punchlines around heavy periods and masturbation.
Kroll and fellow comedian John Mulaney voice the characters of Andrew and Nick, with Ayo Edebiri replacing Jenny Slate as Missy after widespread controversy around a white actress playing a biracial character.
Watch it on: Netflix
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
We are not happy that Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s eighth season is also its last, but we sure are grateful for all of the laughs, silliness and heart this show has brought us over the years.
Saturday Night Live alum Andy Samberg leads the cast of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, starring as Detective Jake Peralta who is quite brilliant but also hilariously immature. In the final season, Jake and the squad must try to balance their personal lives and their professional lives over the course of a very difficult year, while hopefully also finding time for one last (epic) heist.
Andre Braugher, Melissa Fumero, Terry Crews, Joe Lo Truglio, Stephanie Beatriz, Joel McKinnon Miller and Dirk Blocker also star.
Where to watch it: The current season is airing on SBS and SBS On Demand while the previous seven seasons are on Netflix.
AP Bio
In AP Bio, a former philosophy professor ends up teaching AP Biology at the local high school in his hometown. In a delicious and comedic twist, however, the professor decides to use his new gig as an opportunity to get back at the people who have wronged him throughout his life.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Community
You want an all-star cast? We’ll give you an all-star cast.
Joel McHale, Donald Glover, Alison Brie, Chevy Chase, Danny Pudi, Yvette Nicole Brown, John Oliver, Ken Jeong and Jim Rash make up the cast of this brilliant comedy about a lawyer (McHale) who has to attend Community College when his law firm discovers he lied about having a degree from Columbia University.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Schitt’s Creek
What can we say about Schitt’s Creek other than it’s simply the BEST?
If you are somehow unfamiliar with this utter delight of a TV show, it’s all about the supremely wealthy (and very un-self-aware) Rose family who lose all of their money and have to go live in a crummy motel in a place called Schitt’s Creek.
Of course, at first, they are horrified by their situation, but, over the course of six hilarious and heartwarming seasons, they start to learn not only how capable they each are, but how to be a proper family, too.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Parks and Recreation
It’s been seven years since Parks and Recreation ended and yet I miss it every day.
Thankfully, I can revisit the gang from Pawnee, Indiana whenever the urge strikes (which is often) because it’s important to “treat yo’self”.
Amy Poehler stars in this irreverent comedy as Leslie Knope — an endlessly cheery government employee who bends over backwards to please the members of her small town while trying to keep her unruly colleagues in check.
Nick Offerman is another stand out in this series as the government hating, steak and whiskey-loving Ron Swanson but, honestly, everyone in this cast is deadset amazing and I wish they were my best friends.
Where to watch it: Netflix
South Park
Adult animation phenomenon South Park has been running since 1997 and 24 seasons, and it was recently renewed for six more plus 14 South Park films after creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone signed a USD $900 million deal with ViacomCBS’ MTV Entertainment Studios.
South Park has been delivering the laughs since it premiered with Stone and Parker showcasing their uncanny ability to take current events and make them even more outrageous than they already are.
Take, for example, The South ParQ Vaccination Special , which aired earlier in 2021 and examined the QAnon conspiracy theories and anti-vaxxers that have been popping up like a whack-a-mole game since the COVID-19 situation first arose.
Where to watch it: Netflix or BINGE
Friends
Security blanket TV is most certainly a thing — it’s when you rewatch a show you’ve seen a million times before to help you relax, unwind and generally exercise self-care.
Friends is a firm favourite among our team at The Latch, and across the world, with the show still being just as popular today as it was when it first aired.
For sure, it should be (and has been) noted that there are a few plot lines and jokes that were fairly unfortunate and that would never fly today (see: the incessant and unnecessary gay jokes about Chandler) but we still love these six goofballs and love to catch up with them as often as we can.
Where to watch it: Netflix for the original series and BINGE for the reunion special.
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