The Best Comedy Shows on Netflix Right Now (September 2023)

Miseducation is a captivating South African comedy-drama series that follows the life-altering journey of Mbali Hadebe (Buntu Petse). After a public humiliation due to her mother’s corrupt political dealings, Mbali’s world unravels. In pursuit of a fresh start, she enrolls at Grahamstown University, where her mission is to rebuild her reputation and escape her family’s shadow. Joining her on this rollercoaster of self-discovery is her misfit squad: Lunga Shabalala (Legacy) as Sivu Levine, a local heartthrob; Micaela Tucker as Natalie Levine; Prev Reddy as Jay Naidoo; and Mpho Sebeng (The Jakes Are Missing) as Caesar Mokoena. Miseducation is set in a small South African town and tells the stories of varsity life as the young characters navigate their isolated, self-absorbed world. This unique series, created by Katleho Ramaphakela and Rethabile Ramaphakela, offers a fresh take on teen comedy. Watch as they face growing pains and strive to fix the world’s issues while struggling to find their own path in life. – Hunter Wooden

The Mick was a disappointingly short-lived comedy series from co-creators Dave Chernin and John Chernin. The Mick reunites the creators with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Kaitlin Olson, giving her a brilliant role as Mickey, an aunt known for her ambitious schemes who finds herself saddled with unexpected responsibilities when her estranged sister and billionaire brother-in-law abandon their family to avoid prosecution from federal fraud charges. The Mick follows Mickey and the trio of kids, played by Sofia Black-D’Elia (Single Drunk Female), Thomas Barbusca, and Jack Stanton, as they trudge through ridiculous hijinks, along with their support staff Alba (Carla Jimenez). – Yael Tygiel

At some point in their lives, most people have wondered if there really was a secret organization controlling the world as we know it. In Inside Job (2021-2022), the answer is yes, and the people who work there are all seriously messed up. The show is a workplace sitcom packed with crazy conspiracies, created by Gravity Falls writer Shion Takeuchi. Are lizard people controlling the world’s financial institutions? Yes. Was the moon landing faked? Yes, but not for the reasons you’re thinking of. And is the Earth flat? No, that’s just stupid. The series primarily revolves around Reagan Ridley (Lizzy Caplan), a brilliant inventor who could one day become the head of the company (a position her alcoholic father used to hold). Unfortunately, she has absolutely no social skills, which leads the powers that be to give her a co-captain, the hilariously obtuse Brett Hand (Clark Duke). After the predictable initial tussles, Reagan and Brett join forces to try and make a difference within the shadow government. However, the shadow government isn’t exactly receptive to change, leading to hilarious and often fatal consequences. The series uses its humor to take light-hearted stabs (sometimes literally) at serious issues like childhood trauma, disillusionment, and the innate need of all living things to be accepted by their peers. It’s weird and wacky and oh-so-endearing! Come for the mad scientist shenanigans, stay for the nuanced characters, and then curse Netflix for canceling the series after just two seasons. – Remus Noronha

Kim Cattrall (Sex and the City) and Miss Benny (American Horror Stories) get all dolled up for this queer comedy about seizing every opportunity to be your best self. Glamorous centers around Marco Mejia (Benny), who gets a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be the new assistant of make-up mogul Madolyn Addison, played expertly by Cattrall. We know, how very Devil Wears Prada…but this series is camp at its finest and leans into the themes of queerness that parallel Benny’s own journey of transitioning during the process of creating the show. That authenticity bleeds through as she and Cattrall push their characters to embrace the versions of themselves they keep hidden.

FUBAR is an action comedy that feels like a mix of Mr. & Mrs. Smith and the Arnold Schwarzenegger classic True Lies. Schwarzenegger plays a retiring CIA agent whose one last job leads him to discover his daughter is also a secret agent. Now they have to work together — and through their issues — to complete this final mission. Monica Barbaro (Top Gun: Maverick) plays the super spy daughter that masquerades as a humble homemaker, and she absolutely nails this role. She and Schwarzenegger play off one another in a way that feels lived in and genuine, which rockets the comedy to explosive heights.

A conspiracy comedy by Mike Myers? That’s already enough to draw in comedy lovers everywhere. But The Pentaverate (2022) is so much more than just another comedy series, especially for fans of the beloved Canadian comedian’s work. The series revolves around the titular secret society, headed by four people (all played by Myers) who are desperately seeking a fifth member. Meanwhile, a Canadian journalist (also played by Myers) seeks to expose their existence to the world. It’s a wacky premise that leads to some hilarious hijinks but the show also presents some interesting subtext. While yes, it is a comedy, and a murder mystery as well for that matter, The Pentaverate is also a sort of passing of the torch. Throughout the series’ story, there’s a sense of the old world passing on and a new generation taking the reins, but with the best parts of the old preserved as a kindly guiding force. It’s also raunchy as hell, with plenty of digs at conspiracy theorists, the media, and Netflix itself. Plus, the show is peppered with references to Myers’ previous work and appearances by iconic characters he’s played (the Pentaverate itself is a deep call-back to Myers’ underrated 1993 film So I Married an Axe Murderer). – Remus Noronha

From Black Mirror‘s Charlie Brooker, this mockumentary series looks at the history of human civilization… as explored by the hopelessly obtuse Philomena Cunk (Diane Morgan). The show is a brilliant spoof of classic documentaries, peppered with humorous asides, hilariously terrible questions, and a lot of the 1989 Belgian techno-pop anthem “Pump Up the Jam”. Whether you watch it for the historical information or for Morgan’s signature comedy, Cunk on Earth is one of the best mockumentaries we’ve seen in recent times. – Remus Noronha

From Darren Star, the man behind some of the most beloved modern women’s television, including Younger and Sex and the City, comes his latest venture into romance: Emily in Paris. An easy-to-binge series, Emily in Paris follows an ambitious twenty-something (Lily Collins) who finds herself whisked away to the city of love for a job opportunity. Through three seasons of missteps, dalliances, and stunning fashion, Emily in Paris explores the personal and professional life of Emily and her friends, including the alluring chef Gabriel (Lucas Bravo), her sexy girlboss Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu), and the best part in the series, Emily’s new friend Mindy (Ashley Park). – Yael Tygiel

For fans of That ’70s Show, it’s been one of the most influential sitcoms of all time. And now we have a sequel. That ’90s Show picks up the story 15 years after the original series, focusing on Eric (Topher Grace) and Donna’s (Laura Prepon) daughter, Leia (Callie Haverda). The series kicks off with Leia arriving at her grandparents’ house in Wisconsin and meeting a new group of fellow teens. After she decides to spend the summer there, Leia gets a rollercoaster coming-of-age ride, with romance, laughter, and, um, Eric’s stash. It’s a fun update to the franchise, with great characters, plenty of 90s references, and a funny and engaging story that’s sure to be a new classic. – Remus Noronha

One of the most delightfully pleasant surprises of 2015 was the IFC comedy series Documentary Now!, which is the brainchild of Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, Seth Meyers, and Rhys Thomas. The conceit of the series is something of a mockumentary anthology, in which each half-hour episode takes on the format of a famous or groundbreaking documentary genre and is given the comedy treatment via Hader and Armisen. The result is a series of hilarious installments that tackle everything from Grey Gardens to Wild Wild Country to The Thin Blue Line to Behind the Music, but perhaps the show’s magnum opus (at least thus far), is the tremendous VICE-spoofing installment “DRONEZ: The Hunt for El Chingon.” Documentary Now! is a must-watch, plain and simple, especially if you happen to be of the cinephile persuasion. – Adam Chitwood

What’s it about? The long answer is, well, soup puffy shirts answering machines sandwiches the sponge Festivus a festivus for the rest of us buttons boobs that are real and spectacular parking garages the glue on wedding invitation envelopes pez dispensers junior mints Schindler’s List muffin tops NBC sitcom development Serenity Now…

The short version: Nothing. – Liz Shannon Miller

Matt Groening is known to audiences primarily (and almost exclusively) for his work on adult animated sitcoms like The Simpsons and Futurama. With Disenchantment, Groening presents something somewhat different. It’s still an animated comedy targeted towards mature audiences with its fair share of satire, crude humor, and zany situations, but it’s also a sequential story without a magic reset button, which is what sets the show apart from the other two mentioned above. Set in a medieval fairytale world, the show pokes fun at the tropes and common aspects of the fantasy genre, with a badass hard-drinking princess who has never been a damsel in distress in her life. Princess Tiabeanie aka Bean (Abbi Jacobson) is the aforementioned princess and the story begins when she meets the naive elf Elfo (Nat Faxon), which is the start of a series of adventures she goes on with her diminutive companion and her “personal demon” Luci (Eric André). Again, unlike Groening’s previous work, there is a rather interesting story that develops over time, involving rival kingdoms, secret cabals, and hidden magical abilities that may be a gift or a curse. Come for the swearing and graphic violence, stay for the mystery, plot, and biting sarcasm.- Remus Noronha

Most people who aren’t all that familiar with anime tend to think it’s all about action, drama, and magical girls. However, there are a whole lot of great slice-of-life comedy anime out there, quite a few of which are available on Netflix. The Way of the Househusband is easily one of the best. This series is a light, relaxing watch, with humor that touches on the more commonplace and mundane things in life rather than high-stakes conflicts. The series is centered on Tatsu (Kenjiro Tsuda), a former yakuza who now lives as a dedicated househusband, married to a hard-working young woman named Miku (Shizuka Itō). A lot of the comedy comes from the fact that Tatsu approaches household chores with the same mindset that made him the most feared yakuza in the city. This is the perfect show for when you just want to sit back and relax, and it’s also chock-full of useful hacks you could try out around the house. Oh, and there’s also a cute (and mischievous) cat involved.- Remus Noronha

A Series of Unfortunate Events is a show for those who prefer their comedies dry and black. The series isn’t so much funny as it is witty, with the cartoonishly evil Count Olaf (as played by a singing, dancing, and terrible-disguise-wearing Neil Patrick Harris) being a particular standout. The show is based on the novel series of the same name by Lemony Snicket, following the misadventures of the tragically orphaned Baudelaire children. As the title suggests, the story puts the children through a number of terrible scenarios as they are hounded for their fortune by the evil Count Olaf and his cronies. Through it all, the children look to the adults in their life for help, only to be dismissed and condescended to. With great performances, a tightly-written story, and the perfect mix of tragedy and comedy, this is a series that’s a wild ride from start to finish.- Remus Noronha