Need a chuckle? We know comedy gold can be hard to come by, so we’ve scoured the depths of the streaming landscape to dig it out. From dark humor to laugh-out-loud misadventures, these are the best comedies to stream now.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Camille Paglia, Christy Carlson Romano, Chuck Montgomery, Dave Simonds, Don Creech, Fay Ann Lee, Gene Ruffini, James Saito, James Urbaniak, Kevin Corrigan, Liam Aiken, Maria Porter, Marissa Chibas, Miho Nikaido, Nicholas Hope, Parker Posey, Paul Boocock, Paul Greco, Paul Lazar, Rachel Miner, Thomas Jay Ryan, Valorie Hubbard, Veanne Cox, Vivian Bang
Director: Hal Hartley
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Actor: Adisorn Trisirikasem, Banjong Pisanthanakun, Chatcharin Saetan, Chonlasit Upanigkit, Davika Hoorne, Morakot Liu, Natda Chawawanid, Nottapon Boonprakob, Panjavit Tangtongjit, Sunny Suwanmethanon, Sunny Suwanmethanont, Surattanavee Suviporn, Surattanawee Suviporn, Thanapob Leeratanakachorn, Tor Thanapob Leeratanakachorn, Torpong Chantabubpha, Vichai Matakul, Violette Wautier
Director: Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit
An intriguing, funny and rather bizarre movie which serves as a fantastic introduction to 'new-wave' German cinema. Featuring a cast of young talented actors and excellent direction, this movie takes place around the time the Berlin wall fell and East and West Berlin were still united. Christiane, a devout socialist activist in East Berlin suffers an accident which leaves her in a coma, during which time the Berlin wall comes down and Western capitalism encroaches on her beloved East Berlin. Fearing that she may relapse into a coma after waking up, her doctors warn that she must remain calm and not endure any shocks. Despite the somewhat contrived premise, the film really takes off from this point as her son Alex and his friend aim to hide this fact from her, by faking news reports on the television, coming up with excuses for a giant Coca Cola banner and a whole host of other amusing exploits to prevent her from knowing. While categorised as a comedy, it is also a moving portrayal of a loving family enduring great, historic change.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Actor: Alexander Beyer, Armin Dillenberger, Arndt Schwering-Sohnrey, Bojan Heyn, Burghart Klaussner, Christine Schorn, Chulpan Khamatova, Daniel Brühl, Eberhard Kirchberg, Ernst-Georg Schwill, Florian Lukas, Fritz Roth, Hanna Schwamborn, Hans-Uwe Bauer, Jochen Stern, Jürgen Holtz, Jürgen Vogel, Katrin Saß, Marc Bischoff, Maria Simon, Martin Brambach, Mennan Yapo, Michael Gerber, Michael Gwisdek, Peter Kurth, Rainer Werner, Stefan Walz, Svea Timander
Director: Wolfgang Becker
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Mystery
Actor: Abe Bueno-Jallad, Abe Martell, Alex Knight, Bruce McIntosh, Carla Azar, Chris McHallem, Domhnall Gleeson, François Civil, François Civil, Hayley Derryberry, Jordyn Aurora Aquino, Katie Anne Mitchell, Kevin Wiggins, Lauren Poole, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mark Huberman, Matthew Page, Michael Fassbender, Michael James Ford, Moira Brooker, Morse Bicknell, Paul Butterworth, Phil Kingston, Scoot McNairy, Tess Harper, Travis Hammer
Director: Lenny Abrahamson
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Actor: Chen Chao-jung, Chen Yu, Chi-Der Hong, Chin-Cheng Lu, Chit-Man Chan, Gin-Ming Hsu, Gua Ah-leh, Huel-Yi Lin, Jui Wang, Kuei-Mei Yang, Lester Chan, Lester Chit-Man Chan, Lung Hsiung, Lung Sihung, Shih-Jay Lin, Sihung Lung, Sylvia Chang, Wang Yu-wen, Winston Chao, Wu Chien-Lien, Ya-lei Kuei, Yang Kuei-Mei, Yu Chen, Yu-Wen Wang, 张艾嘉
Director: Ang Lee
This Canadian drama is directed by, written by, and stars first-time director Agam Darshi. It’s a labor of love about a 30-something woman who takes care of her sick father while trying to become a writer.
Mona (the character) comes from an immigrant Indian family, and she is proudly the black sheep of the bunch. When a visitor greets her with “God is Truth” in Punjabi, she replies in English with “Merry Christmas”, and when aunties catch her smoking she gives them the middle finger. Not to mention she is sleeping with a married man.
And yet the way the movie is made it works as a universal story - one about finding purpose in taking care of one’s parents while navigating complex family dynamics.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Agam Darshi, Huse Madhavji, Husein Madhavji, Kim Coates, Marvin Ishmael, Sandy Sidhu, Stephen Lobo
Director: Agam Darshi
Deadloch begins like any other self-serious police procedural. A body washes up on shore, sparking widespread fear and a twisty mystery that eventually and intriguingly reveals layers of itself. Local officer Dulcie Collins (Kate Box) takes to it like it’s the most important case in the world, and for some reason, everything we see onscreen is tinged in gray, as if the town is set under a perpetual stormcloud.
Then a joke finds its way into the dialogue, followed by another, and another. The show, it turns out, is as much of a sitcom as it is a mystery, with Dulcie acting as the straight man grounding us through the kookiness of it all. The rest of the characters are actual characters, wonderfully zany and larger-than-life as they bumble around and commit small-town gaffes. A hearse screeches to a halt when a random passerby yells, “You’re going the wrong way!”, and a millennial policewoman exclaims, “I can’t believe I’m on a stakeout! It’s so aggressively police-y.”
It’s quite the risk to be both funny and serious, to dole out this many jokes while solving multiple murders, but Deadloch pulls it off with so much charm to spare. It’s a refreshing take on the buddy-cop series, ambitious and modern and unafraid to laugh at itself every once in a while.
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Actor: Alicia Gardiner, Harvey Zielinski, Kate Box, Kris McQuade, Madeleine Sami, Nina Oyama, Pamela Rabe, Shaun Martindale, Tom Ballard
Director: Beck Cole, Ben Chessell, Gracie Otto
Spike Lee’s semi-autobiographical film is a loving and nostalgic ode to the Brooklyn of his childhood. It also happens to be his sweetest work and while overshadowed by the explosive Do The Right Thing, remains an easy contender for one of his very best. The world of Crooklyn is told through the eyes of Troy, a young girl growing up with her four brothers, and her mother and father in a cramped brownstone.
Lee’s Brooklyn is a colorful delight set aloft by a swooning soul soundtrack. His ability to capture the vibrant magical tones and textures of the city feels as complete as ever, and marvelous performances from Alfre Woodard and Delroy Lindo as Troy’s parents help create a touching and all-encompassing experience.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Alfre Woodard, Arthur French, Bokeem Woodbine, Carlton Williams, Carmen Tillery, Christopher Knowings, Christopher Wynkoop, Dan Grimaldi, Danielle K. Thomas, David Patrick Kelly, Delroy Lindo, Emelise Aleandri, Frances Foster, Gary Perez, Harvey Williams, Hector M. Ricci Jr., Isaiah Washington, Ivelka Reyes, Joie Lee, José Zúñiga, Keith Johnson, Kewanna Bonaparte, Manny Perez, Maurie A. Chandler, Michele Shay, Mildred Clinton, Norman Matlock, Omar Scroggins, Patriece Nelson, Peewee Love, Raymond Reliford, Rene Ojeda, Richard Whiten, RuPaul, Sharif Rashed, Spike Lee, Taneal Royal, Tiasha Reyes, Tracy Vilar, Tse-Mach Washington, Ulysses Terrero, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Zelda Harris
Director: Spike Lee
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Actor: Ben Affleck, Brian O'Halloran, Carmen Llywelyn, Casey Affleck, Dwight Ewell, Ethan Suplee, Guinevere Turner, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Joe Quesada, Joey Lauren Adams, Kevin Smith, Matt Damon, Scott Mosier, Welker White
Director: Kevin Smith
Genre: Comedy
Actor: Alan Carr, Gabby Best, Harry Peacock, Nancy Sullivan, Oliver Savell, Shaun Dooley, Taylor Fay
After a whole pandemic, rising inflation, and a whole climate crisis the world hasn’t yet resolved, it can be hard to feel hope towards a new day. However, the third collaboration between director Oh Choong-hwan and screenwriter Park Hye-ryun feels like a reminder to keep hope despite life’s circumstances. Castaway Diva has the classic manic pixie dream girl, but you have to admit that Seo Mok-ha’s optimism and survival instincts despite serious life circumstances makes it easy for her to root for. The way she appreciates what modern life has to offer makes it easy to appreciate how much good came up even just within 15 years. And with an unexpected mix of ecology and abuse themes, it stands out from other dramas, even when it gets instantly and unexpectedly serious.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Cha Hak-yeon, Chae Jong-hyeop, Kim Hyo-jin, Kim Joo-heon, Park Eun-bin
Director: Oh Choong-hwan
This is a funny sketch comedy show set in an imaginary small town called Burnistoun. The characters include Kelly McGlade, the town’s answer to Beyoncé, and The Burnistoun Butcher, the town’s serial killer who’s always angry with the media because they keep confusing him with the actual butcher. Most of the characters are played by Robert Florence and Iain Connell (pictured above). In the first episode, they play two co-workers who get into an elevator that only works on voice-recognition. The voice-recognition software starts reflecting how many Americans feel and pretends it doesn’t understand Scottish accents. The two Scots end up getting so worked up that they hilariously recreate the “freedom” scene in Braveheart. In a way it’s saying: if you enjoyed Braveheart and understand the reference, there is no reason you shouldn’t enjoy Burnistoun.
Genre: Comedy
Actor: Allan Miller, Iain Connell, Kirsty Strain, Louise Stewart, Richard Rankin, Robert Florence
Before he developed his signature dollhouse visual style, Wes Anderson made his feature debut with this lowkey, heartwarming, and decidedly not-symmetrically-perfect comedy about a bunch of misfits. Bottle Rocket isn’t as much of an outlier in its director’s storied filmography as might initially seem, however. Written in partnership with college buddy Owen Wilson — who, along with brothers Luke and Andrew, made his acting debut here — the film is delightfully offbeat and unexpectedly moving in the way we’ve come to expect from Anderson.
Dignan (Owen Wilson) and Anthony (Luke Wilson) are two drifting, boyish twenty-somethings, although only Anthony seems aware of his directionlessness, as Dignan has graciously developed a 50-year life plan for the two of them (complete with hilariously vague bullet-points such as “Make wise investments” and “Own multiple accommodations”). The means to these ambitious ends is a life of crime — specifically, pulling off grand heists. But Dignan’s meticulousness hasn’t accounted for distractions, and his madcap scheme falls at the first hurdle when Anthony falls in love with a housekeeper at the motel they hide out in (Lumi Cavazos). Their sweet romance is one of the film’s many delights, as is its barrelling deadpan humor, which never betrays the warmth of the Wilson brothers’ heartwarming depiction of ride-or-die friendship.
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Actor: Amanda Welles, Andrew Wilson, Antonia Bogdanovich, Brian Tenenbaum, Darryl Cox, Dipak Pallana, James Caan, Jenni Tooley, Jill Parker-Jones, Julio Cedillo, Julio Cesar Cedillo, Kumar Pallana, Luke Wilson, Lumi Cavazos, Melinda Renna, Ned Dowd, Nena Smarz, Owen Wilson, Robert Musgrave, Russell Towery, Stephen Dignan, Tak Kubota
Director: Wes Anderson
Best in Show’s cast list reads like a catalog of comic greats. Among others, it includes Parker Posey, Jane Lynch, John Michael Higgins, Jennifer Coolidge, and the unbeatable duo that is Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy. Their participation alone should you clue in on what kind of film this is: a delightful exercise in improvisational comedy. The jokes roll in fast and the spoofs are spot-on (Parker Posey gets a special mention for playing the faux-calm handler with rage issues bubbling up to a tee). And thanks to the mockumentary format, they’re supported by an abundance of visual gags.
The cherry on top of this fun sundae is the adorable dogs who amusingly participate in human shenanigans. If you're ever looking for a watch that is equal parts comedic and cute, then this underrated comedy gem of a film could be it.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Andrew Johnston, Andrew Wheeler, Bob Balaban, Camille Sullivan, Carmen Aguirre, Carrie Aizley, Catherine O'Hara, Christopher Guest, Colin Cunningham, Corrine Koslo, Deborah Theaker, Doane Gregory, Don Lake, Don S. Davis, Ed Begley Jr., Eugene Levy, Fred Willard, Fulvio Cecere, Hiro Kanagawa, Jane Lynch, Jay Brazeau, Jennifer Coolidge, Jim Piddock, John Michael Higgins, Larry Miller, Lewis Arquette, Linda Kash, Lynda Boyd, Madeleine Kipling, Malcolm Stewart, Merrilyn Gann, Michael Hitchcock, Michael McKean, Parker Posey, Patrick Cranshaw, Rachael Harris, Scott Williamson, Stephen E. Miller, Steven M. Porter, Teryl Rothery, Tony Alcantar, Will Sasso
Director: Christopher Guest
When the psychometric powers of the main character are only activated when she touches a butt, you know that Behind Your Touch will be as silly and hilarious as the show’s powers. The K-drama gets into ridiculous moments, oftentimes inspired by other dramas from the action, horror, and romance genres, but done in exaggeration for comedic effect. And the cast really gets into the action, with Han Ji-min and Lee Min-ki’s excellent chemistry and timing able to deliver the jokes written by the team. As the first season will end soon, it’s hard to say if the ending will be as good as its start, but so far, Behind Your Touch takes interesting comedic twists of the K-Drama tropes we all know and love.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Han Ji-min, Joo Min-kyung, Jung Yi-rang, Kim Hee-won, Lee Min-ki, Lee Seung-joon, Park Hyeok-kwon, Park No-shik, Park Sung-yeon, Suho, Yang Jae-sung
Director: Kim Sok-yun