15 Best Netflix Original Comedy Shows Of All Time, Ranked

There's no shortage of content on Netflix, which makes scrolling through the streaming service looking for something to watch quite a Sisyphean task. How could one possibly decide what to watch among a variety of stand-up comedy specials, true crime docuseries, and historical dramas? However, there's nothing that sets the mood right quite like a Netflix comedy series. 

Since the platform established itself as one of the premier streaming services, several comedies have emerged as not just some of the best shows on Netflix, but some of the best sitcoms ever made. Others have challenged the very concept of a comedy television series by blending genres such as horror, thriller, and science fiction. And, of course, some shows on this list are just good, old-fashioned sketch shows that have influenced new generations of aspiring comedians. If you're looking for an easy afternoon laughing at Netflix, these 15 shows should be on your watchlist. 

If there's any reason to watch "The Four Seasons" on blind faith, it's the cast. The series brings together an all-star lineup of comedic talent, including Tina Fey (who co-created and executive produced the show, and also wrote and directed several episodes), Colman Domingo, Will Forte, Steve Carell, and Kerri Kenney-Silver. Like the 1981 film it's based on, "The Four Seasons" follows a friend group that experiences severe changes over the course of several trips taken throughout a given year, from marriages ending to complicating health issues. 

Since it's already been renewed for Season 3, "The Four Seasons" has shown incredible longevity by exploring the throes of middle age, an aspect of life rarely covered with this much depth by comedy shows. In addition to the incredible chemistry on display from its cast, "The Four Seasons" has, within only two seasons, blended some of the best comedy on Netflix in recent years with heartbreaking storytelling and top-tier performances from all involved. Hopefully, there are many more than just four seasons for "The Four Seasons." 

Kyle Mooney spent years on "Saturday Night Live" being cut from live shows. Therefore, it's no surprise he's behind one of the most underrated Netflix shows of all time, combining his love for retro '90s television with dark, absurdist humor. "Saturday Morning All-Star Hits!" is a primarily animated sketch series presented by twin brothers Skip and Treybor (played by Mooney in live-action segments), featuring recurring shows like "Randy," about a teenage dinosaur, "The Create-A-Crittles," about a businessman who relies on magical creatures for ideas, and "Strongimals," an action series about anthropomorphic heroes. 

With much of the series' humor involving Easter eggs, niche references to '90s cartoon franchises, and ongoing narratives, "Saturday Morning All-Star Hits!" is a perfect example of how some of the best comedy series on Netflix aren't the most accessible to a wide audience. If you've ever enjoyed Mooney's faux-sitcoms on "SNL" or his movie "Brigsby Bear," but somehow missed this one-of-a-kind Netflix series, consider this a sign to dive into this edgy, funny, and whimsical love letter to Saturday morning cartoons. 

It simply doesn't get more cult than "Wet Hot American Summer," the 2001 film following an ensemble cast of campers and counselors during their last day at Camp Firewood in 1981. If you've found yourself laughing out loud time and time again watching the film, then maybe you've already seen the two-season-long Netflix series from the 2010s. "Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp" rewinds to the first day of camp in 1981 (despite all the actors looking over a decade older), while "Ten Years Later" fulfills the movie's promise of its characters reuniting in 1991. 

Though these shows may not appeal much to those who haven't seen the 2001 film, it can't be denied that the comedic talent on display is exhaustive. Seeing Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, and Molly Shannon reprise their roles after having successful careers in the 14 years prior makes it one of the most rewatchable shows of all time, especially if you're the type to put the movie on once a year. 

"Beef" might have secured its place on this list off its first season alone, starring Steven Yeun and Ali Wong as two strangers involved in a road rage incident that slowly escalates into a war of personal attacks and revenge. After critical acclaim and several Emmy wins, "Beef" was brought back for a searing sophomore run that turns up the heat. Cailee Spaeny and Charles Melton play the working-class employees of Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan, who leverage a witnessed argument between the two to advance their own financial welfare. 

With incredible performances that push the limits of how far people will go to exert power over others, "Beef" manages to be laugh-out-loud funny even as its characters delve further and further into depravity. Paired with strong direction from filmmakers like Hikari and Jake Schreier, "Beef" lets its stars shine with some of the best material of their careers. It's an incisive show that examines the fragility of emotions, the pitfalls of great wealth, and the slippery slope from petty crime to felony behavior. Hopefully, a potential third season won't disappoint compared to the first two. 

It's a little disappointing that "Sex Education" only premiered in 2019, given that its use of intimacy coordinators and focus on topics related to sexual health and consent were groundbreaking even for that time. Of course, all that extra care is necessary for a show that's so liberal in its depiction of sex and romance. "Sex Education" follows the teenage son (Asa Butterfield) of a sex therapist (Gillian Anderson), who, with a rebellious classmate (Emma Mackey), offers his services as a counselor to fellow students having their first brushes with sex or intimacy. 

Through exploring the various intertwining stories of its ensemble cast, "Sex Education" manages to be a show with representation across the gender, race, and sexuality spectrum. All that inclusivity and protectiveness would be for naught if the show wasn't also successful at blending wholesome romance with R-rated humor and edgy explorations of sexual liberation. All the way up to the "Sex Education" series finale, it's the rare type of comedy series that tries and succeeds to be for everybody... except maybe younger TV viewers. 

Though it may have never had the mainstream attention of "Saturday Night Live" or "MADtv," "Mr. Show" is undoubtedly one of the best sketch comedy shows of all time. If there were any reservations about its comedic resonance in today's climate, that was disproven with the brief Netflix revival, "W/ Bob & David," that premiered in 2015. Even almost two decades since their last season on HBO, "W/ Bob & David" shows that stars Bob Odenkirk and David Cross hadn't lost a single ounce of their comedic chemistry. 

Despite having an episode removed from streaming for a joke about racial tensions, "W/ Bob & David" feels true to the spirit of "Mr. Show" with sketches like "New Year's Resolutions" and "Sensitive Cops," both of which hold up next to the best of the original series. Though another season is unlikely, fans of Odenkirk and Cross's other work need to do themselves a favor and watch as much of their sketch comedy as possible. There's hardly a better starting point than "W/ Bob & David."  

"Russian Doll" is one of the best examples of a show on Netflix that utilizes the format of streaming television to its greatest potential, resulting in a project that's rewatchable, hard to turn off, and as confusingly layered as an actual Matryoshka doll. The series was a long-overdue starring role for Natasha Lyonne, who also co-created, co-wrote, and directed episodes with Leslye Headland and Amy Poehler. Lyonne plays Nadia, a woman who, in the first season, discovers she's trapped in a time loop on her 36th birthday, forcing herself to continuously die and repeat the same events a la "Groundhog Day." The second season, set four years later, finds Nadia traveling back to 1982 to experience life through her mother's body. 

As much a gripping character study of Lyonne's complicated protagonist as it is a satirical take on science-fiction tropes, "Russian Doll" is a treasure of a Netflix comedy that balances contrasting tones with philosophical musings on life, death, and womanhood. It's a show that deserves your full attention from start to finish, for even spending a millisecond while watching it distracted might cause you to miss some of the most beautiful, transfixing visuals in recent TV memory. 

It's rare that a comedy series will have you sitting on the edge of your seat from episode to episode, which is what makes "Dead to Me" quite the specialty in television. The Netflix series follows the burgeoning friendship between Jen (Christina Applegate) and Judy (Linda Cardellini), who meet in a grief support group after Jen's husband was killed in a hit and run. Unbeknownst to Jen, however, the more optimistic Judy is the driver who was responsible for her husband's death. This underlying tension becomes the series' backbone, driven almost exclusively by its lead actresses' chemistry with one another. 

For a series that promises so many twists and turns right from the first episode, it's not the storytelling that kept audiences coming back to "Dead to Me." As proven by the series finale, "Dead to Me" is ultimately a story about female friendship and resilience in the face of tragedy, metatextually embodied by the final season being filmed amid Applegate's own health struggles. Sure, it's a comedy series with a pretty morose sense of humor, but sometimes those are the best jokes to help you overcome hard times. 

If you're one of the many people who loved "30 Rock," then "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" is an obvious next step, given that it was also created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock. Premiering on Netflix in 2015, the sitcom follows the life of the titular Kimmy Schmidt (Ellie Kemper), who finds herself adjusting to modern life after being rescued from a doomsday cult. Naturally, that adjustment is skewed when she finds a new roommate and friend in melodramatic actor Titus (Titus Burgess) and a new job nannying for a batty socialite named Jacqueline (Jane Krakowski). 

Across four seasons (minus an interactive special that was removed from Netflix in 2025), "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" garnered a reputation for its eclectic tone, especially given how early into the streaming era it was released. Whereas other actors or writers might've made this premise too dark or too weird, the combination of Kemper's charm with Fey and Carlock's voice resulted in one of the most uniquely funny series Netflix has ever produced. Of all the Netflix shows without a bad season, we miss the days when Kimmy Schmidt was still running. 

Judd Apatow has been behind some of the most iconic and funniest romantic comedies of the 2000s, so it's no surprise that at the dawn of the streaming era, he brought that blend of rowdy humor and heartfelt drama to Netflix. "Love," more so than any other Apatow comedy, will really test viewers' tolerance for its characters' behavior. The series follows the slow-burn romance between sex addict Mickey (Gillian Jacobs) and narcissist Gus (Paul Rust, who co-created the series with Apatow and Lesley Arfin), both living in Los Angeles and being consistently challenged by this newfound relationship. 

With episodes that waver between moving and frustrating, "Love" captures the chaos of everything its title entails. Compared to some of the best romance shows on Netflix, the more sitcomy elements will keep viewers rewatching episodes over and over again, with the best examples including one in which Mickey talks Gus and her roommates into doing mushrooms, or when Gus agrees to miss out on a day with friends to take care of a sickly Mickey. This duo might be imperfect, but watching them break down each other's walls makes "Love" a worthwhile watch. 

No, we're not talking about the cult wrestling show that aired from 1986 to 1990, but the Netflix dramedy made in the 2010s that fictionalizes its behind-the-scenes creation. "GLOW," which stands for "Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling," features an extremely talented cast portraying the misfit roster of a groundbreaking female wrestling league, directed for TV by the curmudgeonly Sam Sylvia (Marc Maron). At the center of it all is desperate actress Ruth Wilder (Alison Brie) and her ex-best friend, soap opera star Debbie Eagan (Betty Gilpin), whose wrestling personas embody the Cold War tensions that pulsate throughout the show's grimy, neon-lit depiction of the '80s. 

Though Netflix gave "GLOW" the chop after delays related to COVID-19, the three seasons that did air are a masterclass in building a comedic ensemble. The characters' strong personalities, relatable struggles, and idealistic desires make any combination an exciting pair to watch on screen, especially as the series ramps up with the show-within-a-show becoming a sleeper hit. By exploring such a niche subgenre of '80s TV, "GLOW" mines comedy out of drama that feels all the more prescient in the time it was released on Netflix. 

Of all the TV shows Netflix canceled too soon, fans still haven't let go of the premature ending of "Santa Clarita Diet." The horror comedy features a dazzling lead duo in Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant as real estate agents Sheila and Joel, who must navigate Sheila's zombie-like transformation that forces her to only be able to consume human flesh. With a supporting cast including Skyler Gisondo, Liv Hewson, Nathan Fillion, and Mary Elizabeth Ellis, "Santa Clarita Diet" felt like a breath of fresh air when it debuted in 2017. 

Of course, many shows since then have expertly blended horror and comedy, but "Santa Clarita Diet" is truly spectacular in how it combines genuinely grotesque gore with light-hearted, wholesome humor surrounding its central loving family — monstrous as they may be. Though it's a lot more morbid in tone than the other shows on this list, we simply could've eagerly watched twice as many seasons as Netflix produced, but sadly, we're left with only the three that aired before the streamer pulled the plug. What a shame. 

If you're picking up on a trend regarding which Netflix shows are best regarded, it's usually the ones that sadly didn't have a chance to overstay their welcome. That's especially apparent for shows like "American Vandal," which we could easily see waning in laughs for its juvenile humor and exploration of true crime tropes had it gone past two seasons. Alas, the show as is remains one of the most entertaining projects Netflix has ever produced, satirizing the genre that's kept the streaming service alive by investigating low-stakes crimes that plague local high schools. 

The first season focuses on the unjust expulsion of a class clown after an assailant graffitied phalluses on a plethora of faculty cars, while the second season sees an entire student body tormented by a diarrhea-inducing lemonade poisoned by an unknown student. Though the Netflix original series often just satirizes the self-serious sleuthing of true crime docuseries, across both seasons, it has a lot of meaningful things to say about the effect social media has had on new generations. For a show that premiered on the platform in only 2017, "American Vandal" was both ahead of its time and holds up incredibly well. 

One could make the argument that "BoJack Horseman" is not exactly a comedy, given that many of the episodes trend toward a more dramatic tone than other animated series on Netflix. However, that probably says more about the wider entertainment industry and its loose definition of what exactly makes a show a drama or a comedy. In that regard, "BoJack Horseman" is a trailblazer in proving that shows typically marketed as comedies or sitcoms can be just as psychologically deep and tragic as the most heart-wrenching melodramas on the same streaming services. 

Centering on the titular alcoholic former sitcom star who also happens to be a horse (Will Arnett), "BoJack Horseman" explores the character's attempts at a comeback, supported by his troubled biographer Diane (Alison Brie), former girlfriend and feline agent Princess Carolyn (Amy Sedaris), and unemployed roommate Todd (Aaron Paul). Across six seasons, "BoJack Horseman" tows a fine line between surreal laughs and painfully realistic depictions of depression, grief, and sexuality. If you're looking for the quickest laugh on Netflix, maybe it's not the best recommendation, but it's hard to find a Netflix series more elegantly written and consistently executed than "BoJack Horseman." 

At this point, if you haven't had a quote from "I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson" permanently take up residence in your brain, you're living under a rock. Since the sketch series premiered on Netflix in 2019, it's become a bedrock for the current generation of comedians, establishing Robinson and co-creator Zach Kanin as some of the most prolific and influential comedic voices of all time. Odds are, if you know who Robinson is, you're already a fan of "The Chair Company" or his short-lived cult sitcom "Detroiters."

"I Think You Should Leave" sketches, in particular, focus on social interactions in which individuals attempt to avoid embarrassment, with often cringe-worthy results. Look no further than the likes of "Hot Dog Car," "Prank Show," and "Driving Crooner" to understand why Robinson's specific brand of funny is so resonant with modern comedy fans. Even the involvement of guest stars like Vanessa Bayer, Connor O'Malley, John Early, and Patti Harrison has not only resulted in hearty, consistent laughs, but also reminds viewers why sketch comedy as a specific genre deserves to have more than one or two shows on TV at a given time.