8 Hilarious Recent Comedy TV Shows That Don’t Get Enough Love
While it’s true that everyone loves a good laugh, it’s strange that so many incredible recent comedy series have fallen under the radar and failed to get the recognition they deserve. Although plenty of discerning comedy fans are great at rooting out hidden gems and underrated releases, it is always disappointing when shows that should be mainstream hits have to fester in obscurity or don’t reach the levels of viewership that they rightfully deserve.
Although there have been some great recent comedies that have broken through with general viewers, in the age of endless options due to streaming, many fantastic series get left by the wayside. There are also incredible comedies from the U.K. and around the world that, although popular in their home countries, have yet to be discovered by viewers worldwide. From funny farces with famous faces to more surreal, thought-provoking satires, these are just a few recent comedy shows that you absolutely need to add to your watchlist.
8
Poker Face (2023 – Present)
1 Season
- Release Date
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January 26, 2023
- Network
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Peacock
-
Natasha Lyonne
Charlie Cale
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Benjamin Bratt
Cliff Legrand
As a show created by the Knives Out director Rian Johnson and starring Orange is the New Black and Russian Doll’s Natasha Lyonne, it’s shocking that there’s not more hype about Poker Face. This incredible crime comedy stars Lyonne as Charlie Cale, an insightful cocktail waitress with the uncanny ability to detect when someone is lying. As a murder-mystery-style series that incorporates a case-of-the-week-style detective format, Poker Face feels like a female-led Columbo series that updated its style, sensibilities, and humor for the 21st century.
With top-tier writing, fantastic performances, and clever mysteries to unpack, Poker Face was yet another astounding project from Johnson, whose impressive television credentials also included directing some of the best episodes of Breaking Bad, including “Ozymandias.” With a second season set to premiere in 2025, those who haven’t yet should catch up on Poker Face and take a gamble on a great new show.
7
Pen15 (2019 – 2021)
2 Seasons
With just two seasons released in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it sometimes feels like Pen15 was forgotten about or fell under the radar of discerning television comedy fans. This was a real shame because its creators and stars, Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle, delivered one of the funniest, most insightful, and over-the-top explorations of adolescence in the early 2000s ever seen on screen. With the adult actresses Erskine and Konkle playing themselves as 13-year-old social outcasts, Pen15 was able to address more mature topics than is usually possible in a teen-centric series.
Seeing two adults imitate young teenagers while surrounded by actual 13-year-olds appeared jarring at first, although the power of Pen15 was that you were eventually won over by Maya and Anna’s earnest characterization. This series was packed with nostalgia, highlighting cringeworthy aspects of adolescence that most viewers would have preferred not to be reminded of. By tapping into the nuances of middle school life, Pen15 was both hilarious and heartfelt.
6
The Curse (2023)
1 Season
Nathan Fielder stepped outside of the parody reality television series he was known for, such as Nathan For You and The Rehearsal, to team up with Benny Safdie and Emma Stone for one of the greatest comedy series of recent years. Telling the story of the philanthropic newlyweds Asher and Whitney as they star in their own problematic reality show called Fliplanthropy, The Curse quickly revealed itself as a complex exploration of cultural appropriation, white privilege, gentrification, and toxic relationships..
With Fielder as the awkward TV host Asher Siegel, The Curse slowly hints at supernatural happenings after a child curses Asher when he gives her a $100 bill on camera and then demands it back. The Curse had a surreal sense of humor, and its idiosyncratic style will not be to everyone’s tastes. However, those who are fans of Fielder’s other work or who connect with the dreamlike intensity of directors like David Lynch will be in for a good time.
5
Strange Planet (2023)
1 Season
Strange Planet started as a popular webcomic by the artist Nathan W. Pyle, whose unique exploration of alien beings trying to comprehend the day-to-day nuances of human existence struck a chord with people online. This hilarious premise, which intentionally reframes human behavior through alien eyes, was adapted by Pyle and Rick and Morty’s Dan Harmon for Apple TV+. Even though Strange Planet maintains the unique appeal of the comic, which saw the beings speak in overly literal and clinical language, the show hasn’t received nearly as much attention as it deserves.
Through clever writing and observational humor, Strange Planet highlights the absurdities of everyday life for all to see. With the blue beings as relatable and wholesome creatures who have the same anxiety, awkwardness, joy, love, and curiosity as any human, it’s impossible to not be won over by the series’ unique charm. Strange Planet perfectly showcased this webcomic’s potential on television, and it’s a real shame more people haven’t been turned on to its delightful appeal.
4
I Hate Suzie (2020 – 2022)
2 Series
- Release Date
-
August 27, 2020
- Network
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Sky Atlantic
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Billie Piper
Suzie Pickles
-
-
Christian Wennberg
Voyeur Officer
-
As a former teenage pop star who later found success on television on shows like Doctor Who, Billie Piper was perfectly cast in the satirical British comedy I Hate Suzie. With Piper as Suzie Pickles, a popular singer-turned-actress whose life is turned upside down by the media after her phone is hacked and its controversial contents are leaked, series one explored her going through the eight stages of trauma as she struggled to come to terms with this career-ending scandal.
I Hate Suzie felt totally relevant in the age of #MeToo, and it was interesting to see a female spin on the topic of being cancelled and the career freefall Suzie found herself in. With a mix of hilarious happenings and high-stakes tension, Piper delivered a fantastic performance and even returned for a second series titled I Hate Suzie Too. As a fascinating exploration of the fickle nature of fame and fortune, this underrated British comedy tackled themes of destruction, depression, and determination.
3
Big Boys (2022 – 2025)
3 Series
The autobiographical British sitcom Big Boys told the deeply personal story of a young man discovering his sexual identity while also grieving the death of his father. As a touching tale of friendship and connection, Big Boys starred Derry Girls’ Dylan Llewellyn as Jack, a gay journalism student who starts to embrace his true nature after finding comfort and encouragement among his fellow students. With clever writing that’s genuinely funny, Big Boys walked the fine line between laugh-out-loud comedy and soulful sentimentality in a way that means you’ll laugh as much as you cry.
Big Boys was driven by the central friendship of Jack and Danny, two young men who couldn’t be any more different from one another. However, despite their seeming opposing nature, they always supported one another, and it was touching to see such a three-dimensional and nuanced portrayal of male friendship in a comedy series. As a show that touches on themes of grief, depression, and mental health without feeling preachy, Big Boys was a hidden gem that deserves to be seen by more viewers outside of the U.K.
2
Wellington Paranormal (2018 – 2022)
4 Seasons
- Release Date
-
2018 – 2022-00-00
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Mike Minogue
Officer Minogue
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Karen O’Leary
Officer O’Leary
While many will know director Taika Waititi for major film projects like Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Thor: Ragnarok, and Jojo Rabbit, he’s also brought his unique comedic sensibilities to New Zealand comedy series like Flight of the Conchords. However, hidden among all these projects was the excellent spin-off series Wellington Paranormal, which told the story of the What We Do in the Shadows characters, Officers Minogue and O’Leary, as they investigated supernatural crimes in this mockumentary horror comedy.
As a series co-created by Waititi, Jemaine Clement, and Paul Yates, Wellington Paranormal was packed with the same kind of deadpan humor that characterizes much of the best New Zealand comedy. With a mix of monster-of-the-week-style stories and laugh-out-loud humor, Wellington Paranormal showcased the potential of the What We Do in the Shadows universe to spawn an entire new franchise. Over four delightful seasons, this woefully underrated series carved out its own unique identity away from its source material.
1
Shrinking (2023 – Present)
2 Seasons
With standout performances from Jason Segel and Harrison Ford, those in the know are well aware of the appeal of Shrinking, but despite critical acclaim, it still hasn’t broken through at the level it deserves. With Segel as a grieving therapist who becomes more involved in his patients’ lives and Ford as his older colleague, Shrinking blended heart and humor to create a series that was both laugh-out-loud hilarious and emotionally deep.
Shrinking was packed with great characters that are easy to fall in love with, and its earnest exploration of the potential of radical honesty was a breath of fresh air among so many cynical comedy series today. As a show co-created by Scrubs and Ted Lasso’s Bill Lawrence, Shrinking echoes those series in its ability to balance lighthearted humor with more impactful emotional resonance. With two seasons so far and a third confirmed to be on the way, Shrinking’s audience deserves to grow.
