The 15 Best Comedy Shows On Netflix Right Now

In times like these, we all need a good laugh every now and then. And while the Netflix catalog may be lacking in some areas (people do know that movies existed before 1980, right?), the service is an absolute powerhouse in the comedy department. Not only does it have the streaming rights to some of the funniest shows that originally aired on network and cable television, but it has also established a fairly robust line-up of original comedies. 

There's an impressive variety, too. When you log in to Netflix, you have an entire buffet to choose from, whether you're looking for golden oldies, modern classics, or genre-bending shows that are part comedy and part science fiction, horror, or even true crime. The only thing you really have to worry about is the inevitable day when the contracts run out and your beloved comfort show is no longer available on Netflix, leaving you bereft in its wake.

Who doesn't love an action-packed dramedy based on the true story of an all-female '80s wrestling promotion? "GLOW" — which stands for Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling — is a chaotic, eccentric show about an out-of-work actress (Alison Brie) who finds her calling as part of a ragtag group of misfits poised to become the stars of a new wrestling program exclusively featuring women. They're all a bunch of amateurs who are learning the rules of wrestling as they go, and they approach the quasi-sport with a spirit of enthusiasm and inventiveness that is contagious. 

The best part of "GLOW" is the dynamic between all of the wrestlers, and the sense of camaraderie as they force their way into a field that, up to this point, has traditionally not been the most welcoming towards women. Each character brings so much creativity to developing her in-ring persona, and you get the feeling that this is a valuable outlet through which the women can express themselves in bold and exciting ways that might otherwise be denied them.

The question we should all be asking ourselves is, in a world packed full of mediocre true crime dramas, why are there not more true crime parodies? "American Vandal" stands out as the cream of the crop in an admittedly small subgenre, following a pair of high school documentarians who play detective in an attempt to find justice for what they believe to be the wrongly-accused purveyors of immature pranks. 

In the 1st season, the teen sleuths try to clear the name of a graffiti artist who allegedly painted genitalia on a bunch of cars in the faculty parking lot. In the 2nd season, they seek out the identity of the infamous Turd Burglar. So, "American Vandal" is sort of like a cross between "Making a Murderer" and "The Olsen and Olsen Mystery Agency." The inherently absurd aspects of the crimes the kids investigate are played 100% straight, with an earnest and completely serious voiceover narration. "American Vandal" feels entirely unique, and we would happily watch another five seasons of these teens solving puerile and extremely gross high school crimes.

On the long list of scenarios that would make for a funny sitcom, a man contracting a sexually transmitted illness and having to inform each of his former partners is perhaps not an obvious one. And at first, it was a hard sell for Netflix — when the streaming service bought the show from Channel 4 in the UK and commissioned a second season, it changed its name from "Scrotal Recall" to a much more palatable "Lovesick." 

"Lovesick" stars a pre-"Emma" Johnny Flynn as Dylan, a man forced to go down a very uncomfortable memory lane after being diagnosed with chlamydia. Each episode is dedicated to a different unfortunate name on his list, and we are treated to flashbacks exploring their respective relationships with Dylan. The main trio of actors (Flynn, Antonia Thomas fresh off her run on "Misfits", and Daniel Inges) have incredible chemistry with one another, and go a long way towards giving depth to what could otherwise be a one-joke sitcom.

Look, millions of fathers around the world can't be wrong, can they? "Monty Python's Flying Circus" is perhaps the purest incarnation of classic dad humor, but when it originally came out, it was groundbreaking stuff. The Monty Python troupe's irreverent style would define sketch comedy for a generation, and there are dozens of iconic moments from the show's original run. We're talking the dead parrot sketch, the Lumberjack Song, the Spanish Inquisition, and many more. Each member of Monty Python brought their own distinct personality to the show, and they would quickly become known for different aspects of their performances. 

The success of "Monty Python's Flying Circus" would lead the Pythons to create a series of films, none perhaps more famous than "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" and "Life of Brian" (both also available on Netflix). It's genuinely surprising just how much of the original show holds up — it's just a shame that John Cleese, one of the most beloved members of Monty Python, has aged into the kind of upper-class twit that the show so gleefully skewered decades ago.

"New Girl" belongs to a very specific class of early-'10s single-camera sitcoms that were all over the main cable networks, but rarely with more charm than we see here. After breaking up with her long-term boyfriend, the human embodiment of a manic pixie dream girl (played by Zooey Deschanel, obviously) moves into a Los Angeles loft with three very quirky dudes. Their relationship is initially fraught with conflict, since the menfolk don't appreciate Jess' cupcakes and sparkles invading their bro space, but they quickly settle into a friendship that would become one of the most pure and wholesome on television. 

"New Girl" is one of those sitcoms that really benefits from sticking around long enough to get to know all of the characters intimately, as they develop from caricatures into flesh-and-blood people who you can't help but fall in love with. Because once you start to catch feelings for them, God help you; you're already in too deep. Also, Jessica Day and Nick Miller are one of the greatest on-screen pairings of the 20th century. No, that's not up for discussion.

It's an unfair fact of life that happy people just aren't funny — all great comedy is tinged with a little bit of sadness. And in the case of "BoJack Horseman," it's considerably more than just a bit. BoJack (Will Arnett) is an official has-been in Hollywood (or Hollywoo, as it's called on the show): He had a hit sitcom in the early '90s about a horse who adopted a trio of human orphans, but his career never really went anywhere after that, thanks to a combination of depression, alcoholism, crippling self-loathing, apathy, and old-fashioned bad luck. 

Now, BoJack lives in a state of arrested development, doing the same terrible things to the people around him and feeling bad about it, but not caring enough to change his behavior. Despite being animated and starring a cast of anthropomorphized animals, "BoJack Horseman" is one of the darkest television shows around, really luxuriating in a black hole of self-destruction that's interrupted by the occasional bright spark of enlightenment. But, you know, it's also really funny.

"The Good Place" is not just one of the funniest shows on 21st century network television, it also manages to harness philosophy and positivity in a way that is genuinely moving. Look, "The Good Place" walked so that "Ted Lasso" could run. You don't go from decades of cynical, sarcastic sitcoms to the sheer cotton candy of Jason Sudeikis' football coach without something to bridge the gap. 

When Eleanor (Kristen Bell) wakes up to learn that she's in Heaven, she should be thrilled. But there's just one problem: Eleanor was a garbage human, and it's clear that somewhere along the line, mistakes were made. She probably doesn't deserve to be in the Good Place. Luckily, Eleanor has surprisingly ripped philosophy professor Chidi (William Jackson Harper) to teach her and her fellow miscreants how to be better people. The show takes an accessible but nuanced approach to ethics, and somehow manages to stumble upon perhaps the most comforting vision of an afterlife imaginable. The fact that it's also hilarious seems kind of unfair.