3 Binge-Worthy Comedies You May Not Have Seen Yet
When it comes to relaxing, de-stressing, and escaping reality for a while, there aren’t many things better than binge-watching one of your favorite shows. One of the biggest potential drawbacks, however, is that binge-watching shows leave you quickly needing more shows to watch! Additionally, you may have seen all the most popular shows out currently and you are unsure where to go for your next one.
Whether you are looking to stay inside and avoid the cold weather, a pandemic - or the outside world all together - quality comedic relief always helps boost your spirits and relax your mind and body.
Here are the three comedy shows that are sure to grab your attention, bust your gut and lead you to your next marathon watching session.
1. Community
Prior to being released on Netflix in 2020, “Community” was only being talked about by die-hard fans, cinephiles, and NBC Execs. At the time of its original airing on television, the sitcom was simply overshadowed by the other powerhouse shows running on NBC at that time.
For reference, the Thursday Night lineup on NBC was absolutely stacked with “The Office”, “Parks and Recreation” and “30 Rock” and “Community”. The Community ran for 6 seasons, between 2009 and 2015, including a couple of short hiatuses and network moves.
The quirky comedy follows Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) as he returns to Community College (Greendale) in an attempt to legitimize his path to becoming a lawyer after being outed as a fraud. He finds himself gravitating into more and more convoluted situations as he tries to balance landing a love interest and forming friendships in a misfit study group.
The creator and director of the show, Dan Harmon, is widely regarded for his knack for comedy and the off-center humor that he has no problem bringing to his shows. Many viewers will recognize Dan’s name as he is also the creator of “Rick and Morty”. The showrunners were blessed in working with an absolutely stellar cast, which involved a mixture of well-known names and actors in their first major roles.
Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino plays Troy Barnes in his first major television role. Donald, among so many other talents, was a writer for SNL and 30 Rock before landing the Community gig.
His talents eventually lead him to the music career that many are familiar with, as well as his own show “Atlanta” on FX. Few are familiar with his work from “Community”, other NBC productions, or even his very early days with College Humor.
Alison Brie, Danny Pudi, Gillian Jacobs, Chevy Chase, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Ken Jeong all play characters who become part of the study group. Jim Rash is absolutely phenomenal in his role as Dean Pelton.
Every character has an eccentric background and character arc, keeping the viewer interested in what will happen in any given episode. Community had some very special facets as well, such as a recurring “Paintball” episode every season except season 5. I found myself looking forward to those episodes more than anything.
If you haven’t ever seen “Community”, have scrolled past it 27 times on your Netflix suggestions, or have been recommended it before but never pulled the trigger, this is your sign. It is available on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and YouTube. Start watching it today. You’ll be streets ahead.
2. Taskmaster
One of the funniest British shows to land on American screens over the last decade, “Taskmaster” is a witty, hilarious, and extremely well-executed take on a competitive gameshow where 5 comedians do their best to claim victory in the eyes of the Taskmaster.
Many of the contestants are well known British comedians or otherwise social figures and change every season. Perhaps the biggest draw to this show? All 10 seasons are hosted on YouTube to watch for free.
Taskmaster Greg Davies and his co-host Alex Horne create challenging, unique, and sometimes downright absurd tasks for competitors to complete. Many tasks are pre-recorded before the contestants arrive for the taping of the show itself. Filmed in front of a live audience, contestants are sitting on stage with the Taskmaster and discuss their experiences with the assigned tasks.
There is almost never one singular defined way to complete any of the tasks, and this is often where the show gets most of its comedy and controversy. Task examples:
”In the lab, there is a watermelon. Eat as much of the watermelon as you can. You have 1 minute. Your time starts when you open the door to the lab.”
Seems pretty straightforward, no? Until they enter the lab and the watermelon is still completely whole, and no there are no tools in sight. The clock is now ticking, as well. What would your strategy be?
”Make this iceblock (1 foot by 2 feet) disappear as quickly as possible. You have 1 hour.”
”Get as much of the personal information listed here, from this Swedish man. He can only shake his head ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and it will mean the opposite”.
”Buy the best gift for the Taskmaster (given 20 pounds in an envelope, but can you spend more??)”
”Remove 4 items of clothing and spread them out as far as you possibly can in different directions.” A winner was judged on the total area inside the 4 articles as drawn from an aerial GPS coordinate view.
Every show begins with an item task. The contestants are asked to bring n an item. It can be “most unique”, “most boastful”, “most meaningful”, “most stylish” etc.
This is the first task and the contestants are awarded points depending on where the Taskmaster ranks their item. The winner of each episode takes home the lot. There are 4 or 5 tasks given to all contestants for each episode that has been pre-recorded and the Taskmaster (Greg Davies) awards placements for each task, often with some subjectivity.
The show wraps up with a Task that is assigned live and contestants compete on stage as a final contest. Each individual has their score tallied and the winner claims their prizes. The overall score totals for each contestant are tracked throughout the season and the overall winner is awarded a golden-clad replica of Greg Davie’s head. Here is an example of a task and how it is played out for the show.
Taskmaster is a gripping, wildly entertaining show that doesn’t feel like any other “game show” I’ve watched. The humor can be British and dry at times, but most often comes across as witty and refreshing.
Viewers will be taken aback by the inevitable emotional investments made in each episode; you’ll find heroes and villains, geniuses and people who make you feel better about your smarts. Some moments have left me in absolute awe. It is so incredibly watchable, and with it being hosted on YouTube with minimal ads and no commercials, it is insanely accessible. Your next task is to watch an episode ASAP!
3. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Rounding out the list is a show that broke down the walls of a typical crime drama show, flipped it on its head, and became one of the funniest running shows in memory. Brooklyn Nine-Nine focuses on a group of policemen and women working for the 99th Precinct in New York. Available on Hulu and Amazon Prime, all 7 seasons of this show (so far!) have had me hungry to binge more.
Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) is an extremely talented detective who struggles to keep his less-than-mature humor and behavior at bay.
Jake is extremely competitive, wants to win, and will work any job as long as it takes to successfully solve it. His biggest competition is Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero) as she looks to fulfill her dream of being the youngest Captain the precinct has ever seen. Jake and Amy constantly push one another to be better cops, which may lead to more developments in their relationship as the show progresses.
Jakes's best friend and police partner, Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio) is the most warm-hearted, kind soul anyone could ask for. Charles constantly puts his foot in his mouth, though he never has anything but the warmest of intentions for his team, family, and anyone he holds close.
Captain Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher) is a stoic, charismatic, and highly respected leader in the 99th Precinct. His affinity for the finer things in life shines through his work, hobbies, and partner.
Sargent Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews) is a strong backbone of the force but completely melted by his twin baby daughters. Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz) is serious, hard-nosed, and seemingly lacking emotion in many of her interactions, until you see below the surface. Gina Linetti (Chelsea Peretti) is the sassy secretary, constantly equipped with a witty one-liner and an eye-roll to boot.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine focuses much more on the inner-office relationships than it does actual cases, though many offenders make repeat appearances and become familiar faces throughout the series. The show utilizes scenarios within the cases that the police force responds to, as a way to build character arcs and expand on backstory.
In a similar fashion to “Community” and it’s paintball episodes, Nine Nine has a “Halloween Heist” episode in most seasons as the team competes to out-smart one another in a competition to be in possession of a predetermined item.
Jake also loves to put on “Jimmy-Jab Games”, an office-wide Olympic style competition made of ragtag obstacles, items, and objectives. I look forward to the release of every new episode, hopefully, more seasons to come. NINE-NINE!!!
All of these shows are phenomenal comedies that are all binge-worthy and have tons of episodes to work through. It was difficult to narrow it down to just a few shows, but these will all keep you busy for a while. With so many more shows constantly coming to the surface, it is likely that this is just the first of many articles written about this subject! Enjoy!