The 10 Best Comedy Series on Netflix, According to Rotten Tomatoes Scores
If you want something funny to binge, I guarantee you'll find a new show to love among these choices.
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We all need a little laughter, right? Whether your idea of "funny" is sharp social satire, complete absurdism, a comforting, old school sitcom, or anything in between, there is a show streaming on Netflix right now that will satisfy you.
The ten comedy series below are all ranked at above 95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, so you can count on smart writing, the dialed-in performance, and critically approved laughs.
Detroiters (2017-2018)
Before he took off by making the best sketch show in the last decade, I Think You Should Leave's Tim Robinson created and starred in Detroiters, an absurdist sitcom about a couple of best friends who run a low-rent ad firm in Detroit. Detroiters takes the anarchic energy of I Think You Should Leave and plops it into the kind of persistent sitcom universe people are comfortable with, then upends the formula constantly. This show was criminally under-watched when it originally aired on Comedy Central, so if you missed it, catch up now.
North of North (2025-Present)
For a show set on the literal frozen tundra, North of North sure is warm. Anna Lambe stars as Siaja, a young single mother who talks her way into a job as the assistant to the town manager of Ice Cove, Nunavut. Siaja may be an Inuit from a place way too cold for you to ever have visited, but her struggles and triumphs are universal, and North of North presents it all in such a loving way, it's impossible to not like it. I mean, 100% of TV critics dig it, and they're some cynical folks.
Resident Alien (2021-Present)
In this fish-way-out-of-water series, Alan Tudyk plays a space alien who crashes on Earth and is forced to hide inside the skin of small-town doctor Harry Vanderspeigle. The alien's mission to kill all people depends on assimilating with the local population of a Colorado mountain town and impersonating a human doctor, a task made more difficult when he starts falling for one of the natives and discovers a kid who can see what he really is. The premise is innovative, the cast is stellar, and the jokes are actually funny. Don't sleep on Resident Alien.
Documentary Now! (2015-present)
In the universe of Documentary Now!, Helen Mirren hosts a PBS-style documentary series that's been around for 53 years. Mirren introduces self-contained short films that parody famous documentaries and documentary styles. Created by Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Seth Meyers, and Rhys Thomas and starring a who's-who of comedic heavyweights too long to list, Documentary Now! is a comedy show for huge fans of D.A. Pennebaker who think it's about time someone parody Grey Gardens. Pointy-heads need comedy too, right?
One Day at a Time (2017-Present)
While this comedy-drama was inspired by Norman Lear's 70s sitcom of the same name, it doesn't feel dusty or dated—the universal struggle to get by is timeless. Justina Machado stars as Penelope, a newly single nurse raising two kids with the help of her old-school mom, played by Rita Moreno, and her building manager Schneider, played by Todd Grinnell. If you like comfort comedy filmed in that familiar three-camera style, and you like it when love and family conquer all (but not in a cheesy way), check out One Day at a Time. (If you like sitcoms in general, here's Lifehacker's list of the top situation comedies on Netflix.)
Cunk on Earth (2022)
I love this very British mockumentary series. In Cunk on Earth, Diane Morgan plays Philomena Cunk, an absolute idiot who's been given the job of hosting a BBC documentary series that explores the history of human civilization. Cunk visits real academics and experts—some of the smartest people on Earth—who are not in on the joke. She then asks them incredibly stupid questions like "do we know if China has a roof?" The reactions are hilarious as they try to gently explain basic concepts to a moron.
A Man on the Inside (2024-present)
In this Netflix original comedy series, Ted Danson plays a retired professor who finds a new lease on life when he goes undercover to investigate a series of crimes in a retirement home. A Man on the Inside is a gentle show, but it's not afraid to take on big topics like loneliness, aging, and death while striking a perfect balance between comedy and heart.
The End of the F***ing World (2017-2019)
In this stylish, edgy, pitch-dark series, teenage misfits James and Alyssa meet and embark on a road trip/crime spree while searching for Alyssa's estranged father. But James is a wannabe serial killer, and he's chosen Alyssa as his first victim. As you'd probably guess, everything spirals violently out of control. The End of the F***ing World isn't for the faint-of-heart, but it's darkly funny, with an off-kilter sensibility and real affection for the weirdos and outcasts it features. (Yeah, I know it's 94% fresh not 95%, but I'm a rebel like that.)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015-2020)
In the opening episode of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, the title character escapes the apocalypse cult where she spent most of her life and moves to New York. Schmidt, played by Ellie Kemper, unleashes her wide-eyed innocence on modern life in the Big City. This show's sharp writing, and amazing performances set it way above most comedy. If you like funny things, you'll love this one.
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return (2017)
The original MST3K, a long-running, bad-movie-watching marathon, was pulled from obscurity by its fans via a Kickstarter. The Return breathes fresh life into the old formula courtesy of a new cast that includes Patton Oswalt, Jonah Ray, and Felicia Day. The plot (mad scientists imprison a guy to make him watch bad movies with wise-cracking robots) is really just an excuse for hilarious jokes at the expense of terrible films. Not every joke is a winner, but so many of them are that it becomes addictive. Mystery Science Theater 3000: the Return is the kind of show you settle into like a comfy couch.
