What to Watch to Calm Your Coronavirus Panic: 51 TV Comedies to Stream

A long time ago in a land far, far away, a store named Blockbuster Video roamed the Earth. It was a place to rent movies, purchase Milk Duds, and idly walk around reading the backs of movie boxes to learn about films you’d never rent. “Is today the day, old friend?” you’d ask while familiarizing yourself with the judicial escapades of Pauly Shore in the 1995 comedy Jury Duty.

But today was never the day. Related: Jury Duty is now streaming for free on Crackle, which is very on brand for all parties involved. ANYWAY, Blockbuster and stores of its ilk often had a section called “Staff Picks,” where employees could promote their favorite films. Allow me to pour one out for Blockbuster with a few of my personal favorite TV comedies.

1. Schitt’s Creek

Best Place To Binge: Netflix (Seasons 1-5, Season 6 TBD)
Binge Time: Six seasons, 81 episodes
Reason To Watch: Over the past year, no show has made me smile more than Schitt’s Creek. This beloved series about a family who loses their fortune and is forced to move to the quaint small town of Schitt’s Creek is a warm hug on a cold, crumby day.

2. You’re the Worst

Best Place To Binge: Hulu
Binge Time: Five seasons, 52 episodes
Reason To Watch: You’re the Worst won’t always provide you with a warm and fuzzy feeling, but when it does, it will absolutely wreck you. If you just want to laugh, this isn’t the show for you. But if you want a brilliantly written, exceptionally acted series that deftly captures the maddening nuance of love, You’re the Worst is just what the doctor ordered.

3. Happy Endings

Best Place To Binge: Hulu
Binge Time: Three seasons, 57 episodes
Reason To Watch: In terms of the quantity and quality of jokes, Happy Endings is one of the smartest, laugh-out-loud funniest shows in television history.

4. Community

Best Place To Binge: Hulu (but it’s coming to Netflix on 4/1/20)
Binge Time: Six seasons, 110 episodes
Reason To Watch: The second season of Community is one of my favorite seasons in TV history. Similar to cult classic NewsRadio, Community was an underappreciated yet passionately-adored series that took great pleasure in creating fresh, innovative comedy.

5. Flight of the Conchords

Best Place To Binge: Prime Video/HBO GO
Binge Time: Two seasons, 22 episodes
Reason To Watch: This bizarro buddy comedy about a fledgling band trying to make it in NYC is the perfect cure for a bad day.

6. Catastrophe

Best Place To Binge: Prime Video
Binge Time: Four seasons, 24 episodes
Reason To Watch: Created and written by Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney, Catastrophe follows two people who decide to become a couple after an unexpected pregnancy. An earnest, explosively funny series that tackles the realities of modern romance, Catastrophe is the perfect binge watch.

7. Arrested Development (Seasons 1-3)

Best Place To Binge: Netflix
Binge Time: Three seasons, 53 episodes
Reason To Watch: This dysfunctional family comedy is a celebration of brilliant joke writing. The first three seasons (the series later returned for two additional seasons) exceed the already lofty hype. Arrested Development is basically equivalent to sitcom Mensa.

8. Casual

Best Place To Binge: Hulu
Binge Time: Four seasons, 44 episodes
Reason To Watch: A blisteringly honest series about an unusually close family, Casual is an intimate kaleidoscope of humanity that mines an absurd amount of humor and pathos from the exhausting tribulations of day-to-day life. Much like You’re the Worst, Casual isn’t a traditional comedy, but if you’re looking for something with a bit more depth, you’ll enjoy the searing authenticity of this underrated dramedy.

9. The Larry Sanders Show

Best Place To Binge: HBO GO
Binge Time: Six seasons, 90 episodes
Reason To Watch: The Larry Sanders Show was Prestige TV before the term Prestige TV existed. No flipping.

10. New Girl

Best Place To Binge: Netflix
Binge Time: Seven seasons, 146 episodes
Reason To Watch: Remember the low-stakes fun of hangout comedies? New Girl is a joyous sitcom about an endearing group of weirdos who love one another.

11. Scrubs

Best Place To Binge: Hulu
Binge Time: Nine seasons, 182 episodes
Reason To Watch: I loved Scrubs. LOVED it. It’s a huge time commitment, but this Bill Lawrence comedy possessed the rare ability to oscillate between extremely silly humor and emotionally devastating drama without missing a beat.

12. The Good Place

Best Place To Binge: Netflix (Seasons 1-3 currently available, Season 4 TBD)
Binge Time: Four seasons, 53 episodes
Reason To Watch: When Michael Schur’s afterlife comedy was at its best, it was one of the smartest, most refreshingly audacious shows on television. From Megan Amran’s museum-worthy list of food puns to super specific jokes that’ll make you do a spit-take, The Good Place will be missed.

Starting a multi-season binge can be intimidating, like trying to complete the Saturday edition of the NYT crossword puzzle or climbing Mount Everest, so here are a few one-season comedies that’ll put a spring in your step.

13. Clark and Michael

Best Place To Binge: YouTube
Binge Time: 10 episodes (8-12 minute episodes)
Reason To Watch: Created by and starring Clark Duke and Michael Cera, this 2007 mockumentary is the epitome of the term hidden gem. The web series follows fictionalized versions of the two as they attempt to write and sell a TV series. Watch it. Trust me, you’ll love it.

14. Sarah’s Channel 

Best Place To Binge: YouTube
Binge Time: The entire series can be binged in 29 minutes!
Reason To Watch: Claudia O’Doherty portrays the titular Sarah, a social media influencer who hosts a vlog in a post-apocalyptic dystopia after being reanimated by a small group of “slime people.” Need I say more?

15. A Black Lady Sketch Show

Best Place To Binge: HBO
Binge Time: 6 episodes
Reason To Watch: Much like Netflix’s I Think You Should Leave (which is also sensational), A Black Lady Sketch Show debuted fully-formed. The rookie show demonstrated veteran sketch comedy chops as each episode provided multiple laugh-out-loud moments.

16. The Other Two

Best Place To Binge: Comedy Central’s website
Binge Time: 10 episodes
Reason To Watch: Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider’s deliriously funny comedy about two siblings forced to grapple with their younger brother’s newfound fame is a Decider favorite. You’ll love it.

17. Mythic Quest

Best Place To Binge: Apple TV+
Binge Time: 9 episodes
Reason To Watch: If you enjoy It’s Always Sunny, you’ll love the Megan Ganz, Rob McElhenney, and Charlie Day’s dysfunctional workplace comedy Mythic Quest.

18. The Earliest Show

Best Place To Binge: YouTube
Binge Time: 6 episodes
Reason To Watch: Ben Schwartz and Lauren Lapkus are two of the best improvisers in the world. This incredibly silly Funny Or Die series about a morning talk show that goes off the rails is a true treat. The hour-long outtakes video is just 65 minutes of delirious, wonderful improv.

19. Shrink

Best Place To Binge: NBC’s website
Binge Time: 8 Episodes
Reason To Watch: I once referred to Shrink as the “funniest show you’ve never heard of,” which means if you watch this beautifully crafted series, you’ll turn me into a liar. A real win/win for you.

20. Medical Police

Best Place To Binge: Netflix
Binge Time: 10 Episodes
Reason To Watch: If you loved Childrens Hospital, Medical Police is for you. This absurd comedy starring Erinn Hayes and Rob Huebel packs an insane amount of jokes into each episode.

21. Short Poppies

Best Place To Binge: Prime Video
Binge Time: 8 Episodes
Reason To Watch: Oh no! You watched every episode of Flight of the Conchords. Now what?! Created by and starring Rhys Darby, this 2014 mockumentary series follows David Farrier as he profiles “ordinary” New Zealanders (all portrayed by Darby) in this eight-episode trove of hilarity.

22. Benched

Best Place To Binge: ABC’s website
Binge Time: 12 episodes
Reason To Watch: How can a comedy created by Michaela Watkins and starring Eliza Coupe be anything but exceptional? This 2014 sitcom follows Coupe’s character as she goes from a high-powered corporate lawyer to a public defender.

23. Everything’s Gonna Be Okay

Best Place To Binge: Hulu
Binge Time: 10 episodes
Reason To Watch: Josh Thomas’ charming new Freeform comedy is a pleasant reminder that we’re all just doing our best, ya know?

24. Playing House

Best Place To Binge: USA’s website
Binge Time: Three seasons, 26 episodes
Reason To Watch: Created by and starring real-life bffs Jessica St. Clair and Lennon Parham, this criminally under-appreciated series follows two friends who raise a baby together. It’s a warm, explosively funny series that will straight-up brighten your day.

25. Detroiters 

Best Place To Binge: Comedy Central’s website
Binge Time: Two seasons, 20 episodes
Reason To Watch: Sam Richardson and Tim Robinson have contagious comedy chemistry in this endlessly funny series about two best friends who run an advertising agency in Detroit.

26. Nathan For You

Best Place To Binge: Hulu
Binge Time: Four seasons, 31 episodes
Reason To Watch: Nathan Fielder’s unique Comedy Central series is an absurd, laugh-out-loud treat. If you’ve never seen Nathan For You, Fielder uses his business acumen to concoct out-of-the-box ideas to help small businesses turn a profit. The comedian’s unorthodox approach to both business and comedy results in one of the most inventive shows of all time.

27. Corporate

Best Place To Binge: Comedy Central’s website
Binge Time: Two seasons, 20 episodes
Reason To Watch: Comedy Central’s Corporate is painstakingly relatable for anyone who’s ever been forced to deal with the slog of a nine-to-five job. Jake Weisman and Matt Ingebretson portray two junior executives-in-training dealing with the deranged inanity of a thankless office job in this dark, hysterically funny series.

28. Review

Best Place To Binge: Comedy Central’s website
Binge Time: Three seasons, 22 episodes
Reason To Watch: Two weeks ago I wrote that “Review is an underappreciated comedic masterpiece.” Do you use quotes when quoting yourself? Is quoting yourself gauche? Is using the word gauche gauche?! So many questions. Long story short: Review is outstanding.

29. Fleabag 

Best Place To Binge: Prime Video
Binge Time: Two seasons, 12 episodes
Reason To Watch: The second season of Fleabag is one of the best top to bottom seasons I’ve seen in recent memory. Plus, *quick turn to the camera* you can binge the whole season in two and a half hours!

30. Party Down

Best Place To Binge: Hulu
Binge Time: Two seasons, 20 episodes
Reason To Watch: Are we having fun yet? If you’re a fan of Happy Endings, Community, or Arrested Development, this star-studded comedy that follows a group of caterers hoping to make it big in Hollywood is as must-see as it gets.

31. Brockmire 

Best Place To Binge: Hulu
Binge Time: Three seasons, 24 episodes (Season 4 premieres on March 18)
Reason To Watch: Brockmire is a rare combination of raucous humor and stealthy heart. Hank Azaria is pitch-perfect as the hard-partying baseball legend who falls from grace.

32. A.P. Bio

Best Place To Binge: NBC’s website
Binge Time: Two seasons, 26 episodes
Reason To Watch: A.P. Bio mixes off-kilter comedy with a stealthy heart. It’s a little bit like Community, a little bit like It’s Always Sunny, and a whole lot of fun.

33. Red Oaks 

Best Place To Binge: Prime Video
Binge Time: Three seasons, 26 episodes
Reason To Watch: A simple, heartfelt coming-of-age comedy set in the ’80s, Red Oaks is a breezy binge you’ll devour in a day.

34. Letterkenny

Best Place To Binge: Hulu
Binge Time: Eight seasons, 54 episodes
Reason To Watch: Letterkenny isn’t your traditional small-town comedy… it’s much funnier. The deceptively clever sitcom centers on the day-to-day quarrels between residents of the tiny town of Letterkenny.

35. Joe Pera Talks With You

Best Place To Binge: Adult Swim’s website
Binge Time: Two seasons, 22 episodes (ten minute episodes)
Reason To Watch: Joe Pera Talks With You follows a fictionalized version of Pera as a soft-spoken middle school choir teacher living in Michigan and talking to the audience about a host of humdrum topics like beans, breakfast, and grocery stores. The series earnestly embraces the mundanity of everyday life while also delivering a never-ending reservoir of offbeat humor.

36. Rosehaven

Best Place To Binge: SundanceTV
Binge Time: Three seasons, 24 episodes
Reason To Watch: Rosehaven centers on two best friends, the overly-anxious Daniel (Luke McGregor) and immensely optimistic Emma (Celia Pacquola), who return to Daniel’s eccentric hometown to help his sick mother run her real estate business. If you’re looking for an endearing series that exudes charm, make it a Rosehaven night.

37. The Mindy Project

Best Place To Binge: Hulu
Binge Time: Six seasons, 117 episodes
Reason To Watch: Mindy Kaling was a true tour de force in The Mindy Project. Part modern romantic comedy and part comedy of errors, this smile-inducing sitcom pairs nicely with Hulu’s Difficult People.

38. Cobra Kai

Best Place To Binge: YouTube Premium
Binge Time: Two seasons, 20 episodes
Reason To Watch: While humorous, Cobra Kai is more action dramedy than comedy, but it’s still the absolute best show you’re not watching.

*** BONUS GEMS: HBO’s Bored To Death (streaming on Prime Video and HBO) and IFC’s Documentary Now! (available on Netflix) are also phenomenal. *** 

“Making your way in the world today takes everything you got
Taking a break from all your worries, it sure would help a lot
Wouldn’t you like to get away?
Sometimes you want to go…
Where everybody knows your name! 

— The Cheers theme song and 2020 as a whole

39. Cheers

Best Place To Binge: Netflix
Binge Time: Eleven seasons, 275 episodes
Reason To Watch: Remember, no matter how bad things get, there’s always Cheers. Also, never skip the Cheers theme song on Netflix. It’s seven years bad luck.

40. Frasier

Best Place To Binge: Netflix
Binge Time: Eleven seasons, 264 episodes
Reason To Watch: Which came first: The hit NBC sitcom Frasier or the word droll?

41. The Office

Best Place To Binge: Netflix
Binge Time: Nine seasons, 201 episodes
Reason To Watch: The entire season is terrific, but Seasons 2 and 3 of The Office are all-time greats.

42. Parks And Recreation 

Best Place To Binge: Hulu/Netflix
Binge Time: Seven seasons, 125 episodes
Reason To Watch: We could all use a dose of Leslie Knope’s unwavering optimism right now.

43. M*A*S*H 

Best Place To Binge: Hulu
Binge Time: 11 seasons, 256 episodes
Reason To Watch: Two reasons, really. One, it’s considered by many to be the most influential sitcom of all-time. Two, it’s Decider all star Conrad Doucette’s favorite show!

44. Superstore

Best Place To Binge: Hulu
Binge Time: Five Seasons, 99 episodes (after the Season 5 finale)
Reason To Watch: This endearing ensemble comedy is like a warm, cozy blanket.

45. 30 Rock

Best Place To Binge: Hulu
Binge Time: Seven seasons, 138 episodes
Reason To Watch: Tracy Jordan: I’m gonna make you a mix tape. You like Phil Collins? Jack: I have two ears and a heart, don’t I?

46. Seinfeld

Best Place To Binge: Hulu
Binge Time: Nine seasons, 180 episodes
Reason To Watch: It’s Seinfeld! You don’t need me to tell you why to watch this iconic series.

47. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Best Place To Binge: Netflix
Binge Time: Four seasons, 51 episodes
Reason To Watch: I mean, if anybody knows how to deal with the end of days, it’s Kimmy Schmidt.

48. Taxi

Best Place To Binge: Hulu, CBS All Access
Binge Time: Five seasons, 114 episodes
Reason To Watch: Not only is Taxi a legendary sitcom, the series has one of the most soothing theme songs in history.

49. Veep

Best Place To Binge: HBO GO
Binge Time: Seven seasons, 65 episodes
Reason To Watch: Veep isn’t the first show that comes to mind when you hear the term “feel-good,” but it’s just so fucking funny.

50. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Best Place To Binge: Hulu
Binge Time: 14 seasons, 154 episodes
Reason To Watch: At this point, this deranged group of lunatics have become like family.

51. The Simpsons

Best Place To Binge: Disney+
Binge Time: Who knows. The Simpsons will outlive us all.
Reason To Watch: Nothing beats ’90s Simpsons.