The range of television entertainment has expanded exponentially throughout the 21st century, with comedy being a genre that has evolved significantly as a result of the soaring popularity of the medium in this time. The fact that Fleabag, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Rick and Morty all stand as iconic titles of the decade is evidence enough of the genre’s breadth and brilliance.
However, with comedy TV becoming increasingly saturated, it is little surprise that numerous series, despite their excellence and hysterics, have been overlooked by the masses. Ranging from searing and satirical takes on modern life to hilarious horror parodies, and even playful period pieces that riff on television trends with aplomb, these 10 comedy shows are as underrated as they are uproarious.
10
‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ (2015–2019)
Created by Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna
A bombastic mixture of romance, dramedy, and even musical numbers, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend ran for four seasons through the late part of the 2010s, though, despite its critical acclaim and the passionate admiration of its fans, it never garnered high viewership numbers. The series follows Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom), a hugely successful lawyer in New York City who gives up her career to move back to her hometown in California as she pursues a relationship with a teenage crush, a relocation that gives way to many new discoveries.
Beneath the exuberance and flamboyance of the series’ presentation resides a considered and timely engagement with themes such as mental illness, female sexuality, and the contradictory complexity of the human condition, all being explored with wit and depth. With its cleverness and its creativeness, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend carved out a niche in the crowded comedy landscape of contemporary television, celebrating its own unconventional charm by resolving its story after four seasons rather than being canceled in the middle of the narrative.
9
‘Wellington Paranormal’ (2018–2022)
Created by Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, and Paul Yates
Laced with Taika Waititi and Jermaine Clement’s penchant for understated absurdity and delightful silliness, Wellington Paranormal mixes horror, comedy, and police drama in wonderful fashion to be a true hidden gem of New Zealand television. A spin-off of 2014’s What We Do in the Shadows, the series runs as a mockumentary following a team of police officers in Wellington who handle crimes of a supernatural nature, including everything from demonic possessions to blood bank robberies.
Across its four seasons, Wellington Paranormal soars with its low-key comedy charms and its monster-of-the-week formula, while the Kiwi quaintness of its presentation will have fans of Waititi’s work in his native land grinning from ear to ear. Despite its droll delights and its ceaseless entertainment value, the series was canceled ahead of its fourth season. However, fans of the series can get more access to it in the form of ‘The Wellington Paranormal Podcast,’ which launched in 2023 and remains active today.
Wellington Paranormal
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Mike Minogue
Officer Minogue
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Karen O’Leary
Officer O’Leary
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Maaka Pohatu
Sergeant Maaka
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Thomas Sainsbury
Officer Parker
8
‘Angie Tribeca’ (2016–2018)
Created by Steve Carell and Nancy Carell
Co-created by Steve Carell and unfurling as a pleasant marriage between police procedural formula and sitcom magnetism, Angie Tribeca utilizes a terrific cast spearheaded by comedy television icon Rashida Jones to maximum effect. Jones stars as Detective Angie Tribeca, a veteran of the LAPD’s RHCU (Really Heinous Crimes Unit) whose preference to operate as a lone wolf is interrupted when she is assigned a new partner, the eccentric and quirky Detective Jay Geils (Hayes MacArthur). The unlikely pairing solve all manner of bizarre crimes with help from the rest of the unit.
With its relentless one-liners and its comfort with its physical comedy, Angie Tribeca strikes a faultless balance between razor-sharp wit and accessible comedy gags that are consistently engaging for its charming characters and its lampooning of police dramas. The series was axed by TBS in 2019, nearly half a year after the finale of its fourth season, Angie Tribeca: Special Division Force, which made significant changes to the cast.
7
‘Norsemen’ (2016–2020)
Created by Jon Iver Helgaker and Jonas Torgersen
Spearheaded by series like Vikings and the popularity of characters like Chris Hemsworth’s Thor Odinson in the MCU, Viking culture became a major trend of the 2010s, with fans becoming fascinated by their history, society, art, and beliefs. Capitalizing on this intrigue with a bombastic balance of comedy and violence, Norsemen premiered in 2016 following the residents of Norheim, a village in 8th-century Norway, as they try to go about their daily lives even as bloody rivalries, social changes, and political upheavals transpire around them.
With its balance of absurdity, wry wit, parody, and even its abrupt outburst of violence, Norsemen makes a striking impression with its refreshing originality, with the series being best described as being somewhere between a Monty Python sketch and The Office while riffing on series like Game of Thrones. It ran for two seasons plus an additional prequel third season before being axed in 2020.
6
‘Chewing Gum’ (2015–2017)
Created by Michaela Coel
Fans of the hit miniseries I May Destroy You who haven’t been exposed to Chewing Gum might need to make that amendment as soon as possible. The first small-screen creation from Michaela Coel, the series follows a 24-year-old woman who, having been raised in a strict religious household, has been sheltered from the world and many formative human experiences. Eager to learn what she has been missing out on, and determined to lose her virginity, she sets out on a journey of self-discovery and enlightenment.
The series may be lighter than I May Destroy You in terms of its subject matter, but it is no less contemplative and considered. Coel shines in the lead role, imbuing the character with a curious warmth and plenty of comic prowess while, in the role of screenwriter, she strikes a perfect balance between crude comedy, Christian convictions, and provocative punch. The series was canceled after two seasons despite Coel’s desire to carry on the story.
Chewing Gum
- Release Date
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2015 – 2017-00-00
- Directors
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Tom Marshall, Simon Neal
5
‘Master of None’ (2015–2021)
Created by Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang
An enticing series to reflect on in its entirety, Master of None is split between its first two seasons, and its third—uniquely titles Master of None: Moments in Love—which places its emphasis on a different character. The first two seasons follow Dev Shah (Aziz Ansari), an aimless actor navigating single life in New York City while struggling to determine what it is he wants in life. The third focuses on his friend Denise (Lena Waithe), a novelist juggling the complications of married life with her wife, Alicia (Naomi Ackie), and the process of writing her second book.
While defined by its comedic punch, the series is rife with intriguing elements of modern-day life that make it both accessible and thought-provoking. It explores such themes as cultural diversity in modern America, dating and relationships in the technological age, and the helpless malaise many millennials face as they grapple with what they truly desire in their personal lives and careers. Its ability to examine such complex themes while maintaining a light touch is not only an incredible achievement, but an underrated feat of comedy television in the 2010s.
4
‘One Day at a Time’ (2017–2020)
Developed by Gloria Calderón Kellett and Mike Royce
Based on the series of the same name that ran from 1975 to 1984, One Day at a Time strikes a flawless balance between honoring its source material—and, by extension, the old-school appeal of sitcom entertainment—and breathing new life into the television genre with nuance and a keen social awareness. It centers on Penelope Alvarez (Justina Machado) who, after divorcing her husband, moves into a new building with her two children and her mother. As the series evolves, each member of the family must confront their own issues, ranging from sexuality and identity to alcoholism and mortality.
Its juggling of societally-minded drama and family comedy is skillful and smooth, and helped immensely by the endearing sincerity of its characters. Despite all four of its seasons earning universal critical acclaim, One Day at a Time always had a dogged run with viewers. After being axed by Netflix following its third season, Pop TV picked it up for a fourth before then canceling it after an interrupted production due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
3
‘Men of a Certain Age’ (2009–2011)
Created by Ray Romano and Mike Royce
Lauded by critics for its maturity, insights, and depth as much as for its comedy wit and its hysterics, Men of a Certain Age premiered in December 2009 and ran for two seasons. Starring Ray Romano (who co-created the series), Andre Braugher, and Scott Bakula, it follows three distinctly different men who have been friends since college as they reckon with the adjustments they must make as they near their 50s, including accepting what they must leave behind, but also deciding what dreams they can still act upon.
With its sharp and profoundly honest writing and its brilliant performances, Men of a Certain Age excels as both a wildly hilarious comedy about friendship and a poignant meditation on life. Despite garnering universal acclaim from critics, the series’ viewership across its first two seasons remained low, leading TNT to cancel it as it focuses on more action-packed shows like Falling Skies and Rizzoli & Isles.
2
‘Crashing’ (2016)
Created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Phoebe Waller-Bridge made a huge impact on small-screen entertainment in 2016 with the release of her groundbreaking dramedy, Fleabag. However, the talented writer and actress also featured in another brilliant comedy series in the form of Crashing. The twisted British sitcom follows six people in their 20s and 30s living together as property guardians of a disused hospital. Amid the unconventional living arrangement, the group must navigate the overlapping relationships, mounting sexual tensions, and personal baggage.
Despite the fact that it spans across just six episodes, Crashing—in true Waller-Bridge style—is delightfully manic, quietly dramatic, and often piercing with its authenticity, intrigue, and depth. Its eagerness to play with the standardized sitcom formula is energetic and intelligent, and while Crashing doesn’t match the excellence of Fleabag, it does still serve as a criminally underappreciated dose of modern comedy that deserves a much larger fanbase.
1
‘Broad City’ (2014–2019)
Created by Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson
It certainly seems that sitcoms about relatable yet flawed people navigating the ups and downs of life in New York City never go out of fashion, and yet, so often these series are able to offer new and unique outlooks on contemporary life that captivate with their nuance, depth, and, of course, their comedy. Broad City is a perfect example of this. Premiering in 2014, the Comedy Central series follows two young best friends as they struggle to handle the absurdity of day-to-day life while getting by on low-paying jobs.
Flaunting a heightened sense of peculiarity, Broad City is always appealing for its confounding and bizarre quirks as much as for its comedic prowess. However, it is within this wonderful weirdness that the series finds its beating heart, its absorbing charm, and many of its most powerful and resonant moments. Despite its low viewership, the series was able to end on its own terms in 2019 following five seasons.
Broad City
- Release Date
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2014 – 2019-00-00
- Network
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Comedy Central