Sometimes you just need to switch off from the outside world and have a good laugh—the kind that makes your stomach feel like you've done 100 crunches at the gym. When that need strikes, our first port of call is to head to the part of the internet which is a safe haven from current affairs, Netflix.
Enjoy a moment of hilarious bliss with the best comedy shows, movies and stand-up specials on Netflix which are guaranteed to crack you up at a time where we could use it most.
Best Comedy Shows On Netflix
Crashing
Before every man and his dog knew Phoebe Waller-Bridge, she created and starred in another show, one which is as equally funny and clever as Fleabag. follows a group of people living as property guardians—making home in an empty, rundown hospital so as to protect it from developers who want to, well, turn it into some liveable, habitable space. Whilst some would see these guys as squatters, the crew that live here see it for what it is—cheap rent. Things are going well for resident Anthony until his oldest and dearest friend Lulu arrives and is in need of a place to crash. Trademark Waller-Bridge hilarity ensues. A short watch with only six episodes, think of it more as a two hour movie cos you’ll probably watch this in one go.
Derry Girls
There’s the luck of the Irish, and then there’s the situations Erin, Orla, Clare, Michelle and her cousin James get themselves into. Set in 1990s Northern Ireland during a time of civil unrest, follows a squad of 16-year-olds laughing along whilst navigating life as Catholic teens in their small hometown of Derry. Life consists of trying (and by and large, failing) to pull the wool over their strict parents' eyes, getting in and out of with trouble with the townspeople, and making a mess of their time at Our Lady Immaculate—much to the displeasure of their teenage-loathing Sister Michael. This is absolutely one of the best comedies on Netflix right now.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Remember playing snake on your Nokia brick? Or blasting tinny sounds from our Motorola Razors? It certainly doesn’t feel that long ago, but boy how things have changed. embodies the saying, ‘were you born yesterday?’ and has a lot of catching up to do after being trapped in a bunker for 15 years. Seeing the world with brand new eyes, it's 2015 and she’s taking back her life by moving to the Big Apple, making questionable decisions and questionable friends in Lillian, Jacqueline and Titus Andromedon (stand out moments include his music videos of ‘Pinot Noir’ and a Beyonce ‘Hold Up’ parody).
The Good Place
When Eleanor Shellstrop (played by Kristen Bell), a deceased saleswoman who lived a morally corrupt life, finds herself in a heaven-like afterlife in a case of mistaken identity she must try to hide her past in order to stay there. Whilst there she meets her “soulmate” Chidi, a bubbling but oh so sweet academic and humanitarian and a cast of colourful characters that have all lived angelic existences on earth and soon enough begin to see Eleanor’s shiny exterior slip. With a genius cast including Jameela Jamil, D'Arcy Carden and Ted Danson, (which has four seasons for you to binge) will make you feel like you’ve done 1,000 sit ups from all the LOLs you’ll be having.
Schitt’s Creek
This beauty just wrapped six incredibly funny seasons (and bagged a slew of major awards) so do yourself a favour and put on immediately. The series follows the Rose family, who after finding themselves suddenly broke, have to swap their New York mansion for a ramshackle motel in a town they once bought as a joke: Schitt's Creek. Parents Johnny (Eugene Levy) and Moira (Catherine O'Hara), and their adult children David (Daniel Levy) and Alexis must for the first time in their lives, live below minimum wage and work for a living—naturally the results are hilarious. And no shade if you find yourself talking in Moira’s voice after just one episode.
Best Comedy Movies On Netflix
Trainwreck
The queen of LOLs, Amy Schumer will have you cracking up the entire 124 minutes. follows Amy (Schumer), a single magazine writer who is a total commitment-phobe. But all that changes when she’s tasked with interviewing Aaron (Bill Hader), a sports doctor to the stars. While she tries to fight their quirky yet instant connection, the harder they fall—mixed in with loads of hilarious Schumer moments.
The Boss
It’s probably one of Melissa McCarthy’s lesser known comedy flicks but we rate as one of her best. It follows Michelle Darnell (McCarthy) a broke tycoon who was recently released from prison after serving time for insider trading. In an effort to restore her former glory she turns to her former assistant Claire (Kristen Bell)—who was underpaid and underappreciated—to create a homemade brownie business. But she has some unexpected competition from the local school—and the results are freaking hilarious.
Trust us when we say you don’t need to be a fan of Eurovision to enjoy this beauty—in fact, it’s probably better if you aren’t. follows aspiring Icelandic musicians Lars (Will Ferrell) and Sigrit (Rachel McAdams) who are given the opportunity of a lifetime to represent their country at the world's biggest song competition. The duo finally have a chance to prove that any dream worth having is a dream worth fighting for—and watching them try is straight up ridiculous and hilarious. Oh and the songs are actually really great.
Sisters
When you combine Saturday Night Live alumni Tina Fey and Amy Phoeler in a flick and cast them as dysfunctional sisters—you get one seriously funny movie. centres around Kate (Fey) an irresponsible single mum, and her sister Maura (Phoeler), a kindhearted nurse and recent divorcee, who return to their childhood home to clean out their bedroom before the house gets sold. Devastated about losing a house full of memories, Kate convinces Maura to rebel against their parents by throwing one last, epic party at the house. But disaster strikes as anything and everything that could go wrong does and hilarious results ensue.
Best Stand Up Comedy Specials On Netflix
Taylor Tomlinson: Quarter-Life Crisis
If you’re in your 20’s, everyone older than you will tell you the same thing. Enjoy them. And to that, millennial Taylor Tomlinson is telling those people to shove it. Five years into her second decade on the planet, and Taylor is well and truly, over it. Times are tough, and in-between getting work experience in places which are only hiring experienced people and angry boomers telling us to stop eating avocados, Taylor’s had enough and wants you to stop telling her to enjoy herself. Because she’s not, damn it. Taking a tough look at her life thus far, if a quarter life crisis is as crappy as she reckons, we can’t imagine what her mid-life crisis is going to look like.
Leslie Jones: Time Machine
Fans of Saturday Night Live cherished the few years Leslie Jones was a cast member, and rightly so. She was a breath of fresh air who brought so much realness to every segment, telling it how it is to the soundtrack of our laughter. It’s no surprise that fans were devastated when she announced she’d be moving on. But never fear, because you can get your Leslie fix with her comedy special, Leslie Jones: Time Machine, which also happens to be directed by the folks behind Game of Thrones. Leslie takes a hilarious look back at her life, taking us on a decade by decade journey through her trials and tribulations of growing up, leaving us in stitches and with a message to live in the moment, and not take life too seriously.
Ronny Chieng: Asian Comedian Destroys America!
Comedian, The Daily Show correspondent, and Crazy Rich Asians actor Ronny Chieng makes his Netflix comedy special debut in Asian Comedian Destroys America! Born in Malaysia and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire, Singapore, and Australia, Chieng shares his unapologetic perspective about his journey to America thus far. From evaluating the effects of consumerism to theorizing how efficient the U.S. would be with an Asian-American President, Chieng shares what he thinks really makes America great in this .
Michelle Wolf: Joke Show
It's funny, as the title suggests. If you haven’t heard of Michelle Wolf, you’re in for a treat. With a pretty solid comedy CV under her belt, Wolf and her self-described ‘shrill voice’ have made appearances on Late Night With Seth Meyers, and was the comic relief for the 2018 White House Correspondents Dinner. So for her latest gig, expect to laugh so hard you just might wet yourself. One of the best comedy specials we’ve seen of late, Wolf tackles topics such as otters, massages, birth, natural disasters and feminism in her own brand of comedy which'll leave you in stitches.
Ken Jeong: You Complete Me, Ho
Comedian, actor and former physician Ken Jeong returns to his stand-up roots for this Netflix comedy special, . Filmed at the Ice House Comedy Club in Pasadena, California, where Jeong first got his start in comedy, You Complete Me, Ho reflects on how Jeong went from being a doctor to a comedy superstar and opens up about how his wife’s courageous battle with breast cancer led to him starring in one of the biggest comedy franchises of all time, The Hangover.
When you're done with this list, check out the best new movies on Netflix.
Image Credit: Netflix