Cult Contemporary Comedies Totally Worthy Of Your Obsession
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If there’s any greater joy than bingeing the entirety of a really solid comedy series in one sitting (or two, if you’re pressed for time), we haven’t found it.
So, if it’s your resolution to start 2019 with a smile on your face or if you’re a little behind on the series your friends haven’t stopped talking about, don’t panic – entire seasons of some of our faves are ready to binge in box sets on SBS On Demand. Strap in for funny science-fiction, bizarre Norwegian musicals, the ultimate anti-rom-com and strange things happening on the streets of Wellington.
#1 Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Image: Universal Television
It begins on 11 January with one of the biggest television events of the year: the return of Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
After a short cancellation, which was reversed by the support of fans on social media, the Nine-Nine crew are back! Season six will roll out week-to-week on SBS On Demand (new episodes drop at 1:31pm every Friday afternoon) and we’ll finally get the answers to all the cliffhangers we were left wondering about in the previous season.
Don’t pull a Scully and Hitchcock and do something stupid like miss the return of Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
#2 The Orville
Image: Fox
The creator of The Family Guy, Seth MacFarlane, is such a huge Star Trek fan that he created a sci-fi adventure series in its honour: The Orville. Set in the 25th Century, it focuses on the crew of a spaceship led by Captain Ed Mercer (MacFarlane) and his first officer/ex-wife, Commander Kelly Grayson (Adrianne Palicki), making for some supremely awkward comedy.
You can stream the complete first season now, and season two episodes debut weekly at SBS On Demand at 2:01pm every Friday afternoon.
#3 You’re The Worst
Image: FX
If you’re sick of all the rom-com clichés and shows that try too hard to make every character likeable, then You’re the Worst is the show for you. It’s a modern look at love and happiness told from the point of view of two people who are burnt out and fed up by both. Brutally honest and hilarious, it’s a realistic antidote to your classic rom-com series.
You can stream seasons one to four now, and season five episodes will be fast-tracked SBS On Demand at 2:01pm every Thursday afternoon.
Check out our video review of You’re The Worst here.
#4 Wellington Paranormal
Image: TVNZ
Have you seen What We Do In the Shadows? If you haven’t, what have you been doing? And if you have, great news! There’s a spin-off TV series that follows police officers Minogue and O’Leary as they investigate things that go bump in the night in Wellington, New Zealand. Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) and Taika Waititi (Hunt for the Wilderpeople) are the brains behind this one and all your favourite supernatural creatures get an NZ twist.
The complete first season is available to stream on SBS On Demand.
#5 Nirvanna The Band The Show
Image: Viceland
Fact and fiction collide in this series where two mates (show creators Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol) try to get their band a gig at a club in Toronto, Canada. Each episode, they go to extreme lengths to book a gig, getting real people who have no idea they’re part of an elaborate TV show involved.
It’s the perfect show if you like Borat and Nathan for You. In fact, one of the co-creators of Rick and Morty, Justin Roiland called the series “one of the best shows ever made” in a plea to get more people to watch. Listen to your friend Justin.
Seasons one and two are available to stream on SBS On Demand now.
#6 Stories from Norway: The Musical!
Image: Concorde TV
Remember the viral hit ‘What Does The Fox Say?’ It came from Ylvis, a Norwegian comedy team made of brothers Vegard and Bård Ylvisåker. Ylvis ain’t a one-hit-wonder, though, and have steadily been making hilarious stuff including the series Stories from Norway: The Musical! The series explores the history of their home country and how its people can’t cope with the simplest things. It’s absurd in so many wonderful ways and completely genius.
Season one is available to stream on SBS On Demand.
#7 Nude
Okay, bear with us. Or, rather, bare. Nude is a French series set in the year 2026, when a law requires everyone to be naked. The law passes while a detective is in a coma and he wakes to discover a world where the only outfit required is your birthday suit. Yes, he has trouble adjusting and, yes, it’s uncomfortable and funny for that very reason.
Season one is available to stream on SBS On Demand now.
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