TV

A List Of Shows That Prove 2019 Is All About Great Comedy On TV

Apparently "wokeness" is killing comedy -- here's some TV that proves otherwise.

by Patrick Lenton  3 October 2019
Best TV comedy list

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2019 is an absolute goldmine for good comedy — honestly, we’re rolling in chuckles, bathed in high quality goofs, smeared in the refreshing ointment of big humour.

And, I know it’s a cliche, but it seems like we might NEED good comedy more than ever. Maybe all these funny shows are helping us get through the reality of living through a climate apocalypse. Thanks, TV! I appreciate it. I’ll be guffawing as the waves roll over my singed corpse.

But, not everyone is convinced that 2019 is such a glittering wealth of comedy TV.

Todd Phillips, the director of the dark and rather controversial Batman spinoff Joker, recently said that he was driven away from writing comedies (like his ubiquitous Hangover trilogy) because of “woke culture”.

“Go try to be funny nowadays with this woke culture,” Phillips said in a Vanity Fair profile . “There were articles written about why comedies don’t work anymore — I’ll tell you why, because all the f*cking funny guys are like, ‘F*ck this shit, because I don’t want to offend you.’”

Sure, buddy. We could write essays refuting this, or we could simply point out to all the TV shows (let alone the comedy specials and films) we’re watching in 2019 that actively highlight how ludicrous this statement is.

Fleabag

Jesus Christ, you’ve probably heard how good Fleabag is by now.

Here’s the thing — it is that good. It’s so good. I don’t even want to talk about why, it’s just so good. But I will.

Fleabag is the story of a messy, self-destructive, psychopathically charming woman, who has invited us into a two season breakdown. It’s an absolute tornado perfect comedy characters, hilariously fucked situations, and dialogue you internalise into it replaces your own inner monologue. It’s a powerful story about grief. It’s about when you are your own worst enemy.

It’s upsettingly funny.

Bojack Horseman

I have a complicated relationship with Bojack Horseman.

On the one hand, the glorious commitment to dumb puns and recurring gags, as well as absolutely absurd jokes like the quiz show: ‘Hollywoo Stars and Celebrities: What do they know? Do they know things? Let’s find out’ is ABSOLUTELY my sense of humour. I laugh out loud frequently.

But, on the other hand, somehow there’s so much pathos and realness in this sad cartoon horse, that a single episode can throw me into a depressive fugue. Great TV, great comedy, just something that I have to be feeling mentally powerful to watch unscathed.

I Think You Should Leave

A Netflix sketch show? They said it could never work!

But oh god, it’s so good, and so uproariously funny. The idea that people aren’t taking risks in comedy when this is so easily available? Eat a dick!

There are so many standout sketches, but the one that I’ve seen referenced the most, and that has permanently lodged in my brain, is the Focus Group sketch. “You have no good car ideas” is actually perfect comedy.

The Good Place Season 4

The Good Place

A weird high-concept comedy about being dead thats ultimately a wholesome investigation of friendship and the concept of being a good person? Great! The fact that it’s silly and has brilliant line gags too? Brilliant.

Excited for the fourth and final season.

Schitt’s Creek

This SHOW. I thought it would be about way too many unfriendly people, but I grew to LOVE this.

This comedy does character arcs. This comedy does growth. This comedy has some of the best comic roles on television. Catherine O’Hara’s Moira Rose, for example, is a comedy dream, and is funnier when enunciating a single word than the majority of other comedy movies.

The first episode I truly laughed at was when Moira attempted to do a fruit wine ad, but it gets exponentially funnier — episode 2 of season 4 had a line so funny that I hurt myself laughing.

“Let the nuns take care of the little stranger!”

The Marvelous Mrs Maisel

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

If you love whip-smart dialogue and a protagonist who is literally too good to be true, then you’ll love this show. It’s a real feel-good, wholesome kind of comedy. Perfect comfort viewing.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

The spiritual successor of workplace comedies like The Office and Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has to be one of the most infinitely re-watchable comedies on TV at the moment. The jokes are quick and snappy and constantly flowing, the characters are treated with love and respect, and it has some of the best cold opens in the biz.

Russian Doll

A darkly funny existential comedy with a surprisingly positive conclusion about the ability for people to change and forgive themselves? Also Natasha Lyonne smokes a lot of cigarettes and says wry funny things? Also, people fall down stairs? OK. Hook it to my jugular.

Patrick Lenton is the Entertainment Editor at Junkee. He tweets @patricklenton.