No matter the era, the art of making people laugh is timeless. Comedy existed long before television was invented, and few things feel better than making someone laugh on a bad day. Previous generations embraced classics like 30 Rock and Seinfeld, while the early internet era helped popularize shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine and How I Met Your Mother as meme culture began to take off.

Today, a new wave of comedies explores how humor can thrive even when life isn’t always funny. The result is a generation of shows that balance hilarious comedy with memorable characters and surprisingly heartfelt stories. With that in mind, here are new comedy shows that are perfect from start to finish.

10

‘The Four Seasons’ (2025–2026)

The Four Seasons introduces three couples during their quarterly trips together. Although the group seems to have a fun time, most of them are secretly unhappy. Jack (Will Forte) and Kate (Tina Fey) struggle with mounting resentment over a lack of affection, while Danny’s (Colman Domingo) health concerns scare Claude (Marco Calvani). But the real kicker is when Nick (Steve Carell) leaves Anne (Kerri Kenney-Silver) after 25 years for a much younger woman.

The Four Seasons proves that age doesn’t magically make people wiser. If anything, the drama only gets messier as its characters navigate crumbling marriages, midlife crises, health scares, and unexpected new relationships. The show doesn’t offer neat solutions to these problems. Instead, it follows a group of adults who are still figuring things out, reminding audiences that growing older doesn’t mean having all the answers. Through its ups and downs, The Four Seasons arrives at a bittersweet truth: life keeps changing, and so do the people we love.

9

‘Hacks’ (2021–2026)

Image via HBO Max

Hacks is a story about generational differences, centering on the relationship between the “canceled” struggling television writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) and Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), the longtime headlining comedian at the Palmetto Casino. Forced to work together, the two try to use one another to sustain their impossibly difficult careers in the entertainment industry.

Hacks is driven by Ava and Deborah’s ever-evolving relationship, which transforms from a purely professional partnership into a genuine friendship. Of course, getting there isn’t easy. Their journey is filled with clashes, hurt feelings, and more than a few betrayals, all fueled by their relentless ambition to stay relevant in a brutally competitive industry. Yet it’s their sharp honesty and refusal to let each other get away with their worst impulses that make them such a thrilling pair to root for in this perfect comedy-drama series.

8

‘Bait’ (2026)

Image via Prime Video

Riz Ahmed toys with the James Bond rumors in Bait. Struggling actor Shah Latif (Ahmed) gets his big break when his agent secures him an audition to play James Bond. But as news of his opportunity spreads, every corner of his life crumbles — from his unresolved feelings for his ex to his tumultuous relationship with his family.

There’s a certain humor in watching someone spiral in real time, especially when the camerawork amplifies every moment of anxiety. Bait takes even the smallest misunderstanding or awkward interaction and snowballs it into a public relations disaster for Shah. Yet each humiliation serves a purpose. Rather than breaking him, every embarrassing setback forces Shah to develop a thicker skin, gradually turning him into someone far more resilient than the insecure actor we meet at the beginning.

7

‘Deli Boys’ (2025–Present)

Elizabeth Sisson / ©Hulu/Disney / Courtesy Everett Collection

Business and family make a deadly combination in Deli Boys. Following their father’s sudden death, brothers Mir (Asif Ali) and Raj (Saagar Shaikh) Dar are left to take over the family deli business — only to discover it’s actually a front for their father’s underground drug operation. With the help of their aunt Lucky (Poorna Jagannathan), the brothers attempt to carry on their father’s criminal legacy without getting caught.

It’s a steep learning curve for Mir and Raj, and watching them try to grasp the underground business is what makes Deli Boys such a binge-worthy comedy show. They do practically everything they’re not supposed to do, but in an ironic twist of fate, their unconventional methods end up working surprisingly well — sometimes even better than expected. There’s something satisfying about watching two aimless brothers finally find a sense of purpose, even if that purpose could land them on the FBI’s radar.

6

‘St. Denis Medical’ (2024–Present)

Image via NBC

Overworked and underpaid, the medical staff at St. Denis Medical is at an all-time low when it comes to morale. Luckily, executive director Joyce (Wendi McLendon-Covey) is set on turning the Oregon hospital into a respectable international medical destination. But before they could do so, they’re going to need some serious funding.

Hospitals are the last place you’d expect to find humor, but if St. Denis Medical proves anything, it’s that laughter is often the very thing these staff members need to get through the day. It’s hard to stay upbeat when you’re working long hours and caring for a constant stream of patients. Yet the series understands that finding humor in the chaos isn’t insensitive — it’s a survival mechanism. Not every patient will have a happy ending, but life doesn’t stop moving, especially for the people responsible for caring for them.

5

‘Shrinking’ (2023–Present)

Image via Apple TV+ / Courtesy Everett Collection

When in doubt, get a shrink. But if that therapist is Jimmy Laird (Jason Segel) from Shrinking, he might not be the most conventional option. Following the death of his wife, Jimmy has fallen into an unnecessarily prolonged period of mourning. It doesn’t help that his job is to help other people with their problems.

The humor behind Shrinking comes from how Jimmy attempts to help his clients, culminating in his effective yet ethically questionable “Jimmy-ing” method. It’s not every day audiences get to watch a therapist break practically every rule in the ethics handbook, and part of the fun is seeing just how far he can push those boundaries. But Shrinking is more than just a great 2020s comedy series. It’s also a thoughtful story about grief, showing that healing is rarely straightforward and that sometimes it’s okay to laugh along the way.

4

‘The Studio’ (2025–Present)

Image via ©Apple TV / Courtesy Everett Collection

Arguably Seth Rogen’s comedic magnum opus, The Studio addresses the modern anxieties of today’s entertainment industry. Rogen plays Matt Remick, a cinephile with a genuine appreciation for movies. That alone makes him the perfect head of Continental Studios. Sadly, the studio isn’t generating as much income as they want — this is where Remick comes in.

While most viewers have never worked in Hollywood, they’ve probably had to compromise their values to keep a boss happy. That’s exactly what makes Remick so relatable. He loves movies but can’t stand the business behind them, and The Studio never loses sight of that contradiction. Each episode forces him into a new publicity stunt, creative sacrifice, or corporate headache, with every humiliation building toward a satisfying payoff in the finale.

3

‘The Bear’ (2022–2026)

Image via FX

The Bear shows that it takes more than talent to open up a restaurant. In the aftermath of his brother’s passing, fine dining chef Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) is entrusted with his dingy “The Original Beef” joint. However, his cousin Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) isn’t a fan of Carmy butting in on his upper-crust culinary standards.

The Bear puts the “fun” in “dysfunction,” and it’s all thanks to the chaotic Berzatto family. The debut season finds them at their lowest point, with the restaurant seemingly on the verge of collapse. Even as they work to transform it into something greater over the following seasons, the Berzattos’ candid quips, constant arguments, and frequent shouting matches remain a big part of their charm. Still, for all their flaws and imperfections, they’re the kind of underdogs audiences can’t help but root for with each passing season of The Bear.

2

‘Abbott Elementary’ (2021–Present)

Image via Gilles Mingasson/ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection

Some of Philly’s best teachers can be found in Abbott Elementary. Teaching is often an overlooked profession, but the show pays homage to these educational heroes by putting them in the spotlight. People like to say teaching is easy, but juggling multiple classes, managing extracurricular activities, and navigating endless school district bureaucracy is no small task.

Abbott Elementary reminds audiences that teaching is one of the noblest and most demanding professions there is. More importantly, it never forgets that these teachers are human, too. Over the seasons, we watch them grow not only as individuals but also as a team. They might have their quirks, from Barbara Howard’s (Sheryl Lee Ralph) old school ways to Gregory Eddie’s (Tyler James Williams) distaste for pizza, but they always got each other’s backs.

1

‘The White Lotus’ (2021–Present)

Image via HBO

Nothing beats some time off at The White Lotus. Over three seasons, audiences follow a group of primarily wealthy American guests as they check into White Lotus resorts around the world. Whether they’re vacationing somewhere close to home like Hawaii or traveling farther afield to Thailand, these guests quickly learn that some problems can’t be solved with a dip in the pool or a trip to the spa.

The White Lotus gets its comedy from just how outlandish the problems these wealthy guests have — and the funniest part is that the audience is expected to care. You don’t need to travel all the way to a monastery to find spiritual enlightenment or engage in a threesome just to feel something. But even funnier are the employees forced to deal with their guests’ nonsense, with some eventually becoming so fed up that they begin taking matters into their own hands behind the guests’ backs.

The White Lotus

Release Date

2021 – 2024

Network

HBO

Showrunner

Mike White

Directors

Mike White