As Netflix original shows such as Orange is the New Black and House of Cards made splashes at the Golden Globes, it’s easy to forget that Netflix started as a movie delivery service. But Netflix, along with Amazon and Hulu, still offers plenty of great comedy movies and TV shows across a range of sub-genres. We sorted through those absurdly specific categories, stoner-pandering straight-to-streaming movies, and frustrating-looking standup specials to compile the best 91 comedies available for streaming across the three services. (This is a guide just to streaming services, so great shows like Eagleheart and The Eric Andre Show which are both available via their network’s website or YouTube page, are not eligible). So go ahead and do some binge watching, we won’t blame you.
FILM CLASSICS
Catch up on the movies you haven’t seen so you don’t get scolded by weird friends. If you are a weird friend, refresh yourself on these well-known movies to give you more ammo for scolding.
Airplane! - Netflix
Beverly Hills Cop - Amazon
The Breakfast Club - Netflix
Clueless - Netflix
Duck Soup - Netflix
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off - Netflix
Ghostbusters - Netflix
Harold and Maude - Netflix
Heathers - Netflix
Modern Times - Hulu Plus
Planes, Trains and Automobiles - Netflix
Trading Places - Netflix
Wayne’s World - Amazon
DOCUMENTARIES AND BIOPICS
Comedy nerds can increase their knowledge with these movies that go behind the scenes.
The Comedians of Comedy: The Movie - Netflix
Johnny Carson: King of Late Night - Netflix/Amazon
Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project - Hulu
Nantucket Film Festival’s Comedy Roundtable (with Ben Stiller, Jim Carrey, Chris Rock, and Bill Hader) - Netflix
RECENT AND RECENT-ISH
It feels like some of these movies were in theaters last week, while others are a little older. If you missed them on the big screen, you can take advantage of the speed of the internet and stream them.
Computer Chess - Hulu Plus
Crystal Fairy & the Magical Cactus - Netflix
Hot Rod - Netflix
Mystery Team - Hulu
Paper Heart - Hulu
FILM IMPORTS
Check out these comedies from overseas.
In Bruges - Netflix
In The Loop - Netflix/Hulu Plus/Amazon
Klown - Netflix
Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life - Netflix
Submarine - Netflix
COMEDY-DRAMAS
Some of the best comedies are also dramatic.
Adventureland - Netflix
Fargo - Netflix
The Kids Are All Right - Netflix
Lost in Translation - Hulu Plus
Prince Avalanche - Netflix
Punch-Drunk Love - Netflix
Safety Not Guaranteed - Netflix
Sleepwalk with Me - Netflix
Tiny Furniture - Hulu Plus
The Truman Show - Netflix
STANDUP
Streaming services have become a home to standup specials the same way HBO and Comedy Central have been for decades.
Aziz Ansari: Buried Alive - Netflix
Bill Burr: You People Are All the Same - Netflix
Bo Burnham: what. - Netflix
Colin Quinn: Long Story Short - Hulu
Dana Gould: Let Me Put My Thoughts in You - Hulu
George Carlin: It’s Bad For Ya - Netflix
John Mulaney: New In Town - Netflix
Kathleen Madigan: Madigan Again - Netflix
Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain - Netflix
Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain - Netflix
Louis C.K.: Chewed Up - Hulu
Louis C.K.: Live at the Beacon Theater - Netflix
Mike Birbiglia: My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend - Netflix
Morgan Murphy: Irish Goodbye - Netflix
Reggie Watts: Why $#!+ So Crazy? - Netflix
Stella: Live in Boston - Hulu
Zach Galifianakis: Live at the Purple Onion - Amazon
TV SHOWS
Great movies can be harder to find online, but these great TV shows and more are all available, giving you hundreds of hours worth of laughs.
30 Rock - Netflix
Arrested Development - Netflix
Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Hulu Plus
Childrens Hospital - Netflix
Comedy Bang! Bang! - Netflix
Community - Hulu Plus
Freaks and Geeks - Netflix
Home Movies - Amazon
The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret - Netflix
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Netflix
Key & Peele (season 1 only) - Amazon
The Larry Sanders Show - Amazon
Louie - Netflix
Nathan For You - Amazon
The Office (US) - Netflix
Parks and Recreation - Netflix/Amazon
Portlandia - Netflix
South Park - Hulu Plus
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - Amazon
Undeclared - Netflix
Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous - Amazon
TV CLASSICS
Although they’ve been airing on TV Land constantly, take advantage of the opportunity to see why these shows influenced the people who make your favorite shows today.
Barney Miller (season 3 only) - Hulu
The Bob Newhart Show (seasons 1-3 only) - Hulu
The Dick Van Dyke Show - Amazon
The Office (UK) - Amazon
TV IMPORTS
Shows from outside of the United States, but loved by people inside the United States (and tons of other places too).
Blackadder - Netflix
Fawlty Towers - Netflix/Amazon
Fresh Meat - Hulu
The Inbetweeners (UK) (seasons 1 and 2 only) - Netflix
Little Britain - Netflix
The Thick of It - Hulu
