Streaming burnout is real, and it’s probably the reason why you’re missing out on some great comedy shows over on Peacock.
We know there are too many platforms for one person to keep track of, and too much TV to catalog on each one. The good news is, we’ve done that job for you, sifting through the funniest, most imaginative, freshest comedy offerings on one of the more promising newcomers to the streaming game to find the hidden gems worth subscribing for. Come for iconic workplace comedies like The Office and Parks and Rec, stay for the musical humor of Girls5Eva, the sketch comedy of SNL, and two former Great British Bakeoff hosts playing killers for hire.
It’s all here and it’s all on Peacock.
Girls5Eva
1 season, 8 episodes | IMDb: 8.1/10
Tina Fey produced shows have a certain identifiable rhythm, and Girls5Eva is no different, blending silly asides and rapid-fire jokes of all shapes and sizes with an impeccable cast. Here, Busy Phillips, Paula Pell, Sara Bareilles, and Renée Elise Goldsberry star as the members of a splintered one-hit-wonder pop group that get pulled back out of obscurity before embarking on an ill-advised comeback. A nostalgia-fest for the TRL generation, Girls5Eva stands out as a hilarious look at female friendship. It’s also a catapult for Goldsberry, the Hamilton and Broadway actress with a long on-screen resume who plays the group’s most image-conscious and driven member. Absurd, theatrical, fabulous — here’s hoping Goldsberry becomes a Fey-verse staple.
Saved By The Bell
1 season, 10 episodes | IMDb: 5.1/10
Retronauts on the lookout for a clean hit of nostalgia may be surprised to find a different kind of Bayside that’s a little more self-aware of the beloved cheesiness of the original. Strong performances from members of the original class will still manage to delight, but it’s the kids that absolutely propel this reboot. Specifically, Josie Totah, who is divine as a fashion-forward trans teen who delivers some of the show’s most fiercely funny lines and has the most compelling arc.
The Office
9 seasons, 203 episodes | IMDb: 8.9/10
Congratulations! You made it to Peacock’s streaming platform, and you probably trekked across the internet because of this show. The pinnacle of the workplace mockumentary genre, The Office has attained the kind of meme-generating, character quoting pop culture phenomenon status so many other comedies are still striving to attain. That’s mostly because of its ridiculously talented cast – everyone from Steve Carell to John Krasinski, Mindy Kaling, and Rainn Wilson cut their teeth here – but it’s also thanks to the relatable, off-beat humor that naturally arises when you follow a group of apathetic paper-pushers working under a well-intentioned buffoon.
Parks and Recreation
7 seasons, 126 episodes | IMDb: 8.6/10
There are a lot of unfair comparisons between Greg Daniels’ workplace mockumentary and the office-based sitcom of his protégé, Mike Schur. Though the basic premise is the same – here’s a group of weirdos working together, let’s see what shenanigans they get into! – the stakes feel a bit higher, especially post-Season 1 when it comes into its own. Amy Poehler’s Leslie Knope is the relentlessly optimistic heroine trying to get her crew (and us at home) to believe in the power of local politics over the course of seven seasons. When she’s not doing that, she’s managing a team of eccentric slackers played by actors and actresses who have gone on to lead superhero franchises (or play villains in them) and their own Netflix comedy series.
Rutherford Falls
1 season, 10 episodes | IMDb: 6.4/10
It isn’t quite a revisitation of the heartfelt small-town quirk that was Parks And Rec or a scathing satire of controversies around problematic statues across America. What it is is a clever story about identity and finding who we want to be. Eventually. The show stars Ed Helms as an over-loyal steward of his family’s legacy in a small town and Jana Schmieding as his best friend and a historian trying to promote education about her people, the Minishonka Nation. Rutherford Falls is at its best near the end of the season when those two characters’ goals come into conflict and Helms’ character is hit with a big revelation that shows immense promise for an even better second season.
30 Rock
7 seasons, 134 episodes | IMDb: 8.2/10
Wow, NBC really had a thing for workplace comedies in the early ’00s, huh? And look, yes, this is another office satire about a group of oddballs all working together – this time, behind the scenes of a fictional live comedy sketch series. But what 30 Rock became known for, besides Tina Fey’s invention of something called “Night Cheese,” was its surreal humor and its jarring cutaways that always perfectly set up the punchlines of its many, many jokes.
Saturday Night Live
46 seasons, 911 episodes | IMDb: 8/10
What’s the best era of SNL? It’s the most subjective, personal preference/experience-driven question in entertainment and one not helped by the show’s oft-shifting and incomplete presence on streaming, from its Netflix days to clips on Yahoo Screen. Factor in heavily edited eps on Comedy Central and E! back in the day that focused on more popular eras, and it’s really hard to be an SNL completist and judge the whole field. To say nothing of the fact that it would take something like 1,000 hours to watch every episode. But at least now, via Peacock, one could make real headway in that effort if they so choose.
Yes, some episodes are cut down some owing to music rights issues and the like. But if you want to watch Charles Grodin pretend to be completely oblivious to the nature of the show (in one of the more bonkers episodes in SNL history) while pissing off John Belushi, check out Phil Hartman’s unfrozen caveman lawyer, or re-live the greatness of the Bill Hader/Kristen Wiig/Andy Samberg era, you can do that. You can even check out the early ‘80s non-Lorne Michaels produced episodes where Eddie Murphy first flashed his megawatt talents and the soft reboot that happened when Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and Martin Short were recruited for one season before Lorne returned. It really is a comedy nerd treasure trove.
Psych
8 seasons, 120 episodes | IMDb: 8.3/10
A throwback to buddy action comedies of the ‘80s like Simon & Simon (with a lot more comedy than action), Psych built its foundation on the chemistry of its leads, James Roday Rodriguez (as Shawn, a meddlesome scammer with genius-level crime-solving skills masquerading as a psychic detective) and Dule Hill (as Gus, his good-hearted best friend, partner, and possessor of the super sniffer). The result is an eminently rewatchable dramedy with plenty of twists, nicknames (MC Clap Your Hands), pop culture references, and entertaining guest stars who get in on the fun. Rarely self serious, despite the subject matter, Psych endures 7 years after its run ended thanks to a passionate fan army that have helped will two TV movies (with a third on the way) into being. And they’re taking new recruits all the time.
3rd Rock From The Sun
6 seasons, 139 episodes | IMDb: 7.7/10
Before Hulu gave us a family of animated aliens trying to assimilate to life on Earth, this ’90s series did it, except, instead of cartoonish extraterrestrials, the otherworldly beings in this sitcom looked very much human. That’s part of the joke really. John Lithgow, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Jane Curtin star in this quirky comedy about a group of aliens instructed to pose as a human family and report back on how life works on the third planet from the sun. Lithgow plays a pretentious university professor, Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays an ancient being stuck in a teenager’s body, and French Stewart steals the show as Harry – the group’s de facto antenna to their mother ship.
Superstore
6 seasons, 113 episodes | IMDb: 7.8/10
Justin Spitzer churns out sitcom gold on the regular, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that his latest workplace comedy — a look at the hilarious happenings of a big box department store in the Midwest — is a hit. The show stars America Ferrera, Ben Feldman, Lauren Ash, and Mark McKinney among others, and mostly centers on workers at a Cloud 9 store whose lives intersect in ridiculously funny ways. It’s got a lot of heart, plenty of humor, and surprisingly, a knack for tackling some serious issues.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
7 seasons, 143 episodes | IMDb: 8.4/10
This Fox transplant was originally billed as a showcase for SNL alumni Andy Samberg. Don’t get us wrong, he’s terrific in it as Jake Peralta, an over-eager immature star detective who comes across as a cocky, charming idiot. But so is the rest of the cast – from Stephanie Beatriz to Terry Crews, Chelsea Peretti, Melissa Fumero, and (obviously) Andre Braugher, everyone’s on their comedic A-game which means you can land on any episode during a re-watch and have a hell of a good time.
Cheers
11 seasons, 275 episodes | IMDb: 7.9/10
Seinfeld has always worn the “Show About Nothing” sash across its chest, but the distinction forgets the many brilliant sitcoms that have mined minutiae for laughs, fixating its likable characters on petty grievances, challenges, and familiar situations. On their own, no one from Cheers cast could probably hold your interest (save, apparently, for Frasier, though he wasn’t tasked with doing that on his own). They lacked dimension and often charm. What is Sam flying solo, sadly bedding every woman in his orbit? Dianne moving through life thinking she’s superior to everyone. Woody being too dim to light a dark room, Cliff being so annoying you’d probably strike him to evade his faux intellect, and Norm just… sitting there. But by interacting with each other as a part of the larger idea of Cheers, the whole thing becomes this masterful puzzle. A comfortable thing filled with enough silliness to cover over the pathos of people wasting their life away in a bar. Because at least they’ve got each other and all the laughs. A show about nothings that sometimes leads to something.
Everybody Loves Raymond
9 seasons, 210 episodes | 7.1/10
There is nothing revolutionary about Everybody Loves Raymond — a sitcom about a suburban dad beset by his extended family — save for the way it spun tropes into gold for 9 seasons. Launched at a time when networks were throwing contracts at every noteworthy comic under the sun while questing to find the next Seinfeld, Ray Romano smartly stayed grounded with his idea, pulling from his own life and stand-up routine as opposed to building out some fake scenario. He also surrounded himself with an amazing supporting cast — Peter Boyle! Doris Roberts! Patricia Heaton! Brad Garrett! Like Seinfeld, Romano also had no fear in playing straight man or simply standing in the corner while others got big laughs during the show’s endless and loud family squabbles. Though the show spawned plenty of imitators (seriously, it’s up there with Friends for the amount of bad TV its existence inspired from lazy copycats), it still stands out as a clever dive into the chaos of family that always has the potential to inspire a big laugh.
Hitmen
1 season, 7 episodes | IMDb: 5.2/10
Who knew the world needed a dark comedy about a couple of hitmen played by former Great British Bakeoff hosts Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins? Peacock, that’s who. The longtime comedy partners pair up to play Fran (Perkins) and Jamie (Giedroyc), best friends and contract killers. The comedy comes thanks to their droll back-and-forth, the chatty, oblivious nature of Fran juxtaposed against Jamie’s more nihilistic attitude – oh, and the fact that most of their mishaps involve some kind of bizarre interaction with their intended victims.
Modern Family
11 seasons, 250 episodes | IMDb: 8.4/10
Another sitcom that makes use of the fake documentary format, this long-running comedy behemoth eschews the office in favor of taking a closer look at the generational relationships of one L.A.-dwelling blended brood. There’s a packed cast – Julie Bowen, Ty Burell, Sofia Vergara, Ed O’Neill, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Eric Stonestreet – and the storylines manage to be hilarious and inclusive, giving fans an authentic picture of, well, modern family life. No wonder this thing won so many Emmys.
A.P. Bio
3 seasons, 34 episodes | IMDb: 7.3/10
As many shows do, A.P. Bio has found its level over time, softening some as Glen Howerton’s revenge-focused user of people has found more affection for the teachers and students at the high school in Toledo where he works during his exile following his exit from Harvard. They’ve also found better stories for Patton Oswalt, often pairing him with Paula Pell and giving him a bit more agency than when he was more singularly focused on winning the approval of Howerton’s character. Also, it has to be said, that the kids on this show have proven to be a quirky and talented bunch that hold their own opposite the aforementioned comedy All-Stars, giving the show a fuller feeling than it had in season one. And with more on the way and only 34 episodes in the can, this is the perfect comedy to get in on.
Frasier
11 seasons, 264 episodes | IMDb: 8.1/10
It would be fair to say that no one expected Frasier to challenge Cheers, the show it spun off from when it came time to discuss the greatest sitcoms of all time. After all, the previous attempt at a Cheers spinoff, The Tortellis, had been a quick failure. But Frasier’s legacy and critical acclaim is at the level of its host. Why? For one, it would be easy to forget that it’s a spinoff. Save for a handful of guest spots, characters from Cheers never made their way to Seattle. And in fleshing out Frasier Crane outside of a bar stool, audiences were treated to a smartly written, hilarious, and antagonistic relationship between Frasier and his father, Martin, as they uncomfortably cohabitated and dealt with their very different personalities and interests. Add Frasier’s brother, Niles, into the mix and the formula was clear. Never mind suds-fueled shenanigans centered around the ultimate Peter Pan in Sam Malone. Audiences were ready for the war at home and for Frasier to move through life constantly annoyed and full of himself.
The Amber Ruffin Show
1 season, 27 episodes | IMDb: 6.2/10
We still haven’t seen the full breadth of what The Amber Ruffin Show can be due to COVID restrictions, but what we have seen has been imbued with energy, wit, and plenty of musical numbers. No surprise considering Ruffin’s amazing contributions to Late Night with Seth Meyers as a writer and oft on-screen performer. What will the show become as restrictions lessen? We are 100% here for whatever Ruffin has planned.
Intelligence
1 season, 6 episodes | IMDb: 6/10
Nick Mohammed is one of the most likable characters on another British comedy series not found here, which is reason enough to check out this sitcom he created that blends the spy genre with the office hijinks Peacock is most known for. Mohammed plays Joseph, a bumbling tech guy working for the U.K.’s Cyber Security unit who meets his idol, a brash, overconfident NSA Agent named Jerry (David Schwimmer) on loan from across the pond. Both men have undeniable chemistry and Schwimmer’s jerkish bravado is clearly meant to be the punchline here – but it’s Mohammed that gives this thing heart.
Grounded For Life
5 seasons, 91 episodes | IMDb: 7.4/10
If you were a ’90s kid, you likely grew up on this wild, hard-partying comedy series that, looking back now, really feels like the black sheep of the early aughts family sitcom era. The show follows an Irish-American Catholic family living in Staten Island with Donal Logue and Megyn Price playing parents Sean and Claudia Finnerty and trying to manage their three (later four) unruly children. Because they had their oldest so young, most of the comedy happens when Sean and Claudia try too hard to hold onto their youth – raging and having run-ins with the law that rival the mischief their kids often get into.
