The standard for networks and many streaming service television series have been sitcoms and comedies. Be it a 3-camera sitcom with an old-time laugh track or a newer mockumentary-style show like The Office, comedy has taken new forms in its development in the entertainment industry.
Another form of comedy that has captured the attention of many viewers has been dark comedy. On Netflix, especially, dark comedy shows are extremely popular, and the service has been creating hilariously dark plot lines.
Updated on May 17, 2023, by Hannah Saab:
The Umbrella Academy is one of the best dark comedy series on Netflix that also falls under the superhero genre. With The Umbrella Academy Season 4 expected to premiere late this year or early 2024, it’s the perfect time to binge-watch similar series on Netflix full of dark humor.
10 ‘The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window’ (2022)
The Woman in the House Across The Street from the Girl in the Window is a Kristen Bell-led dark comedy series that’s a spoof of the movie The Woman in the Window. This parody of horror and psychological mysteries follows a woman named Anna, who is unsure if she has just witnessed a murder.
Ostracized by members of her neighborhood and called “crazy” for her drug and alcohol issues, she struggles to decide if she actually witnessed a murder or simply a hallucination. The show received some mixed reviews, but any parody would of course upset a few people who loved the source material.
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9 ‘Crashing’ (2016)
Crashing is a series from the great Phoebe Waller-Bridge (creator and star of the hit show Fleabag). The series follows six characters in their 20s as they all become housemates through a Property Guardian scheme and live in an abandoned hospital. They, as the synopsis states, are “crashing” into their adult lives together and discover what it means to love, what it means to take responsibility, and what it means to live in a gigantic hospital with a ton of strangers and somehow have a social life.
Among Netflix’s dark comedy series that are more overlooked, the show is not as known as it should be and deserves a good watch for its quick-witted dialogue and fun cast of characters.
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8 ‘Good Girls’ (2018 – 2021)
Good Girls is an NBC comedy-drama series that most definitely has its dark moments. The show follows three women, Beth, Annie, and Ruby as they become annoyed with life and how they are being treated. In desperate need of cash, they devise a plan to become involved in gang activity and earn the money.
However, things become more and more complicated than it seems, and they must stick together. Good Girls is quite funny and also has its fair share of very intense moments, so this show is perfect for those who want a sharp and serious edge.
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7 ‘Russian Doll’ (2019 – )
Natasha Lyonne stars in Russian Doll, a series about a young woman on a journey to be the guest of honor at a party in the big apple. However, she is quickly jarred when she repeatedly attends the same event and dies at the end of the night every single night.
The series is Groundhog Day with edge and ferocity. SNL’s Amy Poehler co-created the show along with Lyonne and wrote and directed many episodes for the series. If that is not enough to watch the series, who knows what is?
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6 ‘Santa Clarita Diet’ (2017 – 2019)
Drew Barrymore’s hit series, Santa Clarita Diet is also a hilarious and well-known example of a dark comedy series worth the watch. The show follows Sheila and Joel as they raise their teenage daughter. However, their world is turned upside down when Sheila becomes a zombie (that is correct, a zombie).
The family then has to deal with Sheila’s zombie problems as she still has a family to raise. Among the best dark comedy TV shows that not everyone has heard about, Santa Clarita Diet is a unique zombie series that shows true promise for a binge-watch!
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5 ‘The Umbrella Academy’ (2019 – 2023)
Easily one of Netflix’s most popular series yet, The Umbrella Academy is a superhero series that blends together elements of dark comedy. The show is about a family of seven adopted (and randomly born, all to separate mothers at the same time) children who are put into the Umbrella Academy and trained to save the world.
In their teenage years, they disband, and now must reunite upon the news of their father’s passing. However, a dark threat looms overhead, and they must work together once more to prevent destruction. The series is based on graphic novels by Gerard Way.
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4 ‘Dead to Me’ (2019 – 2022)
Dead to Me is a series that follows two polar-opposite women who both suffered tragic losses of loved ones who meet at a support group and become an unlikely pair.
Secrets are kept, stories are told, and the two grow closer to each other. The show explores grief and other mental health concerns with a comedic side and handles it all so well. It’s one of the best Netflix shows with dark humor that manages to be profound, as well.
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3 ‘The End of the F***ing World’ (2017 – 2019)
The End of the F***ing World is a Netflix series based on the comic series of the same name by Charles Forsman. The series follows two 17-year-old outcasts named James and Alyssa. They journey together on a road trip to find Alyssa’s estranged father. James has convinced himself he is a psychopath and decides to kill a new target.
Together, their individual complexities as troubled adolescents intertwine as they keep pushing forward on their quest. The show is just as dramatic as it is funny, and balancing the two is quite difficult.
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2 ‘After Life’ (2019 – 2022)
The Ricky Gervais dramatic show titled After Life is the perfect example of a dark comedy. The show follows a man named Tony, who has led a wonderful life until his wife dies. Since that major life event, he changed and decides to live long enough to punish the world by saying and doing whatever he wants.
However, things get more complicated for Tony when he realizes that his friends and family band together to bring back his former, happier self. Gervais is perfect in this series, and it is quite hilarious.
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1 ‘BoJack Horseman’ (2014 – 2020)
The acclaimed cartoon BoJack Horseman is the prime example of what a dark comedy is and should be. BoJack Horseman is a show about a washed-up star of a ’90s sitcom named BoJack as he navigates lows in his acting career in the new age of Hollywood.
This show is certainly more comedic but has quite a bit of deep quotes and heavy subjects. What BoJack Horseman does so wonderfully is providing the viewer the ability to think deeply about existential concepts and still laugh out loud at the same time.
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