Some of the funniest TV shows are also the ones with the most messed-up storylines. Murder, death, dysfunctional families, and terrible people making even worse decisions might not sound like comedy material, but somehow, it works. Dark comedies have a way of making us laugh at things we’d normally find pretty disturbing, often leaving us wondering whether we should be laughing at all. From murderous suburban moms to hitmen with personal problems, these shows aren’t afraid to take things a little too far. That’s exactly what makes them so entertaining.
Barry
Bill Hader plays a hitman who decides he might be happier pursuing an acting career in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, leaving a life of murder behind isn’t quite as simple as signing up for acting classes. The show gets progressively darker while somehow finding humor in some truly horrifying situations.
BoJack Horseman
A washed-up sitcom star struggles with addiction, depression, and his own destructive behavior in a world populated by humans and talking animals. The colorful animation might suggest something lighthearted, but this series gets into some seriously heavy territory. One minute you’re laughing at an animal pun, and the next you’re questioning your entire existence.
Succession
The wealthy Roy family spends most of its time fighting over who gets to control their father’s media empire. Despite having more money than anyone could reasonably spend, they’re all spectacularly miserable. Watching billionaires insult, betray, and humiliate each other turns out to be excellent television.
Beef
A minor road rage incident between two strangers turns into an increasingly unhinged feud. Steven Yeun and Ali Wong play people who would rather destroy their own lives than let the other person win. It’s an exhausting battle of petty revenge that somehow manages to be both hilarious and deeply sad.
Difficult People
Two struggling comedians in New York bond over their shared hatred of practically everyone around them. Julie Klausner and Billy Eichner play best friends whose bitterness is matched only by their talent for delivering vicious insults. They’re not particularly interested in becoming better people, and the show is much funnier for it.
Workaholics
Three immature friends share an apartment and work together at a telemarketing company, where productivity is rarely their priority. Most of their energy goes toward ridiculous schemes, partying, and avoiding responsibility. They’re technically adults, but absolutely nobody should trust them with anything important.
Shameless
The Gallagher family struggles to survive in Chicago while dealing with an alcoholic father who creates more problems than he solves. Between financial disasters, disastrous relationships, and questionable parenting, there’s rarely a quiet moment in their household. The series finds plenty of humor in the family’s chaos without pretending their circumstances are easy.
The Boys
Superheroes are supposed to protect humanity, but in this world, many of them are corrupt celebrities backed by a powerful corporation. A group of vigilantes sets out to expose their crimes, usually with extremely bloody consequences. It’s a vicious satire of celebrity culture, corporate greed, and what might happen if the worst people imaginable developed superpowers.
The White Lotus
Wealthy vacationers arrive at luxury resorts expecting relaxation, only to bring all their personal problems along with them. Their petty complaints and terrible behavior become increasingly absurd against the beautiful surroundings. Watching privileged people ruin their own expensive holidays is a particular kind of entertainment.
Russian Doll
A New York woman repeatedly dies and wakes up at the same birthday party, with no idea how to escape the cycle. Natasha Lyonne brings plenty of sarcasm to a situation that would send most people into a complete breakdown. The mystery gets stranger as the series explores mortality, trauma, and the consequences of refusing to confront your problems.
Six Feet Under
The Fisher family makes a living running a funeral home in Los Angeles, so death is pretty much an everyday occurrence for them. Each episode opens with someone’s demise, sometimes in the most bizarre ways imaginable, while the family deals with plenty of problems of their own. It’s surprisingly funny for a show about death, although you might find yourself crying just as often as you’re laughing.
Flowers
An eccentric British family struggles with complicated relationships, depression, and their inability to communicate with one another. Their lives are filled with bizarre situations that can be both funny and deeply uncomfortable. Olivia Colman and Julian Barratt help make the family’s dysfunction feel believable.
Moral Orel
A cheerful, deeply religious boy tries to follow the lessons taught by the adults in his small town. Unfortunately, their advice is often hypocritical, misguided, or downright harmful. What begins as a strange parody of wholesome children’s television eventually becomes a much darker examination of family dysfunction.
The Mick
An irresponsible woman suddenly becomes responsible for raising her wealthy sister’s three spoiled children. Unfortunately, she’s hardly qualified to look after herself, let alone anyone else. Kaitlin Olson’s character is a walking disaster who somehow manages to make the kids’ already chaotic lives even worse.
The Afterparty
A murder at a high school reunion leaves a group of former classmates under suspicion. Each suspect tells their version of events in a different movie genre, revealing just how differently everyone remembers the same night. The combination of petty old grudges and an actual murder makes for a very entertaining investigation.
Vice Principals
Two ambitious vice principals compete for control of their high school after the principal retires. Instead of demonstrating leadership skills, they resort to increasingly cruel and childish schemes. It’s impressive how much damage two grown men can cause over a job promotion.
Eastbound & Down
A disgraced former baseball star returns to his hometown after his professional career falls apart. Kenny Powers remains convinced he’s destined for greatness, despite providing overwhelming evidence to the contrary. His enormous ego and complete lack of self-awareness make nearly every interaction a disaster.
The Flight Attendant
A flight attendant wakes up in a hotel room beside a dead man with absolutely no memory of what happened. Rather than making sensible decisions, she repeatedly manages to complicate an already disastrous situation. Kaley Cuoco brings plenty of frantic energy to this murder mystery filled with bad choices.
Patriot
Patriot follows an undercover intelligence officer whose latest assignment involves taking a job at an industrial piping company to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Already struggling with depression, he finds himself dealing with one setback after another as the mission gets increasingly complicated. The humor is wonderfully dry, with even the most ridiculous situations treated like they’re just another annoying part of the job.
Mr Inbetween
Ray Shoesmith is a professional hitman who also happens to be a devoted father and surprisingly ordinary Australian guy. Between collecting debts, dealing with criminals, and navigating his personal life, he has plenty of problems to handle.
Severance
Employees at a mysterious corporation undergo a procedure that completely separates their work memories from their personal lives. What sounds like the ultimate work-life balance quickly becomes something much more disturbing. The show’s bizarre office culture and painfully cheerful corporate policies provide plenty of dark laughs.
The Politician
Payton Hobart has been planning his political career since childhood, starting with his campaign to become student body president. His wealthy classmates treat high school elections like a presidential race, complete with scandals, betrayals, and elaborate manipulation. It’s a ridiculous look at ambition and the lengths people will go to for power.
Scream Queens
A series of murders terrorizes a university sorority filled with some of the most obnoxious students imaginable. Rather than responding like normal people, the characters spend much of their time trading insults and worrying about their social status. The combination of slasher horror and outrageously mean dialogue makes the whole thing wonderfully absurd.
Veep
Selina Meyer dreams of political greatness but spends most of her time dealing with incompetent staff members and humiliating setbacks. Every attempt to improve her public image seems to create another scandal. The nonstop insults and spectacular selfishness make Washington politics look like one enormous workplace disaster.
Brassic
A group of working-class friends in northern England gets involved in petty crime while trying to make ends meet. Their elaborate schemes rarely go according to plan, and their personal lives are hardly more organized. The show mixes outrageous criminal misadventures with a surprisingly warm portrayal of friendship.
Why Women Kill
Why Women Kill follows three women living in the same house during different decades, each dealing with a marriage that’s falling apart. From a 1960s housewife discovering her husband’s affair to an ’80s socialite desperate to maintain appearances, their stories are filled with secrets, betrayal, and revenge. The show has plenty of sharp humor, especially as the characters go to increasingly desperate lengths to get what they want.
Good Girls
Robbing a grocery store probably isn’t the first solution that comes to mind when you’re struggling to pay the bills, but that’s exactly what three suburban moms decide to do. Their unexpected payday lands them in the middle of a criminal operation they have no idea how to handle. Watching them juggle money laundering, motherhood, and PTA-level drama is half the fun.
Obituary
Elvira Clancy writes obituaries for a small Irish newspaper, which isn’t exactly the most glamorous job in journalism. When her pay becomes dependent on how many obituaries she produces, she discovers a rather unethical way to increase her workload. It’s a clever little twist on career ambition, although her methods would definitely raise a few concerns in an HR meeting.
Am I Being Unreasonable?
Nic is stuck in an unhappy marriage, grieving a secret loss, and desperately in need of someone she can actually talk to. Enter Jen, a new friend who seems almost suspiciously perfect for the role. What follows is a strange mix of friendship, secrets, and uncomfortable revelations that’ll have you constantly reconsidering who’s telling the truth.
The Resort
In The Resort, a couple celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary in Mexico gets caught up in the mystery of two people who disappeared fifteen years earlier. What begins as a curious discovery turns into an obsession as they uncover increasingly strange clues about what happened. The show mixes its mystery with offbeat humor, particularly as the couple’s own relationship problems start creeping into their investigation.
