Top 10 Funniest Comedy Central Shows
These are the funniest of the funny. Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 Comedy Central Shows.
For this list, we're looking at series that air or aired on Comedy Central. We're only looking at original series, though, so as much as we would love to include “Futurama,” it only aired its final two seasons on Comedy Central, and as such, will not be eligible.
These are the funniest of the funny. Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Comedy Central Shows.
For this list, we’re looking at series that air or aired on Comedy Central. We’re only looking at original series, though, so as much as we would love to include “Futurama,” it only aired its final two seasons on Comedy Central, and as such, will not be eligible.
#10: “Nathan For You” (2013-)
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Nathan Fielder plays a fictionalized version of himself who helps struggling businesses with outlandish ideas. After all, he got really good grades in business school. His fully committed performance is one of the most cringe-inducing things on television, but in the best possible way. These ideas often snowball into ridiculous situations, which the clients reluctantly go along with, and sometimes, despite the odds, are actually successful. He continually manages to up the ante and surprise us, sometimes even tip-toeing the line between legal and illegal. For a pseudo-reality show, it’s especially unbelievable that people go along with these outrageous scenarios, but as viewers, we’re happy they do.
#9: “Drawn Together” (2004-07)
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“Drawn Together” was billed as the first “animated reality show,” which put together characters parodying different animation styles. It includes a colorful cast of characters, from a racist princess to a gay video game adventurer to a psychotic Pikachu spoof. The dark pastiche of kid-friendly shows is often shocking, but always funny, as aided by a wonderful veteran voice cast. Despite only lasting three seasons, the series has since gained a cult following, with the cast returning for a film three years after the series’ cancellation, joined by Seth MacFarlane.
#8: “Workaholics” (2011-17)
“Workaholics” is a bit of a misnomer, since this show follows three underachieving college dropouts as they try to be adults. Kind of. Blake, Adam and Ders work at a telemarketing company, where their immaturity and laziness causes conflict with their coworkers. This allows side characters like Jillian and Alice to steal the show when given the spotlight. These best friends live to mess with each other and find endless joy in setting each other up for failure, often to fantastic effect. They might be downright awful people, but the actors’ comedic charm brings a certain likeability to the man-children.
#7: “Broad City” (2014-)
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With Amy Poehler executive producing, how could this show have gone wrong? “Broad City” follows the misadventures of best friends Abbi and Ilana. Abbi is a perpetually awkward weirdo and Ilana is an eccentric stoner, while delightfully odd side characters round out the cast. The show manages to walk the fine line of being a perfectly realistic microcosm of the millennial experience while also being extravagantly bizarre. These ladies are two of the funniest characters currently on television, and their chemistry is downright explosive. In recent years, they’ve begun to take a larger role in writing and directing, establishing themselves as two of comedy’s biggest rising stars.
#6: “Reno 911!” (2003-09)
In the mid-2000s, “Cops” was a staple of reality television. Naturally, a show about people being arrested for a variety of ridiculous reasons led the way to this fantastic parody. This series, following the antics of fictional police in Reno, Nevada, ups the ante of the show it takes inspiration from by introducing some seriously bizarre criminals. The cast of outrageous law enforcers dealing with complicated and taboo issues finds its specific tone thanks to the actors’ improvisational skills. The show was so popular it spawned a feature-film spinoff that managed to capture everything we loved in the series.
#5: “Key & Peele” (2012-15)
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Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele make one of the best comedy duos in recent memory, and they launched their post- Mad TV careers with this brilliant sketch comedy series. The two deliver in every episode by fully committing to a plethora of bizarre characters. Their recurring characters are too numerous to count, but the narcissistic Meegan and Obama’s “anger translator” both deserve special shout-outs. Both Key and Peele won a handful of awards for their work on the show and were particularly praised for the racial commentary the series offered up. They’ve both managed to find success after the series, with Jordan Peele writing and directing a little horror movie you might have heard of.
#4: “The Colbert Report” (2005-14)
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Before taking over “The Late Show” on CBS, Stephen Colbert made a name for himself with this “Daily Show” spinoff. In it, he plays a fictionalized version of himself that parodies conservative news pundits like Bill O’Reilly. His admittedly strange sense of humor served him well as he tackled various issues from politics to pop culture. Forever pursuing the concept of “truthiness,” he was unafraid to go toe-to-toe with the very people he was lampooning, bringing his biting satire to the encounters. Other shows would later try to mimic his faux-conservatism, but none reached the heights of Colbert’s comic ability.
#3: “Chappelle’s Show” (2003-06)
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Dave Chappelle offered his unique brand of humor to Comedy Central in 2003 with his iconic sketch comedy series. Playing a wide swath of characters, Chappelle used his platform to take a comical approach to racial issues, stereotypes, and figures from pop culture history. He tackled these subjects boldly and eloquently, bust most of all, hilariously. Some of the most memorable characters include crack addict Tyrone Biggums, white news anchor Chuck Taylor, and legendary hater “Silky” Johnson. Though it only lasted three seasons, its legacy is still felt today, paving the way for shows like “Key and Peele” and taking on race in a way few other shows have dared to try.
#2: “The Daily Show” (1996-)
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In 1996, Craig Kilborn debuted this late night talk show, but it wasn’t until Jon Stewart took over in 1999 that the series really found its footing and voice. Stewart took the show in a more political direction, earning it critical acclaim, multiple Peabody Awards and dozens of Primetime Emmys. Trevor Noah took over as host in 2015, continuing the impressive comic streak of his predecessor. In addition to its excellent hosts, it launched the careers of comedy icons such as Samantha Bee, John Oliver, Stephen Colbert and many more. With over three thousand episodes and counting, it’s become a staple of Comedy Central’s lineup.
Before we unveil our top pick, here’s an honorable mention
“Tosh.0” (2009-)
#1: “South Park” (1997-)
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Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s satirical masterpiece has become a pop culture phenomenon since its 1997 debut. It follows the citizens of South Park, Colorado - a small town where insane things seem to happen every week. By poking fun at anything and everything, it’s one of the boldest things ever to hit television, winning five Emmys and spawning a movie and multiple video games. Over twenty years after its debut, it remains as funny, topical, and popular as ever. We hope we never see the day that we have to process current events without Stan, Kyle, Kenny, Cartman or even Butters.
