Top 10 Smart Shows with Stupid Humour
#10: “American Vandal” (2017-18)
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When high school filmmakers pursue the vandal that phallically-defaced 27 cars in the teacher’s parking lot, plenty of jokes are sure to follow. This mockumentary Netflix series is incredibly self-aware, parodying previous true-crime documentaries like “Making a Murderer” and “Amanda Knox”. The show masterfully unravels the mystery, almost making you forget it’s centered around a bunch of graffitied male body parts. Well-written suspense is often complemented by the show’s sophomoric bodily humor and high school-level maturity. Much like you’d expect from a premise based around such a topic, the show is shamelessly heavy-handed in the mindless humor but surprising in its meticulous storytelling.
#9: “The Last Man on Earth” (2015-18)
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Considering the fact that he’s behind SNL’s “MacGruber,” is it such a shock that this post-apocalyptic comedy can be hilarious, smart and dumb all at the same time?! Will Forte didn’t only create “The Last Man on Earth,” but he also starred as the titular man who thinks he’s the only human left following a global epidemic. Mild spoiler alert: he’s not. Throughout the show’s four seasons, we follow Phil / Tandy and company’s attempt at survival. As such, the series touches upon serious themes such as the eventual depletion of natural resources, and the difficulties of trying to connect with people. This is contrasted with elements of dark humor and straight-up juvenile comedy, as seen in Tandy and Mike’s sibling rivalry-turned-prank war.
#8: “Da Ali G Show” (2000-04)
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Three unconventional journalists, Ali G, Borat, and Bruno star in this quintessential satirization of British and American culture. The show’s creator, Sacha Baron Cohen graduated with upper-second-class honors from the University of Cambridge, so it’s no surprise that his trifecta of farcical characters - while masterfully deploying screwball antics in front of unsuspecting guests - did so with disarmingly sharp-wit. At the heart of each episode is an astute critique of western society, making it okay to indulge in inappropriate, raunchy, and gross-out laughs along the way.
#7: “BoJack Horseman” (2014-)
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BoJack Horseman is a washed up actor battling through his own self-destructive tendencies on his way back to Hollywood relevance. While categorized as a comedy, the show deals with the dark underbelly of loneliness and depression in a superficial entertainment industry. In an animated world inhabited by both humans and anthropomorphic animals, insights into the human condition are undercut with frequent animal-related puns that mock pop culture. Crocodiles wearing crocs; a clumsy Gecko intern that sticks to everything; hammerhead shark construction workers using their head – the silly and hyperbolic characters are a welcome distraction from the deeper existential themes at the show’s core.
#6: “Robot Chicken” (2005-)
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This long-running show of stop-motion claymation and action figures uses short skits to relentlessly satire all things pop culture. Its writers show their skill by landing an onslaught of astute jabs and sizzling burns within a series of short skits. Despite the quality of its concise writing style, the humor almost always takes a mature, over-the-top or gratuitously violent route to land a joke. That being said – Robot Chicken takes no prisoners, parodying everything from film, television, and politics to more niche subjects – like their classic retelling of Starbucks’ inspiration for their logo.
#5: “It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia” (2005-)
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This series follows a group of debaucherous friends and their increasingly depraved adventures in south Philly. Unlike other stereotypical friend-based sitcoms, the show is firmly rooted in the premise that its characters are terrible, deviant human beings. While it’s kitschy style may hide it at first glance, herein lies the show’s meditative exploration into arrogance, selfishness, greed, and egoism. Its premise is honest and refreshing, but the execution is hilariously amplified as all the characters’ worst qualities are turned up to eleven. Offensively funny in the most guttural, grotesque, and inappropriate ways, memorable characters don’t have to be polite or relatable to get a laugh.
#4: “Futurama” (1999-2013)
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Fry, a deadbeat pizza delivery man, is accidentally cryogenically frozen and wakes in the next millennium. The show offers the quality social satire you’d expect from “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening, but also proves that no matter how far into the future we go, humanity will always be something to laugh at. While the unfamiliar landscape of the future provides many of the show’s laughs, true hilarity arises out of the series’ quirky and less-than-intelligent characters. Who doesn’t need more of Zoidberg in their life? Besides the rest of the characters in the show…
#3: “The Simpsons” (1989-)
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This animated series is a pioneering satire of the nuclear family and America as a whole. For over 25 years, the show has proven its ability to stay relevant, often portraying the events in Springfield as a microcosm of the real United States. The show is constantly repurposed to parody the absurdity of concurrent politics and pop culture. Its lovably exaggerated characters propel the parody, turning good ol’ fashioned situational comedy on its head. While a lot of the humor is intelligently aimed at broader topics, there’s no shortage of stupid jokes at the expense of Homer Simpson and the rest of Springfield.
#2: “Rick and Morty” (2013-)
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In this sci-fi animated series, Rick Sanchez, a genius scientist and functioning alcoholic, takes his ordinary grandson Morty on inter-dimensional adventures. Since its premiere in 2013, the show has amassed a dedicated following, some of which are convinced that the show’s detractors simply lack the intelligence required to truly appreciate its genius. A post on reddit dubbed “To Be Fair, You Have to Have a Very High IQ to Understand Rick and Morty” set loose an avalanche of sarcastic memes. While the show deftly handles science fiction and offers some poignant satire, the humor is often anything but sophisticated. The show’s creators have admitted to recording voice-overs while intoxicated and improvising many of the show’s characters, one-liners, and side plots. Before we reveal our top pick, here are some honorable mentions: “American Dad!” (2005-) “Beavis and Butthead” (1993-2011) “Drunk History” (2013-) “Silicon Valley” (2014-) “Archer” (2009-)
#1: “South Park” (1997-)
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This is the show you definitely weren’t allowed to watch when you were younger (but probably watched anyway). Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s animated adult series became infamous for its profane and unrelenting parody of all things, and we do mean ALL things. The show is the epitome of social commentary achieved through lowbrow humor, and seldomly foregoes the grotesque, violent, and sexually explicit to get a laugh. What separates South Park from the rest is its ability to lampoon all sides of a controversial topic. But at the show’s core is an unabashed immaturity that even the most pretentious comedy snobs have to tip their hats to.
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