Looking for the best comedies to watch released this year? I’ve gathered my favourite movies and TV shows from across Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime and Apple TV+ and ranked them in order by laughs.
WYALAN star rating explained:
- 5 stars – Highly enjoyed and would highly recommend as a must watch
- 4 stars – Enjoyed and would watch again in the future
- 3 stars – Glad I watched it once, but I’ll probably never watch it again
- 2 stars – Watched to the end, but I wouldn’t watch it again
- 1 star – DNF (did not finish)
Seth Rogan leads the list with not one but two comedies I think will become classics in years to come, Tina Fey and Raphael Bob-Waksberg return with more hits, Tim Robinson plays lead in a feature film for the first time, Nathan Fielder’s The Rehearsal is somehow bigger and bolder than the first season and there are even a handful of surprises on the list too including a nostalgic nod to early 2000’s humour ala Will Ferrell.
The Studio
Seth Rogen’s The Studio is a deliriously sharp satire of Hollywood ego, chaos, and corporate delusion – think Veep with a film school hangover. Rogen stars as Matt Remick, the newly appointed head of Continental Studios, a legacy production company teetering between prestige and IP-driven madness. Created by Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory, and Frida Perez, the Apple TV+ series doesn’t just lampoon the industry – it dissects it with surgical precision and a bong hit of absurdity.
The show made Emmy history with 23 nominations, the most ever for a debut comedy season, including nods for Rogen, Kathryn Hahn, Bryan Cranston, and Catherine O’Hara. One episode revolves around Remick greenlighting a $250 million Jonestown-themed Kool-Aid movie, pitched by a fictionalized Martin Scorsese cameo – equal parts horrifying and hilarious. With extended single-take scenes, savage dialogue, and a cast that feels like a fever dream of perfect casting, The Studio is 2025’s most self-aware comedy – and maybe its most accurate. WYALAN rating – 5/5
Platonic
Platonic is what happens when you take the rom-com blueprint and rip out the romance entirely – then let Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne run wild with the leftovers. Created by Nicholas Stoller and Francesca Delbanco, the Apple TV+ series follows Will and Sylvia, two former college besties who reconnect in midlife and immediately regress into chaotic, co-dependent friendship. No sexual tension, no will-they-won’t-they – just two adults clinging to the past while their present unravels in hilarious, often cringeworthy ways.
Season 2 doubles down on the dysfunction, with Luke Macfarlane’s character spiralling after a Jeopardy! meltdown and a break-in that somehow involves Rogen’s Will, a BMW-dealership-looking mansion, and a very bad limp. The show’s refusal to pair its leads romantically is a quiet revolution in sitcom storytelling, earning praise from critics and fans alike. It’s sharp, awkward, and sneakily touching – like When Harry Met Sally, if Harry and Sally just got drunk and ruined each other’s lives for fun. WYALAN rating – 5/5
Friendship
Craig Waterman wants a friend. What he gets is a slow-motion breakdown. In Friendship, Tim Robinson plays a suburban dad who becomes fixated on his charming new neighbour, played by Paul Rudd. Their bond starts with beers and mushroom hunting, then spirals into punk shows, tunnel systems, and a boxing match that ends with soap in Craig’s mouth.
Directed by Andrew DeYoung, the film is a masterclass in cringe comedy. Robinson weaponizes discomfort, while Rudd plays the straight man with just enough unease to keep things grounded. It’s not a bromance – it’s a hostage situation with hugs. Friendship is essentially I Think You Should Leave through the eye of an A24 lens. WYALAN rating – 5/5
Long Story Short
Time doesn’t move in a straight line in Long Story Short – it loops, skips, and stutters like memory itself. Raphael Bob-Waksberg’s animated series follows the Schwooper family across decades, tracing the fallout of parenting, grief, and Jewish identity with the same emotional precision that made BoJack Horseman unforgettable.
Focusing on the richness of everyday life: knishes, guilt, and the quiet ache of growing older. It’s funny, painful, and deeply specific, voiced by a stellar cast of Ben Feldman, Abbi Jacobson, Max Greenfield, Lisa Edelstein and Paul Reiser. It’s definitely less sad than BoJack Horseman if you found that a little too intense in a comedy. Long Story Short is streaming on Netflix. WYALAN rating – 4.5/5
The Four Seasons
Three couples. Four vacations. One slow-motion implosion. The Four Seasons takes the bones of Alan Alda’s 1981 film and rebuilds it with Tina Fey’s signature blend of emotional chaos and razor-sharp comedy. Fey, alongside co-creators Lang Fisher and Tracey Wigfield, crafts a Netflix series that’s less about marital bliss and more about the quiet resentments that bubble up over charades, ski trips, and shared lake houses.
Steve Carell and Colman Domingo bring unexpected depth to characters who could’ve been caricatures, while Will Forte’s passive-aggressive spiral is a masterclass in awkward comedy. Compared to 30 Rock or Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, this is slower, sadder, and more grounded – but no less funny. The show picked up Critics Choice and Satellite Awards for Best Ensemble and Best Episodic Comedy, with Fey’s writing earning a WGA nomination. It’s a comedy that knows how to weaponize silence, side-eyes, and a badly timed anniversary toast. The Four Seasons is a rom-com that manages to strike the balance of laughs vs real, hard feelings experienced in long term relationships. WYALAN rating – 5/5
The Rehearsal
Season 2 of The Rehearsal takes Nathan Fielder’s obsessive simulations to new heights – literally. This time, he’s attempting to solve aviation disasters by rehearsing better cockpit communication, using hyper-detailed sets, trained actors, and psychological engineering to help pilots speak up when something feels wrong. The season opens with a chilling flight simulation that plays it straight for ten full minutes before the absurdity creeps in, setting the tone for a series that’s somehow more ambitious, more uncomfortable, and even funnier than its predecessor.
Fielder builds a replica of Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, populates it with dozens of “Fielder Method” graduates, and stages everything from fake airline food menus to a singing competition called Wings of Voice. One episode features oversized puppets reenacting the life of Captain Sully, while another detours into Fielder’s early career on Canadian Idol, turning the season into a meta-exploration of assertiveness, anxiety, and performance. It’s still The Rehearsal – just bigger, weirder, and more unhinged. WYALAN rating – 5/5
Abbott Elementary
Four seasons in, Abbott Elementary still feels like a warm hug wrapped in a fire drill. Quinta Brunson’s mockumentary sitcom about a group of underfunded Philadelphia teachers has never lost its heart – or its bite. What started as a workplace comedy about surviving the school district’s dysfunction has grown into a nuanced portrait of community, resilience, and the quiet heroism of public educators.
Janine (Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) continue to navigate their will-they-won’t-they dynamic, while Principal Ava (Janelle James) somehow gets more unhinged and more lovable with each passing season. The show’s strength lies in its ability to balance laugh-out-loud absurdity with moments of genuine emotional clarity. Season 4 builds on that foundation, offering sharper satire, deeper character arcs, and a few school-wide disasters that are almost too real. Abbot Elementary is streaming on Disney+. WYALAN rating – 5/5
The Bear
What began as a pressure-cooker drama about grief and sandwiches has evolved into one of TV’s most emotionally volatile and artistically ambitious series. The Bear follows Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), a fine-dining chef who inherits his late brother’s chaotic Chicago sandwich shop and attempts to transform it into something worthy of a Michelin star. Across four seasons, the show has shifted from scrappy realism to operatic intensity, with each episode feeling like a high-stakes service in a kitchen where everything – relationships, ambition, trauma – is on the verge of boiling over.
Christopher Storer and Joanna Calo’s direction remains kinetic and claustrophobic, while the ensemble cast (Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Liza Colón-Zayas) continues to deliver performances that feel raw and lived-in. Season 4 doesn’t reinvent the show – it refines it, deepens it, and reminds us that perfection is a moving target, especially when everyone’s still healing. I’m in awe of The Bears ability to have laugh out moments one minute and absolutely heartbreaking scenes which make me tear up the next. The Bear is streaming on Disney+. WYALAN rating – 5/5
The Roses
What starts as a meet-cute in a London kitchen quickly escalates into a full-blown domestic war in this riotous black comedy from Jay Roach (Meet the Parents) and Tony McNamara (The Favourite, Poor Things). Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch play Ivy and Theo Rose, a seemingly perfect couple whose marriage implodes when professional fortunes flip and resentments bubble over. The film trades slapstick for razor-sharp wit, with supporting turns from Kate McKinnon, Zoë Chao and Andy Samberg adding extra bite to the chaos. It’s a satire of modern relationships that’s equal parts hilarious and horrifying, with Colman and Cumberbatch delivering performances so venomous they practically sizzle off the screen. Think therapy session meets gladiator arena, with raspberry allergies and architectural meltdowns thrown in for good measure. WYALAN rating – 4.5/5
Too Soon
After a messy breakup, New York commercial producer Jessica relocates to London, hoping for solitude but stumbling into chaos – and maybe love. Megan Stalter (Hacks) leads with a mix of absurdity and vulnerability, while Will Sharpe (The White Lotus) plays Felix, a brooding indie musician with emotional baggage and irresistible charm. Created by Lena Dunham (Girls) and Luis Felber, the series flips classic rom-com tropes with surreal humour, emotional detours, and a cast that includes Emily Ratajkowski, Andrew Rannells, and Rhea Perlman.
Each episode riffs on iconic romantic films, but the show’s heart lies in its messy, modern take on connection. It’s bold, chaotic, and refreshingly off-script. If you liked the Bridget Jones series, Stalter plays a scattier version and it’s brilliant. Tires is streaming on Netflix. WYALAN rating – 4/5
The Paper
Set in the same mockumentary universe as The Office, this Peacock original follows the chaotic staff of the Toledo Truth Teller – a once-proud newspaper now sharing office space with a toilet paper company. Domhnall Gleeson stars as Ned Sampson, an idealistic editor-in-chief with a sales background and a penchant for motivational slogans. Tim Key plays Ken Davies, a corporate strategist whose baffling interventions and paper product rankings (“toilet kings” included) add layers of cringe and confusion. Co-created by Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, the show blends workplace absurdity with a genuine affection for journalism’s fading glory. It has similar beats to The Office (US), but the characters are different enough that The Paper stands on it’s own. Tires is streaming on Sky Comedy. WYALAN rating – 4/5
Tires
There’s no mission statement at Valley Forge Automotive – just a whiteboard that says “Don’t Die” and a stack of unpaid invoices. Tires, created by Shane Gillis, Steve Gerben, and John McKeever, turns this failing garage into the perfect setting for a workplace comedy that’s proudly low-stakes and aggressively dumb in all the right ways.
Gerben plays Will, the well-meaning manager trying to keep the shop afloat, while Gillis’s Shane – his cousin and chaos engine – undermines him at every turn. The humour is crude, fast, and surprisingly layered, with side characters like Stavros Halkias and Kilah Fox adding their own flavour of dysfunction. Season 2 leans harder into the absurd: there’s a tire expo, a disastrous radio ad campaign, and a motivational seminar that ends with someone getting hit by a car. Tires thrives on awkward silences, bad decisions, and the kind of workplace energy that makes you grateful for HR departments. If today’s workplace comedies are a little too tame for you and you pine for Will Ferrell type comedies from the early 2000’s, Tires is the only comedy still shining that torch. Tires is streaming on Netflix. WYALAN rating – 4/5
Heads Of State
I wasn’t expecting much from this star studded action comedy as there have been so many not worth watching in the last 10 years (I’m looking at you, Netflix, with your big budget releases), but Heads of State avoids this mistake thanks largely to the back and forth banter between Idris Elba and John Cena.
When Elba and Cena crash-land in Eastern Europe after a botched assassination attempt, Heads of State kicks into gear – not with diplomacy, but with chaos. Elba plays the British Prime Minister, Cena the American President, and neither is remotely qualified for the covert survival mission that follows. What starts as a global crisis quickly devolves into a buddy-action farce involving rogue agents, exploding motorcades, and a tomato festival shootout that’s somehow both horrifying and hilarious.
Directed by Ilya Naishuller (Nobody), the film ditches political nuance in favour of kinetic absurdity. Elba brings gravitas to a man who’s clearly out of his depth, while Cena leans into the loud, clueless bravado with glee. Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Carla Gugino round out the cast with just enough menace to keep things grounded. It’s Air Force One meets The Other Guys, with a dash of Veep and a body count. Heads of State is streaming on Amazon Prime. WYALAN rating – 4/5
Ballad Of Wallis Island
A suitcase of cash, a pallet stage on a Welsh beach, and a folk duo reuniting for an audience of one – The Ballad of Wallis Island is as strange and tender as it sounds. Directed by James Griffiths and written by Tim Key and Tom Basden, the film expands their 2007 short into a full-blown comedy-drama that’s equal parts melancholy farce and musical reunion. Carey Mulligan and Basden play ex-bandmates and ex-lovers brought together by Charles (Key), an eccentric lottery winner living in isolation who’s determined to recreate the magic of a long-lost concert.
The film premiered at Sundance and went on to win acclaim at the Critics Choice and British Independent Film Awards, with Key’s performance singled out for its quiet devastation. It’s a story of faded fame, unresolved tension, and the absurdity of trying to recapture something that maybe never existed – like Local Hero with more chutney and fewer bagpipes. WYALAN rating – 4/5
Novocaine
Jack Quaid stars as Nathan Caine, a mild-mannered bank employee with congenital insensitivity to pain who’s forced into action when his co-worker (Amber Midthunder) is kidnapped during a Christmas Eve robbery. Directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, the film turns Nathan’s rare condition into both a superpower and a liability, as he burns, bruises, and brawls his way through a surreal rescue mission. The tone veers from rom-com awkwardness to full-blown body horror, with squishy sound design and a deep fryer moment that’ll haunt you. Ray Nicholson, Betty Gabriel, and Jacob Batalon round out the cast, while the Santa-suited robbers and gamer sidekick add layers of absurdity. It’s a twisted holiday tale with heart, and Quaid’s performance cements him as a chaotic everyman worth watching. Novocaine is streaming on Sky Cinema. WYALAN rating – 4/5
Peacemaker
Peacemaker began as a spin-off curiosity and quickly became one of the most daring, emotionally layered comedies in the superhero genre. Season 1 followed Christopher Smith (John Cena), a hyper-patriotic mercenary with a warped moral compass, as he joined a covert government task force and slowly unravelled – both professionally and personally. What started as a mission to eliminate alien threats turned into a surprisingly tender exploration of guilt, identity, and the cost of blind loyalty.
Season 2 builds on that foundation without rehashing it. James Gunn returns as showrunner, steering the series into darker, stranger territory that expands the emotional stakes and the scale of the world. The tone remains razor-sharp, with absurd humour and brutal action, but there’s a new focus on collective behaviour, assertiveness, and the ripple effects of past choices. Cena’s performance deepens, and the returning ensemble—Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee – continues to deliver. It’s still Peacemaker, just more ambitious, more uncomfortable, and more unforgettable. Peacemaker is for people who don’t like superhero movies. A bit like Deadpool, but less annoying and full of itself. WYALAN rating – 4/5
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy marks a bold and bittersweet return to one of Britain’s most iconic rom-com heroines. Directed by Michael Morris and based on Helen Fielding’s 2013 novel, the film picks up with Bridget (Renée Zellweger) navigating single motherhood, grief, and the minefield of modern dating in her fifties. It’s the fourth instalment in the franchise, following Bridget Jones’s Baby, and reunites the original trio – Zellweger, Hugh Grant, and Colin Firth – while introducing fresh faces like Chiwetel Ejiofor, Leo Woodall, and Isla Fisher.
The tone is more reflective than previous entries, with Bridget attending a memorial for her late husband and re-entering the dating world with both hesitation and hilarity. Critics have praised Zellweger’s performance for its emotional depth, though some reviews note the film leans heavily on familiar tropes and sentimentality. Still, it’s earned strong audience scores and a healthy box office return, grossing over $140 million globally.
If the earlier films were about romantic chaos, Mad About the Boy is about resilience, reinvention, and finding humour in heartbreak. It’s not just a continuation – it’s a reckoning. It’s always tricky landing and closing a globally successful franchise, but Mad About the Boy does it with a smile and happy tear. WYALAN rating – 3.5/5
Deep Cover
No one in Deep Cover is qualified for the job – and that’s the joke. Bryce Dallas Howard stars as Kat Bryant, a struggling American comic teaching improv in London who’s recruited by the Metropolitan Police to infiltrate the criminal underworld. Her team? Two of her least promising students: Marlon (Orlando Bloom), a method actor with delusions of grandeur, and Hugh (Nick Mohammed), an anxious IT guy who still thinks “yes, and” is a tech protocol.
Directed by Tom Kingsley and written by Colin Trevorrow, Derek Connolly, Ben Ashenden, and Alexander Owen, the film leans into its absurd premise with full commitment. The trio’s improv skills accidentally earn them credibility among gangsters, leading to a series of escalating cons, mistaken identities, and one very tense birthday party. Supporting turns from Paddy Considine, Ian McShane, and Sean Bean add grit to the chaos. Deep Cover maybe drags a little, but I think it’s still worth watching. Deep Cover is streaming on Amazon Prime. WYALAN rating – 4/5
The Monkey
Every time the toy monkey bangs its drum, someone dies – and the deaths are as outrageous as they are gruesome. Based on Stephen King’s short story, this horror-comedy follows twin brothers (played by Theo James) who reunite decades after trying to destroy the cursed object that tore their family apart. Osgood Perkins, known for Longlegs and The Blackcoat’s Daughter, directs with gleeful menace, while producer James Wan (The Conjuring) adds his signature flair for stylish dread. Tatiana Maslany, Adam Scott, and Elijah Wood round out a cast that leans into the chaos. Critics have called it “Final Destination meets Looney Tunes,” and with a 77% Rotten Tomatoes score, it’s one of the year’s most talked-about genre mashups. The Monkey is streaming on Amazon Prime. WYALAN rating – 3.5/5
Stick
There’s something beautifully broken about Pryce Cahill, Owen Wilson’s washed-up golf pro in Stick, Apple TV+’s offbeat sports comedy. Fired from his job at a sporting goods store and freshly divorced, Pryce stakes his future on coaching a volatile teen phenom named Santi, played with raw energy by newcomer Peter Dager. The show, created by Jason Keller (Ford v Ferrari), trades inspirational pep talks for awkward silences, passive-aggressive pep rallies, and the kind of mentorship that involves more emotional damage than swing tips.
It’s not Ted Lasso – it’s messier, more deadpan, and occasionally profound in the way only a midlife crisis at a driving range can be. WYALAN rating – 3.5/5
Running Point
In Running Point, Kate Hudson plays Isla Gordon, a former charity coordinator suddenly named president of the Los Angeles Waves, a family-run basketball franchise in freefall. The job comes with skeptical brothers, a chaotic front office, and a point guard who makes Dennis Rodman look like a team player.
Created by Elaine Ko, Mindy Kaling, Ike Barinholtz, and David Stassen, the Netflix series doesn’t just riff on sports – it digs into legacy, gender politics, and the absurdity of trying to fix a broken system with pep talks and spreadsheets. Hudson’s Isla is sharp, stubborn, and constantly underestimated, which makes her victories all the more satisfying. WYALAN rating – 3/5
Mythic Quest
Mythic Quest started as a workplace comedy about a video game studio and ended as a surprisingly poignant exploration of ego, creativity, and collaboration. Across four seasons, the show has followed Ian Grimm (Rob McElhenney) and Poppy Li (Charlotte Nicdao) as they build, break, and rebuild their professional partnership while trying to keep their MMORPG empire afloat.
What sets Mythic Quest apart is its willingness to shift tone – from absurd office politics to standalone episodes that feel like short films. Season 4 leans into legacy: characters reckon with their past choices, failed launches, and the emotional fallout of chasing innovation in an industry that rarely rewards it. The finale doesn’t go out with a bang – it lands like a well-earned save point, reminding us that even in a world built on pixels, the human mess behind the screen is what matters most. Mythic Quest is streaming on Apple TV+. WYALAN rating – 3/5
St. Denis Medical
No one expected St. Denis Medical to outgrow its Superstore DNA so quickly, but even in its first season, it’s clear: this is sharper, stranger, and somehow more heartfelt. Co-created by Justin Spitzer and Eric Ledgin, the series trades retail chaos for hospital dysfunction, swapping barcode scanners for defibrillators and still managing to keep the laughs coming at a breakneck pace. Wendi McLendon-Covey leads the charge as Joyce, the eternally optimistic administrator whose budget decisions feel like Mad Libs with real-world consequences.
Compared to Spitzer’s previous work, St. Denis Medical leans harder into absurdism – think a wellness seminar interrupted by a rogue therapy goat or a staff meeting that spirals into a debate over which vending machine snack best represents the hospital’s values. Critics Choice and Satellite Awards have already taken notice, with wins for Best Ensemble and Best Episodic Comedy. St. Denis Medical is streaming on BBC iPlayer. WYALAN rating – 3.5/5
Death Valley
If you enjoyed Ludwig, you’ll probably enjoy Death Valley. Timothy Spall is gloriously grumpy in BBC One’s breakout “cosy crime” hit that pairs him with Gwyneth Keyworth for one of the year’s most unexpectedly charming duos. Spall plays John Chapel, a reclusive former actor best known for playing a fictional TV detective, now reluctantly pulled into real-life murder investigations alongside Janie Mallowan, a whip-smart Welsh sergeant who grew up watching his show. Their dynamic—equal parts bickering, begrudging respect, and accidental brilliance – anchors a series that’s as much about mismatched friendship as it is about solving crimes.
Created by Paul Doolan (Trollied, Bloods), the show blends dry humour with small-town mystery, and has already smashed records: it drew the largest UK overnight audience for a new scripted series in five years and became BritBox North America’s second most-watched show of 2025. Think Midsomer Murders with sharper writing, a cat named Alan, and a murder mystery party that turns way too real. WYALAN rating – 3.5/5
The Pickup
A routine armoured truck job turns into a chaotic heist when two mismatched drivers are ambushed by criminals with far bigger plans than cash. Eddie Murphy plays Russell Pierce, a seasoned pro reluctantly paired with Pete Davidson’s rookie, whose loose lips and romantic entanglements complicate everything. Directed by Tim Story (Barbershop, Ride Along), the film blends action and comedy with a revenge-fuelled twist led by Keke Palmer’s criminal mastermind. The cast do a lot of heavy with a so-so plot, but the trio make it work and provide a decent amount of laughs to make this worth watching at least once (I’m also a fan of Pete Davidson’s comedy). The Pickup is streaming on Amazon Prime. WYALAN rating – 3/5
One Of Them Days
Keke Palmer and SZA team up in this riotous buddy comedy about two broke best friends scrambling to pay rent after one of their boyfriends blows through the cash. Directed by Lawrence Lamont and written by Syreeta Singleton, the film unfolds over one increasingly absurd day in Baldwin Village, Los Angeles – with blood donation mishaps, fast-food flirtations, and a T-shirt startup gone rogue. Lil Rel Howery and Maude Apatow round out the ensemble, adding extra bite to the chaos. It’s a celebration of female friendship, financial desperation, and the kind of bad decisions that make great stories. SZA’s film debut is a win, and Palmer proves once again she’s a comedic powerhouse.
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