The best comedy shows to binge on Paramount+ right now
The best comedy shows to binge on Paramount+ right now
Whether you want feel-good laughs, family chaos, or animated sci-fi nonsense, Paramount+ has a binge for you.
I don’t think comedy when I think Paramount+, but after scrolling their platform a bit, I was reminded of a few things. First, the CBS and Comedy Central connection is super strong, bringing some of the best sitcoms of all time, as well as a bunch of new comedies, to the platform. And that includes one of my favorite shows ever in “Key & Peele.” Then, there are the Paramount+ originals. Obviously, those skew drama, but there are a few really great comedies as well that definitely fly under the radar.
Now, the four shows below all scratch a different comedy itch, but they’re all finished (or almost finished), all have multiple seasons, and all are great shows, so if you’re looking to disappear for a few weeks, you’re covered. Here are my picks for the best binge-worthy comedy TV shows streaming on Paramount+ right now.
Best binge-worthy comedy shows streaming on Paramount+
Best feel-good binge: ‘The Neighborhood’
“The Neighborhood” is just a great premise wonderfully executed. Dave Johnson, a very friendly Midwestern guy played by Max Greenfield, moves with his family into a Pasadena neighborhood where Calvin Butler, played by Cedric the Entertainer, has been living for years. Dave wants to be best friends immediately… Calvin would very much prefer he calm down. That clash gives the show its engine, but what makes it work is that Calvin isn’t just grumpy, and Dave isn’t just clueless. Calvin is protective, proud, and slow to trust people, while Dave is genuinely trying to connect. And Tichina Arnold’s Tina brings a great warmth and sharpness to the whole thing.
What makes “The Neighborhood” such a good binge is that it’s reliable in a really comforting way. It’s warm, low-stress, and built around a community slowly becoming closer. At first, it’s about Calvin and Dave clashing, but over time it becomes about the Butlers, the Johnsons, their kids, their marriages, and the way a block turns into a weird extended family. It has jokes about race, culture, pride, and neighborly boundaries, but it never turns into homework. With the show coming to a close with the series finale on Monday, May 11, this is the perfect time to jump in.
The Neighborhood
The nicest guy in the Midwest moves his family into a tough neighborhood in Los Angeles where not everyone appreciates his extreme neighborliness. That includes their new next-door neighbor Calvin.
Best sketch binge: ‘Key & Peele’
“Key & Peele” is one of my favorite comedy shows ever. It’s sketch comedy, so it works differently from the other shows on this list. Each episode is packed with short sketches from Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, and the range is ridiculous. One minute, it’s Obama’s anger translator. The next, it’s a pop-culture parody, a classroom sketch, a sports bit, or something so specific it somehow becomes universal. Key brings huge physical comedy energy, while Peele is great at tiny tonal shifts. Together, they’re just locked in.
The binge appeal is simple: there’s no homework. You don’t need to remember a plot or track a romance. You just hit play and get a bunch of sketches, and if one doesn’t totally hit, another one is coming in two minutes. That variety keeps the show fresh across five seasons and 50+ episodes. Plus, so many bits became viral comedy classics that watching the whole series feels like getting the famous sketches and the hidden gems around them. “Key & Peele” is basically a comedy buffet, and I’m so here for it.
Key & Peele
Key & Peele is an American sketch comedy television show. It stars Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, both former cast members of MADtv. Each episode of the show consists of several pre-taped sketches starring the two actors, introduced by Key and Peele in front of a live studio audience.
Best sitcom binge: ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’
“Everybody Loves Raymond” is one of the great “people yelling in a kitchen” sitcoms, and I mean that lovingly. Ray Barone, played by Ray Romano, is a sportswriter living on Long Island with his wife Debra and their kids. Normal enough, except his parents, Marie and Frank, live right across the street and have never heard the word boundaries. Marie inserts herself into everything with love, guilt, food, and judgment. Frank is a cranky insult machine. And Robert, Ray’s older brother, is forever stuck in Ray’s shadow.
What makes “Everybody Loves Raymond” such a monster binge is how relatable the fights are. It’s all the things we deal with in our own families — resentment, jealousy, passive aggression, and tiny domestic things that can grow into full emotional wars. Ray and Debra’s marriage is the center, but Marie and Frank walking through the door can turn any normal day into chaos. Under all the bickering, though, there’s real affection. And that’s really why this show is the classic it is. With nine seasons and hundreds of episodes, this is one of the easiest comfort binges ever.
Everybody Loves Raymond
Ray Barone is a successful sportswriter living on Long Island with his wife Debra, daughter Ally, and twin sons, Geoffrey and Michael. Ray’s meddling parents, Frank and Marie, and brother, Robert, live directly across the street.
Best animated binge: ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’
“Star Trek: Lower Decks” has such a smart hook: what if you made an animated comedy about all the people doing the annoying jobs on a Starfleet ship? Instead of following legendary captains making grand speeches, this show follows the support crew on the USS Cerritos, one of Starfleet’s least important ships. The main ensigns are Beckett Mariner, Brad Boimler, D’Vana Tendi, and Sam Rutherford, and they’re basically trying to survive the daily weirdness of space without being the main heroes. Tawny Newsome makes Mariner rebellious and sharp, while Jack Quaid makes Boimler painfully earnest in the best way.
The binge hook is that “Lower Decks” gives you fast animated comedy and a giant sci-fi universe to play in. If you know “Star Trek,” the references, alien jokes, ship lore, and Easter eggs make it even better. But even if you’re not deep into Trek, the workplace comedy still works because the characters are so clear. With five seasons to get into, it’s silly, fast, surprisingly warm, and very easy to keep watching.
Star Trek: Lower Decks
The lives of the support crew serving on one of Starfleet’s least important ships, the U.S.S. Cerritos, in 2380. Ensigns Mariner, Boimler, Rutherford and Tendi have to keep up with their duties and their social lives, often while the ship is being rocked by a multitude of sci-fi anomalies.
More binge-worthy comedy TV shows on Paramount+:
‘Ghosts’
Ghosts
Samantha and Jay throw caution to the wind when they convert their recently inherited country estate into a bed-and-breakfast. Call it mislaid plans. Not only is the place falling apart, but it’s also inhabited by spirits of previous residents — whom only Samantha can see and hear.
‘The King of Queens’
The King of Queens
Life’s good for deliveryman Doug Heffernan, until his newly widowed father-in-law, Arthur, moves in with him and his wife Carrie. Doug is no longer the king of his domain, and instead of having a big screen television in his recently renovated basement, he now has a crazy old man.
‘Cheers’
Cheers
The story about a blue-collar Boston bar run by former sports star Sam Malone and the quirky and wonderful people who worked and drank there.
‘South Park’
South Park
This vulgar animated series follows the misadventures of four irreverent grade-schoolers in the quiet, dysfunctional town of South Park, Colorado.
“South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut” is a must-see movie if you enjoy this series. It shows off the musical inclinations that would later lead the creators to make “The Book of Mormon.” You’ll also enjoy the behind-the-scenes documentary, “6 Days to Air: The Making of South Park.”