The funniest comedy shows you can binge on Peacock
The funniest comedy shows you can binge on Peacock
From ‘The Office’ to ‘Modern Family,’ these are the shows you can settle into for weeks.
For my wife and me, Peacock is the home of our dinner shows. These are the half-hour comedies we watch during dinner (duh!). They don’t require too much attention; you can usually drop in anywhere, and they are always, always funny. Oh, and they usually have a TON of episodes. That’s the important part for this article, because all the shows I talk about below are finished, complete, donzo, so you can jump in knowing you’ve got multiple seasons to get lost in. If you’re looking for a comedy universe you can live in for weeks at a time, these are the best binge-worthy comedy TV shows on Peacock.
Best binge-worthy comedy shows streaming on Peacock
Best cringe binge: ‘The Office’
“The Office” is one of those shows that basically defined what a cringe binge looks like. The mockumentary setup drops you inside the painfully normal world of Dunder Mifflin, a small paper company where the biggest drama most days is whether Michael Scott has said something wildly inappropriate again. Steve Carell’s performance as Michael is one of the funniest of all time, but the magic really comes from the whole ensemble. Jim, Pam, Dwight, Angela, Kevin, Stanley, and the rest of the office slowly turn into people you feel like you know.
As a binge, this thing is dangerous. The episodes are short, the humor is endlessly rewatchable, and once the relationships start building, especially Jim and Pam, it becomes really hard to stop. That moment when Jim finally asks Pam out is tattooed onto my brain. And because there are nine seasons sitting there on Peacock, you can basically move into this office for weeks. Sure, some of the episode story lines feel dated, but it’s all still funny, still awkward, still sweet, and still really fun to watch.
The Office
The everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.
Best wholesome binge: ‘Parks and Recreation’
I think it’s fair to warn people about the slow start of this show. Tara and I started watching “Parks and Recreation” at Season 1, fell off for like a year, then came back and started at Season 2 because we read that’s when it really takes off. Good news: it’s been our dinner show ever since. Once you get into it, “Parks and Rec” is one of the most relentlessly positive comedies ever made, and that’s a big reason it’s such a great binge.
The show follows Leslie Knope, played by Amy Poehler, an endlessly optimistic public servant in the tiny town of Pawnee, Indiana, who believes local government can actually make people’s lives better. Around her is one of the best sitcom ensembles ever assembled. Nick Offerman’s Ron Swanson is a legend. Aubrey Plaza’s April is chaos in human form. Chris Pratt’s Andy starts as a lovable idiot and somehow gets even better.
The real hook of the binge is how much you grow to love this group. The jokes are great, but the relationships are what pull you through episode after episode. Leslie and Ann’s friendship, Leslie and Ben’s romance, April and Andy’s weird marriage, and the larger feeling that this team slowly becomes a family.
By the time you’re a few seasons in, Pawnee stops feeling like a sitcom setting and starts feeling like a place you want to hang out in. It’s the rare comedy that makes you feel really good after you’re done watching it. And in the times we live in, I think that’s important.
Parks and Recreation
In an attempt to beautify her town — and advance her career — Leslie Knope, a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana, takes on bureaucrats, cranky neighbors, and single-issue fanatics whose weapons are lawsuits, the jumble of city codes, and the democratic process she loves so much.
Best family binge: ‘Modern Family’
“Modern Family” makes family chaos feel both relatable and hilarious at the same time. The series follows three interconnected households in the extended Pritchett family, each with their own brand of dysfunction. Phil and Claire are the classic overwhelmed suburban parents. Mitchell and Cameron bring dramatic energy to everything they do. And Jay and Gloria add generational and cultural tension, along with a lot of unexpected heart.
What makes “Modern Family” such an easy binge is the rhythm. The episodes move fast, the jokes come constantly, and the show jumps between storylines so quickly that it never feels slow. And because it’s got an incredible 11 seasons of storylines, you really get to watch these characters evolve. The kids grow up, relationships change, Jay (eventually) softens, and by the time you’re deep into the binge, the whole family starts to feel like people you’ve been hanging out with for years. And it’s a great feeling.
Modern Family
The Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker clan is a wonderfully large and blended family. They give us an honest and often hilarious look into the sometimes warm, sometimes twisted, embrace of the modern family.
Best clever binge: ‘The Good Place’
“The Good Place” might be the smartest sitcom on this list, but it’s also one of the most addictive. The show starts with Eleanor Shellstrop, played by Kristen Bell, waking up in the afterlife and quickly realizing she might not actually deserve to be in “the good place.” That simple setup turns into a wildly creative comedy that Tara and I still think about, years after it ended airing new eps. The cast is fantastic, especially Ted Danson as the slightly mysterious architect of the neighborhood and William Jackson Harper as Chidi, the world’s most stressed-out moral philosophy professor ever.
What makes this one such a great binge is the story. Unlike the other shows on this list, you can’t jump in anywhere. It’s very much a serialized show with a great hook that you have to watch unfold episode after episode. There are twists, cliffhangers, and big reveals that make it really hard to stop watching once you’re in. But at the center of it all is a surprisingly heartfelt idea about flawed people trying to become better versions of themselves in what looks like a second chance. It’s funny, weird, thoughtful, and incredibly easy to tear through in a weekend. Also, the ending is one I think about a lot. It’ll break your heart because it’s perfect. Watch this show.
The Good Place
Eleanor Shellstrop, an ordinary woman who, through an extraordinary string of events, enters the afterlife where she comes to realize that she hasn’t been a very good person. With the help of her wise afterlife mentor, she’s determined to shed her old way of living and discover the awesome (or at least the pretty good) person within.
More binge-worthy comedy TV shows on Peacock:
‘ted’
ted
It’s 1993 and Ted the bear’s moment of fame has passed, leaving him living with his best friend, 16-year-old John Bennett, who lives in a working-class Boston home with his parents and cousin. Ted may not be the best influence on John, but when it comes right down to it, he’s willing to go out on a limb to help his friend and his family.
‘Community’
Community
Follow the lives of a group of students at what is possibly the world’s worst community college in the fictional locale of Greendale, Colorado.
‘New Girl’
New Girl
Jessica Day is an offbeat and adorable girl in her late 20s who, after a bad breakup, moves in with three single guys. Goofy, positive, vulnerable and honest to a fault, Jess has faith in people, even when she shouldn’t. Although she’s dorky and awkward, she’s comfortable in her own skin. More prone to friendships with women, she’s not used to hanging with the boys—especially at home.
‘Superstore’
Superstore
A hilarious workplace comedy about a unique family of employees at a super-sized mega store. From the bright-eyed newbies and the seen-it-all veterans to the clueless summer hires and the in-it-for-life managers, together they hilariously tackle the day-to-day grind of rabid bargain hunters, riot-causing sales and nap-worthy training sessions.
‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
After an unusual event, Zoey Clarke, a whip-smart computer coder forging her way in San Francisco, suddenly starts to hear the innermost wants, thoughts and desires of the people around her through popular songs.