6 Best Streaming Services for Comedy Movies
Your taste in comedy is likely as unique as your fingerprint. No matter your preferred style of laughs, you’re sure to find something on these great streaming services! While many of these streaming services are spending big to create their own comedy TV shows, the movie genre hasn’t really generated a breakout streaming hit yet.
We’ve done the research to find the biggest laughs for your dollar. Here are our choices for the best streaming options for comedy fans.
Best for Comedy Movies
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The Streamable’s Choice
Max
HBO Max has the most formidable comedy catalog in the streaming game. If you’re a comedy lover who had to have just one service, HBO Max would give you an amazing lineup. Just look at some of these titles:
- The Graduate
- Beverly Hills Cop
- A League of Their Own
- Dumb and Dumber
- Good Morning, Vietnam
- Caddyshack
- Broadcast News
- Wag the Dog
- Sneakers
- Pitch Perfect
- Rush Hour
- Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
- Clerks
- The Producers
- When Harry Met Sally
- City Slickers
- The Wedding Singer
- Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
- Get Shorty
- Wedding Crashers
- Crazy Rich Asians
If you want to delve into mockumentaries, HBO Max has the hysterical collection of “This is Spinal Tap,” “Waiting for Guffman,” and “Best in Show.”
HBO Max also excels with classic comedies, like “Dr. Strangelove,” “The Philadelphia Story,” “Singin' in the Rain,” “Safety Last,” and the Charlie Chaplin masterpieces, “City Lights,” “Modern Times,” and “The Great Dictator.”
The quality of this catalog is hard to beat.
Pros:
- Many iconic, groundbreaking comedies
- Includes standouts in most comedy genres
- Classic cinema from titans like Chaplin, Kubrick, Cukor, Hawks, and Capra.
Cons:
- Higher price point than competitors
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Best for Stand-up
Netflix
Netflix has a strong comedy game, especially in the stand-up genre. This is where you’ll see most of Dave Chappelle’s latest routines, including “Sticks & Stones” and “Equanimity.”
You’ll also see Netflix Originals like Hannah Gadsby’s groundbreaking “Nanette,” John Mullaney’s “New in Town,” Hasan Minhaj’s “Homecoming King,” and Bill Burr’s “I'm Sorry You Feel That Way.” Throw in specials from Bill Hicks, Eddie Murphy, Bo Burnham, Ricky Gervais, Aziz Ansari, Anthony Jeselnik, Mike Birbiglia, Jeff Dunham, Norm Macdonald, Trevor Noah, and Jerry Seinfeld, and there’s plenty to keep you laughing.
Netflix currently has the great Monty Python classics as well: “Life of Brian,” “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” and “Live at the Hollywood Bowl.”
Other funny movies on the service include “The Naked Gun,” “Zombieland,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” and “The Disaster Artist.” With Netflix, you’re always in danger of losing a great comedy from a major studio, but the service has been aggressive about replacing their comedy stockpile each month.
Pros:
- Amazing library of modern stand-up comedy
- Solid, rotating catalog of other comedy films
- Aggressive expansion of Netflix Originals
Cons:
- Limited selection of modern comedy hits
- Original comedy movies like “Thunder Force” are major misfires
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Amazon Prime Video
While Amazon is the world’s biggest grab-bag of random titles, there’s always a comedy worth watching. Some of the titles exclusive to the service include “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” “Late Night,” “The Big Sick,” “Brittany Runs a Marathon,” and “Coming 2 America.”
One of Amazon’s biggest comedy wins is a solid library of George Carlin performances, including “Jammin’ in New York,” “Back in Town,” “It’s Bad for Ya!” and “You Are All Diseased.”
At the time of this writing, Prime Video also offers some comedy classics, like “Some Like It Hot,” “His Girl Friday,” “The Odd Couple,” and Buster Keaton’s immortal silent comedy, “The General.”
Comedy fans should also search the term “Rifftrax” on Amazon Prime Video. The service always has a collection of really bad films made far funnier by running commentary from the former “Mystery Science Theater 3000” team of Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy. It’s the perfect way to spend a “pizza and beer” night.
Pros:
- George Carlin library
- Unique offerings like the Rifftrax titles
Cons:
- Poor navigation
- Very little exclusive comedy content
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Peacock
Peacock’s service does tilt more toward comedy TV series, where it has a strong presence. But it’s no slouch when it comes to movies.
As of this writing, you can see landmark comedies like “The Blues Brothers,” “Ghostbusters,” “Animal House,” “The Birdcage,” “Bridesmaids,” “American Pie,” “Pretty Woman,” and “Parenthood.”
Since NBCUniversal has tapered off its comedy output in recent years, you won’t see too many recent hits, but the library does feature some classics.
Pros:
- A handful of major comedy hits
- Several price tiers including ad-supported
- Several classic sitcoms
Cons:
- Service is more focused toward comedy TV
- No original comedy movies
- Slow output of Peacock exclusives
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Hulu
As the edgier brother of Disney+, Hulu offers most of the same mainstream comedies as Disney, but with a lot more to offer.
Hulu has “The Princess Bride” and the Deadpool movies. Subscribers can also watch “Young Frankenstein,” “Moonrise Kingdom,” “(500) Days of Summer,” and the critically acclaimed “Palm Springs.”
Hulu is also your home for the first two Shrek films.
Its comedy library isn’t as deep as some of its rivals, but the collection is more diverse than some streaming services.
Pros:
- Wide variety of streaming content
- Can be bundled with Disney+ and ESPN+ for lower cost
Cons:
- Not many major comedy hits
- Library can feel incomplete as Disney+ has taken some films
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Disney+
Since comedy often relies on pushing boundaries, you won’t find a ton of that on Disney+. True to the brand, the service offers mostly “safe” movies that won’t offend you.
Still, “The Princess Bride” and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” are all-time classics in the genre on Disney+. The Marvel movies often have a lot of great humor, but they’re not outright comedies.
Ultimately, Disney+ is good for families who want a gentle laugh from films like “Home Alone,” “Cool Runnings,” “Sister Act,” and “The Mighty Ducks.” The Pixar movies are also known for their humor, and they’re solid all-around entertainment.
Pros:
- Family-friendly humor
- Can be bundled with Hulu and ESPN+ for lower cost
Cons:
- Nothing edgy or adult
- No stand-up comedy
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Paramount Plus
For the company that owns Comedy Central, there’s not much exclusive comedy worth seeing on Paramount+. If you like stand-up comedy, you’ll see specials from Bo Burnham, Patrice O’Neal, Christopher Titus, Paul F. Tompkins, Kyle Kinane, Jeff Ross, Anthony Jeselnik, Jo Koy, Demitri Martin, Hannibal Burress, Daniel Tosh, Pete Holmes, and Dave Attell.
You’ll also get the Comedy Central roasts, which are fairly vulgar and outrageous if that’s your style of comedy.
Pros:
- Lower price point
- Wide variety of non-comedy streaming content
Cons:
- Lacking major comedy hits
- No original comedy movies exclusive to the service
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Free Option
Tubi
If you’re willing to put up with ads, Tubi is a solid free option for comedy fans. Though the library rotates, the service does make comedy a focus.
As of this writing, you can see “Best in Show,” “Snatch,” “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut,” “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” and Billy Wilder’s all-time great, “The Apartment.”
The rhythms of a comedy movie would probably suffer with the insertion of ads, but if you’re a comedy fan in need of a cheap fix, it’s hard to beat the price.
Pros:
- Free
- Rotating library includes some great films
Cons:
- Commercials
- No exclusives
- Limited library
