Here Are the Top 7 Mockumentary Shows on Streaming Right Now
Here Are the Top 7 Mockumentary Shows on Streaming Right Now
With the release of NBC’s new mockumentary “St. Denis Medical” this week, we’re counting down the best of the best.
From boring offices to broken government departments to vampires living in the city, when mockumentary comedy TV shows work, they really work. That’s why you can’t blame NBC for going back to the well with their newest comedy, “St. Denis Medical.” The new comedy series set at an understaffed Oregon hospital is set to debut on Tuesday, Nov. 12 on NBC and streaming the next day on Peacock. So, to celebrate the release of yet another mockumentary (here’s hoping it’s better than the Australian spinoff of “The Office”), here are the top seven mockumentary comedy TV shows on streaming right now.
Top 7 Mockumentary Comedy TV Shows On Streaming Right Now:
No. 7: ‘The Comeback’ (2024) | Max
Even though this show stars one of the most famous sitcom stars of the last 30 years, I’d still call it underground. It didn’t help that “The Comeback” only aired for two seasons… with nine years between them. But that’s only a testament to the quality of Season One that they decided to bring it back after all these years! The show follows Lisa Kudrow, who plays a washed-up sitcom star, Valerie Cherish, trying to return to fame through a reality TV show documenting her comeback attempt.
It’s the kind of cringe-worthy comedy you’d find in a Nathan Fielder show – Kudrow is so very awkward and desperate, and yet, confident, resilient, and lovable all at the same time. The best episode for me was the Season 2 finale where Valerie must choose between her dream and her husband – it brought me to tears (yes, I’m a softy).
The Comeback
For Valerie Cherish, no price is too high to pay for clinging to the spotlight. Desperate to revive her career, she agrees to star in a reality TV series, allowing cameras to follow her every move as she lands a part on a new network sitcom.
No. 6: ‘Jury Duty’ (2023) | Prime Video
The premise sounds kind of cruel: you pick the nicest guy you can find, put him in a fake trial that he thinks is real, surround him with actors he thinks are real people, and then mess around with him during the high-stakes trial for laughs. That pretty much sums up “Jury Duty” and yet the show is so much more than that. It’s a portrait of a good person given every opportunity to throw his friends under the bus… and yet he doesn’t. It’s funny and moving and smart and is held together by the integrity of Ronald Gladden… who deserves all the fanfare and opportunity that has come his way since the show ended. Good for you man!
“Jury Duty” was created by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, and stars Ronald Gladden along with an epic ensemble cast including James Marsden, Alan Barinholtz, Susan James Berger, Cassandra Blair, Mekki Leeper, and David Brown.
Jury Duty
The inner workings of an American jury trial through the eyes of one particular juror, Ronald Gladden. Gladden is unaware the entire case is fake, everyone except him is an actor and everything that happens — inside the courtroom and out — is carefully planned.
No. 5: ‘What We Do In The Shadows’ (2019) | Hulu
With its sixth and final season well underway, the horror comedy mockumentary TV show “What We Do in the Shadows” lands at number five on my list. Based on the also-excellent movie of the same name, the comedy series follows four vampires—Nandor, Laszlo, Nadja, and energy vampire Colin Robinson—who live together on Staten Island. It explores their (often strained) relationship with each other and the modern world around them while introducing other supernatural beings and their human familiar, Guillermo, who longs to become a vampire.
Created by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, “What We Do in the Shadows” is worth a look for anyone who likes the mockumentary form and also enjoys their straight-to-camera interviews with a supernatural twist.
What We Do in the Shadows
A documentary-style look into the daily (or rather, nightly) lives of a group of vampires in Staten Island who have “lived” together for hundreds and hundreds of years.
No. 4: ‘Parks and Recreation’ (2009) | Peacock
While “Parks and Recreation” doesn’t really pick up until season two, once it gets going it’s impossible to stop. This mockumentary-style comedy series follows the dedicated employees of the Parks Department in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. Led by the relentlessly optimistic and ambitious Leslie Knope (played by Amy Poehler in a very similar role to Steve Carrel’s Michael Scott, though she’s a little more earnest), the show dives into local government antics, workplace friendships, and community projects. The ensemble cast kills with names like Nick Offerman, Rashida Jones, Chris Pratt, and Aubrey Plaza, making it one of the most popular shows in the genre almost ten years since it ended.
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.
No. 3: ‘Abbott Elementary’ (2021) | Hulu
You can probably point to the success of “Abbott Elementary” as the most direct reason we are getting another NBC mockumentary in “St. Denis Medical,” and for good reason. The mockumentary comedy series centers around the lives of teachers in an underfunded public elementary school in Philadelphia. Created by and starring Quinta Brunson, the show focuses on the wins and losses of dedicated educators who want to make a difference despite limited resources and a plethora of systematic school issues.
The show has a ton of critical success, taking home four Emmy wins to date for Outstanding writing, casting, supporting actress (Sheryl Lee Ralph), and lead actress (Brunson). If you’re a fan of the genre but haven’t yet had a chance to check out “Abbott Elementary,” consider this your homework assignment.
Abbott Elementary
In this workplace comedy, a group of dedicated, passionate teachers — and a slightly tone-deaf principal — are brought together in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life. Though these incredible public servants may be outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do — even if they don’t love the school district’s less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children.
No. 2: ‘Modern Family’ (2009) | Peacock
I think this show was rewarded culturally for 1) being really funny, and 2) showing us the kind of imperfect, multi-cultural, LGBTQ+ inclusive family that you don’t often see on TV. And so, “Modern Family” ran for 11 solid seasons, following the lives of the Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker clan as they navigate the ups and downs of family life in Los Angeles. The show (like many hits), adds a ton of heart to its laughs, while the cast led by Ed O’Neill, Sofia Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Eric Stonestreet shines. If you’re looking for a feelgood, uncynical comedy, it’s one of the best out there.
“Modern Family” was created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, and took home 22 Emmy Awards over its 11-season, 250-episode run.
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.
No. 1: ‘The Office’ (2009) | Peacock
For me, this is the GOAT (greatest of all time) of mockumentaries. I laughed, I cried (at Pam and Jim, one of the most satisfying love stories in modern TV) and I bemused (this isn’t a verb but I’m using it anyway) at Will Ferrell and James Spader as the show just kept going after losing Steve Carrell’s genius. And yet it all worked for nine seasons.
Based on the British show of the same name, the U.S. version of “The Office” follows the day-to-day operations of Dunder Mifflin, a struggling paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. From classics like “The Dundies” to “Diversity Day” (which probably wouldn’t get made today), to “The Dinner Party” where Michael and Jan host everyone, to Jim asking out Pam for real this time… to to to. There are too many to list but know that when you boot up this show, you’re in good hands. Just watch it.
The Office
The everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.