Ever laughed at something and immediately thought, "Should I really be laughing at this?" That's the beauty of dark comedy—it finds humor in places most shows wouldn't dare to look. These aren't your typical sitcoms with neat resolutions and heartwarming lessons.
From intelligence officers moonlighting as folk singers to narcissistic hipsters in full-blown satirical spirals, these ten shows represent the best of television's darkest humor.
Patriot
This show caught me off guard. It's about an intelligence officer who's also a sad folk singer and has to do really, really shady things to stop Iran from going nuclear. The humor is bone-dry and buried under layers of melancholy. It's like if Kafka wrote a spy comedy while depressed.
Atlanta
Donald Glover's masterpiece. It's about a guy trying to manage his cousin's rap career, but every episode goes somewhere unexpected—surreal, sometimes scary, always funny in a weird, uncomfortable way. It doesn't spoon-feed jokes, and that makes it brilliant.
Bored To Death
Imagine a struggling writer who moonlights as an unlicensed private detective in Brooklyn. That's the whole vibe. The comedy is quirky and neurotic, but there's an underlying sadness—everyone's kind of a hot mess trying to seem cool.
Corporate
Working at a mega-corporation never looked this bleak or this funny. It's like "The Office" if it had a nervous breakdown and became self-aware. Every joke is razor-sharp, targeting the soul-crushing reality of capitalism and office life.
BoJack Horseman
Don't let the talking animals fool you. This is one of the darkest, most introspective comedies ever. Bojack is a washed-up actor dealing with addiction, depression, and regret—and somehow, it's hilarious. It hits hard.
You're the Worst
A brutally honest rom-com about two deeply flawed people falling in love and trying not to ruin each other's lives. It explores depression, PTSD, and self-sabotage with sharp writing and zero sugar-coating. Super dark. Super funny.
Brassic
A British gem. It's about a group of friends in northern England who commit petty crimes just to survive—and laugh through the pain. It's fast, chaotic, and surprisingly heartfelt. The humor often masks some pretty raw emotions.
Strangers with Candy
Wildly inappropriate, aggressively weird, and completely unfiltered. It's a prequel about a 46-year-old ex-junkie returning to high school. The show mocks afterschool specials in the darkest, most twisted way possible. Totally unhinged.
Mr Inbetween
Ray Shoesmith is a father, ex-husband, boyfriend and best friend, tough roles to juggle in the modern age. They’re even harder especially when you’re a criminal for hire.. The humor is pitch black, typical Aussie style. One moment you're laughing at his deadpan delivery, the next you're disturbed by how easily he turns violent. It's minimal, real, and unnerving.
Search Party
It starts with a missing person mystery and turns into a full-blown satirical spiral. The characters are narcissistic hipsters who think they're better than everyone—until they end up in situations that expose how messed up they really are. Dark, funny, and totally addictive.