Let's take a look at the new wave of comedy shows.
There used to be a time when sitcoms felt like the center of pop culture. Shows like How I Met Your Mother, New Girl, Two and a Half Men, Modern Family, Community and The Big Bang Theory basically defined what comfort TV meant.But at some point, comedy lost that spotlight. For the last few years, it felt like everyone was watching heavy dramas or true crime. I honestly didn’t even notice how much I missed a good comedy until these new shows came along and reminded me how refreshing it is to just laugh at something that also has substance.
A New Generation Of Writers
One great example of this shift is Overcompensating, created by Benito Skinner, who also stars as the lead. At 31, Skinner isn’t Gen–Z himself, but he’s clearly writing from personal experience. The show feels so specific and real because it is. Benito Skinner is basically playing a version of his younger self, navigating identity, college life, and everything in between.
Overcompensating
Overcompensating premiered on Prime Video in May and quickly became a favorite online. It follows a former high school football player who begins to question his identity and sexuality once he’s in college. The show is definitely exaggerated at times, but that’s what makes it fun. It’s very self aware and doesn’t pretend to be anything it’s not.
It was just such a fun watch. The cast is incredible, and it was such a good choice to have actors who are also comedians. The comedic timing is perfect and especially Holmes' performance was hysterical. I also loved that the humor didn’t feel forced. The show did well online too, and people are already excited for season two. I personally really enjoyed it, it made me laugh a lot, it had heart, and it didn’t take itself too seriously.
Adults
Adults just premiered and to be honest, I wasn’t sure about it at first. The first episode didn’t really grab me, but it gets better with every episode and I ended up loving it. It’s a smart and very funny take on what it feels like to be in your mid–twenties: unsure about life, broke, figuring things out one mistake at a time. There are moments that are super relatable, and others that just made me laugh out loud. It also has this very specific sense of humor that reminded me of early Ryan Murphy shows like Glee and Scream Queens. At one point they even mention Glee, and honestly, it made total sense.A lot of people have been comparing Adults to New Girl or How I Met Your Mother and I can see where that’s coming from – It's a comedy show about a group of friends figuring out life together post college.
Hacks
Hacks has been around for a bit longer, it started in 2021, but I only started watching it recently and I’m obsessed. It follows Deborah Vance, a legendary stand up comedian who ends up working with Ava, a young queer writer who got canceled on Twitter and is out of options.
The show is different from Overcompensating and Adults. It’s more subtle, more grounded, but just as funny. The humor is clever, the characters feel real, and the writing reminds me a lot of Girls by Lena Dunham, which, by the way, is one of the best written shows ever. If you’re in your twenties and haven’t watched Girls, you should.What I love about Hacks is that it doesn’t rely on being loud or dramatic to make a point. It’s about generational tension, ambition, failure, reinvention and it handles all of that with sharp humor and emotional depth. It’s hilarious, but it also hits you in moments you don’t expect.
Final Thoughts
Of course, comedies haven’t been completely dead. There have been some great ones in recent years – Good Girls on Netflix, Young Sheldon, or my personal favorite, Abbott Elementary. Even the unfortunately cancelled How I Met Your Father, the best reboot everhilarious opinion, gave us something fun and familiar. But despite these, it still felt like more dramatic and darker content dominated. Shows like Stranger Things, You, or every other trending True Crime documentary.That’s why it feels so refreshing to see a wave of new comedy shows that are not only genuinely funny but also come with a new perspective and voice.
What do you think?