Schitt's Creek
Canadian sitcom Schitt's Creek has caused an upset at the 2020 Emmy Awards by beating the likes of The Good Place and The Marvelous Mrs Maisel to the Outstanding Comedy Series award. And why not? Eugene and Dan Levy's sitcom about a rich family forced to move to a town they once purchased as a joke is both hilarious and heartwarming – and has slowly gained a big following through its presence on Netflix. Netflix has now added the sixth and final season of the series, and it really is one of the best Netflix shows.
Details: 6 seasons, 10 episodes per season, 21 minutes per episode
Russian Doll
With its Groundhog Day-esque premise, Russian Doll sees Nadia (Natasha Lyonne) forced to relive her 36th birthday party over and over again. Though she's killed repeatedly, there's seemingly no end in sight for Nadia's inescapable night, leading her to question her own sanity as she tries to find a way out. Funny and fast-paced, Russian Doll is ideal for viewers looking for something short and sweet to watch, with each episode leaving you wanting more.
Details: 2 season, 8 episodes per season, 25 minutes per episode
Sex Education
Meek teenager Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield) can't catch a break at school, with kids constantly teasing him about his mother (Gillian Anderson) and her profession as a sex therapist. Of course, teens are more vulnerable and inexperienced than most when it comes to sexual matters, so when Otis inadvertently deals out some of the useful advice he'd overheard from his mother to a sexually-frustrated bully, he soon garners an unwanted reputation as the school's unofficial sex therapist. Sensing a potential to make money, Maeve (Emma Mackey) teams up with Otis to help find paying customers amongst their classmates. Now back for season 3, Netflix's Sex Education is ready to deliver on the huge cliffhanger that ended the show's second season. Unfortunately, the kids will also have to contend with a new morality-focused head teacher who wants to turn the school chaste.
Details: 3 seasons, 8 episodes per season, 50 minutes per episode
The End of the F***ing World
This darkly funny British series feels like a cross between Thelma and Louise and True Romance, with its two young protagonists on the lam after running away from home and accidentally killing someone. James (Alex Lawther) is a prospective teenage psychopath looking for his first person to kill. Enter Alyssa (Jessica Barden), a girl from his class who wants out of her horrible home life. With the two now a couple and on the run, will James satisfy his bloodlust by killing his new girlfriend? Or will she warm his black heart? The first season ended on a huge cliffhanger that left everything up in the air - particularly the fate of one of the show's main characters. With season two, we definitely hope to see that person return, or else we riot! Pitch-black in its humour and surprisingly sweet, The End of the F***ing World is one for those who like their entertainment with an edge.
Details: 2 seasons, 8 episodes per season, 25 minutes per episode
The IT Crowd
It's safe to assume that if you're reading this website, you're quite tech-savvy, so you'd probably have an intimate knowledge of what it's like to deal with computer illiterate people. The IT Crowd understands this frustration in a way that only those who've actually lived it can – and it's absolutely bloody hilarious. The show follows the misadventures of tech support officers Jen (Katherine Parkinson), Roy (Chris O'Dowd) and Moss (Richard Ayoade), both in the office and out in the real world – spurred on in part by their eccentric boss, Douglas Reynholm (Matt Berry). It's like a geeky, British version of Seinfeld.
Details: 2 seasons, 8 episodes per season, 25 minutes per episode
Dead to Me
In Netflix's pitch black comedy Dead to Me, Christina Applegate (Anchorman, Married... with Children) plays Jen, a recently widowed woman who sets out to find the truth about her husband's death by hit and run. Of course, Jen has her own way of grieving and the outpouring of sympathy from those around her to be utterly insufferable. However, by a twist of fate, Jen starts to loosen up when she meets and befriends Judy (Linda Cardellini), a free-spirited woman who also lost someone. A dark and acerbic comedy from the makers of 2 Broke Girls and Hot in Cleveland, Dead to Me may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it is destined to find a devoted audience who are willing to go to some uncomfortable places.
Details: 1 season, 10 episodes per season, 30 minutes per episode
GLOW
From the makers of Orange is the New Black comes GLOW, a show based on a real-life all-women wrestling league that existed in the '80s. Why's it called GLOW? It stands for Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, that's why! The show stars Alison Brie (Community) as an aspiring actress who auditions for the wrestling gig after being fed up with the lack of meaty female roles in Hollywood. Here, she can be a fierce warrior, one who is in charge of her own destiny and gets to play opposite other strong women. Like Orange is the New Black, GLOW is a show that masterfully balances comedy and drama. In its third season, we follow the ladies as the show moves to Las Vegas for live performances, leading to a new set of problems for everyone involved.
Details: 3 seasons, 8 episodes per season, 30 minutes per episode
Lucifer
Unceremoniously cancelled on broadcast television, the devilishly-funny series Lucifer has found a new home on Netflix where it's received a brand new fourth season! From mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Top Gun, Armageddon, Pirates of the Caribbean) and based on the Vertigo comic of the same name (the comic series was a spin-off of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman), the series follows Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis) as he abandons Hell to open a nightclub in Los Angeles and work as a consultant for the LAPD. If you haven't watched Lucifer before, fear not — the first three seasons are also available to stream on Netflix.
Details: 4 seasons, 13 episodes per season, 43 minutes per episode
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Someone escaping from a Domesday cult shouldn't be a recipe for comedy but Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt manages to squeeze the funny out of this premise. Created by Tina Fey and starring Ellie Kemper as the title character, the show sparkles with wit and lands on the right side of kooky. Best of all, the first half of the show's 4th (and unfortunately final) season has just landed and is fizzing with the same energy of the three seasons (we especially love the 'Making a Murderer' parody episode). If you're a fan of shows like Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock, you're pretty much guaranteed to love Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
Seasons on Netflix: 4
Santa Clarita Diet
Like a cross between Modern Family and The Walking Dead (with a spattering of Dexter thrown in for good measure), Santa Clarita Diet is a hilariously gory Netflix Original series that sees suburban mum Sheila (Drew Barrymore) suddenly acquire an insatiable hunger for human flesh. Though shocked at first, Sheila's loyal husband Joel (Timothy Olyphant) and daughter Abby (Liv Hewson) are determined to keep this family together, even if it means covering up a number of murders...
Seasons on Netflix: 2
The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale
Rising to prominence with the hilarious clip show The Soup before hitting it big as an actor on Community, Joel McHale has returned to the green screen once again to offer his unique brand of biting, sarcastic commentary on the ridiculous world of reality television. Featuring plenty of celebrity guest stars and more one liners than any reasonable person could possibly keep track of, The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale is the perfect way to cap off the week. Originally presented as a weekly series (unusual for a proper Netflix Original), The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale is returning shortly with a whole batch of binge-worthy episodes. We can't wait!
Seasons on Netflix: 2
Everything Sucks!
Don't be put off by its twee trailers and the 1990s nostalgia-bait that lies therein — Everything Sucks! is actually a very endearing series that follows a group of young high schoolers (and their parents) as they struggle with new found feelings of love. It's the first day of high school for Luke (Jahi Di'Allo Winston) and his geeky friends, and the boys immediately meet Kate (Peyton Kennedy), the principal's daughter, in AV Club. Luke falls for her right away, but there's one problem — Kate is starting to realise that she actually likes girls. Meanwhile, Kate's widower dad (Patch Darragh) and Luke's single mother (Claudine Mboligikpelani Nako) have started a secret relationship, and it's only a matter of time before everything blows up in their faces. Funny and surprisingly heartfelt, Everything Sucks! is much more than a '90s-set Freaks and Geeks clone.
Seasons on Netflix: 1
The Good Place
A hilarious and refreshing comedy series, The Good Place sees Eleanor (Kristen Bell) arrive in a Heaven-like afterlife only to be greeted by Michael (Ted Danson), architect of what is known as 'The Good Place'. This beautiful neighbourhood is meant to be a reward for living an upstanding life. The problem is, she totally doesn't belong there, and now Eleanor must hide her wrongdoings, lest she be sent to The Bad Place instead. Witty and full of terrific one-liners, The Good Place is a delightful show with some unexpected twists and turns to keep you on your toes.
Seasons on Netflix: 2
Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp
Reviled on initial release and then rediscovered as a cult classic, the 2001 film Wet Hot American Summer is the kind of satirical comedy that leaves most people scratching their heads. Those in the know, however, see it as an absolutely pitch-perfect, gobsmackingly hilarious spoof of the summer camp movies of the late '70s and early '80s. Many of the actors in the original film went on to become huge stars (Bradley Cooper, Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler), so it should be considered a minor miracle that all of these people were wrangled back almost 15 years later to star in a prequel series for Netflix. If you haven't seen the original movie, you might want to stream it on Netflix before watching the show, but if you have seen it and love it like we do, you'll be over the moon with Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp.
Seasons on Netflix: 1
Wet Hot American Summer: 10 Years Later
If you've seen and are a fan of David Wain and Michael Showalter's hilarious film Wet Hot American Summer (WHAS), then you've surely watched its Netflix Original prequel series, WHAS: First Day of Camp (also on our list of the best shows on Netflix Australia). Hilariously taking place during the same summer of 1981 (despite a cast that's obviously aged by 15 years), the series hit every comedic note that made the film a cult favourite. Now, a sequel series has been made that sees our beloved characters return to Camp Firewood ten years after the events of the film and first series. Set in 1991, the show gets a lot of comedic mileage out of its new era, and sees most of its original cast return in some form or another (Bradley Cooper is unfortunately absent, though Adam Scott does a good job of filling his shoes). If you've ever wondered what these ridiculous characters might be like as adults, this is a series you must watch.
Seasons on Netflix: 1
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Ever spent an evening with friends watching bad movies and cracking jokes at their expense? If that's you, you're going to love Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K). Based on a flimsy premise involving a scientific experiment by Gizmonic Institute, the show's lovably homemade sci-fi angle is just an excuse to have comedian Jonah Ray hang out with a bunch of wise-cracking robots named Gypsy, Tom Servo and Crow as they relentlessly mock utterly terrible movies. The new Netflix version is actually a remake of an American cult favourite from the '80s and '90s and each episode will actually give you an entire movie to cringe and laugh through. A second season has now arrived on the service, dubbed The Gauntlet, which challenges viewers to sit through six more terrible movies in one sitting! Charming, funny and endlessly entertaining, MST3K is bound to capture a whole new generation of fans.
Seasons on Netflix: 2
Master of None
One of the freshest and most enjoyable shows Netflix has put out to date, the semi-autobiographical Master of None sees comedian Aziz Ansari (Parks and Recreation) play Dev, a character much like himself who is trying to navigate his family, friends, acting career and love life in New York City. Hilarious and thoughtful, Master of None gives Dev the opportunity to reflect on difficult subjects like like racism and misogyny in a way that's warm, funny and eye-opening – no easy feat! Master of None also has an amazing soundtrack, and some wonderful supporting turns from Noël Wells, Eric Wareheim, Kelvin Yu and Ansari's own scene-stealing parents, Shoukath and Fatima.
Seasons available on Netflix: 2
