It’s time to put my over-consumption of television to good use by curating a list of my top comedy picks on Max! Now I haven’t had access to a Max account for a very long time, but I sure have put it to good use. I’m also in the boat that HBO Max is the superior streaming service and has the accolades to prove it, but today, we’re focusing on the comedic department.
1. Barry: A Dark Comedy Drama with Breaks of Absurdity – 2018-2023
Barry follows title character Barry Berkman (Bill Hader), a former marine and Afghanistan veteran who has turned into a hitman. Barry is sent to Los Angeles to complete a mission where he is supposed to assimilate into an acting class to gain intel on the man he is supposed to kill. Barry eventually falls in love with the idea of being an actor, and Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler) becomes his mentor. Barry is then obviously conflicted by the two lives he seeks to live, and his journey of self-discovery begins. I personally love this show because of the way it is able to suck you into a world of violence and extreme drama, and then thrust you back out with clever lines and absurd humor. My favorite character is NoHo Hank (Anthony Carrigan) who begins as an antagonist but is hilarious and ridiculous with a silly accent and unique flair– you’ll just have to watch it to really see it.
2. THe Righteous Gemstones: A sophomoric and Ludicrous Look into a Televangelist Dynasty- 2019-
The Righteous Gemstones is the third HBO show that writer, producer, and lead protagonist Danny McBride has created. He stars as Jesse Gemstone, eldest son of the Gemstone televangelist family, who is fathered by Dr. Eli Gemstone (John Goodman), and is siblings to Kelvin (Adam Devine) and Judy (Edi Patterson). Danny McBride is an expert at vulgarity and sophomoric humor, and this show in my eyes is his best work yet. The Righteous Gemstones follows the incredibly dysfunctional and wealthy Gemstone clan that seem to have gotten their clean Southern Baptist hands a little bit dirty. This show has an incredible cast, and the comedic talent is just through the roof. Any scene with all three Gemstone children is gold, but personally, Judy Gemstone (Edi Patterson) kills it through and through.
3. Sex and the City: An Iconic and groundbreaking show about the sex-lives of a tight-knit group of girlfriends- 1998-2004
Now, I am sure that all of us have heard about Sex and The City, and if you are a college-aged woman who has yet to binge-watch an entire season in one night, you simply must. Now if you have been living under a rock (no offense), Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) is an incredibly fabulous and chic journalist who has her own column, “Sex and The City” where she immortalizes the stories of her and her friends’ romantic lives. In said friend group there’s of course Carrie, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) the staunch and opinionated lawyer, Charlotte (Kristin Davis), the hopeless romantic and upper-east side princess, and of course Samantha (Kim Cattrall), the confident, sultry and sex-obsessed PR manager. All four women seem to have it all figured out in their career lives, but they navigate their thirties in New York City, trying to figure out romance and where their friendships lie in the grand scheme of things.
4. Succession: A dark dramadey exploring a tyrannical CEO and his power-hungry heirs- 2018-2023
I consider Succession to be my favorite television show of all time. From the outside it seems like a boring drama about the succession of a media empire. On paper, that may summarize it, but the show is so much more than that. It has a flawless score, impeccable cast, and bitingly clever writing. Succession is truly a modern day Shakespearean play. It utilizes the universal truth that no one is fully good or evil, and I found myself going from loving to hating and hating to loving all the characters. I will warn you, the show does at points get confusing with the business-speak and fast paced environment, but if you can focus on the bigger picture when it comes to the overall plot points, you will be captivated by the genius of creator Jesse Armstrong. Whether you are team “number one boy” or a Shiv Roy defender, I hope that you find yourself loving this show as much as I do.