HBO is renowned for producing some of the most highly acclaimed and innovative television shows, and its funny comedies are no exception. For decades, the premium cable network has been producing engaging material for television that has entertained viewers all around the world. HBO has produced some of the most exciting and diverse comedies in Hollywood, solidifying the network’s position as a major player in the comedy market. Danny McBride, Sacha Baron Cohen, Issa Rae, and Ricky Gervais are just a few of the network’s incredibly skilled stars.
April 13th, 2023, update: For HBO comedy aficionados, good news! This article has been updated with new entries.
The improv comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm has gained a fervent cult following since its premiere in 2000, with creator and star Larry David captivating audiences with his self-centered caricature of himself. For her brilliant portrayal of the fictional Vice President of the United States Selina Meyer in the political comedy mega hit Veep, Julia Louis-Dreyfus won six straight Primetime Emmy Awards, highlighting even more of her extraordinary abilities. In no particular order, these are the top 15 funniest HBO programmes ever, all of which are accessible on HBO Max.
A Black Lady Sketch Show
A Black Lady Sketch Show, created by Robin Thede, is widely regarded as the first sketch comedy series written, produced, and starring Black women. It features the comedian and other actors like Ashley Nicole Black and Gabrielle Dennis as they perform sketches addressing socially relevant themes like dating, religion, and sex.
Critics praised the show for its masterful blending of absurdity and playfulness; it received a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, three Black Reel Awards, and a TCA Award. “A blend of subtle observations about the systemic invisibilities and struggles of women of colour with sidesplitting sketch premises,” said Salon of the comedy series.
Barry
The critically acclaimed and Emmy Award-winning series Barry (2018-2023) follows the odd trip of a despondent hitman named Barry Berkman who travels to Los Angeles to kill his latest target. Barry Berkman is portrayed by Bill Hader.
He unintentionally discovers a new passion, acting, though. Each season of the programme is an exciting journey into themes that get progressively darker and more dramatic. Barry is the ideal series for you if you prefer darkly funny black comedy.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
The 2000 sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm, which was written, created, and starred Larry David of Seinfeld fame, is centred on the semi-fictionalized life of the famous comedian and shows his comedic daily interactions with his close friends, acquaintances, and passing strangers. These interactions are frequently complicated by David’s own stubbornness, annoyances, and unconventional approach to socialising.
The programme has received widespread appreciation for its astute writing and great improvisational humour by the actors, who include Cheryl Hines, Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, and J.B. Smoove in addition to the TV veteran. With its wild performances and self-deprecating comedy, Curb Your Enthusiasm is beloved. It was named the 19th greatest television programme ever in 2016 by Rolling Stone, and there are no immediate plans to end it.
Da Ali G Show
The satirical television series Da Ali G Show, which had its UK premiere on Channel 4, later moved to HBO for its next two seasons. Sacha Baron Cohen starred in the risqué show as three unconventional personas: the want tobe rapper Ali G, the flamboyant Austrian fashion reporter Brüno Gehard, and the misogynistic but lovable Kazakhstani reporter Borat Sagdiyev.
In a brilliant parody of political and popular culture journalism, Baron Cohen conducted real interviews with renowned people who were unaware of the interviews’ existence, which were recorded on concealed cameras. Although Da Ali G Show generated a lot of controversy throughout its run, Baron Cohen delivered a memorable and hilarious performance that helped pave the way for the blockbuster movies Brüno and Borat and its sequel.
Eastbound & Down
In the sports comedy series Eastbound & Down, which follows the self-destructive former big league baseball star Kenny Powers as he is compelled to return to his hometown and teach P.E. at his old middle school, Danny McBride plays the self-destructive character. Powers, who starts the series as a delightfully horrible scumbag, actually grows a little bit as the story progresses, and he is motivated to recapture his popularity despite his unfortunate circumstances.
McBride has since stated that the tone of Eastbound & Down was intended to “make fun of a South where you could learn an ancient martial art like Tae Kwon Do in a shopping centre next to a tanning salon.” He drew inspiration from former Major League Baseball players John Rocker and Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams.
Extras
Ricky Gervais, an English comedian, also served as the show’s host in the 2005 British sitcom Extras, which focused on the extras hired for various television, film, and theatre productions. Gervais plays background actor Andy Millman in the amusing and captivating parody, demonstrating the extra’s talent as he looks for bigger roles and career chances in the entertainment world.
Hollywood heavyweights such Ben Stiller, Kate Winslet, Samuel L. Jackson, and many others all made appearances on the sarcastic show, which had two seasons and a Christmas special after it. Throughout its brief but significant run, Extras garnered favourable reviews from critics. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, “It’s a comedy about embarrassing pauses, awkward situations, saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, and getting caught doing something behind someone else’s back. Seeing it hurts, but it’s also never-endingly funny.”
Insecure
The 2016 comedy-drama Insecure, which Issa Rae and Yvonne Orji co-created and starred in, follows longtime best friends Issa (Rae) and Molly (Orji) as they try to juggle their personal relationships and professional aspirations while residing in Los Angeles. The show also shows the characters going through humorously embarrassing and unpleasant events in everyday life from the viewpoint of modern African-American women.
Before the program’s debut, Rae informed the Los Angeles Times that Insecure will explore “We’re just trying to communicate that people of colour are relatable, she continued, “the complexity of ‘Blackness’ and the reality that you can’t escape being black. This is not a tale of the hood. It’s about everyday people going about their lives.”
Mr. Show with Bob and David
The hilarious David Cross and Bob Odenkirk co-created and acted in the 1995 sketch comedy series Mr. Show with Bob and David, in which the two comics take the stage and perform amusing routines for a live studio audience while playing fictionalised versions of themselves. Odenkirk and Cross started doing comedic routines at clubs after realising their humour and comic styles were similar. The two had previously collaborated on the sketch show The Ben Stiller Show.
While it never attracted a large audience, Mr. Show with Bob and David made use of the talents of renowned comedians like Sarah Silverman, Jack Black, and Tom Kenny (the voice of SpongeBob) during its four seasons. Today, despite the fact that it never attracted a large audience, it is recognised as one of the most significant sketch comedy series ever made.
Silicon Valley
In the 2014 comedy series Silicon Valley, played by Thomas Middleditch, Richard Hendricks, the introverted computer programmer and founder of the company, chronicles the successes and failures of the startup company Pied Piper and the lives of those who conceptualised it as he attempts to become wealthy with his smart friends.
The show, co-created by Beavis and Butthead creator Mike Judge, was influenced by the TV veteran’s own experience working at a Silicon Valley startup in the 1980s and his dislike of the workplace culture and his coworkers. Throughout its six-season run, Silicon Valley received high praise from critics for its astute and entertaining insight into the computer industry, earning various honours like Satellite Awards and Critics’ Choice Television Awards.
The Comeback
Warner Bros. Television, sweetie In the 2005 comedy-drama The Comeback, Lisa Kudrow gave a masterful performance as Valerie Cherish, a struggling B-list sitcom actress who agrees to participate in the show’s name-brand reality television programme in the hopes of advancing her standing.
The television show and character Valerie were developed by Kudrow and writer/director Michael Patrick King from a persona she developed while performing improv comedy with The Groundlings, referring to her as “your favourite actress on a talkshow.”
After being initially cancelled after its first season, The Comeback returned to HBO for a second, lauded season in 2014. For her hilarious work in the revival, Kudrow won the Dorian Award for Outstanding TV Performance of the Year by an Actress. The show continues to be a cherished cult favourite with a wonderful finish. It is an intellectual, boundary-pushing comedy with a surprising amount of grief and bitterness.
The Kids in the Hall
The great comedians Dave Foley, Mark McKinney, Scott Thompson, Kevin McDonald, and Bruce McCulloch star in the 1988 Canadian sketch comedy series The Kids in the Hall as the titular comedy troupe, which performs fantastical and hilarious skits reminiscent of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. The cast members usually donned drag costumes for their absurdist roles and preferred to come across as themselves rather than parodying pop culture figures and celebrities.
Throughout its six seasons, the show enjoyed tremendous success and inspired a generation of LGBTQ+ comedians as well as future comedy writers and performers like those behind South Park and Portlandia. In 2022, the original cast of Kids in the Hall debuted in a popular revival on Amazon Prime Video.
The Larry Sanders Show
The Larry Sanders Show, a highly praised 1990s sitcom that offers a funny inside look at the host of a late-night talk show’s relationships with the show’s colourful guests, producers, and staff, was written and starred in by actor and comedian Garry Shandling. The groundbreaking comedy, which aired for six celebrated seasons from 1992 to 1998, with a remarkable ensemble that included Jeffrey Tambor, Rip Torn, and a young Bob Odenkirk. It also included well-known people playing exaggerated versions of themselves.
Widely recognised as a classic television programme, The Larry Sanders Show won multiple awards throughout its run, including three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Peabody Awards, and a BAFTA Award.
The Rehearsal
The Rehearsal (2022–present), a docu-comedy series that demonstrates comedian Nathan Fielder’s extraordinary skill for making any scenario into the most unpleasant encounter possible, invites viewers into the hilarious and cringe-inducing world of Fielder. In this HBO series, the comedian uses skillfully designed simulations to assist regular people in being ready for life’s obstacles. Because you can take charge of your destiny and avoid taking needless risks.
With its innovative approach, The Rehearsal is a breath of fresh air in the television industry. The second season of The Rehearsal has already been confirmed by HBO, leaving viewers to speculate about the direction that this unique social experiment may go.
The Righteous Gemstones
After Vice Principals and Eastbound & Down, Danny McBride’s third HBO comedy series, The Righteous Gemstones, will keep you laughing nonstop. The show depicts the erratic activities of a megachurch pastor and televangelist family that is extremely affluent and corrupt, with patriarch Eli Gemstone at its head (played by John Goodman).
The Righteous Gemstones, according to The Guardian, is what would happen if the prominent crime lord switched over to the gaudy world of megachurches instead of living the gangster lifestyle. To the delight of its devoted fans, The Righteous Gemstones got picked up for a third season at the end of 2022.
Veep
Veteran television performer Julia Louis-Dreyfus played the fictional Vice President of the United States, Selina Meyer, in the political satire comedy series Veep. The show followed Meyer’s efforts to effect positive change and leave a lasting legacy for her administration. Veep pokes fun at narcissism and politics with a sharp tongue, much like its creators’ other show, the British comedy The Thick of It.
Veep featured delightfully cynical portrayals of Washington politics throughout its seven seasons, as well as wonderfully profane performances from its excellent supporting actors like Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, and Matt Walsh. The award-winning programme “should be regarded as one of the best ensemble casts ever, with Louis-Dreyfus surrounded by an amazing murderer’s row of hilarious genius,” according to Glamour after the conclusion of its last season.
