Television series

Crashing

Pete Holmes's semi-autobiographical comedy follows a cheerful, earnest comedian navigating New York's comedy scene after his marriage implodes. Warm and genuinely funny, it captures the specific humiliation of couch-surfing through a tight community while learning who you actually are. For people who love character comedy and don't need their protagonists to be cool.

TVMaze rating2.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy comedy about a decent, earnest man stumbling through his own heartbreak, where the funniest moments come from sincerity colliding with the messy comedy scene around him.

Skip it if you want fast jokes and a tight plot, since this one lingers on awkward silences and slow emotional beats that some viewers will find tedious rather than rewarding.

What it asks of you: Thirty-minute episodes, three seasons, and a patient rhythm that trusts small domestic and social moments to carry the laughs, so bring some willingness to sit with discomfort.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Louie2010

Darkly funny, formally inventive, and deeply felt. Louis C.K. mines shame and failure for comedy while treating his characters as fully human. If you like comedians turning their wreckage into art, this is essential.

But Wildly uneven across seasons. Some episodes feel more like experimental art films than comedy, which will test your patience.

Louie poster

Master of None2015

Aziz Ansari's charming show about relationships, family, and finding your place in New York. Generous-hearted, funny without being mean, and genuinely thoughtful about how people become themselves.

But The second season loses some focus and momentum. Some storylines feel more precious than earned.

Master of None poster

Fleabag2016

Phoebe Waller-Bridge's brilliant solo show adapted for TV: messy, fast, hilarious, and surprisingly tender. Breaks the fourth wall, breaks hearts, and makes you laugh at situations that shouldn't be funny.

But The tone whiplashes constantly between jokes and genuine pain. If you prefer consistency over authenticity, it'll feel scattered.

Fleabag poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Crashing

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

High Fidelity2000

Both are sympathetic portraits of men whose self-regard crashes into reality, learning to grow by getting out of their own way. Both find real comedy in genuine humiliation.

John Cusack's breakup story has the same DNA as Crashing—a guy forced to look at himself after everything falls apart. The humor comes from his own ridiculousness, the pain is real, and the structure is perfect.

But 1990s indie movie pacing and sensibility. Some of the pop-culture references have dated, and the gender politics are messy by modern standards.

High Fidelity poster
More like this (8)

Schitt's Creek2015

A found family story disguised as a comedy. Rich people lose everything and have to rebuild in a small town. Character growth that actually means something, humor that builds across seasons, and genuine heart.

But The first season is rough and broad. It takes a few episodes to find its footing, and some people bounce off before it clicks.

Schitt's Creek poster

The Comeback2005

Lisa Kudrow's mockumentary about a desperate-to-stay-relevant actress is painfully funny and weirdly sympathetic. The cringe is real but the character is never mean-spirited, just human.

But Very of its era and very committed to uncomfortable humor. If secondhand embarrassment makes you shut down, you won't make it far.

The Comeback poster

Undeclared2001

Judd Apatow's warm college comedy about friendship and figuring out adulthood. Sweet without being saccharine, funny without punching down. A generational show about actual relationships between people.

But Only lasted two seasons and feels incomplete. The laugh track dates it badly, and the pacing drags in spots.

Undeclared poster

Parenthood2010

A multi-generational family drama that trusts emotional stakes as much as humor. Real conversations about failure, love, and what you owe the people close to you. Earnest but never corny.

But Extremely long and emotionally demanding. Every family member gets a storyline, so at least one will frustrate you. Requires real investment.

Parenthood poster

Feel Good2020

Mae Martin's semi-autobiographical show about recovery, addiction, and queer relationships. Funny and honest without being self-congratulatory. Finds humor in complicated, painful things.

But The second season gets pretty dark and loses some of the lightness. Some people find the format and pacing confusing.

Feel Good poster

Drawn Together2004

Stephen Merchant's lockdown comedy-drama about a long-married couple confined to their house. Surprisingly moving, genuinely funny, and real about what staying with someone actually means.

But Relentlessly domestic and dialogue-heavy. Literally two people in an apartment for six episodes. If you need plot momentum, you won't find it here.

Drawn Together poster

Adaptation.2002

Both are meta-comedies about artists mining their own failure for material. Both ask: when you turn your life into a story, what do you lose?

Charlie Kaufman's film about a struggling screenwriter turning his real life into art. Meta, funny, sad, and formally brilliant. A film about the impossibility of making art from your own inadequacy.

But Willfully confusing and very much a Spike Jonze experiment. If you don't like ambiguity or unconventional structure, it will frustrate you instead of delight you.

Adaptation. poster

Undone2019

Both are about finding yourself after your life breaks open. Both trust vulnerability more than jokes. Both use comedy's intimacy to make space for real sadness.

An animated series about a young woman processing her life and family trauma after a car accident. Rotoscoped, strange, deeply sad and weirdly funny. Animation that feels more honest than conventional comedy could.

But The visual style takes serious adjustment. It's slow, interior, and more interested in psychology than plot. Not for people who need things to happen.

Undone poster

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