Television series
I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson
Six-to-ten minute sketches built entirely around one principle: nobody involved will ever, under any circumstances, admit they're wrong. Tim Robinson plays men — and lets a rotating cast of guest stars play more men — who'd rather torch a social situation to the ground than say sorry. It's stupid on purpose, endlessly quotable, and weirdly moving about how fragile male dignity actually is. For people who laugh through their hands.
If you liked this
Nathan for You2013
Nathan Fielder's deadpan real-world schemes generate the same unbearable, sustained cringe, stretched across a full episode with genuine unsuspecting people instead of actors playing along.
But Slower burn, less punchline-driven, and the ethics of pranking real strangers for comedy might sit uneasily with you.
Detroiters2017no page yet
Robinson's other show, co-created with Sam Richardson, same manic commitment in sitcom form, following two hapless ad men trying to keep their tiny Detroit agency alive.
But Warmer and more sustained than ITYSL's sketches, so if you want pure discomfort without affection this feels softer.
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!2007
The stylistic grandparent: surreal, ugly-beautiful sketch comedy that taught a generation of comedians, Robinson included, how to make discomfort funny through sheer, unblinking commitment.
But Rougher production values, more gross-out, and less narrative logic than ITYSL's tightly engineered social disasters.
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Fawlty Towers1975
Same engine as ITYSL — a man's ego overriding every rational reason to just apologise, turning a tiny lie into total disaster.
A hotelier who would rather burn his own establishment to the ground than admit fault, across twelve perfect episodes of pure farce escalation, decades before Robinson made this a genre.
But Very British, very stagey, and the unhurried pace of a 1970s sitcom will feel slow after Robinson's rapid-fire sketches.
More like this (7)
The Eric Andre Show2012
Chaos-comedy cousin featuring real celebrity guests ambushed by deliberate anarchy, same delight in making people squirm without ever once explaining the joke.
But Louder and more physically destructive, with less of the quiet melancholy that makes ITYSL oddly poignant.
Curb Your Enthusiasm2000
Larry David built an entire career on refusing to let a minor social slight go — the wealthier, talkier adult cousin of Robinson's meltdown men.
But Half-hour episodes trade sketch-length punchlines for slower sitcom plotting and a lot more dialogue.
Portlandia2011
Character-driven sketch comedy that mines everyday niceness, etiquette and passive aggression for a gentler version of the same unbearable comedy.
But More whimsical and less confrontational overall — it teases the discomfort rather than detonating it.
Key & Peele2012
Sharper, more polished sketch writing that shares the same love of a small premise escalating far past the point of sanity.
But A much broader range of tones and targets means less of ITYSL's single obsessive focus on humiliation.
Documentary Now!2015
A mockumentary anthology that nails the specific comedy of people taking themselves far too seriously, delivered with the same deadpan commitment to a bit.
But You'll get more out of it if you already know the real documentaries each episode is quietly spoofing.
Force Majeure2014
Strips the comedy away from Robinson's core subject — a man who cannot admit he was wrong — and shows exactly how unbearable that refusal actually is.
A father's split-second act of cowardice during a near-disaster unravels his marriage and his self-image, played as exquisitely tense, uncomfortable drama rather than comedy.
But No jokes, no relief valve — it sits inside the discomfort ITYSL turns into a punchline and simply lets it hurt.
Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond2017
ITYSL's characters never break no matter the cost; this is a true story about an actor who pushed that same refusal to break to unsettling, real-life extremes.
A documentary built from real behind-the-scenes footage of Jim Carrey staying in character as Andy Kaufman for an entire shoot, watching commitment to a bit curdle into something genuinely disturbing.
But Melancholy and strange rather than funny, more meditation on identity and performance than comedy at all.
People
Cast
Writing
- Tim RobinsonCreator
- Zach KaninCreator
Production
- Akiva SchafferExecutive Producer
- Alex BachExecutive Producer
- Amanda SchulzExecutive Producer
- Andy SambergExecutive Producer
- Becky SloviterExecutive Producer
- Daniel PowellExecutive Producer
- Jorma TacconeExecutive Producer
- Tim RobinsonExecutive Producer
- Zach KaninExecutive Producer
- Jay PatumanoanProducer
- Joanie ArbogastProducer
- Jonathan BrockProducer
Recommended by
Key & Peele, Saturday Night Live, The Kids in the Hall, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, The Rehearsal