Television series
My Brother, My Brother and Me
- Comedy
- Light-hearted
- Strange
- Relentless
- Dip in and out
Three actual brothers—Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy—answer real advice questions by turning them into absurdist local adventures in West Virginia. It's a comedy show that treats advice as a launching pad for chaos, relying on genuine sibling chemistry, deadpan escalation, and the willingness to rope in their actual families. For people who love improv-adjacent comedy with real stakes and real people.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you enjoy comedy built on sibling bickering and escalating absurdity, where the premise is a thin excuse and the chaos is the point, a bit like a loose, improvised sketch show.
Skip it if you want tight writing or a story that goes somewhere, since these episodes wander, improvise freely and can feel like friends riffing on an inside joke you never got.
What it asks of you: Half an hour per episode, six in total, with a loose, scrappy, digressive energy that rewards attention more than close plot tracking.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Schitt's Creek2015
A wealthy family loses everything and moves to a small town they once bought as a joke. Like MBMBAM, it mines comedy from real character relationships and genuine warmth underneath the absurdity, building from sketch-like scenarios into genuine emotional arcs.
But The first season is pretty broad; it takes time to find its footing before becoming the show everyone talks about.
Party Down2009
A ragtag crew of wannabe actors works catering gigs and gets tangled up with the worst kinds of clients. Same energy: smart comedy built from character dynamics, ridiculous situations treated seriously, and a deep bench of guest stars you don't expect.
But Only two seasons before cancellation, so there's an ending that feels incomplete if you get invested.
Portlandia2011
Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein sketch-comedy their way through Portland absurdities with deadpan precision. Episodic, weird, rooted in real places and real character types, with genuine affection underneath the mockery.
But Sketchier and more abstract than MBMBAM—if you want narrative momentum, you won't find it here.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from My Brother, My Brother and Me
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
The Rehearsal2022
Both take a simple format (advice/rehearsal) and use real interaction with real people as the launchpad for something that spirals into meaning.
Nathan Fielding builds elaborate sets to help people rehearse for life events. Like MBMBAM's advice-as-adventure idea, this treats a simple premise as a doorway into exploring how people actually work, what they want, and why. It's conceptually audacious and genuinely moving.
But It gets increasingly surreal and melancholic; the comedy thins out in favor of something stranger and sadder. Some found it pretentious.
More like this (7)
What We Do in the Shadows2019
Vampires living in Staten Island behave like a dysfunctional family unit. Character-driven comedy about people stuck together, endless improvisation, mockumentary awkwardness, and a genuine found-family warmth that sneaks up on you.
But The comedy is very dry and relies on long silences; if you need constant punchlines, it'll feel slow.
The Good Place2016
A woman wakes up dead and has to figure out the meaning of everything. Wildly inventive, genuinely funny, starts as a joke and becomes something unexpectedly moving—proof that comedy can also be genuinely smart and have real stakes.
But Later seasons rely more on serialized mythology; if you're here purely for jokes, the philosophy lectures might test your patience.
Community2009
A study group at a community college keeps accidentally saving the world. Genre-hopping brilliance with a real ensemble cast, genuine affection for its characters, and the kind of escalating chaos that comes from people who actually like each other.
But Shifts tone significantly in later seasons and loses some of its magic when the original showrunner left.
Nathan for You2013
Nathan Fielding poses as a business consultant and pitches genuinely terrible ideas to real business owners, who sometimes actually implement them. High-concept absurdism built from real human interaction, cringe comedy with real consequences, brilliantly constructed.
But The humor is sometimes aggressively uncomfortable; it occasionally feels mean-spirited rather than playful.
I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson2019
Tim Robinson sketch comedy that escalates from mundane situations into total hysteria. Every sketch commits fully to its own logic, the energy is electric, and the writing is relentless in finding the weird in the ordinary.
But Sketch shows are hit-or-miss by nature, and the comedy style is very specific—loud, frantic, and absurdist.
Dope2015
The heart of both is watching smart, funny people with real affection for each other navigate chaos together. Both nail the rhythm of how actual groups talk.
Three high schoolers in 1990s Harlem navigate class, race, identity, and crime with quick-witted dialogue and genuine chemistry. Energetic, funny, and deeply felt—ensemble buddy comedy that never condescends to its characters or its audience.
But Plot-wise, it's fairly conventional; if you're looking for narrative innovation, you might find it a touch predictable.
Jackass 3D2010
Real people, real relationships, escalating absurdity for its own sake. Both are about watching friends disappear into the logic of their own stupidity.
Four friends document themselves doing increasingly ridiculous stunts and pranks. Before it devolved into pure pain, Jackass was friends having adventures together—the same DNA of 'what happens if we commit fully to this bit' with genuine camaraderie underneath.
But If you're squeamish about bodily functions or men getting hurt, this will repel you. It's also relentlessly juvenile.
