Television series
Paul, la série
A French comedy series about a struggling comedian named Paul who sells Amazon a stand-up special and documentary he hasn't finished, then scrambles to deliver while his personal life implodes. It's a meta-fictional romp that blurs the line between Paul's real chaos and his invented excuses, all delivered with the self-aware humour of someone who's already disappointed everyone around him, including himself.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you enjoy comedy that blurs the line between documentary and fiction, where a hapless man's small, escalating lies to his own backers are the joke.
Skip it if you need a sitcom with a clear shape and reliable laughs, since this is one episode of loose, self-aware drift built around a deliberately unlikable protagonist.
What it asks of you: Expect a single episode that lingers on awkward silences, with dry jokes arriving in small bursts rather than a rapid-fire rhythm, and little urge to tidy its feelings up.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Fleabag2016
A British woman breaks the fourth wall to confess her romantic failures and professional disasters with wicked charm. Like Paul, she's unreliable, self-sabotaging, and funny enough to make you root for her despite everything.
But The second season shifts tone significantly toward sentimentality, which some find jarring. And the protagonist's constant excuses wear thin if you prefer characters who learn.
Russian Doll2019
A woman trapped in a time loop in New York has to reckon with her own chaos. The show mixes absurdist comedy with genuine vulnerability, finding humour in the gaps between who we pretend to be and who we actually are.
But It gets deliberately dark and philosophical. If you want pure comedy without existential dread, this will feel heavy-handed.
BoJack Horseman2014
An animated sitcom about a washed-up actor that's equally funny and heartbreaking. It nails the comedy of professional failure and self-deception while never losing sight of why it matters.
But It's relentlessly bleak for long stretches, and the protagonist's harm to others becomes harder to laugh at as the show goes on. Not light viewing.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Paul, la série
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
A Prophet2009
Both are about a protagonist constructing a false narrative of competence and progress to outsiders while their real life crumbles. Both use deception as the engine of the story.
A Malik El Djebena, a young man in a French prison, systematically lies and manipulates to survive and rise in status. It's a bleak character study of someone selling a false version of himself to everyone around him—the dark mirror to Paul's comedy.
But It's a brutal, prison-set thriller with graphic violence. There's no humour as a buffer, and it's relentlessly tense rather than cathartic.
More like this (6)
The Comeback2005
A mockumentary about a fading actress trying to revive her career through a reality TV show. It's cringe comedy about professional delusion shot in grainy documentary style—the template for what Paul is doing.
But It's deliberately uncomfortable to watch, with humour that comes from secondhand embarrassment. If you prefer warm comedy, this is cold and unsympathetic.
30 Rock2006
Fast, joke-dense comedy about making a TV show, with characters who are ambitious, flawed, and self-aware. It proves that workplace chaos and professional ambition can be genuinely hilarious without needing despair underneath.
But The pace never lets up, which some find exhausting. And it's aggressively constructed rather than naturalistic, so it won't feel lived-in.
Curb Your Enthusiasm2000
Larry David improvises his way through social disasters with zero filter. It's the gold standard for comedy about a guy who lies, schemes, and disappoints everyone, then wonders why no one likes him.
But The humour depends entirely on finding Larry's obliviousness funny. If you find him repellent rather than absurd, there's no way in.
Betas2013
A scrappy comedy about Silicon Valley entrepreneurs pitching a startup while their personal lives fall apart. It captures the specific comedy of ambitious people selling nonsense to themselves and others.
But It was cancelled after one season and feels incomplete. The show also never quite found its footing tonally.
You're the Worst2014
Two terrible people fall in love and spend the series disappointing each other with style. It's cynical about relationships while somehow being genuinely romantic, and it understands comedic selfishness better than most.
But The characters are exhausting by design, and if you need likeable protagonists, this will feel mean-spirited for two seasons before it softens.
Episodes2011
A British comedy writer battles American TV executives as her show gets destroyed in development. It's cynical, fast, and very funny about the gap between what you intend to make and what actually gets made.
But It's very inside-baseball. If you don't care about TV production, the jokes evaporate, and the drama feels niche.
