Television series
The Comedians
Other titles called The Comedians: the 1967 film.
The Comedians follows a comedy legend (Billy Crystal) forced to mentor a younger, edgier star (Josh Gad) on a fictional late-night sketch show. It's a quick, character-driven comedy about generational clash, ego, and the machinery of live performance. Sharp enough for comedy fans, warm enough for anyone who enjoys workplace dynamics and the gently observed absurdity of show business.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you enjoy watching comedians bicker over craft, with the sharp, awkward rhythm of a backstage workplace comedy where generational friction does the heavy lifting.
Skip it if its jabs are mostly about ego and status, so if you want warmth or big laughs in every scene, the sour edges may wear thin.
What it asks of you: Thirteen half-hour episodes that run quick and dense, asking you to keep pace with shop talk about the business and little room to settle in.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
30 Rock2006
Same DNA—a fast-paced comedy about the chaos behind a sketch show, with Tina Fey navigating ego, network pressure, and the pure exhaustion of live performance. Endlessly quotable and genuinely warm.
But It's a cultural artifact of its moment, which means some references have aged or rely on a specific kind of sketch-comedy fluency you may not share.
Parks and Recreation2009
Like The Comedians, it works best as a character study of people who care deeply about something impossible. The ensemble is sharper, the heart is bigger, and the jokes land quieter and more often.
But Takes three episodes to find its footing; the early season occasionally mistakes cringe for comedy in ways that can feel thin.
The Newsroom2012
Aaron Sorkin's show about a cable news team has that same urgency—smart people under deadline doing live, high-stakes work. Sorkin's dialogue crackles with the kind of wordplay that makes language feel like sport.
But It's polemical in ways that wear heavily, and if you disagree with its politics, the sermonizing will exhaust you quickly.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Comedians
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Singin' in the Rain1952
Same story beneath different costumes: a new technology/generation arrives, threatens the old order, and forces an unexpected partnership. Both find humor and warmth in that collision, not just satire.
A musical about the collision between silent cinema and talking pictures—the chaos of learning new techniques, the ego of established stars, the pressure of live performance. Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor are perfect rivals who become mentors.
But It's a 72-year-old musical; if the form feels old to you, or if you need contemporary reference points, the pleasures here won't land the same way.
More like this (7)
Murphy Brown1988
The original template for workplace comedy with edge. Candice Bergen as an older generation figure navigating younger talent and a changing industry. Sharp, political, genuinely funny about the friction between idealism and survival.
But It's a period piece now; some of the specifics of 1988 network television will feel quaint or dated.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show1970
The ancestor of everything that comes after. Mary and her boss Lou Grant have that exact generational dynamic—mutual respect and genuine friction. The writing is tight and human in ways that make every sketch land.
But The pacing is slower and the comedy is quieter than you probably expect; it rewards patience and attention rather than big laughs.
Curb Your Enthusiasm2000
Like The Comedians, it's about comedians in the industry, but Larry David doing his thing—awkward, caustic, genuinely unpredictable. Each episode is constructed like a joke you don't see coming.
But The humor is built on sustained discomfort and you laughing at bad behavior; if that isn't your register, watching becomes a chore.
Episodes2011
A co-created show about British screenwriters navigating American television. It has that same behind-the-scenes satire, plus the comedy of cultural collision—every scene is about people talking past each other.
But Very specific to the television world; if you don't care about industry dynamics or British sensibility, it'll feel narrow.
Veep2012
Fast, acidic, and built on ensemble chemistry. Like The Comedians, it's about ambitious people in a pressure cooker, but the language is sharper and the structures are tighter. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is extraordinary.
But So much of the humor is cynical and cruel; there's very little warmth, which can feel exhausting over a full season.
Just Shoot Me!1997
A workplace comedy about a fashion magazine with real character work beneath the jokes. It shares The Comedians' interest in how different generations clash and find common ground while the work gets done.
But The '90s sitcom formula is very much in place—broad jokes, canned laughter, rapid scene changes. It can feel creaky if you're coming from something more modern.
Come and See1985
Both are about initiation into a system that changes you permanently. One is comedy; one is apocalypse. But structurally, they're both asking: what do we owe the people coming after us, and what are we teaching them to become?
Elem Klimov's film about a 14-year-old Soviet boy conscripted into war. It's about a veteran mentoring a newcomer, the cruelty of that process, and the absolute impossibility of preserving innocence. It's devastating and essential.
But It is a genuinely difficult film about atrocity—not a tragedy, but actual horror. This is not entertainment in any comfortable sense.
People
Cast
Recommended by
Def Comedy Jam, The Comedian, On the Buses, Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again