Television series
The State
- Absurdist comedy
- Light-hearted
- Strange
- Dip in and out
The State is a sketch-comedy show where eleven young comedians built their own universe of recurring characters and surreal scenarios. It's anarchic and proudly stupid in the best way—absurdist humour that lands because the cast completely commits. If you love comedy that doesn't explain the joke or worry about the punchline, this is essential.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you like sketch comedy that commits to absurd premises with a straight face, where the strangeness builds a little more each time and the cast clearly enjoys being weird together.
Skip it if you want a tight narrative or characters you can follow across episodes, since these are self-contained sketches with uneven hit rates and a rough, deliberately cheap look.
What it asks of you: Each half-hour episode is a stack of short bits, so you dip in and out rather than settle into a story. Expect quick cuts, sudden shifts of tone, and a willingness to sit with an odd joke past the point it feels finished.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
The Kids in the Hall1988
Canadian sketch troupe with the same anarchist energy and commitment to bizarre recurring characters. Dave Foley and Bruce McCulloch create entire worlds from nothing, and the show has aged better than you'd expect.
But Sketch comedy can feel dated fast, and some premises here haven't held up brilliantly. Also genuinely uneven—great sketches live next to ones that just sit there.
Wet Hot American Summer2001
David Wain and Michael Showalter (both State alumni) direct this gloriously stupid summer-camp comedy. The same sensibility: absurdism played totally straight, with an ensemble cast doing commitment comedy.
But The plot barely exists. If you need narrative coherence, this will frustrate you. Some jokes land on pure vibes and repetition, which isn't for everyone.
Saturday Night Live1975
The sketch-comedy template The State learned from and then gleefully dismantled. SNL at its best (the 80s, early 90s) has the same anarchic energy, but with movie-star guests and a tighter format.
But SNL is wildly inconsistent—many sketches simply don't work. You're committing to 90 minutes for maybe 15 minutes of gold, and modern SNL has become predictable.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The State
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Chaplin1992
Both are built on the belief that a completely committed actor doing something physically absurd is inherently funny. Chaplin invented the grammar; The State spoke it fluently.
Robert Downey Jr. in one of his greatest roles, playing the architect of silent physical comedy. Watching Chaplin's commitment to visual gags and character beats shows the ancestry of everything The State does—commitment to stupid choices for their own sake.
But It's a biopic of a silent-era icon, so it's reverent in ways The State never was. Three-and-a-half hours and genuinely tragic at times. You're not getting anarchic sketch comedy; you're getting art-film drama.
More like this (6)
Monty Python's Flying Circus1969
The godfather of anarchist sketch comedy. Python did this first—absurdism, recurring characters, animations, utter refusal to explain jokes. The State clearly worshipped here.
But It's a different era and a different sensibility. Some sketches are genuinely hard to follow, and the pacing will feel slow if you're used to modern comedy.
Frisky Dingo2006
Animated sketch show that captures The State's anarchist spirit but in cartoon form. Absurdist, silly, completely committed to its own dumb logic. Character-driven comedy that builds its own universe.
But The animation is intentionally cheap and crude. If you need polished visuals, this will feel like homework. Also deeply weird in ways that don't always work.
Clone High2002
Animated comedy about clones of famous historical figures in high school. The State's DNA is all over this—absurdist premises, commitment to weird bit characters, humour that doesn't pander.
But MTV cancelled it after one season. It has real tonal whiplash between silly premises and genuine emotion, which some viewers find jarring.
Chappelle's Show2003
Dave Chappelle's sketch show with a different register—smarter, angrier, more political—but the same ensemble commitment and willingness to let sketches breathe and go weird places.
But Sketch comedy, so uneven by nature. Some premises creak badly now; others were problematic even at the time. The show also only lasted two seasons.
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!2007
The spiritual successor to The State: absurdist, committed, completely fine with being stupid. Tim and Eric worship the same anarchist comedy gods and make comedy that makes you uncomfortable.
But This show is actively hostile to enjoyment sometimes. The humour is deliberately grating and often feels like watching someone else's inside joke. Not for patient people.
Nathan for You2013
Both commit entirely to ridiculous premises and refuse to break character or explain the joke. Both find humour in people's baffled reactions to nonsense treated as normal.
Nathan Fielding creates absurdist scenarios in the real world—like The State sketches but documentary-style and with real business owners. Same anarchist energy, but grounded and increasingly uncomfortable and genuinely brilliant.
But It's a completely different format: half-hour episodes, often depressing, and increasingly complex in ways sketch comedy isn't. Also deeply cringe-inducing. You're not laughing at bits; you're watching someone's elaborate prank unfold.
Recommended by
The Kids in the Hall, MADtv, Kroll Show, The Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks, The Whitest Kids U'Know, Human Giant, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, Jonathan Winters: On the Ledge, Upright Citizens Brigade, The Groove Tube, All That, The Sarah Silverman Program, Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy, Three of a Kind, Netflix Presents: The Characters, Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl, Stella, The Aunty Jack Show