Underrated Comedy Series On Max
7 Underrated Comedy Series on Max That Always Help Me Get Out of a Funk
If you hadn't heard, those of us who live on the west coast (especially Los Angeles) are experiencing a prolonged "May grey" into "June gloom" period, meaning cloudy, overcast skies and temperatures that give you a taste of summer without fully delivering. Needless to say, it can easily cause someone (ahem, me) to fall into a serious funk. While I wait for the sun to finally shine on southern California, I've been returning to some of my favorite comedy series to help lift me out of this June malaise.
While Max has many celebrated, award-winning comedy series that often get all the hype (looking at you, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Hacks"), I'm partial to a few underrated gems hiding on the streaming platform. Keep reading for my seven favorite series to help get me out of a funk, and test 'em out for yourself.
"2 Dope Queens"
I've had a deep, abiding love for Jessica Williams since she was a correspondent on "The Daily Show," and the HBO Original "2 Dope Queens" really lets her shine on her own terms. Each episode, hosted by Williams and comedian Phoebe Robinson, is actually a recording of their podcast of the same name and features different guest stars. On the pod/show, the "queens" discuss everything from failed attempts at a celeb hookup to Black nerds (aka Blerds), and are joined by guests like Lizzo, Keegan-Michael Key, and Uzo Aduba. All eight episodes are hilarious, but I particularly love the one where they explain Black hairstyles to Sarah Jessica Parker.
"The Prince"
OK, I realize this may be a very niche obsession, but throwing this one out there for all my Gary Janetti stans: A few years ago, when the Harry and Meghan coupling was headline news, Janetti, a comedy writer and producer who also happens to be married to stylist Brad Goreski, took to Instagram to give a voice to the young Prince George. The voice just happened to be hilariously bitchy and catty, perfectly satirizing the royal family. Janetti's animated show "The Prince" takes the joke and runs with it, with an all-star cast, to boot; Janetti voices George while Orlando Bloom is Prince Harry, Alan Cumming is George's butler Owen, Frances de la Tour is Queen Elizabeth, and Sophie Turner is Princess Charlotte.
"Billy On the Street"
An oldie but a goodie, "Billy On the Street" follows comedian Billy Eichner as he essentially ambushes people on the streets of New York with random questions and trivia. TBH, I think I have such a soft spot for the series because Eichner started doing this while I was in college in NYC, and a few of my friends even encountered him. Ah, nostalgia! Watching the show brings me back to those days — and it doesn't hurt that he taps some of my favorite celebs to surprise unsuspecting New Yorkers. Over five seasons, he got everyone from Rashida Jones and Amy Poehler to Andy Cohen and Joel McHale, and even Paul Rudd (!!) to play along. It never fails to crack me up.
"Los Espookys"
I'm not even sure how to describe "Los Espookys" other than it's delightfully weird and unlike anything else I've ever seen. It's a mix of telenovela tropes, "Friends"-esque group dynamic comedy, slapstick, and Latin American folkloric magical realism — the LA Times called the vibe the "illicit lovechild of Pedro Almadóvar and 'Scooby-Doo.'" In a very dumbed-down description, it's basically about a group of friends who create horror scenarios for clients, whether it be in the form of prosthetics, making a bunny-alien suit, or faking an eclipse. Also, Fred Armisen is in it. IDK, just watch it, it's good.
"Los Espookys," courtesy of Max
"Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule"
Does it get any better than Oscar-nominee John C. Reilly pretending to be a hapless "doctor" educating his listeners about some aspect of daily life? In "Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule," Dr. Steve tells us about everything from planes to makeup tips to God — he even learns what a horse is! — in the style of 1980s public-access TV. Most of Reilly's dialogue is improvised and the reactions of the real people he interviews as the impossibly naive Dr. Steve are genuine. The five seasons never fail to make me giggle.
"Avenue 5"
Why aren't more people talking about "Avenue 5"?! It's got space tourism, it's got Hugh Laurie playing a British fake airship pilot trying (badly) to impersonate an American real pilot, Josh Gad as a Richard Branson-esque clueless billionaire, Zach Woods (aka Gabe on "The Office") as a nihilistic PR guy, and tons of ridiculous scenarios for the passengers of the Avenue 5 airship. Sadly, it was just cancelled after two seasons, but those 16 episodes are chock full of dry humor and zingy one-liners.
"How to Make It In America"
For someone who was living in New York City in/around 2010, "How to Make It In America" has become something of a cult classic. It perfectly encapsulates what life was like in the city for a certain type of creative in the pre-Instagram era. The show (which was abruptly cancelled after only two seasons, to all my friends' dismay) follows Ben (played by Bryan Greenberg) and his best friend Cam (played by Victor Rasuk) as they try to break into the New York fashion scene. Now-famous actors like Lake Bell and Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi are regulars, as well as early 2000s staples such as Shannyn Sossamon. The show is really just a genius case study of a particular cultural moment that I happened to live through, and it never fails to give me feels.
