The 20 best black comedy movies and TV shows

Created by and starring Bill Hader, Barry follows the titular hitman who discovers his love for acting and becomes determined to leave his old life behind to pursue his passion. By combining the two different professional worlds of assassins and actors, Barry offers plenty of witty and absurd comedy while having many shocking, violent, and disturbing moments. It’s certainly the funniest show on television about a cold-blooded murderer. 

Academy Award winner Parasite is often commended for how it seamlessly juggles multiple genres. The combination of comedy, drama, mystery, and thrill makes for one of the most unique commentaries on class conflict in modern media. From the amusing plans the Kim family carry out to get hired by the Park family to the unnerving discovery of what lies beneath the picture-perfect house, Parasite constantly shifts between light and dark tones.

Birdman may involve a superhero, but a superhero film, this is not. The comedy-drama follows a former superhero star who plans to resurrect his acting career by performing in a Broadway production. With its heightened characters and frantic energy, the film delivers many surreal moments, including the main character being tormented and followed by his superhero persona. These scenarios effortlessly give way to more serious guilt and inner conflict themes.

Beef is the 2023 series that has become one of Netflix's biggest and best hits. The story follows two strangers from different walks of life who engage in an extreme feud after a road rage incident between them. Deeply unhappy in their lives, the pair let their encounter dictate their every decision, affect the people around them and bring out their darkest impulses. From moments of pure insanity to moving emotion, it’s a wild ride from start to finish.

Darkly comic social commentary The Menu serves up culinary creations, along with a helping of satire and murder. The film follows a couple invited to dine at a prestigious restaurant along with other wealthy guests, who are shocked to find that the head chef has some nasty and unorthodox surprises in store. The film uses its far-fetched plot, unlikeable characters, and disturbing turns to poke fun at the pretentious, entitled, and out-of-touch lives that the rich lead. 

A master of black comedy himself, Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin is a hilarious and tragic tale. Set in remote Ireland in the 1920s, the film follows the fallout between two friends and the ensuing chaos. Its playful dialogue is full of quips and wit, but its deeper themes are more somber and bleak. It’s a film that can have you bursting out into laughter one moment, then sobbing the next. 

The Boys is essentially the anti-Marvel or DC. The series follows a group of vigilantes known as the titular Boys, who set out on a quest to take down and expose the dirty secrets of superheroes who abuse their powers. As a satire and reconstruction of the superhero genre itself, these corrupt heroes are far from the decent and noble likes of Captain America or Superman. Full of violence, gore, sex, nudity, cursing, and drugs, it’s not afraid to shock or push boundaries. 

Set on a cruise ship for the uber-wealthy, Triangle of Sadness sees its rich guests and working-class staff stranded on a desert island after the ship goes down. While satirizing everyone from influencers to billionaires, the film isn’t afraid to get weird and go into uncharted territory, which includes some of the grossest and most intense sea sicknesses ever put to screen. It’s uncomfortable and stomach-churning, but it’s also wicked good fun with some timely points. 

In In Bruges , the first famous collaboration between Martin McDonagh, Colin Farrell, and Brendan Gleeson, two hitmen find themselves stuck in Bruges, Belgium, after a job goes wrong. One would rather be anywhere else, while the other has been ordered to kill his partner. Like McDonagh’s other films, In Bruges is as sad as it is funny. From colorful characters and shenanigans to guilt and betrayal, it’s a rollercoaster of emotions and one of the greatest black comedies ever. 

There’s a reason why Succession is regarded as one of the greatest TV shows of this era. The series, which follows the conflict between the Roy family as they fight for control over their media empire, is a scathing and critical look at the ruthless world of the one percent while somehow making the audience feel for these despicable characters. Despite being a prestige drama, the antics and bizarre personalities of the Roys make for some golden comedic moments. 

In a world dominated by social media and influencer culture, Ingrid Goes West couldn’t be more timely. Aubrey Plaza plays social media stalker Ingrid, who becomes obsessed with influencer Taylor (played by Elizabeth Olsen) and tries to emulate her seemingly perfect lifestyle by befriending her. Through Ingrid and the other Instagrammer characters, the film hilariously scolds the facade of the online world while highlighting the real damage it can do. 

Cult classic Heathers , starring Winona Ryder, is one of the defining teen movies to come out of the 1980s, and its wicked sense of humor still holds up today. When Veronica gets bored of her shallow high school clique (containing three separate girls named Heather), she and her new boyfriend start killing off the popular kids. Its outrageous storyline aims at queen bees, jocks, and every other superficial person responsible for making high school so unbearable. 

HBO’s star-studded series The White Lotus has become a breakout hit thanks to its mix of satire, scandal, drama, and absolute mayhem. Each season, several wealthy guests check into the titular White Lotus hotel in a different location, where their privilege and impulses derail what could have been a lovely vacation. From mysterious murders to Jennifer Coolidge’s hilarious Tanya McQuoid, the show is as amusing as it is disturbing. 

Deadpan and offbeat comedy can be hard to nail, but sci-fi satire Dual gets it just right. Karen Gillan plays a woman who has herself cloned after receiving a terminal diagnosis. When she unexpectedly goes into remission, she must fight her clone to the death in a court-mandated duel. The film’s bizarre concept and the dystopian world are perfectly paired with monotone dialogue delivery, social commentary, and plenty of absurd comedic moments, which include a dance break. 

There is nothing even remotely funny about the plot for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Frances McDormand plays a desperate mother who challenges and confronts local police after they fail to catch the culprit of her daughter’s sexual assault and murder. However, writer/director Martin McDonagh successfully brings comedy and humanity to this haunting story centered around grief. It finds light in darkness with just the right amount of laughs.

In the same vein as its predecessor, The Suicıde Squad, DC’s Peacemaker infuses pitch-black comedy into the typically sanitized comic book genre. The series follows the titular anti-hero Peacemaker, played by John Cena, as he joins forces with a new crew. It’s one of the DCEU’s more gritty and adult projects, with an abundance of sexual references, nudity, f-bombs, and gore. However, its high body count is balanced with reliable superhero goofiness and fun. 

Yorgos Lanthimos is known for his offbeat and surreal directing style, which is on full display in the period piece comedy The Favourite. The film follows an ailing Queen Anne, who finds herself in a love triangle with her chief advisor Sarah and power-hungry servant Abigail. Thanks to Lanthimos’ signature deadpan humor and cold atmosphere, these royals are depicted in ruthless and jarring fashion, but the plays for power and outlandish schemes are chaotically entertaining.

Both a laugh fest and a thrilling mystery, Game Night is one of the best modern comedies to come out in recent years. The film follows a seemingly harmless murder mystery game night, which the players discover is real when one of them is kidnapped by thugs. Thanks to its high-quality script and a top-notch cast, Game Night is full of hilarious jokes, physical comedy, life-or-death stakes, and nail-biting tension. Viewers are consistently kept on edge as punchlines are delivered.

Based on the 2014 film of the same name, What We Do in the Shadows is a vampire comedy with bite (pun intended). The series follows three vampires who have lived together for centuries as they try to keep up with everyday life and responsibilities in modern New York. Through the lens of a mockumentary, these vampires are forced to deal with mundane aspects of life, such as office culture, while also having to feed on humans to survive. 

Phoebe Waller-Bridge has become one of Hollywood’s go-to writers, and it all started with the show that first catapulted her into the spotlight, Fleabag. Waller-Bridge plays the titular Fleabag, a witty woman with no filter who tries to navigate life and love in London after a recent tragedy. Its razor-sharp humor is dry, daring, and hilarious, but lying underneath all the clever fourth wall breaks is a real story about grief and finding your way out of its clutches.