17
votes
Looking for recommendations for half-hour shows
I’ve started exercising to TV and need some shows with episodes of 30 minutes (or less) because anything longer is not in the cards for me yet.
I’m open to any suggestions, but would prefer more recent shows and less well-known ones. It’s easy to find recommendations for stuff like The Office and a lot harder to surface those hidden gems that are out there.
Any streaming service is fine. My husband and I don’t really stay subscribed to any and just toggle individual ones on and off as needed.
there are a lot of great half hour shows --- but I think you should start with Midnight Gospel. Give it two episodes, since I didn't think the first was the best.
Here are some others worth checking out. A lot of things listed as comedy aren't 'haha' comedy, but are light in spirit.
edit: classic M*A*S*H markdown error! :)
Some more!
This is a big list! Can you pick five of your favourites from it and make a good case for them? :)
this was my short list! :) I should have categorized them, to be honest.
There are some pretty popular shows on here that I would consider 'standards'
... but if I had to choose only five, I'd definitely go with
Ooh, I like some of the weirdness on this list. Wilfred was one of those shows where I had no idea what was going on or why I was watching it but I could never look away. I haven't thought about Animals in a while, but that show was pretty good and it had a killer soundtrack.
I love that there's a connection between the original Wilfred and the US one.
If you haven't already, check out Beef House -- each episode is ten minutes... and its so funny and weird... and if you like THAT, you should definitely check out Decker.
I'm with you re: Animals. I still think its one of the better animated series to come out over the past few years.
Have you watched Seinfeld?
Futurama, my favorite show of all time.
the Good Place, light hearted fun show.
Adventures of Pete and Pete. A pretty campy comedy from the nineties that's dated but fun. Lots of guest stars like Iggy Pop, LL Cool J and Adam West. I'm not sure If you'll find this one but I hope you can.
Star Wars Rebels, starts out ok but gets better and better the further into it you get.
Gravity Falls, about the supernatural in Oregon. A bit darker humor for a kids cartoon on Disney Channel.
Better Off Ted, comedy about an office job at a science firm.
Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated. It's perfect for what it is. It's a really goofy lighthearted play on the gang, especially Fred's obsession with traps.
Oh man, I forgot about Better Off Ted! That's a fun one.
I wouldn't call The Good Place light hearted. Its an extremely dark comedy if you think about it.
Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated is very, very good for what should have been yet another throwaway Scooby Doo show. Unfortunately I think it's going to be forgotten over time as a result but it's the best thing Hanna Barbera has put out in decades at this point.
Not ever as a series but I’ve definitely seen a good chunk of it just from catching episodes here and there over the years.
Watching it for like the fifth time currently. There's not much else that makes me laugh.
You could try Black Adder if you can find it. Think of it like a pseudo periodic version of Seinfeld set in the Victorian ages. Season 1 is too much like Mr Bean for me. Season 2 is where it gets great.
Can you give me some examples of shows you like?
I'll throw in a recommendation for Key and Peele though. Skit format, 30 min episodes that aggregate a bunch of sketches (modern monty python). They are really good and holy shit, their costumes, voices and accents are unbelievable.
Seriously. I saw the Stan Lee sketch the other day and i actually googled who played stan lee in it, then felt like an idiot when I saw it was Jordan Peele.
I actually stayed away from naming anything in the thread since I'm really interested in scattershot recommendations rather than primed ones. Most of the stuff I've liked has been fairly common and of the same formula (The Office, Parks and Rec, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), and I'm interested in "stretching my television legs" a bit with some new stuff. I'm honestly open to anything and welcome any recommendations.
I also actually have watched Key and Peele, though they were really hit or miss for me. I thought there were a good amount of duds throughout (alongside some splendid stuff).
Yes I've had the same experience with key and peele, a lot of misses but enough gold that its worth watching as a whole imo.
Okay, scatter shot; I do love IT Crowd and Black Books, old reliable in british sitcoms. For workout sessions i would also recommend taking a look at game shows: Jeopardy of course, but ive gotten to adore Only Connect, a very hard 3v3 trivia-puzzle type british tv game show.
Always Sunny as mentioned by mrbig is a fantastic recommendation as well imo, but it's not worth continuing if you can't get past the first couple episodes - people either love it or hate it.
YouTube learning channels are my shit, too. They replace tv outright for me sometimes. There's been several recommendation threads and i posted my lists on most of them - the ones I like will generally be 10-25 mins per episode.
Old school: The Muppet Show. Sounds silly i know but it's such a heartwarming series.
Have you watched any cartoons? Futurama is a must-watch if you haven't. Rick and Morty as well. If you like Rick and Morty you will love love love Solar Opposites. BoJack Horseman is also amazing, and touches into mental health and addiction a lot.
There you go, scatter shot!
Oh my god and let's not forget The Good Place and Good Girls. (edit: nvm good girls is 45min)
Season two is supposed to be released on friday. Like, this friday which is about to happen (or already happening depending on your timezone or when you read this comment)
It's 45m so doesn't fit into the original request but can I point you at 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown as a gameshow you might want to check out? It's a sweary version of the UK classic words-and-maths show, Countdown (if you like IT Crowd you'll have some experience of Countdown)
You know, i gave it a shot a few months ago. I didn't really get into the format. I might give it a second shot since it's so well liked in british culture. In fact I think the 45 minutes format doesn't do it much good.
In panel shows I love Would I Lie To You. I'm a big fan of David Mitchell to be honest.
Just to take this even further off topic - if you like David Mitchell and you like WILTY, you might enjoy The Unbelievable Truth, which is hosted by Mitchell and kinda similar in format to WILTY although obviously it's superior because of being radio (I'm a big fan of BBC radio, and especially comedy).
On that note, if you like the comedy panel show format, I feel it's important to introduce you to I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue which, while not the first show of that ilk, is certainly one of the best and most influential examples of such. Sadly there are currently no episodes up for streaming on the BBC (there are clips) but there are bits and pieces all over youtube and other places. Honourable mention in this category of course goes to Just a Minute which I find slightly less funny but it's still a very important show.
All of these are half hour shows but they're not TV which @kfwyre did specifically request, although personally I much prefer doing stuff to radio than TV.
I believe that BBC Radio streams unrestricted worldwide. There is a LOT of really good comedy radio. I perhaps should do a post just about radio comedy because honestly I could waffle on for ages on the topic...
I love The Unbelievable Truth :) got all of them off audible when my sub was still active and devoured them while on the train to my rink during summer!
I did initially but Rob grew on me a lot over the seasons.
unrelated to WILTY, but have you watched The Trip with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon? They made movies of each series, but the series is way better.
I'll add it to my watchlist. Would love to see more Rob Brydon outside panel shows. Thank you!
Only Connect is so good, it makes me genuinely sad that I'm not a UK citizen and am therefore not eligible to compete.
Two documentary series on Netflix: Home Game and We Are The Champions. Half hour, interesting, funny. If you only watch one, the first one.
Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun is a bit hit and miss but when it is funny it is very funny so overall I'd say it's worth it.
The original Twilight Zone is usually only about 25 minutes (except season 4 which is an hour long slot) and is excellent. There's modern blu-ray transfers which look absolutely amazing. It's a great thing to watch back, even though it's made in 1959-1963 it still holds up today.
I've not seen any mention of some of my favorite Canadian sitcoms:
Kim's Convenience - A Korean Canadian family runs a convenience store in Toronto. There's a solid laugh in every episode.
Letterkenny - Largely centered on Wayne, the toughest man in Letterkenny, and his sister and their friends, but also other residents of a rural Ontarian town. Lots of drinking, hockey, and fighting. The wordplay in this show is excellent.
Trailer Park Boys - The lives of some people living in a trailer park in Nova Scotia made comedy.
And here's a couple of my favorite unmentioned sketch comedy shows:
The Kids in the Hall - Wikipedia has this show labeled "surreal humor" and that's pretty accurate. Five Canadians whom you've probably seen in other shows (like Newsradio and Superstore, to name a couple), lots of recurring bits.
The Whitest Kids U'Know - Another five guys, this time Americans, doing bonkers humor. Here's a taste from one of my favorite bits, What Really Happened to Abe Lincoln.
I debated throwing Letterkenny up on my list, but decided against it last minute because I wasn't sure where one could find it. You're right, the wordplay is excellent.
I didn't give much thought to where it could be found because it depends on where you're watching it from. But if you're in the US, Letterkenny is on Hulu, Kim's and TPB are on Netflix. KITH is on Amazon, but you have to buy it by season or episode. No place to stream TWKUK though, that's a bummer.
If you’re into cop shows, Wayne is in 19-2, which is pretty good. It also has some familiar faces. It’s not a comedy :)
I really enjoyed Kim's Convenience as well. My spouse, while not Korean, is the daughter of an immigrant, so parts of it really resonated with her beyond the just generally good stories.
My wife and I have been watching GLOW on Netflix. It is gloriously silly.
Some that I've enjoyed over the last few years:
Ted Lasso
Little America
Joe Pera Talks with You (These are really short - usually about 10 minutes)
Mythic Quest
Space Force (Some of these go just a bit longer than 30 minutes. They range from 27-36 minutes.)
The Mindy Project
Cobra Kai
Edit: I should mention that Joe Pera Talks With You is about a "soft-handed eighth grade choir teacher in Michigan's Upper Peninsula." I know you're a teacher, so it may resonate with you in particular.
Edit 2: Also, if you want non-fiction, James Burkes' Connections 2 and 3 are decent. The link starts with episode one of the first series, which are each 45-60 minutes. Skip down to the second series where they're 21-24 minutes each. (Or chop the first series episodes in 2!) I will say that the 2nd and 3rd series are not as good as the original, but they're still decent.
Seconding Space Force.
Seconding Space Force and Mythic Quest.
We’ve been (re)watching King of the Hill. It’s pretty dang wholesome and good.
I will never pass up the opportunity to recommend Bojack Horseman. It is a really spectacular show. It has some standout episodes. S3E4 is the best example of storytelling I have seen in TV. S6E15 is the best episode of TV I have ever watched. It is a great example of a story that would be difficult or impossible to show with live action, but shines as a cartoon.
I'd second this. I always say the same thing about Bojack: "it's a cartoon about a talking horse but it's the most real and human TV show I've ever seen". The heavy stuff is well balanced against some hilarious gags so it's also a very funny show.
unique story
The End of the Fucking World
Russian Doll
My Name is Earl
dating / circle of friends
Casual
Coupling
New Girl
Girls
feel good / fun
Blue Mountain State
House of Lies
Weeds
IT related comedy
The IT Crowd
Silicon Valley
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Upload (Amazon)
Superstore
Peep Show
Ugly Americans (animated)
Was hoping to see Peep Show recommended. Absolutely love it, although it's not for everyone. By the end of the series the scenarios the writers put the two protagonists through are beyond cruel.
Mitchell and Webb fans should also check out Back and of course their sketch show That Mitchell and Webb Look. Both are quite different beasts to Peep Show, but excellent all the same.
?! how have I never heard of Back before.
Peep Show is a masterpiece. A brilliant combination of despair, amorality, and references to World War II.
I can't really watch their other shows except for clips on YouTube -- they're not available here.
I'll suggest "Detectorists". Very relaxing and clever British comedy.
Someone else mentioned "Veep", and I'll second that. Has one of my favorite endings to any show. Note that season 1 is slightly rough. The characters don't feel "connected" to each other, so when they make mean jokes at each others expense they seem too cruel. This issue goes away in season 2.
Oh yes, Detectorists! What a wonderful, wonderful show that was. Oh gosh.
I also second Veep but do yourself a favour and skip the last season, even the last two I'd say.
You should give Bob's Burgers a go. It's an animated TV series about a family that owns a burger restaraunt. It's very down to earth and friendly in comparison to a lot of other TV shows today.
Peep Show (It has already been mentioned a couple of times but I have to start with it because it is the best comedy series of all time and I'm saying this as someone who has seen every episode of Seinfeld at least 5 times)
Fantastic shows that I recommend to everyone:
Veep
Silicon Valley
Avenue 5
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dave (Most underrated show of 2020. No joke, GATA gave one of the best performances I've ever seen in a half-hour comedy)
Barry
Atlanta
Schitt's Creek
Quality shows you might have missed that are good to throw on:
Better Off Ted
Happy Endings
What We Do in the Shadows
The League
Archer
Bob's Burgers
Big Mouth
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (seasons 1-5)
An hour-long show I have to bring up any time I talk about TV shows because its the best show on TV:
Succession
I hope I'm doing this right
With Kendall at the end of season one, I don't think that moment was intended to be shocking. We've been watching him fall apart over the course of five episodes and we see the pressure mounting during that weekend. Everyone knows he is making a gigantic mistake when he gets in that car, even Kendall. He is an addict though, so he is going to go through with it even if he knows it's bad. As an audience, we know it's a mistake, so we're sitting there yelling "No, don't it!" while we watch it all unfold. It's just like watching an addict in real life. Good writing doesn't always have to be unpredictable. Also, Kendall running back to Logan isn't avoiding any disasters. It didn't stop the hostile takeover, it doesn't fix his relationship with his father, and there are still loose ends that know Kendall was involved with the boy's death. If anything, it makes the whole situation worse. Kendall is fucked, Logan might be fucked, and any potential consequences for the boy's death are much worse because of the cover up.
You didn't make it through the rest of season two to see it, but Moe's death did not protect them from disaster either. Sure, in the short term, it gave Waystar a chance to catch its breath amidst a bunch of chaos, but this show doesn't forget things. It ends up being a huge plot point during the second half of the season.
Anyway, it's not like any of this matters. If you don't like it, you don't like it. I thought the show was great because it is tense and hilarious and I love the performances from all the Roys, including Tom and Cousin Greg, but for you it's just not the one.
Can't believe I forgot to mention Avenue 5! Very funny show!
If you can find it, watch the first season of Danger 5. It's like Archer meets Thunderbirds. Very silly stuff, and incredibly funny. The second season... Well it's quite different to the first, and I don't know anyone that really enjoyed it as much.
I just finished Servant, and the episodes are generally a half hour long, but some are longer. It was pretty good.
No idea how available they are on US streaming services, but I'd say 'Allo 'Allo or any of the Blackadder series. I'm about to start going through the Monty Python's Flying Circus catalog, so I'll throw that in too.
I strongly second Archer and Coupling.
I forgot to mention, if you don't mind or really enjoy crude humor, I'm Sorry is really good. I typically find shows about TV writers to be really lame, but this one works because some of the humor is so out there.