The year’s not quite over, but we’ve already seen more than enough to know that we could all use a good laugh. Thankfully, TV delivered plenty of them.
TVLine’s Year in Review coverage continues with our picks for the Funniest Shows of 2025 — a list that highlights a dozen half-hours, a pair of hour-longs and a reality-TV gem that made us laugh the loudest.
Six shows from last year’s list — including “Ghosts,” “Resident Alien” and “St. Denis Medical” — managed to hold onto their spots, while most others either wrapped, took the year off or simply got bumped to make room for a batch of fresh contenders, including a pair of underrated Gen Z comedies.
Emmy darlings like “Hacks” and “The Studio” are well represented, but we’re also paying tribute to shows that might’ve been overlooked — like the late, great “Big Mouth.” Meanwhile, one of Hulu’s longest-running series proved it’s never too late to make a comeback.
Scroll down to discover our 15 picks for the funniest TV shows of the past year. And because comedy is highly subjective, we want to know what made you laugh in 2025 — hit the comments below to share your picks for the year’s best in humor.
Adults
We’ve seen plenty of shows where a tight-knit group of pals in their 20s get into wacky hi-jinks together, but that formula exists for a reason: It works! FX’s thoroughly charming Gen Z sitcom follows in the proud tradition of everything from “Friends” to “Broad City,” following five New York City friends who lean on each other as they struggle to figure out what it means, exactly, to be a grown-up. And luckily for us, their struggles are comedy gold.
“Adults” has a loopy, surreal sense of humor, with “30 Rock”-style zingers flying back and forth at a rapid pace. And the cast is loaded with promising newcomers, from Lucy Freyer’s sunny Billie to Amita Rao’s gloriously brash Issa to Owen Thiele’s Anton, whose ability to make friends wherever he goes led to one of the year’s funniest TV scenes, when his pals looked through his texts and gasped in horror at the dozens of threads he has going with random people he saved in his phone as “Red Shirt Tall Guy” or “Psychic Shared Her Joint.”
We may be far, far removed from our 20s, but we still giggled a lot riding along with the “Adults” gang’s ridiculous misadventures. — Dave Nemetz
Big Mouth
Since it wrapped up an eight-season run in May, we want to take a moment to celebrate Netflix’s gloriously raunchy cartoon for being one of the funniest TV shows of the past decade. Yes, a story about teens entering puberty and learning to deal with their raging hormones will cross a few boundaries of good taste at times. (We’re willing to bet no show in TV history featured more talking genitalia.) But for those of us with a crude sense of humor, “Big Mouth” was comedy nirvana.
Season 8 didn’t disappoint, either, with great running gags like Jay’s obsession with the melon “baby” he’s given to raise for a school project to Lola’s ill-fated attempt at driving, even though she’s only 13. (She’s a national treasure.) The show also provided more vital sex education, like when the class took a field trip inside a human body to see how puberty works on a biological level. We didn’t want to say goodbye to Nick and Andrew and their hormone monsters, but we’re glad they got a fitting farewell. — D.N.
The Chair Company
Have you ever laughed so hard for so long that your face started to hurt? That’s exactly what I experienced watching the pilot of Tim Robinson’s beautifully bizarre HBO comedy. Robinson’s highly absurd comedy style isn’t for everyone — try his meme factory of a Netflix sketch show “I Think You Should Leave” to get a sample — but he’s established himself as one of the most distinctive comedy voices working today, and “The Chair Company” takes his vision to hilarious new heights.
Robinson plays Ron, a mall developer who is humiliated when a chair collapses underneath him during a big presentation. Ron then sets out to find out who tampered with his chair, falling down a rabbit hole of twisted conspiracy theories. “The Chair Company” actually works as a straight-ahead paranoid thriller, but it’s laced throughout with Robinson’s oddball sense of humor, from Ron’s frustrating attempts to talk to an actual human being in customer service to him being inundated with annoying texts after signing up for a shirt store’s membership club. We’re only four episodes in, but we’re already signing up for a membership ourselves. — D.N.
Ghosts
One of the biggest and strongest sitcom ensembles in the game, the cast of “Ghosts” (and the show itself) shows zero sign of slowing down. New ghosties like the Puritan Patience and Chris the stripper helped keep things fresh around Woodstone Manor in 2025, while Matt Walsh’s Elias gave us one hellish cliffhanger that kept us — and Jay — our on toes. (Jay didn’t get dragged down to Hell after all. Phew!)
Season 5 kicked off with bang, sucking off Carol who stepped in to save Jay’s hide. The ghosts and the livings also dealt with a dead and angry mummy in yet another strong Halloween showing that had everyone in the mansion involved. (Plus, new power couple Pete and Alberta?! We are and always have been fully seated.)
With so many characters to mix and match, and strong comedic performances by Rose McIver, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Rebecca Wisocky, Richie Moriarty and so many more, we wouldn’t be surprised if this delightfully spooky series continues bringing laughs for many years to come. (Just try to stay out of the basement, OK?) — Nick Caruso
Hacks
HBO Max’s chronicle of aging stand-up comic Deborah Vance and her combative head writer Ava certainly knows how to tug on our heartstrings. But thankfully, it never forgets that it’s a comedy first and foremost, providing huge laughs along with all the emotional turmoil.
In Season 4, Deborah finally got her own late-night talk show, an inspired storytelling choice that set the stage for hilarious celebrity cameos — we won’t forget Jimmy Kimmel threatening Deborah anytime soon — and gave Deborah a whole new room of young writers to insult. Plus, Megan Stalter continued to be a joy as Jimmy’s deranged co-manager Kayla. The highlight, though, was Julianne Nicholson’s genius turn as “Dance Mom,” a TikTok star who became a showbiz trainwreck after suddenly shooting to fame. Her cocaine-fueled rise and fall cemented the fact that “Hacks” still has plenty of ways to make us laugh after four seasons and counting. — D.N.
King of the Hill
Yup, Hank Hill and company still have their comedy fastball nearly three decades after their Fox debut. Hulu brought back the animated classic for new episodes in August, and we did get a little worried when we saw they were aging the cast up, with Hank and Peggy’s son Bobby now all grown up and working as a chef.
But Hulu’s new season had all the low-key, down-home appeal of the original Fox run, and it took advantage of the time jump, too, with Hank groaning at a whole bunch of modern innovations from Zoom calls to Uber drivers. The original voice cast was still in fine form — Pamela Adlon’s work as Bobby is a gift to us all — and the stories and rhythms felt just like the old “King of the Hill”… which is probably the highest compliment we could ever pay to this very welcome revival. — D.N.
Nobody Wants This
Everybody wanted a second season of “Nobody Wants This,” but nobody was sure the romantic comedy would live up to the high expectations it set in Season 1. (There’s a reason rom-coms are usually reserved for the big screen, where the couple goes from meet-cute to happily-ever-after in under two hours.) But there was no sophomore slump as Noah and Joanne’s love story continued — even if they spent much of this season deluding themselves into thinking they could avoid the elephant in the room regarding Joanne’s decision (or lack thereof) about conversion.
The season’s funniest moments came courtesy of the series’ ensemble: Sasha and Esther’s efforts to salvage their marriage, Morgan’s mental gymnastics to justify her relationship with her ex-therapist, and the mothers — Tovah Feldshuh’s meddling Bina and Stephanie Faracy’s late-in-life convert Lynn — provided some of Season 2’s biggest laughs. — Ryan Schwartz
Only Murders in the Building
Who knew there was so much humor left to mine from Upper West Side homicides? In its fifth season — its best since Season 1 — the Hulu whodunit wisely regrouped, refocusing the half-hour comedy on the Arconia and its infamous trio of crime-solving tenants. In turn, it delivered some of its biggest laughs yet.
Charles’ decision to inject himself with testosterone (or so he thought) and join a dating app (Last Gasp!) resulted in Steve Martin’s most energized performance to date, while his dinner with Téa Leoni’s Sofia Caccimelio ranked among the show’s funniest half hours. Oliver’s “Last Supper” brought peak Martin Short mania, and Selena Gomez continued to delight with Mabel’s perfectly timed asides. The decision to revive Paul Rudd — this time as robot doorman LESTR! — paid off swimmingly, especially thanks to Howard’s (the unsung Michael Cyril Creighton) unhealthy devotion to his new mechanical friend.
“Dirty Birds” and “Silver Alert” gave Christoph Waltz and Renée Zellweger deliciously eccentric showcases, while “Ladies’ Night” let Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dianne Wiest and Meryl Streep run away with the episode. — R.S.
Overcompensating
“Overcompensating” knows how to commit to the bit. From Hailee’s fingernail puffs and Trent constantly announcing he needs a bathroom, to the sheer volume of “no homos” and “yees,” the series mastered the art of maximalist comedy. Plus, it got a hand from a random assortment of Season 1 guest stars — including Megan Fox, Bowen Yang, Matt Rogers, James Van Der Beek, Charli XCX, Kaia Gerber, Caleb Hearon, Connie Britton and Kyle MacLachlan — who delighted us with their unexpected appearances.
Through all the outlandish chaos, Benito Skinner and Wally Baram — who play Benny and Carmen, two college freshmen wading the waters of a budding friendship — masterfully puncture the show’s absurd veneer with coming-of-age realness at just the right times. Backed by two particularly outstanding episodes — Episode 5 (when Carmen pieces together that Benny’s gay) and Episode 7 (featuring a moving rendition of “Welcome to the Black Parade”) — “Overcompensating” is undoubtedly one of the year’s most memorable comedies. — Claire Franken
The Paper
At best, we’re cautiously optimistic when a beloved TV show lives on via reboot, revival or sequel series — emphasis on “cautious” when the TV show in question is “The Office,” one of the funniest and most enduring comedies of the 2000s. But we needn’t have worried about “The Paper,” Peacock’s “Office” follow-up in which the mothership series’ original documentary crew now follows the staff at a declining newspaper in Toledo, Ohio.
Domhnall Gleeson — better recognized for dramatic projects like “Black Mirror” and “The Patient” — is a comedic delight here, infusing his editor-in-chief Ned Sampson with just the right mix of awkward earnestness and disarming charisma. And though it’s tough to replicate the magic of the Dunder Mifflin Scranton crew (that is, unless you’re Oscar Nuñez, who reprised his “Office” role of Oscar Martinez in this series), the supporting cast of “The Paper” held their own in Season 1, delivering moments both sweet and sardonic. (That said, we wouldn’t hate if the show retooled Sabrina Impacciatore’s Esmeralda Grand, much like Michael Scott’s more grating edges were sanded down between Seasons 1 and 2 of “The Office.”) — Rebecca Luther
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City
Every “Housewives” franchise has a comedic undertone, but in “Salt Lake City,” there’s something special in the snowflakes. Set against the backdrop of Utah’s mountainous terrain and the Mormon church, the women’s dinner-table disagreements and sprinter van fiascos feel like a series of melodramatic improv sketches fit for late-night TV.
“RHSOLC” has it all: Mary Cosby always delivering a jarring interjection, Heather Gay giving witty summaries of the conflict in confessionals, wordsmith Angie Katsenvas pulling out a jaw-dropping insult, and Lisa Barlow yelling nonsense through it all. It’s complete chaos. Clad in fur, diamonds and oversized sunglasses, the women this season are making us cackle while they obsess over supposed lawsuits, alleged affairs, the most bizarre case of gout an old man could ever have, hair salon franchises, farts and an anonymous player known only by the moniker “Soupman.” If you don’t understand what any of that means — that’s OK! We rarely fully grasp the particulars, but we laugh along the way thanks to the exceptional delivery. — C.F.
Resident Alien
With Season 4, the residents of Patience, Colo., put a period at the end of their consistent — and consistently funny — run. In the end, Harry bade Earth farewell after deciding to leave Asta and the rest of his friends to live with his one true love, Heather. In addition, each character was given his or her proper due, as Liv and Mike became government agents, Asta moved out of state to continue practicing medicine, and D’arcy helped a fellow alcoholic get on the path to sobriety.
As serious as that all sounds, Alan Tudyk and the rest of the show’s impeccable ensemble delivered wily hijinks all season long. Sheriff Mike finally believing in extraterrestrials created plenty of outlandish situations, while Harry and Mike’s contentious bickering was something we could watch on an endless loop. Plus, bringing back the brilliant Edi Patterson (this time with six hybrid children!) earned a tremendous amounts of brownie points from Team TVLine and fans alike.
While we wish the series was able to run just a couple seasons longer, we’re thankful that this entirely rewatchable show got the chance to say a proper goodbye. — N.C.
St. Denis Medical
We enjoyed “St. Denis Medical” right out of the gate when it premiered last year, even putting the show on our list of 2024’s funniest series after just five episodes. How satisfying to know the NBC comedy only got stronger as its freshman run continued into 2025, settling into its just-zany-enough tone with episodes like “Buffalo Bruce and Matty the Kid” (where a patient’s emotional support cat, possibly carrying the plague, gets loose in the hospital).
Now back for its second season (airing Mondays at 8/7c), “St. Denis” and its stacked ensemble have once again charmed us, becoming one of primetime TV’s most reliable sources of laughs. Amid the comedy vets like Wendi McLendon-Covey and David Alan Grier, keep your eye on Kahyun Kim, who delivers some of the show’s best line readings as unfiltered nurse Serena. — R.L.
The Studio
Seth Rogen’s satire (an “old-school Hollywood buffet,” if you will) mined self-doubt and showbiz politics for comic gold. More “Curb Your Enthusiasm” than “Episodes” or “Entourage,” the Apple TV series cast Rogen as neurotic studio head Matt Remick, a Larry David–esque figure who often finds himself the odd man out despite his lofty perch on the Hollywood food chain.
It also helped that Rogen was surrounded by an A-list ensemble, including Kathryn Hahn and Ike Barinholtz (thanks, Sal Saperstein!), and guest stars Bryan Cranston, Zoë Kravitz and Dave Franco — all three of whom stole the show once the Continental Studios crew landed in Las Vegas for CinemaCon. “The Oner” (wherein Matt kept getting in the way of Sarah Polley’s perfect shot) was an instant classic, while “Casting” (wherein the team scrambled to cast its Kool-Aid movie without offending anyone) delivered some of the biggest laughs of the year. — R.S.
The White Lotus
HBO’s luxury vacation dramedy does compete as a drama at the Emmys, but it’s also one of the laugh-out-loud funniest shows anywhere on TV, thanks to its colorfully eccentric hotel guests, who never seem to realize how ridiculous they’re being. Jennifer Coolidge wasn’t in the cast for Season 3 (R.I.P., Tanya), but she passed the torch to Parker Posey, who stepped up as this season’s meme machine, tossing off savage one-liners in a drug-addled Southern drawl as pampered mom Victoria. (She made Season 3 a laugh riot all by herself.)
She wasn’t alone, though: Season 3 also got plenty of comedic mileage out of the sniping trio of female friends played by Carrie Coon, Michelle Monaghan and Leslie Bibb, as well as Patrick Schwarzenegger’s hilariously entitled golden boy Saxon. Plus, Sam Rockwell dropped in as Rick’s mysterious friend Frank to deliver a shocking monologue that has us rolling with laughter… as soon as we picked our jaws up off the floor. We’re always more than happy to take another trip around the world with this crew. — D.N.