Comedy is the heart of entertainment. Entertainment is often felt incomplete without comedy. Laughing out loud to some of the hilarious scenes, performed by relatable characters, lowers the mental stress and elevates the mood. It is said that laughter is the best medicine, helps you improve the immune system, relaxes the body, releases the tension in the body. There’s nothing better than enjoying a favourite meal with your favourite characters. The Covid-19 pandemic continues to weaken our mental health. At the same time, it provides us with the opportunity to sit at home and enjoy some light-hearted English comedy shows which are available to binge-watch on the OTT giant Amazon Prime Video.
Here are some of the best English comedy shows on Amazon Prime Video that are worth spending your time on. These shows go down in history as some of the highly celebrated, award-winning, and a major part of millennial pop culture.
#1 The Office
One of the highly celebrated mockumentary sitcoms, The Office created a legacy for itself. The American version became more popular than the original 2001 British television show. The British show was originally made by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant and was later adapted by Greg Daniels for the American version. It was also produced and written by Michael Schur along with Ricky Gervais and Mindy Kaling. The workplace comedy was a non-explicit heartfelt show, using quirky characters and covering their daily office life. Actor Steve Carrell got huge appreciation for his role as the Dunder Mifflin manager Michael Scott. John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Rainn Wilson, B J Novak, Mindy Kaling and Angela Kinsey were also appreciated for their characters. The Office continued for 9 seasons and 201 episodes. The show was nominated several times at the Primetime Emmy Awards and won 2 of them. An official Indian remake of the show was made under Hotstar specials.
#2 Parks and Recreation
Michael Schur and Greg Daniels created another mockumentary, a political satire Parks and Recreation. Set in a fictional city of Pawnee, in Indiana. The show stars Amy Poehler in the lead role, she is also credited with writing the show. She plays the role of Leslie Knope, deputy director at the Parks and Recreation department. The ensemble cast also features Rashida Jones, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, Aziz Ansari and Paul Schneider. Parks and Recreation was shot in a single-camera setup format. The sitcom went on for 7 seasons and 126 episodes. The show out of its 14 Primetime Emmy nominations was able to win 2 awards. Amy Poehler also received a Golden Globe for her performance in the show.
#3 Fleabag
Actress, comedian, writer, executive producer, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, created, wrote and starred in the situational tragicomedy Fleabag. Fleabag is a dry-witted woman. She has no filters when it comes to what she wants to express, giving the show a dark comedy edge. The story of this Amazon Prime show revolves around her, as she navigates through life and the grief of losing her best friend. The 2 seasons,12 episodes long series was listed as the 100 greatest television series of the 21st century by The Guardian. The show also won 6 Primetime Emmy Awards.
#4 The Big Bang Theory
The vastly celebrated American sitcom, The Big Bang Theory is a story of 4 friends, Leonard, Sheldon, Howard and Raj. These socially awkward people navigate through their lives. The comedy show continued for 12 seasons and 279 episodes. Created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, it first premiered in the year 2007 and continued till 2019. The show stars Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kunal Nayyar, Kaley Cuoco and Simon Helberg in the lead roles. It’s one of the English comedy shows most geeks in the world have watched and it is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
#5 Young Sheldon
A spin-off to the original successful sitcom, The Big Bang Theory. The show set in the 80s deals with the life of 9-year-old Sheldon Cooper and his family. The show is narrated by Jim Parsons, who played the role of Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory. Iain Armitage plays the role of young Sheldon. The show continues for 4 seasons and 83 episodes and is still ongoing.
#6 Good Omens
Based on the 1990 novel by Terry Pratchett, Good Omens is a 2019 fantasy comedy show. The limited series has been written by Neil Gaiman. The show features various figures from Christianity. Ab angel Aziraphale and demon Crowley form a duo to stop Armageddon. The show stars Michael Sheen, David Tennant, Jon Hamm and voiceovers by Oscar winner Frances McDormand, Benedict Cumberbatch and Brian Cox. Good Omens is currently one season long, featuring 6 episodes.
#7 The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a comedy-drama show created by Amy Sherman-Palladino. It is set in the 1950s, where Miriam Midge Maisel, an entitled woman, finds herself in a crisis when she finds her husband cheating on her. She then discovers her innate talent of being a stand-up comedian. The show is hilarious and uplifting. It stars Rachel Brosnahan, Alex Borstein and Michael Zegen in the leads. The show won 3 Primetime Emmy Awards, Brosnahan, who plays the role of Mrs. Maisel won 2 consecutive Golden Globes for her performance. It’s one of the best English comedy shows on Amazon Prime Video and a definite must-watch.
#8 Upload
Upload is a 2020 sci-fi comedy-drama show, created by Greg Daniels. The premise of the show is set in 2033. It shows that in the future, people are able to upload themselves into a virtual afterlife. Nathan, after his premature death, gets uploaded into the afterlife. He struggles to adjust to his new life, and adapt to reality. The show is one season and ten episodes long. The upload has already been renewed for a second season.
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