The best comedies on Netflix to cheer you up in lockdown (including Mean Girls – finally!)
Let's face it, 2021 didn't get off to the best start ever.
Even the most positive-minded amongst us have to admit that, so far, this year hasn't exactly been a laugh a minute. (Remember when Brexit was the only thing we had to worry about? Simpler times). Thanks to yet another lockdown, many of us will have more time to sofa-surf Netflix, and while we may occasionally dabble in a gripping, Nordic noir Scandi crime drama or a brilliant (but often emotionally draining) documentary, sometimes all we need is a decent comedy to cheer us up.
Whether you're in it for the big names, big screen and big-budget Hollywood movies (hello, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason!) or the carefully scripted, nuanced, witty TV shows, we guarantee there's something here to make you belly laugh. It could be an old favourite sitcom that you haven't watched in years (now is the perfect time to revisit the classics), or one of the latest comedy drops to the streaming site that you're yet to binge-watch.
And just as if Netflix were listening to our lockdown prayers, the steaming site has finally added Mean Girls to its comedy roster! This weekend is just calling out for a cosy evening on the sofa, tucking into a delicious restaurant meal kit, hanging out with Cady and co (but really we all know Janis and Damian are the best characters).
Plus, if you're a fan of loveable comic Jack Whitehall (c'mon, who isn't?) and his hilarious dad, new episodes of Jack Whitehall: Travels With My Father have also just dropped on the streaming site.
Whatever type of comedy you're after, Netflix has got you covered...
If those don't take your fancy then never fear as there are plenty of new releases on Netflix for you, take a look at our pick below and if you love a good binge-watch check out the other best Netflix documentaries, true crime documentaries and date night movies, or our ultimate roundup of the best tv series in the meantime.
Sister Sister
We were overjoyed when Netflix brought back '90s favourite Sister Sister! It follows twins Tia Landry and Tamera Campbell who were separated at birth, but happen upon each other at a shopping mall.
Parks & Recreation
A feel-good show starring Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, deputy director of the parks and recreation department in the fictional Indiana town of Pawnee. The show falls the ridiculous, laugh-out-loud antics of the department striving to make their town a better place.
Mean Girls
Yes, this absolute classic is now on Netflix! Starring Lindsay Lohan as Cady Heron, Mean Girls features some of the best-loved characters and most quotable lines of our time.
Instant Family
Pete and Ellie Wagner (Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne) decide to adopt a teenage girl called Lizzy – but things get a little complicated when they realise Lizzy has two more siblings.
NetflixMotherland
London-based sitcom starring Anna Maxwell Martin and created by Sharon Horgan, which offers an unflinching, unpolished look at what it means to be a middle-class mother.
NetflixThe Forty-Year-Old Version
Radha Blank starred, produced, wrote, and directed this touching, laugh-out-loud comedy-drama, which bagged her a top comedy directing award at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. In The Forty-Year-Old Version, she creates a fictionalised version of herself – a has-been playwright who tries to rebrand herself as a 40-year-old rapper, RadhaMUSprime.
NetflixBridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
Yes, the sequel to Bridget Jones's Diary is on Netflix – rejoice! Bridget is still in a relationship with Mark (Colin Firth), until she ends up in Thailand bumping into her ex Daniel (Hugh Grant).
NetflixYou, Me, Her
This comedy-drama series follows married Portland couple Emma and Jack Trakarsk, who are happily in love but seriously lacking in any kind of sexual chemistry. So, they decide to enter into a polyamorous relationship. LOLS of course ensue.
NetflixLife As We Know It
Life As We Know It is a 2010 comedy classic starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel as Holly and Eric, who are set up on a blind date by their friends. But when their friends are killed in an accident, Holly and Eric become the sole caregivers of their daughter, Sophie. So, they move into a house together and do their best to honour their friends wishes – but spoiler alert: they don't exactly get along.
NetflixJack Whitehall: Travels With My Father
New episodes of the laugh-out-loud (and often heart-meltingly sweet) show – which sees comedian Jack Whitehall travel around the world with his upper-class, set-in-his-ways father – have just dropped on Netflix. Praise be.
NetflixThe Duchess
Feisty, frank feminist queen Katherine Ryan wrote, created, produced and stars in this new series about a single mother navigating looking after her daughter Olive, while contemplating having a second baby.
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
One of the latest comedy additions from Netflix, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga stars Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams as two small-town Icelandic singers given the chance to represent their country at the Eurovision Song Contest.
Sisters
When comedy powerhouse duo Tina Fey and Amy Poehler come together, you know it's going to be LOL-worthy. Two sisters, both complete opposites of each other, decide to throw one last house party before their parents sell their family home.
Jumping The Broom
Sabrina Watson (Paula Patton), a successful lawyer meets Wall Street worker Jason Taylor (Laz Alonso), the pair fall madly in love and get hitched. But now Sabrina's aristocratic parents must meet Jason's family in this comedic clash of African-American cultures and classes.
Schitt's Creek
A heart-warming, laugh-out-loud comedy that is well worth sticking with, Schitt's Creek follows a once impossibly wealthy family who suddenly go bankrupt, and their only remaining asset is a small rural town named Schitt's Creek. Real-life father and son duo Dan and Eugene Levy are wonderful in this show that ran for six seasons between 2015 and 2020.
New Girl
The quirky comedy we all need in our lives right now, socially awkward Jess (Zooey Deschanel) has just gone through a particularly bad break-up when she moves into an apartment with three bachelors whom she has never met before.
Dolemite Is My Name
We still can't believe Dolemite Is My Name didn't pick up more gongs during awards season. In his first big role in recent years, Eddie Murphy is genuinely laugh-out-loud funny as Rudy Ray Moore, the Blaxploitation film star who changed the industry. If there was an Academy Award for Outstanding Comedic Performance In A 'Sex' Scene, let's just say Murphy would've cleaned up.
Modern Family
Blessed be Netflix for dropping six seasons of this critically acclaimed comedy recently. If you didn't watch it when it first aired 10 years ago, the rockumentary sitcom follows three endearing, dysfunctional families as they try to juggle the demands of being, well, modern families.
Derry Girls
Set in 1990s Northern Ireland during the Troubles, Derry Girls follows school girls Erin, Orla, Clare, Michelle and James (the 'wee English fella') as they navigate the perils of growing up. Nicola Coughlan in particular will have your sides hurting from laughter.
Brooklyn-99
If you haven't watched all six seasons of this hilarious Andy Samberg comedy, focusing on Brooklyn's 99th precinct, then you are in for a serious treat. Andre Braugher as Captain Raymond Holt is pure comedy genius.
Superbad
If there was ever a time to rewatch this comedy classic, surely it's now. This eternally quotable hit sees geeky teens (Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse) go on a quest to buy alcohol for a party. Surprise surprise, it doesn't quite go to plan.
Never Have I Ever
A fresh, smart coming-of-age comedy that's been a huge hit with viewers since it dropped on Netflix last month. Created by Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher, it follows Indian-American teenager Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) as she tries to live a normal, 'cool' life.
Easy A
One of the truly funny American teen comedies that still feels as fresh as it did 10 years ago, Emma Stone's breakout role as student Olive Penderghast sees her climb the social ranks via the school's rumour mill. An excellent film to chuckle along with and wind down to.
Trainwreck
Amy Schumer wrote the script for and starred in this 2015 comedy hit – also directed by Judd Apatow – which follows a commitment-phobe who finally meets a decent guy.
Clueless
We at GLAMOUR are huge fans of Clueless, from its funniest quotes to the reboot we are too excited for, it's our absolute go-to pick-me-up flick.
Long Shot
A film starring Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron? Seriously? We know, it sounds weird, but it really works. Journalist Fred Flarsky (Rogen) runs into his childhood crush, Charlotte Field (Theron), who plans to run for presidency – and asks Fred to be her speechwriter. It's as sweet and touching as it is funny.
Dead To Me
After her husband dies in a hit-and-run, Jen (Christina Applegate) is determined to find the culprit. She soon joins forces with Judy (Linda Cardellini) who she meets in a support group, and what follows is an unlikely friendship, tons of hilarious one-liners, and secrets aplenty. Perfect for dark comedy fans.
Friends
There's no point in pretending we aren't all rewatching the entirety of Friends already, but this list wouldn't be complete without mentioning it.
The Office
While the US version of The Office was arguably more successful, the UK original shouldn't be overlooked. Ricky Gervais as cringeworthy, insufferable office worker David Brent shines in this mockumentary on a group of office workers.
