Since its highly successful launch in 1991, Comedy Central has become home to a surplus of critically renowned and adored original television shows. The channel is famous for its innovative and cutting edge comedic programming, stand-up specials, and feature films, and has helped propel the careers of some of Hollywood’s most gifted and hilarious performers. Comedy Central truly found its groove in the late 1990s, when it debuted iconic and memorable shows like the raunchy animated sitcom South Park and satirical news program The Daily Show. The channel has only continued to grow, constantly releasing engaging and sidesplitting content that fans can’t get enough of.
From amusing and innovative sketch series like Chappelle’s Show and Key & Peele to absorbing sitcoms such as Broad City and Workaholics, and even the mockumentary parody Reno 911!, Comedy Central will without a doubt take care of all your entertainment needs. These are some of the funniest Comedy Central original TV shows.
9 South Park
Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s filthy animated sitcom South Park follows the misadventures of four foul-mouthed grade schoolers in the dysfunctional town of South Park, Colorado. The long-running series debuted in 1997 and quickly developed a reputation for its heavy use of profanity, dark humor and satirical approach towards a wide array of controversial topics. Over its 25-year-run, South Park has both delighted and shocked fans and has continued to find ratings success with its audiences. The animated show has received five Primetime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award, and led to the critical and commercial success South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, a full-length theatrical feature. In August 2021, the series was renewed through 2027 and a series of films and specials are slowly being released on Paramount+.
8 The Daily Show
The late-night talk and satirical news television program The Daily Show premiered on July 22, 1996, with comedian and commentator Craig Kilborn first headlining the series. The hilariously gifted Jon Stewart took over the hosting duties in 1999, a job he held until 2015; Stewart helped transition the show to focus on political and news satire as opposed to Kilborn’s pop culture approach. In an interview on The O’Reilly Factor, Stewart denied the series had any political agenda, saying the goal was “schnicks and giggles.” After appearing on The Daily Show for 16 years, Stewart stepped down, with comedian Trevor Noah taking over hosting duties, a role he still holds. The Daily Show is the longest-running program on Comedy Central, and has won an outstanding 24 Primetime Emmy Awards during its impressive tenure. In 2015, the show received its third Peabody Award for its “lasting impact on political satire, television comedy and even politics itself.”
7 Workaholics
Comedy Central’s sidesplitting 2011 sitcom Workaholics centers on three college dropout friends who are roommates, best friends and co-workers at a telemarketing company in Rancho Cucamonga, California. The series was co-created and heavily written by its stars Anders Holm, Adam DeVine, and Blak Anderson; they were previously part of the sketch comedy group Mail Order Comedy and created their production company under the name. Workaholics ran for seven seasons, finding its footing and attracting countless fans as the show progressed. Variety praised the sitcom, writing, “Trios of twenty-something slackers are hardly a new construct, but there’s always room for more when the group is as brazen, funny and drug-addled as the gang in Workaholics.” In February 2021, it was announced that the series would be returning as a film, which will premiere on Paramount+.
6 Key & Peele
Comedic geniuses Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele joined forces to create and star in the 2012 sketch comedy series Key & Peele, with skits covering a wide variety of societal topics like race relations, ethnic stereotypes, and social awkwardness. The duo had previously worked together on Mad TV and the first episode of the show drew 2.1 million viewers, making it the most-watched Comedy Central launch since 2009. Key & Peele features many hilariously entertaining recurring characters, such as Barack Obama and his “anger translator” Luther, the selfie-loving and egotistical Meegan, and intimidating substitute teacher Mr. Garvey. The comedy series ran for five highly-successful seasons and during its run was the recipient of a Peabody Award and Primetime Emmy Award.
5 Tosh.0
Comedian Daniel Tosh both hosted and produced the 2009 comedy series Tosh.0, in which he provides commentary on online viral clips, celebrities, stereotypes, and pop culture in general. Tosh entertainingly utilizes his deliberate and often controversial style of pitch-black humor, satire, and sarcasm, and the first season was a surprise hit for the network, averaging more than one million viewers per episode. The A.V. Club lauded the show’s “high-wire act of being hysterically vicious and accurate in mocking oblivious exhibitionists without purely bullying” and that its “strongest moments of pure hilarity come from its extended, performed material.” Tosh.0 ran for twelve seasons before being canceled by Comedy Central in 2020; MTV purchased the licensing rights to the show, though no statements have been made about the future of the series.
4 Reno 911!
Comedy Central’s mockumentary-style parody show Reno 911! is an irreverent look at what happens behind the scenes in Reno, Nevada’s Sheriff’s Department. The series featured comedy heavy hitters like Niecy Nash, Jo Lo Truglio and Wendi McLendon-Covey and was a direct satire of the reality legal show Cops. According to co-creator and star Thomas Lennon, Reno 911! came about, “like the best of ideas, through total desperation.” It heavily focused on humor that was politically incorrect and racy, and showcases the outlandishly severe incompetence of its deputies. The series ran for six seasons on Comedy Central and ended its run in 2009; it was subsequently picked up by Quibi for an additional seventh season and now airs on The Roku Channel upon the former being shut down.
3 Chappelle's Show
The controversial king of comedy Dave Chappelle created and starred in the 2003 ultra-successful sketch comedy series Chappelle’s Show, which parodies many of the nuances of culture and race. The funnyman tackled intricate societal topics like prostitution, gun violence, drugs and the entertainment industry, with memorable sketches including Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Story, Racial Draft, and When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong. Chappelle created numerous edgy and uproarious characters like cocaine dealer Tron Carter, a parody of Rick James, and the squeaky-voiced drug addict Tryone Biggums. Chappelle’s Show garnered acclaim from critics and audiences alike, but the comedian stunned fans and the entertainment industry when he abruptly left during production of season 3 for South Africa. Chappelle quit the show and famously walked away from a $50 million contract.
2 Broad City
Based on their independent web series of the same name, the dynamite IIana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson developed the 2014 sitcom Broad City for the network, which is inspired by their real-life friendship and their attempt to “make it” in New York. Comedy powerhouse Amy Poehler became aware of the web series and mentored Glazer and Jacobson, becoming an executive producer for Broad City when it came to TV. Throughout its five season run, the show featured many notable guests like Wanda Sykes, Hillary Clinton, RuPaul and even Poehler herself. It received widespread praise during its tenure, with Entertainment Weekly commenting, “Look, this is a deeply weird, weirdly sweet, and completely hilarious comedy, and if you don’t at least give it a chance, you’re kind of an idiot too.” Broad City has been ranked among the best television shows of the 2010s.
1 The Colbert Report
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The amusing and always charming Stephen Colbert stars as a satirical newscaster who provides lively commentary on the big issues plaguing the United States and rest of the world; the show is focused on a fictional anchorman character named Stephen Colbert and emphasizes his overly-patriotic spirit. The character is a parody of cable news pundits, specifically Bill O’Reilly whom he refers to as “Papa Bear.” The Colbert Report was an immediate ratings and critical knockout, drawing in 1.13 million viewers with its premiere episode. Colbert has described the satire as “at its purest expression, [as] a pebble that we throw into the puddle of the news, and then we report on our own ripples.” The show ran for eleven seasons, concluding in 2014 when Colbert was preparing to take over as host of The Late Show.