It’s a running joke that Netflix will give anything two seasons, though whether or not they get any more than that is a dice-roll. With thousands of shows released worldwide every year by the streaming service, it’s of course mathematically likely that a few of these offerings will be on the weirder side of things. No format showcases the possibility of weirdness better than the sketch show. Usually centered around a handful of performers/writers and niche sense of humor, these series offer viewers a variety of wacky and wonderful scenarios and concepts; for fans of the bizarre, a sketch show can be a dream come true.
Even the more modest sketch shows have over-the-top moments, and they just get stranger when they don’t need to tone down content to meet broadcasting standards. Here are some of weirdest sketch to be found lurking on Netflix.
In 1995, Mr Show with Bob and Dave was released on HBO, and became the champion of weird humor everywhere. Launching the careers of Bob Odenkirk, David Cross, Sarah Silverman, Paul F. Tompkins and Jack Black, Mr Show was as surreal and alternative as they come, garnering a dedicated fan base before being cancelled in 1998.
However, exactly 20 years later, Netflix released W/ Bob and Dave, which was essentially the same series but without the copyrighted “Mr Show” in the title. Recapturing the off-kilter humor that made the original so popular and bringing back a lot of the same cast, W/ Bob and Dave is perfect for viewers who want to see Saul Goodman and Tobias Fünke get weird together.
Created by SNL and Detroiters alum Tim Robinson, I Think You Should Leave has been described as “outlandish comedic perfection” by critics. Produced by The Lonely Island, the series captures that group’s entertaining mix of surrealist joy and cultural satire, offering sketches that are more ‘wacky’ than ‘wtf’.
Whether exploring how far is ‘too far’ in terms of Instagram captions or the heated politics of a baby beauty pageant, I Think You Should Leave is always light-hearted and succinct. With six episodes all less than 20 minutes long, it’s the perfect sketch show to binge through in one sitting, but only if the viewer “doesn’t looooooove their mother-in-law”.
Chris Lilley is an Australian comedian who is immensely popular down under. Bursting onto the scene with his long-form sketch show We Can Be Heroes in 2005, Lilley has released countless series that take a satirical look at some of life’s most mundane scenarios. Usually focusing on over-the-top character, such as a spoiled schoolgirl called Ja’mie or a pretentious teacher called ‘Mr G.’, each of Lilley’s shows pushes the boundaries of what’s acceptable (which means some of his older series haven’t aged too well).
In 2019, Netflix released Lunatics, in which they essentially gave Lilley a pile of money and said “get weird with it”. The result? Characters that include a 7-foot college student, a celebrity pet psychic, and an ex-porn star who is frighteningly similar to Joe Exotic. For a sketch show that foregrounds a bizarre cast, Lunatics is the obvious choice.
It’s an unfortunate truth that contemporary comedy is still very much a white-orientated space; people of color are rarely afforded the same opportunities as their caucasian counterparts, and this definitely can be seen in the world of sketch comedy. Thankfully, there are series like Astronomy Club: The Sketch Show which are beginning to turn the tide.
Created by the Astronomy Club, the Upright Citizens Brigade’s first all-Black team, the show is very much centered around the contemporary Black experience in America, whilst still being undeniably hilarious. Featuring sketches like DJ Reparations, what happens when ‘black does crack’, and Bodegas and Dragons, Astronomy Club: The Sketch Show is a breath of fresh, weird air in an otherwise chalky genre.
Here’s the thing: this show hasn’t been released yet; it comes out on November 11th. But, if Aunty Donna’s output so far is anything to go by, this promises to be Netflix’s weirdest outing yet.
Written by and starring the titular Aunty Donna, an absurdist comedy group from Melbourne, Big Ol’ House of Fun looks to be so weird that it may even deconstruct the sketch show genre itself. With cameos from comedy legends like Ed Helms and Weird Al Yankovic, the new show looks to answer the question, “Is there ever such thing as too weird?”
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