10 Funniest Comedies on HBO Max You Didn’t Know Were Streaming (May 2025)

With an impressive catalogue of content from cable networks like Comedy Central and TBS as well as any number of movies, big and small, old and new, HBO Max (yes, it’s HBO Max again) has something for everyone. This is especially true, as one could surmise from the mentioning of Comedy Central, when it comes to their comedy lineup. For one, they have a lot of Cartoon Network’s back catalogue, so if you want to get the youngsters hooked on classics like Courage the Cowardly Dog, that’s an option. Of course, there’s then the option for Cartoon Network’s late-night wing, Adult Swim. But Adult Swim isn’t the only network whose adult-skewing content they host, as HBO Max has any number of funny shows that either they distributed yet went under the radar or come from another network and one might not realize is available to stream.

In other words, no shows that famously on HBO Max here. That means no Friends, no Veep, no Barry, and no Curb Your Enthusiasm. We all know they’re on HBO Max. The same goes for South Park, though that one is heading over to Paramount+ towards the end of June 2025.

1) Abbott Elementary

ABC’s critical darling sitcom Abbott Elementary, from genius creator Quinta Brunson, is one of the better mockumentaries in the streamer’s roster. It follows a group of hard-working teachers at a Philly public school as they try to do their jobs even in the face of increasing budget cuts.

Abbott Elementary is the type of show that is accessible on the macro-scale. There’s nothing in it that prevents the younger set from watching and it’s funny and relatable enough to keep members of all four quadrants hooked. The first three seasons are currently on HBO Max. If you want to watch the fourth season (which has the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia crossover episode), head over to Hulu.

2) Angie Tribeca

There have been hundreds if not thousands of police procedural shows, yet only a few that have actively attempted to parody their innumerable shared tropes. To a degree Psych did it, as does High Potential, but really the best examples are Police Squad! (the predecessor of The Naked Gun!), the ridiculously underrated Murderville on Netflix, Reno 911! (more a parody of Cops than procedurals, but still), and the TBS show Angie Tribeca.

Created by Steve and Nancy Carell, this was Rashida Jones’ leading lady project after a recurring role on The Office and a supporting role on Parks and Recreation. It’s a 100-jokes a minute kind of show, and impressively enough about 75 percent of those jokes land. That’s a pretty great batting average, and it was enough to keep the show alive for four seasons. The first three (Season 4 was both a soft reboot and not as solid, so it’s not a huge loss) are available on HBO Max.

3) Avenue 5

I’m Alan Partridge co-creator Armando Iannucci essentially became one of HBO’s stable horses after his Veep took off on the network back in 2012. Since then he’s created two shows and, like Veep (one of the smartest, funniest, and most well-written shows to ever grace television), they’re both on HBO Max.

The first of these two was the short lived (at two seasons) Avenue 5 while the second was the even shorter lived The Franchise, which began and ended its run in 2024. The better of the two shows was Avenue 5, which featured Veep veteran Hugh Laurie as the woefully underqualified captain (Really an actor) of the titular spaceship, which finds itself hugely off course and years away from returning to Earth. Avenue 5 didn’t always hit, but when it did it was hysterical, and Laurie was his put-upon best in the lead role.

4) Awkwafina is Nora from Queens

Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens (AKA Nora from Queens) is one of the many Comedy Central shows HBO Max has in their lineup. It’s also one of their best and a must-watch for any fan of the comedian’s. The Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star plays Nora Lin, a 20-something young woman who relies on her family bonds to get her through life in the big city.

Nora from Queens benefits greatly from Awkwafina’s unique touch, but it’s also a show that coasts thanks to the strength of its supporting performances. For instance, BD Wong of the Jurassic Park franchise, rapper Jonathan Park AKA Dumbfoundead, Everything Everywhere All at Once‘s Stephanie Hsu, and Saturday Night Live‘s Bowen Yang. All three seasons are on HBO Max.

5) Conan O’Brien Must Go

Conan O’Brien always deserves a shout-out. And, for those who have already binge-listened (or binge-watched on YouTube) his podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, HBO Max is the next logical stop.

For one, they have both seasons of his TBS travel show, Conan Without Borders. Then, once you’ve finished those 13 episodes, you can switch over to his follow-up travel show, Conan O’Brien Must Go, which is a HBO Max exclusive and every bit as charming.

[RELATED: 10 Best It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Episodes]

6) Flight of the Conchords

One of HBO’s better mid aughts shows, comedy or otherwise, Flight of the Conchords is a masterpiece of deadpan humor and brilliantly-constructed goofy yet touching songs. Like the next entry on this list, it’s also a meta comedy, as, in real life, Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie genuinely are a musical comedy duo called Flight of the Conchords.

Naturally, this leads to them having some razor sharp chemistry on screen. But the show wouldn’t coast on just them alone, as it’s also a showcase for the talents of Rhys Darby and Kristen Schaal, both of whom have gone on to even bigger things. Schaal, for instance, ended up being a main player on the FX series adaptation of What We Do in the Shadows (a movie which Clement co-lead alongside Taika Waititi, both of whom ended up making guest appearances on the small screen version).

7) The Larry Sanders Show

The late Garry Shandling was one of the comedy world’s most revered figures (he’s more recognized as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Senator Sterns by modern audiences). In his early days he wrote for classic sitcoms like Sanford and Son before he introduced himself as a presence on stage in homes across the country via his many appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He then got a sitcom of his own in 1986 with It’s Garry Shandling’s Show on Showtime, which was one of the first mainstream projects to have a protagonist break the fourth wall. Shandling was a trendsetter, and with The Larry Sanders Show he basically pioneered what Larry David did in Curb Your Enthusiasm, where he played a heightened version of himself and what 30 Rock did by staging a comedy show around the crafting of a comedy show.

But, while The Larry Sanders show was Shandling’s magnum opus, it wasn’t really all his. For one, big name guest stars were always put to good use. Two, Jeffrey Tambor (playing the Andy Richter to Shandling’s/Sanders’ Conan O’Brien) and Rip Torn were perfect for their roles. Tambor played pathetic very well, but the gruff Torn runs away with the show as Sanders’ producer, Artie. All six seasons of The Larry Sanders Show are streaming on HBO Max.

8) Nathan for You

Nathan Fielder is comedy’s ultimate people watcher. He loves to see what makes society tick and toy with that. And, for those who want more of his stylings after going through The Rehearsal (currently in the middle of its second season), there’s his classic Comedy Central show Nathan for You.

Nathan for You has Fielder go to various struggling businesses and pitch an outlandish idea. Some of them actually manage to help the business, and all of them are hilarious. The entirety of Nathan for You‘s four seasons is streaming on HBO Max.

9) Robot Chicken

Seth Green and Matthew Senreich’s Robot Chicken was Adult Swim’s longest-running flagship series. Each episode is a compilation of silly, often pop culture-referencing stop-motion comedy shorts, with topics ranging from Star Wars to a gummy bear stepping on a bear trap.

Like with any show that throws a bunch of shorts at the audience, some segments are undoubtedly funnier than others, but those who can get on Robot Chicken‘s wavelength will find that it hits more often than it misses. All 11 seasons of the show are steaming on HBO Max, as are the Robot Chicken DC Comics Specials and the Robot Chicken: Star Wars trilogy.

10) Vice Principals

Yes, like The Righteous Gemstones and Eastbound & Down, Vice Principals is a Danny McBride-fronted show that was an remains an HBO exclusive. But it also went way under the radar compared to those other two shows, yet it’s equally worth watching.

This was the first real display of McBride’s chemistry with Walton Goggins. If anything, it’s an even better display than The Righteous Gemstones. As two warring turned co-scheming members of a high school’s faculty (specifically, two vice principals), they’re brilliant. And, at two seasons and 18 episodes total, it’s also not a show that overstayed its welcome. It had a story to tell, it told it, and those involved moved on.