Love Funny TV? Your Money’s Better Spent on Hulu Than on Netflix.
Whether they prefer classic sitcoms, newer comedies, or Saturday morning cartoons, TV fans are getting more funny for their money with Hulu.
Photo: Hulu
Three basic facts about 2020: first, good TV has never been more important. Left with little else to do while confined to their homes, the average American is streaming an incredible eight hours of television every day.
Second: money is tight in 2020. A contracting economy means we don’t have tons of money to spend on streaming services that we don’t actually use very often.
Third: this year has been terrible. Just awful. We could probably all use a few laughs to distract us from how truly, unbelievably bad the year 2020 has turned out to be.
But if you’re looking for hilarious TV without spending a boatload on subscription fees, you might reconsider before looking to Netflix. When it comes to comedy content, Hulu offers more of the shows TV fans like across multiple categories, making it the obvious choice for those who love to laugh.
Hulu Has the “Funniest TV Shows Ever”
We took a look at Ranker’s list of The Funniest TV Shows of All Time to see how many of those shows were part of Hulu’s catalog and how many were available on Netflix. The results were overwhelmingly in Hulu’s favor: of the Top 20 on the list, 14 are currently available to stream on Hulu. Just two are part of Netflix’s library.
One of those Top 20 shows Netflix users can access is The Office, which is #1 on our list. But just like it lost the #2 show, Friends, to HBO Max, Netflix won’t continue to host The Office for much longer: the smash-hit sitcom will migrate to NBC’s streaming platform Peacock by the end of January 2021. The only other show in the Top 20 that Netflix can claim is Parks & Recreation, which also happens to be available on Hulu.
Shows in the Top 20 of our “Funniest TV Shows of All Time” List Available on Hulu:
Parks & Recreation
Married...With Children
Family Guy
Chappelle's Show
Modern Family
The Golden Girls
I Love Lucy
Frasier
Futurama
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
The Simpsons
Malcolm in the Middle
Mr. Bean
Seinfeld
Shows in the Top 20 on our “Funniest TV Shows of All Time” List Available on Netflix:
The Office
Parks & Recreation
But What About Newer Shows?
Of course, not everyone is a fan of the classics in our Funniest TV Shows of All Time list. Plenty of comedy fans may prefer timelier humor (without the laugh track). How do the two streaming platforms compare when it comes to shows that are still on the air?
Again, Hulu had far more to offer comedy fans in this category. Our list of Funniest TV Shows In 2020 features only comedies that are still on the air or premiered new episodes in the year 2020. Of the Top 20 shows on that list, 12 are part of Hulu’s content catalog, compared with four available on Netflix. Two of those four shows (Shameless and The Good Place) can also be found on Hulu.
Shows in the Top 20 on our “Funniest TV Shows In 2020” List Available on Hulu:
The Good Place
Modern Family
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Superstore
Better Things
Atlanta
The Simpsons
Fresh Off the Boat
Shameless
Mom
Will & Grace
Single Parents
Shows in the Top 20 on our “Funniest TV Shows In 2020” List Available on Netflix:
Schitt’s Creek
The Good Place
Glow
Shameless
But What About Even Newer Shows??
Okay, say you’re still not satisfied with shows still on the air in 2020. What if you’re looking for a streaming service that consistently puts out the latest and greatest in comedy programming?
Our list of Most Anticipated New Comedy TV Shows of 2020 should help these comedy fans decide. This category is more competitive, since the producers of brand new shows are more likely to be protective over rights to stream it. Hulu still came away with a commanding lead, boasting six of the Top 20 shows on the list against Netflix’s two.
Shows in the Top 20 on our “Most Anticipated New Comedy TV Shows Of 2020” List Available on Hulu:
High Fidelity
Zooey’s Extraordinary Playlist
Indebted
Outmatched
Dave
Love, Victor
Shows in the Top 20 on our “Most Anticipated New Comedy TV Shows Of 2020” List Available on Netflix:
Space Force
Never Have I Ever
What About Fans of Animation?
If sitcoms don’t do it for you, we also took a look at how the two platforms compare when it comes to animated fare. Netflix has streaming rights to four shows in the Top 20 of our Best Animated Comedy Series Ever list, while Hulu has 12.
Shows in the Top 20 on our “Best Animated Comedy Series Ever” List Available on Hulu:
Rick and Morty
The Simpsons
Family Guy
Futurama
King of the Hill
Bob’s Burgers
Archer
Regular Show
Gravity Falls
The Boondocks
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Solar Opposites
Shows in the Top 20 on our “Best Animated Comedy Series Ever” List Available on Netflix:
Bojack Horseman
Big Mouth
Avatar: The Last Airbender
F Is for Family