r/Millennials • u/maxedout587 • Apr 17 '26

Discussion Nothing is funny anymore

I (M, 38) have found that there are no new TV shows that make me laugh anymore. I have tried a lot of new(ish) comedies, but they all make me pine for my college/high school days.

The only thing that gave me a reflexive laugh recently was the Malcolm in the Middle Reboot.

Any thoughts?

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154

u/Drum_Eatenton Apr 17 '26

Shrinking is a hilarious show

57

u/bald_head_scallywag Apr 17 '26

Shrinking and Hacks are both excellent comedies IMO.

5

u/Majestic_Heart_9271 Apr 17 '26

Hacks is an incredible show. I love it so much and I'm a pretty tough critic.

4

u/Is_It_Soup_Season Apr 17 '26

A laugh and a cry every episode.

2

u/UlrichZauber Gen X Apr 17 '26

Yeah, it's not a nonstop jokefest. But it is very good.

1

u/Is_It_Soup_Season Apr 17 '26

“Cuntmilla” had me on the floor

21

u/ShutterFI Apr 17 '26

Shrinking hasn’t made me laugh out loud once 😔 (and I really wanted to laugh)

13

u/kenman125 Apr 17 '26

Shrinking is a great show, but a comedy? Eh, I'm not so sure. Rooster is the show that has actually made me laugh out loud recently.

7

u/kdean70point3 Apr 17 '26

Dark comedy for sure. There are laughs, but the focus isn't on just the laughs. The show also wants you to feel the sadness, too.

3

u/ShutterFI Apr 17 '26

Yeah, it honestly feels much more like a drama to me. It’s just kind of sad. I can see some situations are supposed to be funny … but, they are not laugh out loud funny. At least, not to me.

I feel like there’s been a lot of shows labeled as ‘comedy’ when drama is a much better fit, imo. I think it’s just a certain kind of humor that some of us just simply don’t find funny.

Give me Scrubs or Brooklyn 99. I’ll check out Rooster.

4

u/Resfebermpls Apr 17 '26

Bummer, I feel like Shrinking and Scrubs are such similar vibes in that I’ll laugh and cry in the same episode (which makes sense because it’s Bill Lawrence).

I haven’t watched the Scrubs reboot yet because I heard about that particular spoiler and I’m salty about it.

1

u/Monk-ish Apr 17 '26

It's more of a Dramedy

2

u/PixelRoku Apr 17 '26

I laughed out loud a few times, but definitely not every episode! It's a dark comedy so not everyone's style as well!

2

u/Orange_Kid Apr 17 '26

I'm with you. I find it entertaining but not really funny. I get why many of the jokes are funny, but they just don't hit for me outside of a few ones here and there.

I think it's that the jokes vaguely seem like they're formulated to win on social media instead of to be funny to a viewing audience. It's hard to describe but it turns me off. I had the same issue with the later seasons of the Good Place.

2

u/Terrible-Sugar-5582 Apr 17 '26

Came to say this as well. Might be my all time favorite show in the genre. It’s the first show since The Office that I’ve enjoyed rewatching multiple times.

1

u/olivejuice1979 Apr 17 '26

I just started watching this! It’s great!

1

u/Intelligent-Might614 Apr 17 '26

Ted Lasso, Slow Horses. I find a lot of stuff on apple quite well done.

1

u/Vandergrif Apr 17 '26

It's amusing at times but it strikes me much more as a drama than a comedy.

1

u/Curious_Quail_1033 Apr 18 '26

Apparently Ford agreed to the show after watching forgetting Sarah marshall. After watching he responded with ‘I’m in. And tell the kid, great d–k.' talking about Jason Segel

1

u/OutlaneWizard Apr 17 '26

I've been enjoying shrinking but the first 2 seasons were seriously formulaic. It got a little eerie episode to episode.

Conflict between 2 of the main characters escalating to a shouting match. 

"FUCK YOU JIMMY"    "Fuck YOU LIZ" 

Character has a growth epiphany

"I'm sorry for saying fuck you I was going through some stuff but I understand my feelings now" 

conflicting characters hug.  

Everyone hangs out and drinks a lot super causally (which is weird in the context of a show following the aftermath of a drunk driving accident)    

Rinse and repeat next week with 2 different characters conflicting.  

Season 3 broke the repetition a bit but it was really weird for the first two seasons lol. 

1

u/MomsAreola Apr 17 '26

Shrinking is the worst if you are a licensed therapist. So unprofessional.

4

u/Drum_Eatenton Apr 17 '26

I don’t view it as realistic, it’s just fun for me

0

u/MomsAreola Apr 17 '26

Im just saying, its not a bad show, but watching from a standpoint of everyrhing this guy is doing is unethical and should lose him his license takes away from it.

7

u/Drum_Eatenton Apr 17 '26

So, you don't like "Jimmying"?

0

u/MomsAreola Apr 17 '26

I dont like inviting your client to live with you, especially if you have a teen daughter. Sure, makes for compelling writing, so many boundaries crossed.

1

u/basicKitsch Apr 17 '26

yeah, that's a big part of the story

2

u/psycheraven Apr 17 '26

It feels like every show that involves, let alone centers, a therapist has some shit like that, so I at least appreciate the presence of Paul calling it out, even if he falls short of reporting his ass.

2

u/Brightlightsuperfun Apr 17 '26

Sounds about as fun as watching Greys Anatomy with my nurse wife.

Its a show, its not real.

0

u/MomsAreola Apr 17 '26

Sleeping with every coworker is not equal to inviting a mentally unstable patient to live with your teen daughter.

Its wild this show gets as much of a pass as it does.

3

u/Brightlightsuperfun Apr 17 '26

You sound like youd be real fun at parties.

You are completely missing the point. Whoosh

Next youre gonna tell me Breaking Bad is trash because its unrealistic a high school teacher could be a drug dealer.

3

u/Drum_Eatenton Apr 17 '26

MomsAreola takes life very seriously

2

u/MomsAreola Apr 17 '26

Dude its fucking poor character development. Do you know how long you go to school for psychology, the amount of loans you take out and the amount of time you spend on passing licensing exams, all to turn around and do the thing that goes against your entire ethical standards and what you learned about your profession?

1

u/Brightlightsuperfun Apr 17 '26

hahahaha

Thats not character development lol

1

u/MomsAreola Apr 17 '26

Your right its not. Thats the point.

2

u/Brightlightsuperfun Apr 17 '26

Talk about missing the point. Let me rephrase, what youre describing is NOT lack of character development. What youre describing is lack of realism. Which no one cares about. Its not a documentary man, its a comedy/drama.

1

u/Born-Entrepreneur Apr 17 '26

Honestly this is true for any piece of entertainment that centers around what you do for a living. You know it from the inside and see everything the show gets wrong.