“Laughter is the best medicine” as everyone knows. I understand that we enjoy the adrenaline rush provided by frightful, chilling horror flicks, but we do not mind some endorphins being released in our brains every now and again. Horror films may be quite flexible, and comedies, such as “Shawn of the Dead,” “Evil Dead II,” “Zombieland,” and others, are among the most popular sub-genres of horror. How can television be far behind if the mainstream movie is so interested in horror-comedy? The horror shows on television are becoming better day by day as it offers something to everyone, whether you want a slasher or a science-fiction. In this video, we will discuss 14 horror-comedy TV series which are going for an equal amount of adrenaline and endorphins.
Ash Vs. Evil Dead (2015)
Ash Williams is back in the comedy-horror series “Ash Vs. Evil Dead”. It picks up the story exactly where we left Ash 30 years ago from the brilliant “Evil Dead” cult franchise, developed by Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Robert Tapert. The trio comes back in the TV Series with even more gore, more fun, and an incredible storyline.
Thirty years have passed since Ash’s first adventure in the cabin in the woods, where Ash and his friends accidentally summoned demons and got teleported to the Dark Ages. Luckily, he is back to his own time at the store where he still works. He thinks that he retains his old charm and continues hitting on women. Once, while trying to impress a woman, he did it again. Can you believe it? He again read to her from the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, and hence the deadites were summoned again.
It was obviously his responsibility to stop them. Luckily, this time he has two companions– his co-workers, Pablo and Kelly, while he now has a new enemy, Ruby. Following the pile of bodies they leave behind wherever they go, they are pursued by Detective Amanda as their sole purpose is to burn the book. At the same time, they are also chased by the evil Ruby, who wants to use the book for her personal gains.
The series played three seasons with 30 episodes and aired between October 31, 2015, and April 29, 2018. The series is a perfect follow-up to the movie franchise, with the same selfish, lazy Ash, a generous Pablo, and a brave Kelly. They form the ideal team to confront the deadites, convince Detective Amanda about their noble goals, and stop Ruby from being successful in her evil plans. The episodes are concise, full of action and gore, but the dark humor balances the series from becoming too appalling. Connecting the old and the new in a fantastic way provides a great fest for horror fans.
What We Do in The Shadows (2019)
Vampires and Comedies? Well, that’s indeed something rare. Television has always loved vampires, but somehow these immortal killers tend to offer more melodrama than humor. “What we do in the Shadows” gives us some killer gags about the daily struggles of fellow vampires in New York City. The series is based on a 2014 film of a similar title, co-written and co-directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi. Clement and Waititi had starred in the original film, but in this series, their task has been taken over by talented comedians like Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillen, and Mark Proksch.
Novak plays the character of Nandor, whose primary purpose in life is to maintain absolute hygiene in his vampire house. That is why he is always attracted to the stationery section of the supermarket. Joining his community is Berry as Lazlo, who is only interested in the erotic aspects of life. His wife Nadja, featured by Natassia, is interested in an affair with a reincarnated knight named Gregor for hundreds of years. It is to be noted that Gregor is decapitated in every reincarnation. Then we have Harvey as Guillermo assisting Nandor for 11 years, hoping to become one of them.
Lastly, there is Mark as Colin Robinson, an energy vampire living in the basement. He is so tedious and frustrating that he drains humans and vampires of their energy. Unlike the others, he is immune to sunlight or entering the church. They all struggle to convert Staten Island into a vampire colony and live together in peace and harmony.
This series has three seasons with ten episodes until now, which started airing on March 27, 2019. It is stuffed with gags and has all the hallmarks that gain the audience’s attention. Unlike any bloated series, it is precise and lean, where each and every scene has its importance. The special effects are also awe-inspiring. The critical response of the series has been highly favorable, while the third season received universal acclaim from critics.
iZombie (2015)
“iZombie” is an American supernatural crime television series developed by Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero-Wright. The series has been loosely adapted from the comic book series of a similar title created by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred and published by DC Comics. It commenced on March 17, 2015, running for five seasons. It follows the life of Olivia “Liv” Moore, medical examiner of Seattle Police, who helps solve murders after consuming her victim’s brains, which implants the memories and talents of the victims.
It begins with high amusement and energy, where 25-year-old Liv hangs out with her fiancé Major who convinces her to attend a party with a co-worker. “What’s the worst that could happen?” he says. A zombie attack occurs at the party, and she’s dead. Soon, she turns into a zombie. She maintains the illusion of normalcy, making her family extremely confused, and takes a job in the morgue. Being around corpses takes care of her dietary requirements.
In the morgue, she meets Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti who becomes a friend and confidant and, as a scientist, is intrigued by her condition. Whenever Liv consumes a dead body’s brain, she inherits some personality characteristics and skills. She also experiences some flashbacks of the person. In case she eats a murder victim’s brain, the flashbacks provide the necessary clues about the killer. This new ability prompts Liv to help Police Detective Clive Babineaux in solving crimes. Clive slowly realizes the truth about Liv and zombies, while Ravi tries to invent a cure to bring Liv back to everyday life.
We have Rose Mclver as Olivia, Malcolm Goodwin as Detective Clive, and Rahul Kohli as Dr. Ravi in the leading roles. There have been five seasons of the series, with all except the second season having 13 episodes while the second season has 19. All the seasons, especially the third and fourth seasons, have been highly appreciated by critics. The series has been termed refreshingly different with a praiseworthy performance by Rose Mclver.
Holliston (2012)
Adam Green is the creator, writer, director, executive producer, and actor in the American horror sitcom, “Holliston”, released on April 3, 2012. Adam, along with the other executive producer Joe Lynch as Joe, are college graduates from the small town of Holliston in Massachusetts, New England, chasing their dreams to become horror filmmakers. In comparison, they work at the local cable access station and somehow manage to carry on with their lives, hoping that they might be able to fund their independent horror film “Shin Pads” one day.
We also have Laura Ortiz who plays Joe’s girlfriend, and Corri English is the woman Adam is desperately in love with, but she doesn’t show much interest. Most importantly, we have David Brockie as Orders Urungus, who is Adam’s imaginary alien friend, living in Adam’s closet. Dee Snider is the ’80s glam rock obsessed boss of Adam and Joe. Plenty of horror cameos from Tony Todd, Kane Hodder, John Landis, etc., also shows up in this sitcom.
The family aspect of the show makes you feel so close to the characters and wraps you in a bond with them. “Holliston” is extremely under-watched, probably because Fearnet folded soon after Holliston’s second season ended. Tragically, David Brockie also passed away in 2014, which was a severe blow to the making of the show’s third season. Till now, only two seasons are available on Shudder, the first season having 6 episodes while the second season has 11 episodes.
Though “Holliston” cannot be considered a horror series, it is packed with horror references, inside jokes, and lots and lots of humor. It has everything that a horror fan is going to love. There are some bloody special effects occasionally, but overall, it is about a group of people who genuinely care for each other. If you are interested in lifting your mood, you now know which show to watch.
Santa Clarita Diet (2017)
Another horror zombie comedy down the list is “Santa Clarita Diet”, directed by Victor Fresco, bringing you hilarious situations and lovable characters. In spite of being a comedy with dark humor, lots of gore, blood, and vomit, the show has a big heart, presenting an average family whose lives have gone topsy-turvy. Apart from the comedy, the series also focuses on the mystery and mythology behind it.
We are introduced to Sheila and Joel Hammond, who are real estate agents and live with their sixteen-year-old daughter Abby. Their life is pretty standard until one day, Sheila vomits and dies. A few minutes later, she wakes up craving flesh and blood as she has been converted into a zombie. Now their responsibilities are to maintain their appearances, raise a rebellious daughter, find the reason and cure for Sheila’s condition, and provide her with human flesh. The next-door neighbor, Eric, offers help to them as he seems to know all about zombies. Everything is going on fine, but Sheila slowly starts falling apart, in the true sense. There are three seasons consisting of 10 episodes each, and though it is a continuous story, every episode seems to have its own set of problems to solve. The series started airing on February 3, 2017, and continued till March 29, 2019.
In spite of being a farce comedy, “Santa Clarita” is hilarious with quite witty and intelligent dialogues. The great chemistry between Drew Barrymore as Sheila and Timothy Olyphant as Joe brings out big laughs in awkward situations. Liv Hewson as Eric, along with Sheila and Joe, form the foundation of the story, while the story focuses on the mystery behind Sheila’s zombification as well as their personal problems. Another significant element of the series is the supply of Sheila’s diet. They kill the bad guys of the society for the constant supply of meat but considering Eric’s stepfather, who is a cop, it is not an easy task to achieve.
Ghosted (2017)
What happens when two opposite characters team up to investigate? We arrive at the sitcom “Ghosted” by Tom Gormican, starring Adam Scott, Craig Robinson, Ally Walker, and Adeel Akhtar. Detective Leroy Wright is a non-believer of the paranormal who is teamed up with Max Jennifer, a firm believer of the paranormal, for investigation of bizarre supernatural activities in Los Angeles. They are hired by an organization called ‘The Bureau Underground’ to investigate a series of unexplained activities that leads to a mysterious entity capable of threatening the existence of the entire human population.
It all started with the mysterious abduction of an unknown special agent. We are then quickly introduced to Max, a former professor at Stanford University whose research on multiverse theories got him expelled from the institute. He works at a bookstore and hopes to reunite with his wife, who, according to him, has been abducted by aliens. Next, we have Leroy Wright, who has lost his job in LAPD and is working as security at the mall. While he worked for LAPD, he was an excellent missing-person detective. That is the reason why The Bureau Underground abducted him after drugging him and asked for his help to find their missing agent, Mike Checker. Mike had listed the names of both Max and Leroy in his last transmission and thus, the bureau gave them 48 hours to find Mike in return for getting their old jobs back. Obviously, the Underground Bureau has nothing to do with the Federal Bureau of Investigation as its purpose is to investigate the unexplained activities in Los Angeles solely.
The series began airing on FXX from October 2017 till April 2018, with only one season containing 16 episodes, receiving mixed to positive reviews. The series has close ties with “The X-Files,” but the comedy on paranormal investigation makes it unique from the very first episode. The chemistry between Craig Robinson and Adam Scott is strong enough to carry the first season effortlessly.
Z Nation (2014)
Zombies seem to dominate the horror series productions in television. “Z Nation” is yet another sci-fi fantasy horror series with lots of laughs, all kinds of zombies that you know, and some loving characters. The series has been created by Karl Schaefer and Craig Engler, while the leading stars are Kellita Smith, D J Qualls, Michael Welch, and Keith Allan. There are a few serious scenes, but the series mainly aims at lots of fun with zombies in a post-apocalyptic America.
“Z Nation” commences three years after a zombie apocalypse that has been caused by a virus. Before the apocalypse hit, a government-approved experiment was carried out in which Murphy, one of the inmates at Portsmouth Naval Prison, volunteered. Each inmate was given a different shot of a test vaccine, and Murphy was the only one to survive the experiment.
After the vaccine, he was the only person who did not transform into a zombie after a zombie bite. His blood contains the antibodies that are the last hope of human beings to create a vaccine. Though he has mutated into a hybrid form between a human and a zombie, he can control some types of zombies in confrontation. He has not entirely turned into a zombie and can maintain control of himself. The series ”Z Nation” revolves around Murphy’s journey with a group of survivors who are guided by Simon “Citizen Z” Cruller, watching the world through multiple computers. The group is supposed to transfer Murphy from New York to the only functioning Center for Disease Control in California. However, there is a dark secret about Murphy’s condition which threatens the entire group.
This is a show heavy on the imagination, that uses zombies in every possible way. Starting from zombie dogs, zombie slaves, zombie babies, there are so many types of zombies encountering equally weird people. Though these weird people and the zombies bring so much fun, action and thrills, the series revolves around the survivor group consisting of Roberta Warren, Addy, Doc, Cassandra, Mack, and others. Each episode brings in more fun and more exciting stories along with it.
Crazyhead (2016)
This horror series was created and written by Howard Overman and features Cara Theobold and Susan Wokoma in the leading roles. The series centers around two best friends, Amy and Raquel. Amy is gifted with the ability to see demons who roam on the earth to fulfill their mission, which other people couldn’t see. She was on psychiatric medication under Dr. Callum. After meeting Raquel, Amy realizes that her visions about demons are true, and together with Raquel, they get involved in a battle with the demons.
Before meeting Raquel, Amy lived in a safety zone where she would not take any risk in life and depended on her best friend, Suzanne. She realized her courage and strength after starting the battle with the demons. Raquel was highly courageous by nature as she had been hunting demons since she was 14 years old. She was socially awkward until she met Amy and became close friends. Then, we have Jake featured by Lewis Reeves, who has been Amy’s close friend from school and they work together at the bowling alley. Jake has been in love with Amy but she only takes him as a friend. Jake somehow gets tangled in the process of demon hunting with Amy and Raquel. The leading antagonist in the show is Callum, a top psychiatrist who also treats Amy and Raquel, but unfortunately, he himself is a disguised demon with a group of henchmen working for him.
The show is concise, with only one season having six episodes. The show has received mostly positive reviews as it has been described as ‘disturbing and excellent and also being ‘fizzy and fun. Though “Crazyhead” has been a critical hit, horror fans were disappointed that there will be no second season for this series.
Wellington Paranormal (2018)
“Wellington Paranormal” is the spin-off of the film and television series “What We Do in the Shadows”. Both of the series have been created by Jamaine Clement and Taika Waititi, while the lead characters, Officer Minogue and O’Leary, have also appeared in the film as police officers. Waititi and Clement are also the executive producers of the series, while Clement directed four of the six episodes in season 1.
The three central figures surveying the mysterious incidents in and around Wellington are Officers Leary and Minogue, reporting to Sergeant Maaka. The series highlights the same idea of supernatural forces hiding in the society while the local people cannot handle their presence. The series takes place in the form of a mockumentary, with a camera crew tracking the police force to respond to the abnormalities of the area.
Each episode tackled a new paranormal activity, with O’Leary and Minogue arriving at all sorts of haunted houses, demon possessions, etc. They are experts in making a simple case one of the most complicated ones. All kinds of mishaps happen in the background when on-camera interviews are carried out, and essential clues are casually taken as co-incidences. The two officers try their best to take a wrong turn in every way possible. The series consists of 3 seasons with 19 episodes each.
“Wellington Paranormal” is pretty self-sufficient and doesn’t need the support of the source film, but some connection cannot be avoided between the two. Though the show’s highlight is the incompetence of the main characters, the characters playing the roles are completely in control.
Psychoville (2009)
“Psychoville” is the British horror-thriller dark comedy television series which is written, created, and starred by Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton. The series follows five different characters living in different parts of England. The characters include Mr. Jelly, a one-handed clown, always wearing his makeup and costume; Oscar Lomax, a blind elderly millionaire who loves collecting stuffed toys; Joy Aston, a midwife treating a doll-like her own child; David Showerbutts, obsessed with serial-killers and living with his mother Maureen, and Robert Greenspan who believes that he possesses the power of telekinesis.
All five characters receive a letter from a blackmailer with the message,” I know what you did…..”. In the second episode, they receive a second message saying,” You killed her,” while in the third episode, they receive a videotape, which shows them in an asylum together. It is evident from the show that Shearsmith and Pemberton have genuine respect for horror. Unlike their previous series, “The League of Gentleman” which shows the disturbing side of horror, “Psychoville” keeps horror at the focus of the storytelling, keeping the topic of death unescapable throughout the show. The series reminds us of the “What you did last summer” theme, taking it to a new dimension.
“Psychoville” slowly unravels the mystery about the connection between the five characters. Unlike many horror series which are reluctant to kill off the central characters, “Psychoville” walks in the opposite direction, killing the major characters one by one. The innovative work of the show won it an award of “Best New British TV Comedy” in 2009. Shearsmith and Pemberton produced fictional web content along with Rob and Neil Gibbons giving the viewers “an overall Psychoville experience”.
Scream Queens (2015)
“Scream Queens” is a height of slasher comedy satire that started airing on Fox from September 22, 2015, to December 20, 2016. The series was created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan. There are two seasons of the series, the first series having 13 episodes while the second season has 10 episodes.
The first season centers on Kappa Kappa Tau sorority at Wallace University under Chanel Oberlin, featured by Emma Roberts and her fellow Channels, which Dean Cathy Munsch threatens featured by Jamie Lee Curtis. Soon a 20-year-old murder mystery is reignited with the reemergence of the serial killer, who starts targeting the sorority members. The killings are connected to a sorority party of Kappa Kappa Tau that was held 20 years ago. The serial killer was dressed as the Red Devil Mascot.
The second season begins with Cathy Munsch quitting her university business and opening a new hospital. She has hired an acquitted Channel, Libby, and Sadie in the hospital, but while dealing with the medical cases in the hospital, Cathy and the Channels encounter a new serial killer called the ‘Green Meanie’.
“Scream Queens” is hilarious and absurd. All the characters’ situations, actions, and decisions, and even the killer and his killings are handled with fun. The dialogues are quite witty, addressing a lot of social issues like bullying, body-shaming, sexism, gender issues, and more. The characters are so well set in the series, making it over the top. The kills are quite innovative and hilarious. The absurd situations, extreme horror, and bizarre kills make the series incredibly entertaining.
Stan Against Evil (2016)
Another supernatural comedy-horror series is “Stan Against Evil”, full of dark humor, with threatening monsters and demons, and campy gore within so many different kinds of main characters that the normal main character has a lot to handle apart from battling demons and monsters. The series was created by Dana Gould, starring John C. McGinley, Janet Varney, Nate Mooney, and Deborah Baker Jr. The series aired on IFC in October 2016.
Willard’s Mill was a small town in New Hampshire whose current sheriff was Stan Miller. In 1692, 172 probable witches were burnt by the sheriff Thaddeus Eccles and a curse was floated. Now all of them are back for revenge. Since then, every sheriff has died horribly and quite early, except Stan. But after his wife, Claire died and Stan attacked an old lady at the funeral, the new sheriff, Evie Barret, was appointed. Stan was stunned to find Claire’s sewing room full of ancient witchcraft books and books on Willard’s Mill. The books could only be read with the help of a special lens which Claire wore as a necklace. The room was also an armory filled with strange weapons. Stan and Evie soon found out about the curse and why Stan was still not dead. They teamed up with deputy Leon Drinkwater and Stan’s adult daughter, Denise, to fight the evil witches and demons, keeping the town safe while struggling to stay alive.
The series is packed with absurd situations, crazy witches and demons, and all sorts of weirdness. Each episode has a different evil to fight. Apart from taking care of Denise, Stan also has to battle evil forces with Evie. The interaction between the four characters is also a great watch. Stan is grumpy, cynical, rude, and sarcastic, but still, he is a real man who misses his wife. Evie is a rational thinker, but she has her own flaws, which the series takes advantage of.
Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace (2004)
“Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace” is an extremely funny and underrated television series. The series was released in 2004 on British television – and ran for only six episodes, delivering some of the smartest humor ever seen. This miniseries was created by Richard Ayoade and Matthew Holness and directed by Richard Ayoade.
“Darkplace” has a complicated storyline. Garth Marenghi, featured by Matthew Holness, is an eccentric horror writer. In the 1980s, a horror show called “Darkplace” was written, directed, and starred by Marenghi. In the show, his character Rick Dagless acts as the main doctor of a supernatural hospital. This fake horror show was absolutely horrible, having editing mistakes, ridiculous acting, and a hilarious storyline. Holness and the other cast members portrayed two different characters.
On the one hand, they are the cast and producers commenting on the show while they are also the horrible actors in the show. Ayoade’s character is Dean Learner, who is the producer of the show, while his character Thornton Reed is the headmaster of the Darkplace Hospital. Being the worst actor in the show makes him the best actor, obviously. Matt Berry plays Todd Rivers, who acts as Dr. Sanchez, the bad hospital boy. Finally, Alice Lowe plays Madeleine Wool, who in turn features Dr. Liz Asher in the show.
“Darkplace” is a show in a show that is really bad, which makes it more interesting. It is absolutely free on Youtube. So, if possible, just check it out. There are only six episodes in this miniseries.
The League of Gentlemen (1999)
“The League of Gentlemen” is a bizarre British horror comedy that started airing in 1999. The show starts in the fictional town of Royston Vasey, following the lives of strange characters played by Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton, and Reece Shearsmith, three of the show’s four writers. These three characters, along with Jeremy Dyson, formed the League of Gentlemen troupe.
This dark comedy follows the lives of strange inhabitants of Royston Vasey, which includes a xenophobic couple running a local shop, a transsexual taxi driver obsessed with a detailed conversation of her sexual transformation to her customers. Then we have a Job Centre officer who hates the people assigned to her for training and many other offbeat individuals. Even the show’s most eccentric characters have roots in reality and are written as experienced by the writers. For example, the character of Papa Lazarou who has the habit of calling everyone “Dave” was an inspiration from an old landlord of Pemberton and Shearsmith. The inspiration for the other characters too was mostly based on characters from Chorley, the hometown of Pemberton, and the town of Alston in Cumbria. Gatiss has revealed that a shop has influenced even the local shop in Rottingdean village, where he grew up.
A laughter track added to the first and second season was removed from season 3. Each week, the spotlight fell on a different character. There were three seasons of the series, an Anniversary series, and a Christmas Special with 22 episodes in total. A film and two other series were also made inspired by this series. The series also bagged plenty of awards, including the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
With this, we conclude our list of horror-comedy shows that we feel will make you laugh and feel good along with the horror factor you already love. Enjoy the horror and laughter in the new year ahead with these shows on your watch list.