10 Best Satire TV Shows, Ranked

From parody to farce, there are plenty of types of comedy. However, at least in television, there’s one that tends to stand out as one of the most meaningful and popular: Satire. Satire TV shows poke fun at the real world. They offer insightful comments on concepts, institutions, genres, and all sorts of elements of contemporary society, while never losing sight of their comedic core.

From long-running sitcoms that make fun of pretty much everything and everyone in the modern world, like South Park; to incisive critiques of politics and society, like The Boys, television’s best satirical series always have something interesting to say about the world without ever losing their sense of humor.

10 ‘The Thick of It’ (2005 – 2012)

Created by Armando Iannucci

The BBC’s The Thick of It laughs at the inner workings of modern British government organizations. It’s about Hugh Abbot (Chris Langham), the Minister for Social Affairs, who’s constantly harassed by 10 Downing Street’s aggressive policy enforcer, Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi). All the while, he’s reliant on his not-so-reliable team of civil servants.

The cast is fantastic (Capaldi in particular delivering one of the most hilarious performances British television has ever seen), but the writing is The Thick of It‘s main strength. Edgy, clever, and fully capable of delivering hard-hitting drama when it’s necessary, it’s easily one of the BBC’s best shows of the 21st century. It also spawned what might be one of the best political satire movies of all time: In the Loop, which is just the cherry on top of what’s already a pretty perfect series.

9 ‘South Park’ (1997 – )

Created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone

South Park is by far one of the best and most memorable animated series for adults, as proved by the fact that it’s been running for over a quarter of a century and is still going strong. It follows the many hijinks and misadventures of four irreverent grade-schoolers in the quiet town of South Park, Colorado.

Though the series gave birth to a prolific franchise with a movie, some video games, and plenty of shorts and specials, there’s just no beating the original. There aren’t many shows currently on television as unafraid to mock even the most remote corners of the political spectrum as South Park. Mix that edgy sense of humor with a fun ensemble of characters and the writers’ seemingly infinite imagination, and you get an all-timer.

8 ‘M*A*S*H’ (1972 – 1983)

Created by Larry Gelbart

Set during the Korean War, Robert Altman‘s M*A*S*H is still remembered as one of the funniest war comedy movies of all time. Even then, there are those who would argue that the series of the same title that spun off from the movie is even better and funnier. Created by Larry Gelbart, it’s about the staff of an Army hospital in the Korean War, who find that laughter is the ideal way to deal with their many ordeals.

There are definitely some jokes in M*A*S*H that feel a bit dated, which is to be expected from a show that ended over forty years ago. However, its anti-war themes and hilarious cast are timeless, critiquing war and its effects in ways both hilarious and sensitive. Instead of just focusing on those themes, though, the show is also a loving portrait of what it feels to be deployed away from home.

7 ‘Parks and Recreation’ (2009 – 2005)

Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur

One of the most popular sitcoms of the 21st century, Parks and Recreation follows the absurd antics of an Indiana town’s public officials as they fulfill many a mundane task to make their city a better place. Far from being just a simple sitcom, however, the show also satirizes public service and celebrates the power of what a few citizens can achieve together.

Thanks to a star-studded cast and a varied ensemble of equally likable characters, Parks and Rec‘s seven seasons are not just easy, but addictive to binge. Its use of mockumentary tropes gives it the perfect foundation to tell some of the funniest and most memorable stories the genre has ever been treated to, all in service of some really clever satire.

6 ‘The Boys’ (2019 – )

Created by Eric Kripke

What would the world — the real world, no filters — be like if superheroes were real? This is what The Boys is bold enough to ask, and the result is a chaotic mess of blood, guts, sex, and some of the weirdest superpowers the genre has ever seen. Based on Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson‘s comic book of the same title, it’s about a group of vigilantes who set out to kill corrupt superheroes who abuse their powers.

The show is admittedly much more of a darkly-humorous drama than it is an outright comedy, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that its use of satire is absolutely brilliant. Poking fun at culture wars, contemporary society, the entertainment industry, and all sorts of other concepts and organizations, The Boys is never afraid to get dirty with its commentary. Frankly, fans wouldn’t have it any other way.

5 ‘Atlanta’ (2016 – 2022)

Created by Donald Glover

Donald Glover is nothing short of one of the most entertaining comedic minds currently working on television. For proof, one needn’t look any further than Atlanta. In it, Earn (Glover) and his cousin Alfred (Brian Tyree Henry) try to make their way through Atlanta’s rap scene, coming face-to-face with many social, political, and economic issues on the way.

The show is less concerned with telling a linear narrative, and more focused on a sort of surreal structure that’s similar to short stories, as opposed to a typical show’s progression. This offbeat tone also comes across in the series’ satire. Watching it make jokes at the expense of contemporary issues of race, class, and politics is an absolute delight, while the stories’ more dramatic moments offer plenty of hard-hitting scenes and food for thought.

Watch on Hulu

4 ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ (2005 – )

Created by Rob McElhenney

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia needs no introduction. This dark-comedy sitcom is about five friends with big egos and small brains, who are the proprietors of an Irish pub in Philly. From a star-studded cast featuring the likes of Charlie Day and Danny DeVito, to some of the funniest episodes any sitcom fan could ever wish for, It’s Always Sunny feels impossible to dislike.

The show has been running for sixteen seasons (and counting) over the course of nearly twenty years. As such, it’s had plenty of time to satirize all sorts of elements of modern American society — from Hollywood to gun control to racism. Astonishingly, pretty much all of its satirical elements land every single time.

3 ‘The Office’ (2005 – 2013)

Developed by Greg Daniels

The Office is another seminal sitcom that needs no introduction, being pretty widely regarded as the show that popularized the mockumentary sitcom genre for years to come. Even still, there’s no beating the trendsetter. Based on Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant‘s British version of The Office, it’s a mockumentary about a group of typical office workers in a Pennsylvania paper company.

Who knew that a workplace could be home to such inappropriate behavior, touching romantic relationships, and absurdly funny situations? The show makes fun of workplace culture in a way that actually makes it seem fun, aided by a huge ensemble of vibrant and endearing characters played by some of the funniest actors in the industry. Those searching for a good satire TV show that will last them a long time needn’t look further than this.

2 ‘BoJack Horseman’ (2014 – 2020)

Created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg

If one could time-travel to 2013 and tell a random person that an adult animation about a washed-up actor who’s also a talking horse would one day prove to be one of the most mature, complex, and hilarious dramedies in television history, one would probably be deemed crazy. And yet, there is BoJack Horseman, about precisely that kind of character. Living in Hollywood years after his career took a nosedive, BoJack’s life suddenly changes when he gets someone to ghostwrite his memoirs to try and get his career back on track.

BoJack Horseman is usually irresistibly funny, full of incisive critiques of Hollywood and modern American culture in general. What really makes it stand out, however, is its ability to get really dark, delving deeply and sensitively into issues of addiction and mental health in ways that very few shows are able to nail so flawlessly.

1 ‘Succession’ (2018 – 2023)

Created by Jesse Armstrong

Over the course of its tremendous, nearly perfect four-season run, Succession saw many words ascribed to its description. Shakespearean, heartbreaking, and incredibly dramatic were a few. Darkly funny, incisive, and unashamed were a few others. All of that and more is true about this family dramedy about the Roys, a wealthy dynasty known for controlling the biggest media and entertainment company in the world.

The show dismantles themes of power and control in a bleak satire of politics, wealth, and the media. But while the series’ use of satire is always in service of juicy dramatic elements, that doesn’t make those humorous moments any less smart or hilarious. Culminating in one of the most emotional series finales in TV history, this is a show whose mixture of jokes, tears, and cringe makes it absolutely unforgettable.

NEXT:The Best Sitcoms of All Time, Ranked