HBO built its prestige television reputation on delivering consistently well-written and acted programs, and that effort wasn’t limited to its dramas. The premium cable network treated its comedies with the same care, building stories starring nuanced characters with relatable motivations. Of course, a story and its characters are only as good as the acting that brings them to life.
Whether the sitcom was broadly comedic or sharp and witty, the quality of acting in HBO sitcoms raised the bar for other networks. The following HBO sitcoms remain some of the most widely loved comedy series on television, each featuring fantastic acting to set them apart from other comedies. With so many great shows to revisit, we’ll look back at the 10 best HBO sitcoms with great acting.
10
‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ (2000–2024)
In Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David proves that although misery will tolerate company, it doesn’t actually love it. Following a fictionalized version of Seinfeld co-creator Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm chronicles how Larry navigates Hollywood in his own unique way. Each episode will see Larry make a normal social encounter uncomfortable with ease, making him the king of cringe.
The improvisational nature of Curb Your Enthusiasm could only be possible if each actor knew their character so well that they could respond to anything without breaking. Throughout the many years of the show, actors came in to play versions of themselves, which can be difficult without veering into the direction of performing as a caricature instead of a real person. Curb Your Enthusiasm could be tense and uncomfortable, but because of the acting, it was never a broad parody of itself.
9
‘Flight of the Conchords’ (2007–2009)
Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie hit New York City with dreams of musical stardom in Flight of the Conchords. Jemaine and Bret play fictional versions of themselves as they search for gigs to promote their band. Between impromptu musical numbers, the duo will get advice from their clueless band manager, Murray (Rhys Darby), and bask in the stardom of their number one (and only) fan, Mel (Kristen Schaal).
When Flight of the Conchords debuted, it felt like a breath of fresh air, a comedy unlike anything that had been seen before it. Sure, the musical numbers were a unique way to break the fourth wall and give the show a signature plot device, but there was more at play than that. The deadpan delivery of the performers contrasted with the surreal nature of the scenes, but it also allowed for unexpected moments of tenderness with a precise understanding of where the emotional beats were in a scene.
8
‘Vice Principals’ (2016–2017)
The high-stakes world of high school administration gets the show it deserves in Vice Principals. Vice Principals Neal Gamby (Danny McBride) and Lee Russell (Walton Goggins) have long been sworn enemies, but when the principal position at North Jackson High opens up, their feud reaches new heights. However, when neither receives the coveted promotion, a truce must be called to destroy the enemy of their enemy.
McBride and Goggins have a natural chemistry that makes any of their scenes look more like play than work, even as they barrage one another with an endlessly creative string of profanities. As cartoonish as both men first appear, their insecurities, weaknesses, and regrets reveal three-dimensional characters the audience can get behind. The supporting cast creates a fully fleshed-out world for Gamby and Russell to create chaos in, with notable contributions from Edi Patterson and Georgia King as teachers of North Jackson who offer support to Gamby in surprising ways.
7
‘Sex and the City’ (1998–2004)
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It would be impossible to look back at HBO comedies and not mention Sex and the City. One of the original HBO comedies to establish the cable network as a brand of excellence, Sex and the City followed Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), a columnist living in New York City. Along with her lifelong friends Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte (Kristin Davis), and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), Carrie would look for love and document her findings for everyone to read.
Sex and the City didn’t source its humor from rapid-fire jokes thrown back and forth across a cosmopolitan-littered table, instead relying on the relationship between the quartet of women. Sex and the City struck a nerve with viewers because the conversations were more honest than previously seen on TV, and the stars ingratiated themselves by being recognizable and relatable personalities. Viewers were able to root for Carrie to find love because she was a real person, and even though she was funny, she was more than a vessel to deliver jokes from.
6
‘The Comeback’ (2005–2014)
Valerie Cherish (Lisa Kudrow) will do anything to reclaim her former glory as a TV star in The Comeback. The mockumentary comedy chronicles the hopeful return of former sitcom actress Valerie as she allows a camera crew to film her attempt to land a new show. She’ll soon rethink her decision to involve a documentary crew as she faces new forms of humiliation that she chooses to smile through if it means she can be on TV once again.
Kudrow does some of the best work of her career as Valerie, delivering a performance that manages to be simultaneously funny and heartbreaking at the same time. The Comeback is an excellent satire of a fame-at-any-cost mentality that has lost none of its relevance 20 years after its premiere. Perhaps that’s why a third season has been announced to catch viewers up on what Valerie has been doing since the second season ended in 2014.
5
‘Silicon Valley’ (2014–2019)
The world of computer engineering receives a satirical examination in the HBO comedy Silicon Valley. Awkward software engineer Richard Hendricks (Thomas Middleditch) achieves a career-making milestone when he creates a revolutionary compression algorithm. However, Richard will soon learn that he’ll need help from his eclectic group of friends and fellow coders if he hopes to navigate the cutthroat business of tech that is less dependent on talent than it is ego and pettiness.
Throughout the six seasons of Silicon Valley, fans grew invested in the future of Richard’s company, Pied Piper, thanks to the unique chemistry of the cast. Jokes largely hit due to the audience anticipating how a certain character would react to information, knowing each person’s preferences or dislikes based on the detailed work the actor put into creating them. Silicon Valley had the fortune of a talented cast that could create a memorable scene no matter which actors were paired together (but it helped to have Zach Woods as Jared around as much as possible).
4
‘The Righteous Gemstones’ (2019–2025)
A family of televangelists asks their followers to do as they say and not as they do in The Righteous Gemstones. The Gemstone family was once considered the top authority in the business of selling faith, but personal scandals threaten to erode their empire from within. When the heir-apparent Jesse (Danny McBride) is caught in a blackmail ploy, he’ll have to rely on siblings Kelvin (Adam DeVine) and Judy (Edi Patterson) for chaotic help.
McBride’s partnership with HBO has yielded some fantastic work from the comedic actor and creator, and The Righteous Gemstones is his best work so far. Although the Gemstone siblings are larger than life and often absurd characters, they became convincingly authentic living people who moved in an alternate world where they were able to exist. Add to that a surprising amount of heart and scene-stealing performances from characters like Walton Goggins’ Baby Billy Freeman, and The Righteous Gemstones quickly became a masterwork of comedic excess.
3
‘Veep’ (2012–2019)
The office of the Vice President is a coveted position in the U.S. Government, but for Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), it feels like a consolation prize in Veep. After a failed bid to become President, Selina accepts the role as Vice President, but she languishes in an ineffectual position. Through shifting political allegiances and nearly daily PR disasters, Selina smiles for the cameras while planning her next steps to the Oval Office.
Veep runs as a solid joke machine, a frequent barrage of barbed one-liners creating a tone and pace most similar to a network sitcom. The cast is able to impressively deliver those jokes and maintain a sense of grounded realism in a tightrope act that continues until Veep’s surprising and fittingly downbeat series finale. The characters in Veep were rarely likable in the traditional sense, but their laugh-out-loud performances made any moral judgements an irrelevant point.
2
‘The Larry Sanders Show’ (1992–1998)
Viewers get a peek into how a late-night television show is made in The Larry Sanders Show. The comedy follows fictional late-night king Larry Sanders (Garry Shandling) as he makes small talk with celebrities on and off camera. When Larry is frequently overwhelmed by a combination of insecurity and narcissism, he can always rely on sidekick Hank (Jeffrey Tambor) and producer Arthur (Rip Torn) to say the right thing to momentarily calm him down.
Like some of the greatest dramas on HBO, The Larry Sanders Show was about what the characters weren’t saying in a scene. On the surface, they were friendly, witty, and accommodating, but the momentary pauses or a shift of the eyes told a different story about what someone in a scene wanted without being able to ask for it. Full, separate conversations happened wordlessly between Larry and Arthur while talking about something else, and that’s one aspect among many of what makes The Larry Sanders Show one of the greatest comedies ever made.
1
‘Barry’ (2018–2023)
In Barry, a hitman faces life-or-death situations all the time, but what really makes his heart beat is performing in black box theaters. When Barry (Bill Hader), a contract killer, is sent on a hit in Los Angeles, he is unexpectedly bitten by the acting bug. Barry wishes to start a new life pursuing his dream, but the business of killing for money is not one that’s easy to walk away from.
Barry started with a straightforward premise that gave audiences a mixture of comedy and crime with an occasional dark streak for morbid fun. As the show progressed, though, the darkness crept into the series to a degree that was impossible to ignore, and the performances that were once predominantly humorous took on a different meaning. It was a satisfying and frequently harrowing evolution of each major player, all made possible by exceptional acting and comic timing.
Barry
- Release Date
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2018 – 2022
- Network
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HBO Max
