Apple TV has been a streaming service for less than a decade, but it has already built a reputation as one of the more consistent platforms for quality original shows, with a slate that spans science fiction, legal drama and period pieces. Comedy, according to a new ranked list of the service's ten best comedies, is where the platform has particularly thrived. The ranking notes that the ten picks do not cover everything Apple TV has to offer — "Mythic Quest" and "Palm Royale" were left out — and that the selected shows share little beyond their ability to draw laughs and their originality, with some described as underrated.
At No. 1 is "Widow's Bay," described as the service's latest hit and, in the ranking's view, easily its best comedy. The series was a long-time passion project for writer Katie Dippold, who previously wrote on "Parks & Recreation." It follows Tom (Matthew Rhys), the optimistic mayor of a remote New England island whose efforts to attract tourists bring him up against centuries of local folklore, curses and horror. The ranking credits Hiro Murai's directing and writing it calls both thematically rich and funny, and notes that the show has drawn approval from Guillermo del Toro. Its single season features performances from Rhys, Stephen Root and Betty Gilpin.
No. 2 is "Dickinson," which the ranking says remains one of the platform's most consistently strong comedies despite being a hard sell early in Apple TV's history. Hailee Steinfeld plays the poet, who is shown languishing in obscurity while conducting an affair with her best friend Sue (Ella Hunt), who is engaged to Emily's brother Austin (Adrian Blake Enscoe). The series mixes sitcom framing with heavier themes of death, sexuality, love and women's rights, and has characters speak in modern language, including encounters with figures such as Edgar Allan Poe (Nick Kroll), Sylvia Plath (Chloe Fineman) and Henry David Thoreau (John Mulaney).
No. 3 is "Schmigadoon!," which debuted in 2021 and stars Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key as a combative couple who become trapped in a town modeled on the Golden Age of musicals after getting lost on a backpacking trip. The show was canceled after two seasons, but the ranking points to its later life on Broadway, where it swept the 2026 Tony Awards, as a sign that more viewers may discover the television version. Its cast includes theater veterans and comedy figures such as Jane Krakowski, Alan Cumming and Ariana DeBose.
No. 4 is "The Afterparty," a murder-mystery series created by one half of the Phil Lord and Chris Miller filmmaking duo. Detective Danner (Tiffany Haddish) asks suspects to recount the night of the crime in the style of different film genres, with the two seasons drawing on film noir, action thriller, romantic comedy and period piece. The first season takes place at a high school reunion afterparty at a wealthy alumnus' mansion, while the second centers on a wedding that ends with the groom dead. The ranking calls its structure airtight and notes that Apple TV canceled it after two seasons.
No. 5 is "Loot," built around Maya Rudolph as Molly, a woman who divorces her tech billionaire husband and becomes the third wealthiest woman in the world while navigating the charity she co-founded. The ranking credits Rudolph's charisma and characterization as the engine of the show, which it describes as settling into a light-hearted tone after its first season and ranking among Apple TV's easiest comedies to watch.
No. 6 is "The Studio," starring Seth Rogen as Matt Remick, a newly appointed studio head whose wish to make artistic cinema clashes with the demands of the executive suite. The cast includes Ike Barinholtz and Kathryn Hahn, and the ranking highlights guest appearances by Martin Scorsese, Zoë Kravitz and Jean Smart as a source of some of the biggest laughs. It describes the series as a sharp satire of Hollywood conventions in the vein of fast-paced comedies such as "Veep" and "30 Rock."
No. 7 is "Stick," which premiered in 2025 with Owen Wilson as Pryce, a retired golf star who finds new purpose mentoring a young prodigy played by Peter Dager. The ranking notes that any Apple TV sports comedy exists in the shadow of "Ted Lasso," but argues that "Stick" has established its own charm in one season. Its supporting cast includes Marc Maron, Judy Greer and Timothy Olyphant, with Rhea Seehorn joining for the upcoming second season. The ranking also compares it favorably to Netflix's "The Hawk," which stars Will Ferrell as a washed-up golf star.
No. 8 is "Shrinking," from "Ted Lasso" co-creator Bill Lawrence along with Jason Segel and Brett Goldstein. Segel plays Jimmy, a grieving therapist who sets aside the usual boundaries between doctor and patient by inserting himself into his clients' lives. The ranking points to the chemistry among the cast, which includes Jessica Williams and Harrison Ford as fellow therapists and Lukita Maxwell as Jimmy's teenage daughter, and notes that the upcoming fourth season is expected to bring significant changes to the story.
No. 9 is "Platonic," which reunites Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne, previously paired as a married couple in the "Neighbors" films. Byrne plays Sylvia, a stay-at-home mother who reconnects with her childhood best friend Will (Rogen) after learning of his divorce, setting off questions about adult friendship, platonic love and relationship dynamics. The ranking credits the show with resisting the easy route of having the friends secretly fall for each other, and notes it has already been renewed for a third season.
No. 10 is "Ted Lasso," the sports comedy starring Jason Sudeikis as an American football coach recruited to turn around the struggling A.F.C. Richmond. Unbeknownst to him, the club's new owner, Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham), hired him as an act of sabotage against the team built by her unfaithful ex-husband Rupert (Anthony Head). The ranking calls the first two seasons near-perfect television storytelling and argues that, after its recent seasons, the show still has something to prove.
Sources: TVLine.