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Netflix’s conflict-heavy anthology series BeefFrom creator Lee Sung Jin, it just finished its second season, which saw wealthy country club manager Oscar Isaac, played by Kelly Spenny and Charles Melton, hook up with the help of Carey Mulligan. It followed a road-rage scenario in the first season involving Steven Yeun and Ali Wong that escalated to operatic levels of chaos before the episode’s run ended. All dramatic, but funny! There’s nothing wrong with a little conflict as long as it’s happening with other people.
Dead to Me (2019 – 2022)
Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini make an all-time-great TV duo in this dark, twisty comedy, united by tragedy and lies. Applegate is Jane Harding, a realtor whose husband is killed in a hit-and-run incident; She doesn’t behave well, and Cardellini takes some inspiration from Judy, who maintains a cheerful disposition after her fiance Steve dies of a heart attack – easier to do since Steve is still secretly alive. And then we find out that Judy has a storage unit with a car that looks suspiciously like the car that killed Jane’s husband — and that’s all just part of the first episode. The show only gets wilder from there—like BeefBut sneakier and more passive-aggressive. flow Dead to Me On Netflix.
The Other Black Girl (2023)
Nella Rogers is an editorial assistant at (fictional) Wagner Books, a major publisher in NYC. She is also the only black woman working for the company, and is initially thrilled when Hazel-May McCall (Ashley Murray) is hired as a fellow editorial assistant and another black girl. At first the quiet Nella and the outspoken Hazel bond, but Nella starts receiving threatening notes and Hazel’s advice lands her in trouble. Is this a comedy show about two black women who can’t work together without conflict and competition? Or is there a deeper secret? (That’s quite another, FYI). flow The Other Black Girl on Disney+ And Hulu.
bad sisters (2022 – 2024)
A pitch-perfect (and pitch-dark) comedy, an Irish import bad sisters Earned several well-deserved Emmy nominations in its first year. Writer and co-creator Sharon Horgan leads the cast as Eva Garvey, the eldest of five sisters, including Grace (Anne-Marie Duff), who is married to an abusive and lonely husband, John Paul. When a friend dies under suspicious circumstances, down-on-his-luck insurance investigator Tom (Brian Gleeson) starts poking his nose into things. We know the sisters definitely wanted John Paul dead, but did they actually do the deed? Tom’s family business will go under if he has to pay out on the life insurance policy, so he’s motivated to pin the (potential) crime on at least one woman. flow bad sisters on Apple TV.
White lotus (2021 — )
Another darkly comic, season-long anthology series, parallels between our subject and White lotus became stronger in its second season BeefWhich finds a couple of managers of a luxury country club in an ever-escalating conflict with help. The opening episodes of Mike White’s show, meanwhile, begin with a flash forward to the dire consequences that at least some of the holidaymakers will face as they travel to the White Lotus Resort of the title (each season is a different storyline and location, with an occasional recurring character). The first season’s manager, Murray Bartlett’s Armand, makes it clear to the staff that the super-rich guests are little more than overgrown children, and need to be tied down as such. At these very fancy resorts, where people have paid absurd amounts of money to be pampered, competitiveness and general toxicity ensure that everyone will have a miserable time, no matter the price. like Beef, White lotus Each outing attracts A-list talent. flow White lotus on HBO Max.
Your friends and neighbors (2025 – )
in Your friends and neighborsJon Hamm plays Andrew “Coop” Cooper, a recently divorced, recently unemployed New York hedge fund manager. In an attempt to maintain the illusion that nothing has changed in his life, he breaks into the homes of his wealthy neighbors and begins stealing and selling their belongings, unwittingly capturing their secrets as well. This dark comedy isn’t exactly about how hard it is to be a once-rich white guy, but it’s also not a pointed lesson in the decline of toxic masculinity. Coop is an insider forced into the role of an outsider (playing an insider), which gives him a unique perspective on the artificiality at the heart of life that rests on affluent wealth. flow Your friends and neighbors on Apple TV.
Barry (2018 – 2023)
Bill Hader won several Emmys for his performance as Barry Berkman, a depressed and anxious hitman who finds a love of acting that leads him to find a life beyond killing people, even though he’s good at it, and he keeps pulling back. Barry’s mentor and father is an on-stage corporator looking to rebuild his life. Winkler, who also won an Emmy here), who completely supports Barry—until he learns of his protégé’s double life. flow Barry on HBO Max.
Fargo (2014 – 2024)
This season-by-season anthology crime drama finds us in the Midwest, mostly, mixing crime drama, small-town mysteries, and a healthy dose of dark humor (if you’re familiar with the Cohen Brothers movie that inspired the show, you’ll know exactly what that means). The quirky characters in the shifting cast are sometimes lovable, sometimes reprehensible, but they’re consistently fascinating – as BeefThere’s a sense that the characters will get what’s coming to them, while also making room for moments of surprising grace. flow Fargo Hulu is.
What do you think so far?
How to get to Paradise from Belfast (2026 – )
How to get to heaven comes from an Irish playwright and Dairy Girls Producer Lisa McGee, though that earlier and justifiably beloved show will modestly prepare you for the latest. Three high school friends from Belfast reunite after learning that their fourth bestie has died unexpectedly—except she hasn’t, given the mixed blessing that they all have secrets they were hoping to bury. Now they set out to investigate a possible-murder mystery and soon find themselves way Over their heads and into a complex web of lies, secrets and old revenge. The tone is all over the place in a way that somehow works, and beneath all the chaos is a beating heart. flow How to get to Paradise from Belfast On Netflix.
I hate Suzy (2020 – 2022)
Popstar-turned-actress Suzy Pickles (Billie Piper) has just been hired for a new Disney series, when in her debut episode I hate SuzyWorst day of her career: A compromising phone hack exposes her to the world, literally and figuratively. There is little support at home given that the prominent penis in some pictures is not her husband’s. Lucy Prebble and Piper resume a collaboration that had begun The Secret Diary of a Call Girl and a highly acclaimed play effect For this dark, funny show about a woman on the verge of breakdown. Piper is phenomenal, as always, playing a character whose life is very similar to her own—the whole world is out to get her, but early fame has left her both deeply vulnerable and wildly self-involved. flow I hate Suzy on HBO Max.
No good deed (2024)
I’m chalking this up mostly to Lisa Kudrow, but there’s a similar vein of dark comedy here—plus, No good deed A beautiful show that many have missed. The setup sounds like a juicy crime thriller: Kudrow is retired pianist Lydia; Ray Romano has her husband Paul. Both are in dire financial straits and need to reluctantly sell their home seems Too daunting for potential buyers—and also concealing a mystery involving a death a few years ago. For all that, it’s a comedy, starring Linda Cardellini, Luke Wilson, Otti Fagbenle and Teyonah Parris. flow No good deed On Netflix.
