The world was blown away in 2018 when Channel 4 aired their most successful comedy series sinceFather Ted. Created byLisa McGee,Derry Girlsfollows a group of friends, four Irish girls and one English boy, who attempt to have fun and live their lives all under the backdrop of the tail end of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Though the historical background of the program is bleak and violent, the show finds a way to uplift us all with these kids' wacky antics, their grandfather’s comical remarks, and Sister Michael’s annoyed looks. If you, like many, are sad to see the show come to a close after only its third season, check out this list of delightful, dark, and hilarious shows that capture the ups and downs of coming of age in a complicated world.
Related:‘Derry Girls’ Season 3 Trailer Reveals One Last Adventure
On My Block
When Netflix first airedOn My Blockin 2017, critics were wowed by the show’s realism as well as its humor. LikeDerry Girls, the show follows a group of teenagers growing up in troubled circumstances. The show tells the story of four friends who struggle to avoid gang violence as they grow up in Freeridge, a violent Los Angeles neighborhood. Even though the show deals with life-threatening circumstances and the effects that can have on their own dynamics, the show never loses its sense of humor. Their bleak backgrounds are time and again overshadowed by Ruby’s wit, Jamal’s eccentricities, and even Cesar’s sentimentality. In the time betweenDerry Girl’s end and theOn My Blockspinoff premiere,Freeridge, check out this delightful show!
The Inbetweeners
BeforeDerry Girlsmade us roll over laughing, this British comedy opened the door for laugh-out-loud and often crass humor about being a teenager.The Inbetweenersfollows the misadventures Simon Bird, a student who has just transferred to Rudge Park Comprehensive from a private school. He immediately makes friends with three vulgar outcast teenage boys and the four go from one social failure to the next. Just like the cast ofDerry Girls, these boys often do things that make you want to turn around and cringe, but at the end of the day, you can’t help but love them for having the courage to go for what they want, no matter how superficial or tasteless. If you finishDerry Girlsand want to watch a show with a little more testosterone, check outThe Inbetweeners.
Sex Education
This Netflix comedy has not only made us laugh, but it has created a greater conversation about sex and identity in adolescents.Sex Educationfollows Otis, a precocious young boy who is often embarrassed by his sex therapist mother (Gillian Anderson). Though he is ambivalent towards sex, he starts a sex therapy business at the behest of a confident but troubled girl, Maeve.Sex Educationfinds humor in even the most embarrassing moments of teen life. The series highlights issues like asexuality, assault, and disabilities in a really smart and innovative way. It is rare to find a show that handles issues as serious and underrepresented as these with grace as well as uproarious comedy. With great performances from Gillian Anderson,Asa Butterfield, andEmma Mackey, there’s no way you won’t enjoy the show.
Related:Top 5 Episodes of ‘Derry Girls’ (So Far)
The End of the F***ing World
Though many have decried Netflix for canceling this show after only two seasons, in the time thatThe End of the Fing Worldwas on, it gained a loyal audience and told a very different kind of teen story. The show follows James, a 17-year-old boy who believes he is a psychopath. He decides that it is time that he finally kills someone and settles on Alyssa, a mouthy, rebellious 17-year-old classmate with issues of her own. She, however, proposes they run away together and a hilariously dark adventure begins. It’s hard to see how romance and nihilism can go together butThe End of the Fing Worlddoes it beautifully. Just likeDerry Girlsfinds humor in an IRA bomb threat, this series shows how even a psychopathic teenager’s endeavors can be endearing and hilarious.
Lady Dynamite
This darkly hilarious show could only be made by someone as weird and charming asMaria Bamford.Lady Dynamitetells the story of a fictionalized version of Bamford as she recounts her troubles with love, her career, and her recent mental breakdown brought on by her Bipolar disorder. Though it did not get a huge audience, the show was an incredibly successful and insightful look at what it means to live with mental illness. It is also a testament to Bamford’s own resilience in the face of the near end of her career and her succumbing to despair. Not only that, but the show is like no other. It’s odd tone, wacky plot lines, and insane guest stars make it one of the most memorable shows of the decade.
This Irish show was brought to the world by none other thanChris O’Dowd. Based on his own childhood experiences,Moone Boyfollows 12-year-old Martin Moone as he navigates life in his small Irish town along with his imaginary friend, Sean Murphy (Chris O’Dowd). It makes for a great companion toDerry Girlsbecause of its charming portrait of 20th Century Ireland. O’Dowd lets us experience what it meant to be Irish in the 1980s and 1990s and see their country go to the World Cup as well as watch the Berlin Wall fall. It’s an incredibly charming portrait of Irish culture as well as a hilarious take on growing up.
Absolutely Fabulous
The last entry on our list, this uproarious and decades-spanning British comedy showed the world that no matter how much you abhor a character’s actions and demeanor, there are some people you just can’t help but love.Absolutely Fabuloustells the story of Edina “Eddie” Monsoon (Jennifer Saunders) and Patricia “Patsy” Stone (Joanna Lumley), a pair of high-powered career women on the London fashion scene. The two often sell out their friends and ignore the needs of their family, but their one saving grace is they always stick together. Their love for each other never falters even as they sink lower and lower. If you loved the comical, if morally dubious, friend dynamic ofDerry Girls,you will loveAbsolutely Fabulous.
