14 Hilarious British Comedies You Can Binge Right Now

Peter Capaldi and the cast of “The Thick of It”. (Photo: BBC)

The Thick of It

This dark political comedy comes from the mind of Armando Iannuci – otherwise known as the man who gave America Veep. If you’d like to see a show that similarly dismantles the modern British government, The Thick of It is for you. The show follows the inner workings of the fictional Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship, highlighting the struggles and conflicts between a variety of government parties. Politicians, party spin doctors, civil servants and the media are all fair game, and skewered regularly.

The Thick of It is breathtakingly cynical and incredibly fun to watch. But be prepared: It’s much, much darker than Veep, and you shouldn’t expect any of the characters to be lovable goofballs. The highlight of the series is current Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi’s incredible turn as foul-mouthed spin doctor Malcolm Tucker. If you’ve only ever seen Capaldi on Doctor Who, you may be surprised by this performance, which is furiously angry, and punctuated by an almost endless stream of profanity.  Capaldi is joined by a very funny ensemble that includes Rebecca Front, James Smith, Joanna Scanlan, Chris Addison, Roger Allam, Olivia Poulet, and more.

You may feel a little bit lost occasionally if you don’t know that much about how the British parliamentary system works, or who some of the major political players in the UK were around 2007 or so. But you’ll still get most of the jokes – and it’s probably a far more accurate representation of Britain’s political system than House of Cards ever was.

Number of Seasons: 4

Where to Watch: Hulu