50 Best Comedy TV Shows on Amazon Prime Video Right Now

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LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 23: Actor/writer Louis CK accepts Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series award for ‘Louie’ onstage during the 64th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on September 23, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) /

10. Louie

Release Year: 2010

Seasons: 5

Creator: Louis C.K.

Starring: Louis C.K.

Louis C.K.’s name has come up more than a few times within this list, whether as a featured performer, a writer, or a producer. But the series that broke him through to the mainstream and earned him widespread notability is, without question, FX’s Louie.

The comedian’s eponymous black dramedy set the tone for comedies to plot a little more loosely and go a bit more dark and contemplative, from HBO’s Girls to Comedy Central’s Broad City and others in between. Louie follows the titular main character throughout his everyday life and explores a variety of subjects he encounters, such as divorce, sex, and Catholic guilt.

Unlike most comedy series on television, Louie doesn’t have a fixed cast or format, rather opting for a loose structure of one-off stories and segments of stand-up comedy performances relevant to the episode’s plot. It’s this kind of comedy pioneering that earns Louis C.K. praise and Emmy awards and makes Louie required viewing for any fan of comedy.