Entertainment
10 Greatest Action Comedy Shows of All Time
When you put action and comedy together, it’s entertainment magic for a TV show. You get a nice mix of intensity with high-flying fight and car chase scenes combined with funny moments to lighten the mood. It’s a delicate balance that not every show gets right.
The best action comedy shows of all time, including one series that dates back to the ’80s and plenty of others from the 21st century, toe the line between the two genres wonderfully. They keep you engaged without feeling exhausted after watching only fight scenes with no reprieve. A healthy dose of laughter goes a long way to break up the intensity.
10
‘The Tick’ (2016–2019)
The second live-action series based on the comic-book character, alongside the 2001 series, The Tick is one of the Prime Video shows fans felt were canceled too soon. The superhero comedy follows the invulnerable superhero, played by Peter Serafinowicz, as he fights crime in his city alongside his nervous sidekick Arthur (Griffin Newman).
The buddy dynamic between these two men and the challenges they face trying to take down the supervillain The Terror (Jackie Early Haley) keeps things exciting. The Tick received rave reviews, praised for both the high-octane action and the tongue-in-cheek humor. It’s a great balance for a show that didn’t get enough viewers to keep going, even inspiring a fan campaign to bring it back after cancellation.
When you have a show where one of the main villains is a maniacal clown named Sweet Tooth voiced by Will Arnett (played by Joe Seanoa) and another (in Season 1) is Thomas Haden Church playing a former mall cop turned power-tripping agent, how could it not be funny? Twisted Metal leans heavily into humor through its story set in a post-apocalyptic world. John Doe (Anthony Mackie) is a delivery driver using his trusty car to travel through dangerous terrain and transport items back and forth among communities. When he meets Quiet (Stephanie Beatriz) and community leader Raven (Neve Campbell) gives him a highly dangerous assignment with the promise of entry into her community if he succeeds, the challenge is too tempting to pass up.
Twisted Metal, one of the most underrated comedy shows of the 2020s so far, takes you on a wild ride, literally, though high-speed car chases and epic fight scenes among an eclectic mix of eccentric characters. With the addition of Anthony Carrigan as the villain Calypso in Season 2, it ups the ante to more dangerous, terrifying, and comical levels. The series, based on the Sony Interactive Entertainment vehicular combat video game franchise, wonderfully blends action with comedy.
8
‘Ash vs Evil Dead’ (2015–2018)
Decades after the Evil Dead franchise movies, Bruce Campbell returns to reprise his role as Ash Williams in Ash vs Evil Dead. The story takes place 30 years after the events of 1992’s Army of Darkness, Bruce is now working as a stock boy in a convenience store. His life has taken a turn as he’s broke and alone. But he has the chance to be a hero again when the Evil Dead rises, and it’s up to him to save humanity…again.
Ash vs Evil Dead is a horror comedy, but there’s plenty of action to mix things up amidst the funny and scary moments. The series lasted for three seasons, and it was filled with nostalgia for fans of the franchise, earning an almost perfect Rotten Tomatoes critics score. Campbell is a horror icon, and having him return as an older, messier version of himself alongside quirky new friends reminds you of why the films were so good in the first place. Another level of fun is added to the series with the use of old-school practical effects instead of computer graphics.
7
‘MacGyver’ (1985–1992)
MacGyver is one of those action adventure series that is unintentionally funny in many ways. The title character, played by Richard Dean Anderson, is a secret agent who can fashion just about anything into a weapon or a tool to solve a problem. This is thanks to his vast scientific knowledge. But what he does at times is so far-fetched, it’s no wonder the concept became fodder for a Saturday Night Live sketch called “MacGruber,” which ended up turning into movies and a parody show as well.
Falling more into campy than traditional comedy territory, MacGyver made you laugh because it took itself seriously when some of the things MacGyver did were far from believable. You had no choice but to suspend belief and just go with it. A man using a Swiss Army knife, duct tape, and absurd science can’t possibly be taken seriously. But was it entertaining? Absolutely.
6
‘Peacemaker’ (2022–2025)
John Cena went from pro wrestling to acting, and his track record in the latter has been pretty good so far. But arguably no project is as big as Peacemaker, where he plays the title character from the DC Extended Universe, a vigilante who ironically believes that the only way to achieve peace is through violence.
He’s obnoxious and aggressive, showrunner James Gunn referring to him bluntly as a “piece of s**t” and the “world’s biggest douchebag.” Cena knows how to play the heel, so to speak, and he does it so well in this superhero series, bringing a comedic flare to even the most violent scenes. Ending after two seasons, Peacemaker is a superhero show even non-superhero fans can get behind.
5
‘Barry’ (2018–2023)
Bill Hader proved his comedic chops in Saturday Night Live, and he carried that talent over to Barry, a tragicomedy crime series that combines heavy subject matter with intentional humor. He’s the title character, a depressed former marine and veteran who works as a hitman but yearns for more from life. He stumbles upon an acting class and finds a hidden passion. Despite finally finding a sense of purpose, however, Barry’s other job is catching up to him. And keeping his past a secret from his new friends isn’t going to be easy.
The very premise of Barry, one of the funniest HBO shows of all time, is hilarious. A hitman travels to Los Angeles to take out a target and ends up in a class of misfits hoping to fulfill their dreams of becoming an actor? It sounds so ludicrous, yet it works. There’s a softness and vulnerability to the character that’s juxtaposed by the violent things he does. As Barry interacts with others outside his usual realm, the messiness of life combined with the innocence of others he meets clash in the best possible way.
4
‘Chuck’ (2007–2012)
The show that made Zachary Levi a star. He plays Chuck Bartowski in Chuck, a computer service expert at a consumer electronics chain store who took this low-level job after being expelled from Stanford on false charges. He’s stagnant in his life until his former roommate Bryce (Matthew Bomer), who now works as a CIA agent, steals the CIA and NSA database and the only remaining copy accidentally gets downloaded to Chuck’s brain via subliminal encoding. Suddenly, Chuck becomes a crucial asset, and the beautiful CIA officer Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) is sent to investigate and use him to thwart attacks.
Chuck possesses the formula for a great action comedy with an unwitting protagonist thrust into the world of espionage and danger that’s unlike anything else he’s ever seen. This chain store IT guy is now fighting terrorists while being plagued with flashes of information that he can’t control. You get it all with Chuck, which aired for five seasons and earned glowing reviews throughout its entire run. It’s a modern-day spy comedy that’s perfectly tailored to geek culture.
3
‘Cobra Kai’ (2018–2025)
Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) is the comedic gem of Cobra Kai, a 30-year sequel to The Karate Kid that reunites him with his former teenage karate rival Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) as they train a new generation of kids in rival dojos. You can’t help but laugh heartily throughout the show, though it also has some dark and emotional moments too, especially in the final season.
Of course, as a martial arts comedy drama and one of the greatest action shows on Netflix, there are tons of fantastically choreographed fight scenes, from one on one battles on the mat to huge house parties that break into fights. The story is heartwarming, too, not to mention filled with nostalgia. While Cobra Kai is a little campy, it’s beautifully written from start to finish.
2
‘Fallout’ (2024–Present)
I watched the first two seasons of Fallout to date without any prior knowledge of the video game franchise on which it’s based. I was surprised by how charming, witty, and funny it is, especially in Season 1. The post-apocalyptic drama follows Lucy (Ella Purnell), a naïve young woman who leaves her underground bunker for the first time to venture out into the desolate wasteland above in search of her kidnapped father. She meets all sorts of dangerous people along the way, including the terrifying bounty hunter The Ghoul (Walton Goggins), who she eventually teams up with to achieve their mutual goals.
There’s lots of violence in Fallout as the characters fight enemies, from humans in mechanical Power Armor to mutated cockroaches known as Radroaches. Lucy’s infectious optimism juxtaposed by The Ghoul’s hardened, no-care attitude make for plenty of laughs. But there’s comic relief at every turn thanks to other characters, too, like Thaddeus (Johnny Pemberton), a squire who is turning into a ghoul and dealing with it as best he can, and Annabel O’Hagan‘s over-the-top performance as the villainous Stephanie.
1
‘The Boys’ (2019–2026)
Arguably, no show captures the blend of action and comedy as well as The Boys, though it comes with a healthy dose of vulgarity, profanity, and gore as well. The satirical superhero show depicts a modern-day world where Supes with special powers are run by megacorporation Vought International. The company is out for its own interests and expanding its power, however, and not interested in having the superheroes be actual heroes. But not everyone realizes that.
The Boys is as much political satire as it is a parody of superhero stories, so there’s a lot of thought-provoking commentary behind its stories and themes. The action is heightened since it involves people being able to fly, run faster than the speed of light, shoot lasers from their eyes, even rip out someone’s guts with tentacles from their stomachs. It’s easy to see how this ties into a level of humor as well. The 10/10 Prime Video show isn’t for everyone. But if you don’t have a weak stomach and can appreciate the political commentary (it’s not subtle), the five seasons will be worth your while.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login