October is the month for re-watching popular horror titles, like Halloween or American Horror Story. Most entries in the genre, however, feature a high amount of blood and gore that might be unsettling to some viewers. From TV series to movies, when it comes to Halloween media marathons, it’s hard to find anything that isn’t full-on horror.
For viewers who prefer light-hearted entertainment over an all-out horror-fest, there are plenty of spooky TV shows to stream that are perfect for a night of binge-watching. Every once in a while there’s a gem of a TV show that is able to feature serial killers and blood, blending it with humor to create the perfect dark comedy. Here are five of the best dark comedy TV shows to binge-watch this Halloween.
Like Most of Its Characters, Scream Queens ‘Died’ Too Soon
Ryan Murphy’s short-lived slasher dark comedy anthology series, Scream Queens features a star-studded cast, most of which gets killed off pretty quickly. R.I.P. to the sorority girl Ariana Grande played who died in the first episode without being properly introduced. Over the course of two seasons, three main characters — The Chanels (Emma Roberts, Abigail Breslin, and Billie Lourd) — manage to survive, despite always finding themselves targeted by serial killers. Scream Queens is known for its hilarious one-liners, deaths that are as comedic as those in the Scary Movie franchise, and a very pink aesthetic that rivals Mean Girls.
Netflix Newcomer, Boo, Bitch, Has a Fun Twist
Netflix delivered the perfect dark comedy limited series starring Lana Condor (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before) and Zoe Colletti (Only Murders in the Building). Boo, Bitch has a premise perfectly targeting Generation Z about two seniors in high school who want to be remembered when they graduate. A freak accident happens on the one night they go out to a party, and one of them is killed. When she comes back as a ghost, the two best friends set out to figure out what her unfinished business is so that she can move on to the afterlife. Boo, Bitch has the best teen humor and a plot twist that will have viewers scrambling to watch again for clues earlier in the show.
Netflix’s Insatiable Had Some Challenges
Insatiable was shrouded in controversy when it dropped on Netflix in 2018, and again when it was later renewed for a second season. While the fat-shaming on the show is certainly a major point against it, there’s no denying its premise is dark comedy gold. A beauty pageant coach takes on a teenager with a vendetta against those who tormented her when she was overweight. He gets more than he bargained for when her vengeance turns deadly, and she goes on a murderous spree. Insatiable is a great guilty-pleasure watch if you want a short-lived show to stream.
Lucifer Is a Multi-Night Binge
Lucifer is a dark crime comedy about, well, the devil. When the devil takes a break from Hell to come to Earth and understand humanity better, he settles in Los Angeles and becomes a consultant with the LAPD. With six seasons to binge-watch, Lucifer has a unique portrayal of very Halloween-friendly topics like demons, the devil, angels and more. Lucifer (Tom Ellis) is the best part about the show, dropping entertaining one-liners and anecdotes about Hell, Heaven and Earth.
You Might Become Obsessed With Netflix’s YOU
YOU takes a typical rom-com meet cute and twists it into a dark and deadly drama. When Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) is enamored with a woman, he becomes obsessed to the point where he inserts himself into her life. He often gets rid of anyone standing in his way or hindering the object of his affection’s life by punishing, and then murdering, them. Joe Goldberg’s inner monologue as he rationalizes his serial killing is very comedic and turns this dark drama into a thrilling dark comedy as he pursues new targets every season.
To binge-watch these dark comedy TV series, stream Scream Queens now on Hulu and Boo, Bitch, Insatiable, Lucifer and YOU on Netflix.
Leave a Reply