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Entertainment

16 Comedy Shows Happening Online To Help Brighten Your Quarantine

These live comedy shows are just a scroll away.

Taylor Steele
BuzzFeed Staff

It can be hard to find joy during such uncertain times.

ABC / Via giphy.com

I have often turned to live comedy to help me find my smile in the darkest of hours. These days, my needs are no different. Thankfully, many comedians have turned to the world wide web to give us the laughs we need.

In no particular order, here are some shows to check out while sipping your bev of choice in your bed of choice.

Disclaimer: These shows were scheduled as of date of publication, but they are subject to change.

1. Comedy Quarantine (Instagram)

Comedy Quarantine / Via instagram.com

The first time I tuned into this live show, cohost Teresa Lee was trying to escape a giant who had found his way down the beanstalk and trapped her in her car. As an “Into the Woods” fan (and former Jack’s Mom, thank you), they got an instant “follow” from me. This comedy show gives comics time to practice new quarantine-themed jokes or just vent about life in quarantine in general. Simon Gibson started his set on April 29 with a melodramatic cry sesh about not having a crowd to verbally respond to him, then went into how weird it is to try to write in these circumstances. Comedy Quarantine is perfect for those of us who need the kind of escapism that also lets us be present in what’s happening in the world. Plus, you might get to see cohost Babs Gray do some drunk push-ups.

Some past performers include Langston Kerman, Sherry Cola, Yedoye Travis, and Rhea Butcher.

Show Details: Monday–Friday at 10 p.m. EST

2. Meg Stalter (Instagram)

Meg Stalter / Via instagram.com

Meg Stalter has been blowing up the online comedy landscape with her front-facing camera videos featuring wildly eccentric characters that can only be described as “a Meg Stalter character.”

She takes on perfectly mismatched yet messily familiar personas, like a widow taking a dip in a hot tub and a rich activist giving a very fake magazine called Arkutecual Digest a house tour.

Her nightly Insta Live comedy shows run the gamut from “Business Seminar: Making Money and Taking Names” to “Duchess Megan’s Etiquette Seminar.” I once watched her host a sleepover where she invited random guests to join her live to learn original choreography and got upset if they outperformed her. So, yeah, I think it’s safe to say Meg is also a teacher.

And don’t forget to check out Meg’s new podcast on Forever Dog called “Confronting Demons,” where she confronts the demons that have done her wrong and never decides to forgive them.

Show Details: Every night at varying times

3. Follow (From a Safe Distance) Friday w/ Taylor Garron (Instagram)

Vulture / Via instagram.com

Taylor Garron (of Brooklyn alt-comedy and American TV series Zoom fame) hosts this weekly interview show on Vulture where we get a glimpse into the quarantine lives of comedians we should be following on Instagram but aren’t.

I watched an episode where Taylor talked to Josh Gondelman, a comic and writer the internet has proclaimed the “nicest guy." He talks about his pet pug, married life, and mixing business and casual wear to his now remote dream job. Taylor, the ever-gracious host, asks each guest a gentle balance of fun and sincere questions about how they are coping. The conversations that ensue are incredibly earnest, making this show an easy watch.

Past guests have included Quinta Brunson, Meg Stalter, and Karen Chee.

Show Details: Every Friday at 1 p.m. EST

4. Cabernet Cabaret with Catherine Cohen (Instagram)

Catherine Cohen / Via instagram.com

If you don’t know who Catherine Cohen is, may I suggest you tune in immediately to her playful podcast Seek Treatment? Now that that's out of the way...

Her musi-comedy stylings have been featured everywhere from Late Night with Seth Meyers to the New York Times. Pre-quarantine, this show would be held in the intimate setting that is Club Cumming in NYC’s East Village. Now, we are set up in the just-as-intimate setting that is Catherine’s boyfriend's apartment, which features a wood-burning fireplace.

Still ferociously oversharing and singing about breakdowns, Catherine invites the best comics in town to share funny stories about drunk nights in London or being a soup can psychic, and then end the night by combining their faces to make one face. Ultimately, Catherine is a vision with her elaborate PJs and makeshift aperol spritz, and you should have started following her on Instagram already.

Past guests on the show have included Pat Regan, Patti Harrison, Ben Platt, and Eva Victor.

Show Details: Every Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST

5. National Lampoon: Live! (YouTube)

National Lampoon / Via instagram.com

Harrison Greenbaum hosts this panel show where comedians discuss everything from Britney Spears burning down a gym to the people excited about the reopening of Renaissance Faires. They even play fun and revelatory games together like a revamped version of Never Have I Ever called Once in My Life.

Every show features a live studio audience (all situated safely in their respective homes), which helps make the viewing experience feel like a more collective one. And if none of that tickles your funny bone, National Lampoon has been using this show to help raise money for The COVID Foundation, which provides PPE to the underserved and to essential workers.

Follow National Lampoon for more info on past guests (like Corinne Fisher, Katie Hannigan, and Sammy Obeid) and other live shows.

Show Details: Every Tuesday and Friday night at 8 p.m. EST

6. Syd Can Cook (Instagram)

Andrew McGuire / Via instagram.com

If quarantine has proved just how little you know about the difference between sautéing and braising, then this show is for you. Sydnee Washington, a brilliant Brooklyn-based comic who likely should not moonlight as a chef just yet, goes live a few nights a week to tackle a new dinner recipe with the help of her friends.

She’s had the likes of Larry Owens, Marie Faustin, and Ayo Edebiri help or ridicule her while she makes fried chicken, (surprisingly wet and dry) mac and cheese, and risotto. It’s a treat to watch these friends make something together; we just so happen to get a few hearty jokes along the way.

Plus, Syd chefs it up with a full beat! So if a cooking show isn’t your cup of tea, watch for the very precise electric blue cat eye.

Show Details: Follow Sydnee for showtime updates

7. Coming Clean with Mary Beth Barone (Instagram)

Mary Beth Barone / Via instagram.com

What’s a better quarantine activity than drinking gin while bathing in a massive tub for hundreds of strangers to see? Mary Beth Barone might answer that there is nothing better. Coming Clean is part stand-up, part game show, and part confessional. Guests like Alyssa Limperis, Sarah Squirm, and Steven Phillips-Horst talk quarantining with your partner and being where the quarantine “action” is (aka New York).

Follow Mary Beth and participate in online polls whose answers will find their way into the show! And if the jokes don’t warm you up, getting bathing suit inspo from Mary Beth might just do the trick.

Show Details: Follow Mary Beth for showtime updates

8. Warm Milk (Twitch)

instagram.com

Yes, you’ll have to download another app to watch this show, but if you’re a gamer, you’re likely already familiar with Twitch.

Cohosted by the sparkling duo that is Jolie Darrow and Jon Plester, Warm Milk showcases emerging comics, musicians, and multimedia artists. I’ve seen short films, musical sets, and slideshow presentations — including one that was a choose-your-own adventure where audience members wrote in the comments what they wanted to see happen next.

Some past guests have included Charlie Bardey, Ana McCasland, and Sarah Dooley.

Show Details: Every Wednesday and Saturday night at 9 p.m. EST

9. Two Friends: A Nice Time Hanging Out with People Who Know Each Other Well (Instagram)

Vulture / Via instagram.com

Another of Vulture’s social distancing streams, Two Friends gets — you guessed it — two friends in the entertainment industry to interview each other on Instagram Live. I caught an episode with Adam Pally and Casey Wilson, actors and long-time pals. They talked about the trials of parenting during quarantine, how they met, the ending they wish their TV show had, and laughed about people who find social distancing to be easy. It was like watching friends have the kind of private conversation you can tell they’d have over the phone.

Vulture has had duos Ben Feldman and Nico Santos, Ben Schwartz and Thomas Middleditch, and Cobie Smulders and Jake Johnson on past shows. So don’t miss out on any more!

Show Details: Follow Vulture for showtime updates

10. A Late Night Show That Is Also Livestreamed (TVCO App)

Brooklyn Comedy Collective / Via instagram.com

You’ll have to venture to another app to watch this show, but isn’t quarantine all about discovering new things about ourselves and the world? Speaking of “the world,” this show — a parody of a nightly news show — gives us: weather updates on the insides of our apartments, tips on repurposing things around the house into juggling, and an understanding of what is a soup or a sauce.

Host Meaghan Strickland nails the balance of dry wit and welcoming charm like a true late-night show pro — hey, Seth Meyers, you hiring?

Follow Comedy Brooklyn for information about the different classes they offer and for up-to-date showtimes on their various live shows on TVCO.

Show Details: Most Sundays at 9 p.m. EST

11. Tip Your Waitstaff (Instagram)

Mike Birbiglia / Via instagram.com

Renowned comedian Mike Birbiglia hosts this comedy show where all the proceeds raised each night will go to the staff of different comedy clubs that have shut down due to COVID-19. With celebrity comedians like Hannibal Buress, Maria Bamford, John Mulaney, and Nikki Glaser, Mike gets each guest to share new jokes they’re working on. Never-before-seen jokes by comedy legends? Yes, please!

From “prepper privilege” to baby’s with attitude, there’s no way to avoid laughing so loud your roommates come knocking on your door.

For more info about past guests and the show's mission, you can visit their website.

Show Details: Follow Mike for showtime updates

12. B.Y.O.T. (Zoom)

Hugh Hobbs; Instagram: @https://www.instagram.com/hughhobbs/?hl=en

Trust me, you only think you’re tired of Zoom calls, because you haven’t yet experienced the joys of watching excited performers interact with invisible objects or become an aquarium tour guide!

Cohosted by Andy Bustillos and Austin Rye, Bring Your Own Team is a weekly open mic for anyone testing out new characters, sketches, jokes, or skills as active audience members. Originally created for sketch and improv teams at UCB, these comics have decided to open their doors to anyone missing out on community laughs. So, if you’ve got one, bring your own team (or just bring your own YOU) and get some stage time! Join their Facebook group to get the weekly Zoom link.

Show Details: Every Sunday at 10:00 p.m. EST. Email byotelves@gmail.com for any questions related to the show.

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13. Peepers (Twitch)

Ana McCasland / Via instagram.com

In Ana's new show Peepers, we follow the tales of one funky town's Neighborhood Watch group. With neighbors/guests like Rachel Coster, Jesse Roth, and Kyle Harris, we are left not only wishing we lived in this fictional Estate, but pondering the age-old question: what makes a neighborhood weird? Nature or nurture?

Show Details: Every Thursday at 7 p.m. EST

14. Ladies Who Ranch (Instagram)

Brooklyn Comedy Collective / Via instagram.com

The Ladies Who Ranch is a comedy group composed of Caitlin Dullea, Kelly Cooper, Maya Sharma, Caroline Yost, and Sophie Zucker.

In just one show alone, I witnessed the hippie French singer-songwriter Caroline Yo$t, an amusingly generic teen Brit actress possibly named Muffy, and an egg who is also an emerging playwright. To top it all off, guest Fareeha Khan sang a song in which she realizes her best friend is a bat, so they kinda can’t be friends in this current climate.

My favorite part of the show, though, is at the end when they tell each other, sincerely, that they each had a great show and compliment each other’s bits. It’s clear that they love each other, which makes this show a lady-tastic treasure.

They have also hosted virtual open mics on Instagram Live, so if you’ve been working on a tight five, now might be your time!

Show Details: Follow Ladies Who Ranch for showtime updates

15. Raisin Man (Twitch)

Felipe Di Poi / Via instagram.com

These three improv geniuses have only just started their livestream reign, but Felipe Di Poi, Sam Lanier, and Sarah Wilson have something oddly special (emphasis on odd) in their weekly show Raisin Man. Members of the sketch comedy group Simple Town and host of the show NYC Department of Stories, respectively, these friends spend their Sunday nights ranting about the good, the bad, and the utterly absurd.

Watch as they ask each other real questions like “what do people hate about me?” and even realer questions like “is the girl I have a crush on watching this right now?” Be prepared for earnest discussions to go humorously off-course and to laugh at things you couldn’t imagine as these friends “yes and” each other’s eccentricities.

Show Details: Every Sunday at 8 p.m. EST

16. Hi, Nice People (YouTube)

instagram.com

Hosted by Hunter Gardner, Hi, Nice People is a monthly show with the tenor and vibe of "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood." But this time, it's for adults. Though this show used to happen live in Brooklyn, it is now coming at you from the internet: YouTube. This feel-good show has everything you'd expect from a new-age Mr. Rogers: a theme song, an opening monologuing that presents us with the episode's themes (this month's theme is peace), and a Nice Moment of the Month. The show also has guest speakers (comics) come in to add their perspectives and experiences around the theme.

Show Details: Follow Hunter for showtime updates

Open up your calendar app of choice, and plug in some of these dates, because the right comedy show for you is right at your fingertips!

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For the latest news, binge-watching suggestions, tips for caring for your mental health, and more, check out all of BuzzFeed's coronavirus coverage.

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