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Image by Federico Napoli
Period comedies take an imaginative approach to history, blending remarkable past eras with sharp wit, satire, and a touch of absurdity. These shows revisit historical moments not just to entertain but to cleverly comment on societal norms and how far (or not) we’ve come since. Some of these period comedies center around real events of the past, while others are more fictitious, aiming to embody the spirit of the era. From royal courts to suburban basements, the genre allows for creative storytelling filled with humor, anachronisms, and thoughtful cultural critiques that feel refreshingly timeless.
From the magical, modern parody of medieval times in Galavant to the Northern Ireland political backdrop of Derry Girls, period comedies cover a lot of ground and will continue to do so as long as viewers are willing to reflect on past decades and eras. Whether they're focused on pirates or poets, these shows make history eye-opening and entertaining. These are the best period comedies on TV, ranked by their embodiment of their era, their unique and fresh reflections, and their success in making humor out of history.
10 'Galavant' (2015–2016)
Created by Dan Fogelman
Image via ABC
After losing his beloved Madalena (Mallory Jansen) to the bumbling yet villainous King Richard (Timothy Omundson), Sir Gary Galavant (Joshua Sasse) teams up with his loyal squire Sid (Luke Youngblood) and Princess Isabella (Karen David) to restore both his honor, relationship and the kingdom of Valencia. Along the way, misadventures abound, featuring Galavant’s capture by pirates, jousting, and a zombie army, while Richard tries to gain Madalena’s affections.
Galavant takes on the medieval era with a twist of fantasy elements that bring to life the magic and misfortune of the era. The show is reminiscent of The Princess Bride, and it relies on hilarious and memorable musical numbers, sometimes parodying other popular musicals, making for a unique and entertaining watch. The comedy employs meta-humor, avoiding clichés and poking fun at medieval tropes from recent sensations like Game of Thrones. Despite the rich world Galavant created, it was canceled after only two seasons.
9 'Our Flag Means Death' (2022–2023)
Created by David Jenkins
Image via Max
Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby), a wealthy aristocrat, abandons his privileged life and family in 1717 to pursue a career as a pirate. Leading the chaotic crew aboard the ship Revenge, Stede struggles with the violent realities of piracy. After a pivotal encounter with the notorious Blackbeard (Taika Waititi), they spark an unexpected friendship that grows into romance. Amid naval battles and swashbuckling adventures, the show proves life on the high seas has a ton of potential for entertainment, romance, and comedy.
Our Flag Means Death takes advantage of the lore and mystery that came from real maritime adventures in the Golden Age of Piracy. Scurvy, a common disease among pirates of the era, is brought up, maintaining the authenticity of the era. The show’s diverse characters relay the lesser-known stories of pirates expressing themselves away from traditional societal pressures. Hilarious and heartfelt, the show explored piracy with authenticity while taking creative liberties to bring viewers LGBTQ+ couples like Lucius (Nathan Foad) and Black Pete (Matthew Maher) and Oluwande (Samson Kayo) and Jim (Vico Oritz).
8 'Physical' (2021–2023)
Created by Annie Weisman
Image via Apple TV+
Sheila Rubin (Rose Byrne) is a miserable housewife dealing with a strained marriage, a secret eating disorder, and a relentless inner critic in 1980s San Diego. Her life transforms when she discovers aerobics, sparking a journey of empowerment as she builds a fitness empire through videotape technology. While struggling with her marriage and personal and societal pressures, Sheila evolves into an ambitious businesswoman, redefining herself and her purpose with aerobics.
The vibrant ‘80s are remembered to be more bleak in Apple TV+’s Physical. Peeling back the neon sheen of aerobics culture, the show reveals a complex world of body image struggles and how capitalism exploits those struggles. Physical juxtaposes sunny San Diego aesthetics with a satirical take on consumerism and societal expectations. The era’s obsession with thinness and self-discipline, undoubtedly bleeding into modern eras, becomes a historical backdrop and metaphor for Sheila’s internal battles. Physical offers a layered, witty, and brutally honest portrayal of a woman seizing control of her narrative amid a changing cultural landscape.
7 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' (2017–2023)
Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino
Image via Prime Video
Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) is a charming, sharp-witted housewife in late 1950s Manhattan. Her perfect life unravels when her husband (Michael Zegen) leaves her. In a drunken rant on the Gaslight Café stage, Midge inadvertently discovers a remarkable talent for stand-up comedy, launching her into an unpredictable journey through this male-dominated environment. With the help of her manager Susie Myerson (Alex Borstein), Midge rises from local clubs to national fame, adjusting to her new career and all of its ups and downs.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel vibrantly reimagines late 1950s-early 1960s New York, capturing the vivaciousness of the Greenwich Village comedy scene while indulging in escapist fantasy. The show’s charm lies in Midge’s dazzling rise through stand-up comedy, a stark contrast to the era’s rigid gender expectations. While it sidesteps harsher racial realities, its witty dialogue, striking aesthetics—just look at Midge’s style—and fearless portrayal of a woman breaking barriers make it a compelling, joyful, and fantasied historical tribute.
6 'M*A*S*H' (1972–1983)
Created by Larry Gelbart
Image via CBS
During the Korean War, the medical personnel stationed at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital are led by the witty and irreverent surgeons Hawkeye (Alan Alda) and Trapper (Wayne Rogers). The unit copes with the chaos of war through humor, compassion, and occasional rebellion against military bureaucracy. Hawkeye and Trapper often prank their colleagues, usually going unappreciated by the targets. Over eleven seasons, M*A*S*H evolved into a thoughtful exploration of humanity, friendship,p and survival in a hostile environment.
Produced during the last three years of the Vietnam War, M*A*S*H is a product of its time even as it depicts the Korean War of two decades earlier. Its anti-war message resonated during and after the Vietnam era, with a focus on the human condition and resilience through war’s psychological toll. Humor is employed as a morale boost to counteract the bleak themes, but the show notably shifts between comedy and sobering reflections on the horrors of war. M*A*S*H also tackled themes prevalent in the 1950s, including racial prejudice and gender inequality, often reflecting accurate Korean War experiences.
M*A*S*H
Release Date 1972 - 1982
Network CBS
Showrunner Larry Gelbart
5 'That '70s Show' (1998–2006)
Created by Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner, and Mark Brazill
Eric Forman (Topher Grace) is a sarcastic, nerdy teen growing up in the small town of Point Place, Wisconsin. There's not much to do, but he and his friends pass the time in his basement, where they can usually be found smoking pot, senselessly conversing or watching TV. Ventures from the basement are memorable, often ending in chaos or, in several cases, falling from the local water tower. Aside from the group’s dynamic as friends, Eric begins a relationship with his neighbor, Donna (Laura Prepon), at the start of the series, while dodging lectures from his stern father, Red (Kurtwood Smith).
Though That '70s Show had a handful of pop-culture references and props that didn’t exist, according to the show’s timeline, it captured the spirit of adolescence in the 1970s. Hyde (Danny Masterson) embodied anti-government sentiment and Red portrayed a patriotic curmudgeon, having served in the Korean War. Many '70s teens could understand the old-school, no-nonsense parenting style of Red, having seen or had a parent like him back then. Much of the comedy comes from the teens—especially Eric and Kelso (Ashton Kutcher)—doing ridiculous things and watching their schemes blow up in their faces, often left to face Red’s blunt disapproval.
That '70s Show
Release Date August 23, 1998
Network FOX
Showrunner Gregg Mettler
4 'Minx' (2022–2023)
Created by Ellen Rapoport
Image via Starz
Joyce Prigger (Ophelia Lovibond) is a determined feminist writer struggling to launch her feminist magazine, "The Matriarchy Awakens," in 1970s Los Angeles. Savvy adult publisher Doug Renetti (Jake Johnson) sees potential in Joyce's concept—with an erotic twist: centerfolds of nude men. Despite initial resistance, Joyce agrees to create "Minx," an erotic feminist magazine challenging societal norms. On their bumpy ride of publishing and distributing, Joyce and Doug deal with censorship, backlash, and personal conflicts.
Minx captures the complex intersections of the sexual revolution, second-wave feminism, and the rise of the adult entertainment industry in the 1970s. Against this dynamic backdrop, the show explores the tension between feminist ideals and sexual empowerment, embodied by Joyce and her inner battles as she adjusts her concept of feminism. Minx uses sharp comedy to broach evolving conversations around gender and power. Its fresh, historical storytelling offers both an insightful critique of societal taboos and a celebration of progress.
Minx
Release Date 2022 - 2022
Showrunner Ellen Rapoport
3 'Derry Girls' (2018–2022)
Created by Lisa McGee
Image via Channel 4
Set during the 1990s in Derry, Northern Ireland, five teens—Erin (Saoirse-Monica Jackson), her cousin Orla (Louisa Harland), their friends Clare (Nicola Coughlan) and Michelle (Jamie-Lee O'Donnell), and Michelle’s English cousin James (Dylan Llewellyn)—navigate school, friendships and adolescence in general amid political unrest. Attending a Catholic girls' school, the group frequently lands in absurd predicaments as they struggle to grow up. Nonetheless, they create a lot of memorable moments with each other, their families, and the irritable headmistress Sister Michael (Siobhán McSweeney).
Derry Girls is modern enough to be relatable to its target audience, but a thorough watch shows the painstaking detail that makes it distinctly historical. Setting the show against the Troubles and the ceasefire, celebrated joyously by the community in the show, creates darker undertones. The show uses an adolescent lens to explore some of the more pressing, teenage issues they face in this hostile environment—because they are striving for some normalcy in the chaos that adolescence brings, and the Spice Girls seem to help.
2 'Dickinson' (2019–2021)
Created by Alena Smith
Image via Apple TV+
Emily Dickinson (Hailee Steinfeld) is a peculiar young woman who has no interest in marriage, frustrating her parents and suitors. Instead, Emily dedicates her life to writing poetry, mainly for her best friend Sue (Ella Hunt), with whom she is in love. As Emily experiences the challenges and joys of being a creative, independent, and single woman in a society that fears such a woman, she confronts her identity, legacy, and relationships, especially with a family, who she loves, but who doesn't quite understand her.
Based on the life of the famous real-life poet Emily Dickinson, the show explores issues of race, gender, and sexuality in nineteenth-century New England, with the Civil War and political and racial tensions looming. Dickinson is a breath of fresh air, and Hailee Steinfeld portrays Emily with incredible wit and fire. The funniest parts come from the anachronistic dialogue and soundtrack. LunchMoney Lewis and Doja Cat’s “Make That Cake” sets the scene for Amherst’s baking contest hilariously juxtaposed with the crowd dressed in nineteenth-century attire. Similar modern songs accompany outrageous dance scenes that are bizarrely modern.
1 'The Great' (2020–2023)
Created by Tony McNamara
Image via Hulu
Catherine (Elle Fanning), a young and bright German noblewoman, travels to Russia to marry Emperor Peter. Her optimism is crushed when she finds Russia to be much less progressive than she had hoped—the women are mistreated and uneducated, religion prevails over reason and science and Peter is a terrible leader. An outcast in her own court, Catherine gathers others who have grown tired of Peter's ways, including General Velementov (Douglas Hodge), Count Orlo (Sacha Dhawan) and Marial (Phoebe Fox), Catherine's servant and former Lady demoted by Peter before Catherine's arrival. Together, they plan a coup for Catherine to take the throne from Peter.
Subtitled as "An Occasionally True Story" and once as "An Almost Entirely Untrue Story," The Great does not aim for historical accuracy. The premise of the story is based on the real Catherine the Great's rise to power, overthrowing her husband and becoming Russia's ruler in the eighteenth century. Several characters have real-life counterparts, but creative liberties were taken with the timelines, relationships, and much else. Catherine and Peter's dynamic is complicated and hilarious, as Catherine remains reluctant to kill him despite her conspirators' pleas.
The Great
Release Date 2020 - 2022
Showrunner Tony McNamara
Directors Tony McNamara
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English (US) ·