The Brits are known for their often naughty sense of humor just as much as their love of tea. Check out TheWrap’s recommendations for British comedy imports available to stream on Netflix, Amazon and Hulu.
“Crashing” (Netflix)
Created by and starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge, “Crashing” follows seven people who live together as the “property guardians” of an abandoned hospital. “Being Human’s” Damien Molony, “Broadchurch’s” Jonathan Bailey and Louise Ford also star.
“Fresh Meat” (Hulu)
“Peep Show” creators Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain launched their follow-up series “Fresh Meat” in 2011. The hangout comedy, which ran for four seasons on Channel 4, follows six first-years at a fictional university who all live together in off-campus housing.
“Chewing Gum” (Netflix)
Based on her play “Chewing Gum Dreams,” E4’s comedy stars Michaela Coel as 24-year-old virgin Tracey Gordon, who wants to have sex and learn about the world to avoid becoming like her uptight older sister.
“Absolutely Fabulous” (Netflix, Hulu)
Based on a sketch written by Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, “Absolutely Fabulous” stars Saunders and Joanna Lumley as a pair of self-destructive trend-chasers desperate to stay young. The classic ’90s comedy has been revived for a series of specials that aired in 2004, 2011 and 2012, as well as a movie in 2016.
“Crazyhead” (Netflix)
A horror-comedy series from “Misfits” creator Howard Overman, E4’s “Crazyhead” stars Cara Theobold and Susan Wokoma as a pair of 20-something seers who fight demons only they can see. The series was picked up for international distribution by Netflix in 2016.
“W1A” (Netflix)
A follow-up to the series “Twenty Twelve,” a comedy about the production of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, “W1A” saw Hugh Bonneville’s Ian Fletcher taking on a new role at the BBC. “Spaced” star Jessica Hynes also reprised her role from the original on the new series (named after the BBC’s post code), as did narrator David Tennant.
“Gavin & Stacey” (Hulu)
Matthew Horne and Joanna Page star in the romantic comedy series “Gavin & Stacey” as a couple struggling to maintain their long-distance relationship. The show’s writing duo James Corden and Ruth Jones also star as the pair’s best friends. In 2013, Fox attempted a U.S. adaptation of the series titled “Us & Them,” which never aired.
“The IT Crowd” (Netflix, Hulu)
Graham Linehan’s cult favorite “The IT Crowd” follows three employees of a fictional corporation’s IT department. Chris O’Dowd and Richard Ayoade star as a pair of tech experts overseen by a manager played by Katherine Parkinson. A U.S. adaptation, led by Ayoade reprising his role, failed to make it to air on NBC.
“Fleabag” (Amazon)
In her follow-up to “Crashing,” Phoebe Waller-Bridge stars as an aimless young woman, identified only as “Fleabag,” who is mourning her best friend. The series, which aired on BBC Three and Amazon, was adapted from Waller-Bridge’s award-winning 2013 play of the same name.
“Peep Show” (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon)
Comedy duo David Mitchell and Robert Webb star as a mismatched pair of roommates — a neurotic loan manager and a slacker musician — in Channel 4’s long-running hit comedy. The beloved series aired for an unprecedented nine seasons before finally concluding in December 2015.
“Spaced” (Hulu)
Simon Pegg and director Edgar Wright, who would later go on to collaborate on “Shaun of the Dead,” first teamed on the Channel 4 series “Spaced” in 1999. The slacker comedy starred Pegg and co-creator Jessica Stevenson as two strangers who pretend to be a couple in order to meet the requirements to rent a cheap apartment.
“Catastrophe” (Amazon)
Created by and starring Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney, “Catastrophe” follows a couple as their one-night stand blossoms into a real relationship due to an unexpected pregnancy. The acclaimed series has been nominated for multiple awards including a Primetime Emmy for writing.
“The Thick of It” (Hulu)
Before creating HBO’s Emmy-winning “Veep” in the U.S., Armando Iannucci satirized the inner-workings of the British government on the BBC’s “The Thick of It,” which ran for four seasons between 2005 and 2012. “Doctor Who’s” Peter Capaldi stars as the government’s no-nonsense director of communications.
“Lovesick” (Netflix)
Formerly known as “Scrotal Recall,” Tom Edge’s “Lovesick” follows a single young man (Johnny Flynn) who must contact all of his past sexual partners when he’s diagnosed with an STD. Daniel Ings and “Misfits” alum Antonia Thomas also star as Dylan’s two best friends.
“Doll & Em” (HBO)
Created by and starring Emily Mortimer and Dolly Wells, “Doll & Em” revolves around a successful actress (Mortimer) who hires her down-on-her-luck best friend (Wells) as her assistant. The show premiered in 2013 on Sky Living in the U.K., and was later acquired by HBO, which aired the show in the U.S.
“The Office” (Netflix, Hulu)
Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s original version of the mockumentary series “The Office” ran for just two seasons, but the show has since been adapted in a number of other countries, including a long-running and hugely successful NBC adaptation starring Steve Carell.
“Black Books” (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon)
Dylan Moran and Graham Linehan’s “Black Books” stars Moran as the misanthropic bookstore owner Bernard Black, whose only friends are neighboring shop owner Fran Katzenjammer (Tamsin Greig) and his accountant Manny Bianco (Bill Bailey). The BAFTA-winning comedy ran for three seasons on Channel 4.
“Coupling” (Hulu)
Steven Moffat’s “Coupling,” an attempt to replicate the success of NBC’s “Friends” overseas, centered on a group of six friends, three men and three women, and their sexual misadventures. The show was received well enough in the U.K. that NBC attempted its own short-lived adaptation in 2003.
