Sweet dreams

15 Funny Shows To Watch After A Scary Movie Night

The mental palate cleansers you need for a good night’s sleep.

by Simone R. Johnson
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
Bertrand Calmeau/CBS

Spooky season is filled with frightening movies and shows — or, as some like to call them, nightmare fuel. So, if you need peace of mind before hitting the pillow, cue up an episode or two from one of these funny TV shows. They’re a great way to ward off bad dreams before bed.

Bento Box Entertainment/Wilo Productions/Buck & Millie Productions

The Office | 2005-2013

This mockumentary-style series takes place at a paper company in Scranton, PA. The employees and the boss, however, are anything but normal. The show is filled with notable comedians like Mindy Kaling, Steve Carell, and Craig Robinson.

NBC/NBC Universal via Getty Images

Friends | 1994-2004

Escape to New York City with this classic series about a group of 20-somethings trying to adult. Each episode is a hilarious journey of discovery and small wins.

Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, Warner Bros. Television, NBC

Friends From College | 2017-2019

A group of close college friends reunites 20 years after graduation. They learn their bond is as strong as over, and unsettled romantic connections make this new chapter of friendship a bit more complicated than undergrad.

David Lee/Netflix

Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee | 2012-

Think James Corden's carpool karaoke, but with Jerry Seinfeld in the driver's seat and a carousel of noteworthy comedians in the passenger. Each episode is a tiny road trip filled with laughs and comics you know and love.

Netflix

The Golden Girls | 1985-1992

These sassy elderly women prove you’re only as old as you feel. Nothing stops them from having fun, getting into hijinks, and learning new lessons about life.

NBC/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Bob’s Burgers | 2011-

In this animated adult series, Bob Belcher runs his dream restaurant, Bob’s Burgers, with his wife and three kids. In each episode, the quirky family balances their business and everyday lives, which is wrapped in absolute hilarity.

Bento Box Entertainment/Wilo Productions/Buck & Millie Productions

Gilmore Girls | 2000-2007

Looking for mother-daughter wholesomeness? Lorelai is a single mom raising her daughter, Rory, with the help of her parents (reticently) and an eccentric circle of friends in the charming town of Stars Hollow. As they figure life out together, there isn't any hurdle they can't climb.

Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions/Warner Bros. Television

Schitt's Creek | 2015-2020

When an affluent family loses their fortune, the only thing they have left is the deed to an old town called Schitt’s Creek. To say the upper-crust family goes through an adjustment is an understatement. It’s a comical adventure to witness.

ITV/CBC/Pop TV

A Black Lady Sketch Show | 2019-

A Black Lady Sketch Show is like Saturday Night Live but with an all-Black female cast that comments on the African American experience. The sketches are fresh and filled with actors and actresses from new and old Hollywood that each generation can appreciate.

3 Arts Entertainment/Hoorae/Jax Media

Mythic Quest | 2020-

The employees in this clever series have the coolest job ever — they develop video games. Together this unusual and offbeat team works together to improve their most popular role-playing game, Mythic Quest. It’s such a fun watch that it’s already developed a cult following.

© 2020 - Apple TV+

Girls5Eva | 2021-

A one-hit wonder girl group — played by Sara Bareilles, Busy Philipps, Paula Pell, and Renée Elise Goldsberry — reunites for a second chance at fame when a popular artist samples their music. Bonus: Tina Fey is an executive producer.

3 Arts Entertainment/Bevel Gears/Little Stranger

Ghosts | 2021-

When a young couple inherits a gorgeous country house, their dream home becomes a nightmare as they learn it's falling apart and infested with ghosts. What follows, though, turns out to be a heartwarming experience chock full of laughs.

Joe vs. Joe/Monumental Television/Them There

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | 2005-

A group of underachieving degenerates in Philadelphia embark on unethical and laugh-out-loud funny adventures. Together they scheme and swindle unsuspecting and equally terrible characters. In this sitcom, valuable lessons are rarely learned.

Patrick McElhenney/FXX Networks.

The Righteous Gemstones | 2019-

This comedy follows the life of a TV evangelist family, the Gemstones, who live a lavish lifestyle because of their religious profession. But when leadership begins to fall to the second generation of the family, it becomes a mess only higher powers can save.

HBO/Rough House Pictures

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel | 2017–

This series takes place in 1950s Manhattan, where Midge, a woman from a traditional family, steps away from expectations and forges her own path in comedy. Her road to success is paved with laughs, sexism, and hardships Midge never expected.

Amazon Studios/Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions/Picrow