For all the differences people have, one thing uniting us is the “I want to be anywhere but here” feeling during unavoidably cringe-worthy situations, which don’t even need to be happening in real life. (Better if not, really.) Certain TV shows are memorably beloved breeding grounds for skin-crawling awkwardness, and we so often can’t get enough. (As such, several series mentioned rank among our picks for the 100 Best Sitcoms.)
For all my personal embarrassments suffered, I can easily take comfort in watching fa-a-a-ar worse things happening to fictional characters and comedians populating such hyper-cringey shows. From classic TV to more current shows, we're journeying down a past best taken with fingers partially covering one's eyes.
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Quite possibly the undisputed champions of behavior that would make [insert the worst person you can think of] blush, The Gang from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia exemplifies cringe behavior through a mixture of "zero shame" and "zero empathy," and the ensemble of side characters don't fare better. Frank popping out of a couch in his birthday suit will forever be a haunting highlight.
Extras
A comedian who turned cringe comedy into a lucrative artform, Ricky Gervais' HBO/BBC series Extras excels here for several reasons. Gervais' Andy being a magnet for mishaps, his ever-smiling agent Darren Lamb's blistering candidness, and each episode's self-imploding celebrity cameo. See: Kate Winslet, Daniel Radcliffe, David Bowie, all the rest.
Beavis And Butt-Head
Beavis & Butt-Head's MTV era honed in on disaffected youth and light anarchy, but much of its Paramount+ and Comedy Central revival revels in its gag factor and cringiness. Their exceedingly palpable stupidity has them mistaking a ladies’ room for an escape room, and trying to grow tobacco plants with cigarette butts, but it's always hilarious.
Between Two Ferns
Zany-comedy experts Scott Aukerman and B.J. Porter created the anti-cozy talk show Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis, building upon the Hangover trilogy star's burst of stand-up comedy popularity. Celebrities like Michael Cera, Jon Hamm and Charlize Theron went through the ad-libbed interview wringer, never quite syncing with the host.
Married...With Children
The Bundys are the TV family equivalent of “nice place to visit, but wouldn’t want to live there,” but Married…with Children is indeed a grimace-provoking joy to visit. For 11 seasons. Al, Peg, Kelly and Bud are the most eye-twitchingly cringey people in the room, whether singular or in group form, and we root for them anyway, despite their inherent grossness and complete lack of self-awareness.
Nathan For You
A unique blend of docuseries and improvisation, Nathan for You is a rare example of equal-opportunity cringe, where not everything relies on characters’ embarrassment. Here, a fictionalized version of Nathan Fielder aims to help real small businesses in baffling and complicated ways that speak to his own personal hang-ups. (Everybody remember Dumb Starbucks?) It’s incredible watching everyone’s befuddled faces as they try to make logical sense of Nathan’s gonzo ideas and suggestions.
Da Ali G Show
Sasha Baron Cohen became an internationally renowned comedian with Da Ali G Show, which birthed “voice of da yoof” host Ali G and two ready-for-spinoff characters: Kazakhstan implant Borat and gay Austrian fashion designer Brüno. Cohen’s brash comedy definitely makes certain viewers squirmy in any setting, but he’s arguably best known for agonizing interviews with celebs and politicians who are utterly clueless.
The Larry Sanders Show
No clicking! Based in part on star and co-creator Garry Shandling’s Tonight Show guest-host experiences, The Larry Sanders Show is upper-echelon comedy, and much of its humor stems from things going sour in the lives of Larry and his optimistically beleaguered TV sidekick Hank Kingsley. While perhaps not as unendingly cringe-inducing as other classics, more than enough misguided decisions and implosions go down for viewers to suffer first-degree second-hand embarrassment.
Fawlty Towers
If the Mount Rushmore of TV Cringe existed, John Cleese’s Basil Fawlty would be hastily carved up there, given how staggeringly awkward things get at the titular hotel. Basil’s stubborn pride, sporadic laziness, and standoffish nature makes him socially combative with wife Sybil (Prunella Scales), Spanish waiter Manuel (the late, great Andrew Sachs), and guests both fancy and commonplace. Only 12 episodes exist, and “The Germans” and “The Kipper and the Corpse” are stomach-churning standouts.
The Increasingly Poor Decisions Of Todd Margaret
David Cross’s pitch-black IFC comedy The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret deserves a permanent award for Most Applicable Title. Every episode is a wildly amusing exercise in spectator patience, as temp worker Todd becomes chaos incarnate with every move and word, leading to increasingly heightening consequences. Cross’ ability to make viewers want to die inside remains immaculately intact across all seasons, with an intentional shift in story for the third.
Hello Ladies
The Office and Extras vet Stephen Merchant struck out on his own to strike out with women as Hello Ladies' L.A. import Stuart Pritchard. Alongside co-stars Kevin Weisman and Kyle Mooney, Merchant brilliantly leans into making Stuart a vexatious magnet for disaster who never quite lose his ability to smile and move on to the next romantic dumpster fire.
I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson
So much cringe comedy is set to traditional sitcom runtimes, but I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson aims to make viewers as uproariously uncomfortable as quickly as possible. Episodes clock in around 15 minutes, but feature a week’s worth of social horror, from office workers lying about eating hot dogs during meetings to drivers taking joke bumper stickers literally to pageants for “Little Buff Boys.”
The Tom Green Show
A pioneer of televised indie comedy, Tom Green broke into the mainstream for his willingness to do anything to get any reaction from those watching. The stunts and shock comedy, mixed with bare-bones production values, inspired many shows to come, but few could top the innate discomfort of watching Green make life hell for his parents, suckle cow udders, or test random business employees' patience with his eccentric behavior.
Worst Week
Based on a UK sitcom, CBS’ Worst Week starred Kyle Bornheimer and Erinn Hayes as agent-of-mayhem Sam and pregnant fiancé Mel, whose goals of surprising her family with wedding and baby news could not go worse. (Her ever-frustrated dad is played by That ‘70s Show great Kurtwood Smith.) We’re talking exploding vehicles, misplaced family heirlooms, mishandled Christmas gifts, dirty diapers, and so much more.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Aline Brosh McKenna and Rachel Bloom's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a musical comedy series like no other, centering on a behaviorally challenged lawyer who inexplicably moves across the country for a childhood crush. Unabashedly candid about mental struggles, feminism, and all manner of relationships, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is perhaps The CW's most brilliant series, leaving audiences both emotionally crushed and highly amused by Rebecca’s life choices and A+ musical fantasies.
The Inbetweeners
The Inbetweeners is the perfect personification of post-pubescent teenage boyhood, putting a giant magnifying glass on rampantly inappropriate awkwardness. Friends Will, Simon, Jay and Neil strive for popularity and romance, failing miserably every time. It’s impossible to avoid second-hand humiliation from episodes like “Caravan Club” and “The Fashion Show,” not to mention the spinoff film's waterslide terror.
Family Guy
Among the most popular animated series of all time , Family Guy has never strayed from its core tenets: cutaway gags and morally exempt characters. Where most shows put forth one-note cringe, the awk sauce inspired by Quagmire and Herbert is on a completely different planet — probably Uranus — from Meg-specific ickiness, but it dovetails nonetheless. Just like that time I tailed those two doves. [Cutaway to noir bird sanctuary.]
The Mick
It’s Always Sunny great Kaitlin Olson fronted arguably broadcast TV’s raunchiest and most cringe-worthy comedy. Olson’s Mickey and sporadic boif Jimmy (Scott MacArthur) are the worst conceivable guardians for the Pemberton siblings, and all are privy to the most horrifying downward spirals across each episode of The Mick, where unimpeded greed and pride lead to various forms of physical trauma and emotional stunting. If it makes Thomas Barbusca’s Chip scream like a woman, watch out.
Ziwe
Satire queen Ziwe Fumudoh created cringe gold with Baited with Ziwe, but went platinum with Showtime's Ziwe. With interviews akin to the Daily Show’s best, Ziwe leads guests unwittingly down self-exposing paths to test their limits, assuming they exist. (Chet Hanks = pret-ty limitless.) Beloved personalities like Phoebe Bridgers, Fran Lebowitz, and Michael Che can't escape becoming victims of silence-provoking cringe.
Freaks And Geeks
To be sure, Freaks and Geeks is more heart-on-its-sleeve comedy than cringe-heavy, but few would argue that much of what happens to John Francis Daley’s Sam, Martin Starr’s Bill and Samm Levine’s Neal across the dramedy’s iconic single season classifies as relateably awkward. Maybe not everyone has worn a Parisian night suit to school, or accidentally pooped, or had crushes refer to them as siblings, but we all know that feeling of “bury me deep” discomfort.
The Office (UK)
With a face even a mother would warily shrug at, Ricky Gervais' David Brent made life an uncomfortable hellscape for Wernham Hogg employees and audiences. At no moment is David Brent not a cringe monster, from his goonish and seemingly unending dances to his attempts at flirting to his legendary music video for "If You Don't Know Me By Now." And yet, Tim and Dawn...
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Larry David took Seinfeld's circular plotting and applied it to a fictional version of his own life along with an unhealthy injection of audience-shocking cringe. It doesn't even matter how telegraphed the path is from Larry's buffoonish actions to inevitable calamity, it always works, and it always makes me want to jump into my television to apologize to whatever man, woman, child, or animal Larry just offended.
The Eric Andre Show
Part of the point of The Eric Andre Show is not knowing what to expect, but you can be absolutely certain watching host Eric André's antics (and his guests' faces) will rank highly among the most awkward moments of your day. This is the high bar for cringe talk shows, and you don't want to know what it's slathered with.
The Curse
The rare hour-long drama that can also clock as cringe-comedy, Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone's The Curse checks all the boxes thanks to Asher and Whitney sacrificing their better instincts to secure an HGTV show based on an unproven and potentially harmful premise. Co-creator Benny Safdie's chaos-minded muse and in-show director further necessitates bathroom breaks just to escape.
The Life And Times Of Tim
HBO is the home to A+ discomfort, and Steve Dildarian’s animated comedy The Life and Times of Tim fits squarely in that mold, with a dose of Nick Kroll in there for good measure. Every episode is guaranteed to spin out into bafflingly absurd situations often caused by the main character's questionable actions.
The Comeback
Lisa Kudrow followed mega-hit Friends with the Hollywood-skewing cringe-fest The Comeback, centering on actress Valerie Cherish's returns to the limelight across two years-apart seasons. Due to the reality TV element, Kudrow delivers a layered, career-best performance that rarely allows her authentic self to shine, while all the other parts of herself are hauntingly inappropriate.
Peep Show
UK comedy kings David Mitchell and Robert Webb produced a magnum cinge-us with Peep Show, whose first-person-perspective visual format locks viewers into the front row of horrors like Mark and Dobby's closet shenanigans, the Christmas special dinner and the wedding.
South Park
South Park's characters have been an entertainment staple, and its creators have yet to lose control of delivering hatchet-sharp satire in plenty of cringe-friendly ways. It's easier to think about topics that haven't been awkwardly skewered by this show than vice versa.
Tim And Eric Awesome Show, Great Job
Adult Swim ambassadors Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim are a cringe TV industry unto themselves, and the monolithic Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job gets under viewers' skin immediately with its title punctuation, and it only gets better / worse from there.
The Rehearsal
Cringe-master Nathan Fielder mixes real life with production design magic for HBO’s The Rehearsal, in which normal people practice an array of difficult impending conversations from their real lives, set in painstaking recreations of subjects’ homes and other real-world locations (like a Raising Cane’s restaurant). It’s a baffling mix of reality and absurdity that makes me itchy just thinking about being at the center of an episode.
The Office (U.S.)
Perhaps the most successful UK-to-U.S. remake ever, Greg Daniels’ The Office successfully imprinted David Brent’s “please like me” personality onto Steve Carell’s Michael Scott, and cringe-comedy history ensued. The mockumentary arguably lasted too long, but its best years will forever be celebrated for HBP-inducing eps such as “The Dundies,” “Safety Training,” “Stress Relief” and more. Jim and Pam are adored for good reason, but nothing overshadows Michael’s ugh factor.
Louie
The Emmy-winning Louie will likely never escape the shadow of creator Louis C.K.’s real-life controversies, but that doesn’t necessarily change its five-season run delivering some of TV’s most cringe-inducing moments. The main character’s inherently humiliating nature makes him suck with women, suck at professional life, and kinda suck with his kids. Louie is also noteworthy for its meta-cringe episode that addressed C.K.’s legitimate joke-stealing accusations against Dane Cook.
