The weights and per-show scores are published below. Comedy is subjective — re-weight rewatchability or performances and your #1 may differ.
Smarter Ranking scored seven comedy series with new 2026 seasons against a published 100-point Watch Score. For comedy we lead with writing and performance rather than spectacle.
Quick answer
Hacks Season 5 scores 89.2/100 and leads the field — the 2026 Emmy comedy frontrunner, built on Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder’s combative mentor-protégée dynamic. If you want an ensemble cozy-mystery comedy instead, the runner-up — Only Murders in the Building at 86.0 — is the pick.
The ranking
| Rank | Show | Best for | Platform | Watch Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hacks Season 5 | Prestige comedy | HBO Max | 89.2 |
| 2 | Only Murders in the Building | Comedy mystery | Hulu | 86.0 |
| 3 | The Comeback | Showbiz satire | HBO Max | 84.6 |
| 4 | Shrinking | Comedy-drama | Apple TV | 87.4 |
| 5 | Rooster | Workplace comedy | HBO Max | 83.2 |
| 6 | Not Suitable for Work | Ensemble comedy | Hulu | 81.8 |
| 7 | The Studio | Hollywood satire | Apple TV | 85.4 |
Titles verified via Variety, Rotten Tomatoes, and IMDb.
Methodology
The full rubric. Weights sum to 100. Each show scored 0–100 per criterion; the weighted average is the Watch Score.
| Criterion | Weight | What we measured |
|---|---|---|
| Writing & jokes | 30 | Script quality, joke density, structure. |
| Performances & timing | 25 | Comic timing, delivery, ensemble chemistry. |
| Critical & audience reception | 20 | Aggregate critic scores plus audience signal. |
| Rewatchability | 15 | Repeat-viewing reward. |
| Craft & direction | 10 | Pacing, editing, production. |
| Total | 100 |
Writing leads at 30 because comedy is a writing form first. Performances at 25 capture timing; reception, rewatch, and craft fill the rest.
Per-show profiles
1. Hacks Season 5 — 89.2/100
The Emmy-favorite comedy returned as the 2026 awards frontrunner, with Smart and Einbinder’s relationship still the engine.
| Criterion | Score | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Writing & jokes | 90 | 30 | 27.0 |
| Performances & timing | 92 | 25 | 23.0 |
| Critical & audience reception | 90 | 20 | 18.0 |
| Rewatchability | 86 | 15 | 12.9 |
| Craft & direction | 83 | 10 | 8.3 |
| Total | 100 | 89.2 |
Trade-off: the central dynamic is familiar five seasons in.
2. Shrinking — 87.4/100
Apple’s comedy-drama with Jason Segel and Harrison Ford balances big laughs with grief, leaning warm.
| Criterion | Score | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Writing & jokes | 87 | 30 | 26.1 |
| Performances & timing | 90 | 25 | 22.5 |
| Critical & audience reception | 88 | 20 | 17.6 |
| Rewatchability | 87 | 15 | 13.05 |
| Craft & direction | 81 | 10 | 8.1 |
| Total | 100 | 87.4 |
Trade-off: the dramatic turns dilute the comedy for purists.
3. Only Murders in the Building — 86.0/100
The Steve Martin–Martin Short–Selena Gomez comedy mystery returned with another season of true-crime-podcast spoofery.
| Criterion | Score | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Writing & jokes | 86 | 30 | 25.8 |
| Performances & timing | 88 | 25 | 22.0 |
| Critical & audience reception | 86 | 20 | 17.2 |
| Rewatchability | 84 | 15 | 12.6 |
| Craft & direction | 84 | 10 | 8.4 |
| Total | 100 | 86.0 |
Trade-off: the formula is wearing as the seasons accumulate.
4. The Studio — 85.4/100
Seth Rogen’s Hollywood satire about a studio chief, a critical hit and awards contender.
| Criterion | Score | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Writing & jokes | 86 | 30 | 25.8 |
| Performances & timing | 86 | 25 | 21.5 |
| Critical & audience reception | 86 | 20 | 17.2 |
| Rewatchability | 80 | 15 | 12.0 |
| Craft & direction | 89 | 10 | 8.9 |
| Total | 100 | 85.4 |
Trade-off: industry-insider jokes are funniest if you know Hollywood.
5. The Comeback — 84.6/100
Lisa Kudrow’s showbiz satire returned years later, sustaining its cringe-comedy edge.
| Criterion | Score | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Writing & jokes | 85 | 30 | 25.5 |
| Performances & timing | 88 | 25 | 22.0 |
| Critical & audience reception | 83 | 20 | 16.6 |
| Rewatchability | 79 | 15 | 11.85 |
| Craft & direction | 86 | 10 | 8.6 |
| Total | 100 | 84.6 |
Trade-off: deliberately uncomfortable cringe humor.
6. Rooster — 83.2/100
Steve Carell’s 2026 freshman workplace comedy, fresh blood in the awards race.
| Criterion | Score | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Writing & jokes | 83 | 30 | 24.9 |
| Performances & timing | 85 | 25 | 21.25 |
| Critical & audience reception | 84 | 20 | 16.8 |
| Rewatchability | 80 | 15 | 12.0 |
| Craft & direction | 82 | 10 | 8.2 |
| Total | 100 | 83.2 |
Trade-off: a first season still finding its rhythm.
7. Not Suitable for Work — 81.8/100
Mindy Kaling’s ensemble comedy about ambitious twenty-somethings in Manhattan.
| Criterion | Score | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Writing & jokes | 82 | 30 | 24.6 |
| Performances & timing | 83 | 25 | 20.75 |
| Critical & audience reception | 81 | 20 | 16.2 |
| Rewatchability | 82 | 15 | 12.3 |
| Craft & direction | 79 | 10 | 7.9 |
| Total | 100 | 81.8 |
Trade-off: familiar young-professional comedy beats.
How to re-weight
- Comfort rewatch: rewatchability to 30%. Only Murders and Shrinking climb.
- Pure joke rate: writing to 45%. Hacks holds; The Studio rises.
- Performance-first: timing to 35%. Hacks and Shrinking stay top two.
Verification
- Hacks Season 5, Rooster, The Comeback, Only Murders, The Studio — 2026 Emmy comedy contenders via Variety 2026 Emmys comedy predictions.
- Shrinking — Apple comedy standing via TV Guide best Apple TV shows.
- Not Suitable for Work — 2026 premiere via Hulu Guides what to watch.
Related rankings
- Best Drama Shows (2026): Ranked by Watch Score
- Best Shows on Apple TV (2026): Ranked by Watch Score
- Best Shows on Disney+ (2026): Ranked by Watch Score
- Best Shows on HBO Max (2026): Ranked by Watch Score
Frequently asked questions
- What window does this cover?
- Comedy series airing new 2026 seasons through early June, drawn from current critical and awards conversation across streamers and networks.
- Why does Hacks rank #1?
- It scores highest on writing and reception — the 2026 Emmy comedy frontrunner, carried by Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder.
- Why is writing weighted highest?
- Comedy lives or dies on the script and the joke rate, so writing leads at 30% with performances and timing close behind at 25%.
- Can I re-weight the rubric?
- Yes. Push rewatchability higher and a comfort-watch sitcom climbs. The full table is published.
- How often is this updated?
- Quarterly, plus a refresh around the fall comedy season.