There's always a funny side

A scene from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Laughter, it's said, is the best medicine. That might not hold true in the case of a virus for which a cure is yet to be found. Still, it doesn't do harm to incorporate some humour into our lives at this challenging hour. Except that live stand-up shows have all but dried up given the fact that numerous people are choosing to self-isolate themselves. But if you, too, have opted to go down that route, we invited four comedians to recommend the funniest shows that you can watch online to keep yourself entertained. So wash your hands, grab some snacks, sit back and press play.

It's time to flea

Anyone who's watched Fleabag will attest to the fact that Phoebe Waller-Bridge is in a league of her own when it comes to writing shows (no wonder she was called in to spice up the dialogues for No Time to Die, the upcoming James Bond film). Comedian Sumukhi Suresh calls it "butt-clenching comedy", meaning it makes you clench the cheeks of your bottom and laugh all at once. She also gives a shout out to John Mulaney - "I like his anger" - and Bill Burr "because I love that he is ranting all the time".

Dark times

Anirban Chakraborty co-wrote the black comedy, Afsos. It's no wonder then that the comedian is a fan of dark humour, which he says is "real and relatable". That's why he recommends After Life, a Netflix show starring Ricky Gervais. "I think that he is fearless, and surprisingly profound for a comedian," Dasgupta says, adding, "There's a sequence where Gervais's character pays someone to overdose on drugs and die because that's what he wants. That scene really hit me because I didn't see it coming. I didn't think he would push someone over like that."

Check out these marvelous options

The first recommendation that pops into Kajol Srinivasan's head is The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, a series on Amazon Prime about a Jewish-American housewife who discovers that she has a funny bone. The next name she suggests is the dark comedy, Afsos, before she reveals that she is also re-watching a timeless classic, That '70s Show. But she reserves special praise for Anthony Jeselnik, saying, "He's a good-looking comedian, but he manages to work that in such a way that people don't get intimidated by him. He's like the high-school bully who grew up."

One for the ladies

Supriya Joshi has her own Netflix special that launches on March 27. It's called Ladies Up and the comedian says that she'll obviously recommend the show to people. But other than that, she suggests Bridget Christie's Stand Up for Her on the same streaming platform. "It's worth watching because she does a great job of making feminism accessible for everyone," Joshi says, before suggesting another comedian - Mike Birbiglia. "My favourite performance of his is called My Girlfriend's Boyfriend. His storytelling is really evocative and he ends up making you feel hopeful even in dire times."

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