10 Comedies We Can’t Wait to See in 2023

Barbie (July 21st)

Amidst all the summer’s high-profile event movies — the latest Mission: Impossible, Christopher Nolan’s somber Oppenheimer — perhaps the film that’s most intriguing is about a Mattel doll. Yes, Will Ferrell, Issa Rae, Michael Cera and America Ferrera are also part of the ensemble.) Warner Bros. has kept the plot mostly secret, letting the movie’s ultra-colorful look and starry cast serve as the selling points. That’s more than enough to get us hooked — plus, the film’s directed and co-written by Greta Gerwig, responsible for the Oscar-winning Lady Bird. If this hits, Barbie could be one of the year’s funniest and most delightful films. Lord knows Gerwig’s already more than halfway there: You couldn’t have asked for a better Barbie and Ken. 

Beef (TBD)

Ali Wong has delivered a series of great recent stand-up specials, not to mention co-starring in and co-writing the 2019 rom-com Nope — suggests there’s going to be room for humor in what certainly sounds like an intense premise.

Bupkis (TBD)

You’d better not be tired of Davidson’s real life. The series will combine grounded storytelling with absurd elements from the unfiltered and completely original worldview for which Pete is well known.” 

Davidson, who also co-wrote the series, is ed by some heavy hitters, including Edie Falco as his mom and Joe Pesci as his grandfather. (If that wasn’t enough, Charlie Day, Brad Garrett, Curb-esque, and there’s no denying Davidson has fashioned a popular persona that will draw viewers. The question is whether he’ll be able to carry a whole show.  

Chris Rock: Selective Outrage (March 4th)

Perhaps you heard that Chris Rock had a memorable 2022. Ever since being the recipient of Will Smith. So expectations are high that he’ll finally make his most public comments during Selective Outrage, his new Netflix stand-up special — which is the streaming platform’s first live special. He remains a titan of the form, with his last special, Tamborine, appearing on Netflix five years ago. But even those with only a ing interest in Rock will want to tune in: Who wouldn’t be curious to hear what Rock has to say nearly a year after he and Smith tangled? 

Clone High (TBD)

Before Phil Lord and Christopher Miller became famous as the guys who brought Will Forte and the rest of the original voice cast will be back for this revival. 

Mrs. American Pie (TBD)

Bridesmaids proved that Kristen Wiig could do more grounded comedy. Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar demonstrated her ability to be deeply weird. Tonally, where will Mrs. American Pie reside? Based on the Juliet McDaniel beach-read novel, this Apple TV+ series is set in the early 1970s, when have-not Maxine (Wiig) tries to enter the world of upper-crust Palm Beach society. Billed as a “story about gorgeously impossible people,” this comedy miniseries will be executive-produced by Laura Dern, who’s going to co-star alongside Allison Janney, Ricky Martin and Carol Burnett. That’s an eclectic cast, and the hope is that Mrs. American Pie gives Wiig a Big Little Lies-esque vehicle — albeit without the dead bodies, we assume. 

Next Goal Wins (September 22th)

Our Flag Means Death only continued his hit streak. He returns in 2023 with this underdog sports comedy based on actual events: In the buildup to the 2014 World Cup, the pitiful American Samoa soccer team hired an unconventional coach, Thomas Rongen, to turn their fortunes around. 

Based on the documentary of the same name, Next Goal Wins stars Oscar-nominee Michael Fassbender and definitely looks like the kind of crowd-pleasing sports comedy that audiences can’t get enough of. “It's basically the Cool Runnings of soccer” is how Waititi described it, which may be all the enticement viewers need.

Party Down (February 24)

It’s been 13 years since a new episode of Adam Scott and his co-stars will prove us wrong, reviving that dreary catering company and its miserable employees, the show’s wit and low-key poignancy still intact. 

Ted Lasso (TBD)

The second season of Ted Lasso ended with some cliffhangers, but the real suspense has taken place since the Emmy-winning comedy-drama stopped airing new episodes in late 2021. Production delays kept the third season from debuting in 2022, as was initially expected, and then there’s the question of whether this will be the show’s final season. (“I think the only person who can give an answer is Jason (Sudeikis),” co-star Jeremy Swift said recently. “And I don’t think even he knows.”) Plus, there’s been the added drama of the very public end of Sudeikis’ relationship to actor/director Olivia Wilde, which has grabbed headlines for some of the silliest reasons. 

All of that speculation and gossip only adds more pressure to a show already facing huge expectations. Love or hate Ted Lasso, it became a zeitgeist-y sensation. Can Season Three continue to build on that momentum? And if this is the end, will Ted Lasso go out as triumphantly as it came in?

You Hurt My Feelings (TBD)

In 2013, writer-director Nicole Holofcener released Enough Said, a sweet, funny, sad rom-com for adults, which starred Seinfeld star for a film that has a killer premise. Louis-Dreyfus plays Beth, a writer who’s been working on her latest novel for years, encouraged by her loving husband Don (Tobias Menzies) — but then, one day, she accidentally overhears Don itting to someone that, actually, he thinks her book isn’t very good. 

Billed as a comedy about insecurity and narcissism, You Hurt My Feelings should strike a chord with anyone who’s had to lie in a relationship to protect their partner’s feelings — or, conversely, discovered that their soulmate hasn’t always been truthful with them. The movie premieres at Sundance, with A24 releasing later this year. Louis-Dreyfus so rarely makes films, so it’s exciting to see what she brings to the role. If it’s not good, though, I promise not to tell her what I really think.