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The best comedies on Criterion Channel right now

Right now the best comedies and comedy series on Criterion Channel in the United States are Modern Times (1936), The Great Dictator (1940) and The Gold Rush (1925). This is the top 21 streaming there today, ranked by how well rated each one is, how many people have rated it, and what people are watching now.

Updated November 12, 2026 · streaming in the United States

Pick three for meAllFilmsSeries

  1. 1. Modern Times1936

    Film · 1h 27mComedy, Drama, Romance★ 8.3

    A bumbling tramp desires to build a home with a young woman, yet is thwarted time and time again by his lack of experience and habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time...

    Stream onPrime VideoHBO MaxYouTube TVCriterion Channel+4

  2. 2. The Great Dictator1940

    Film · 2h 5mComedy, War★ 8.3

    Dictator Adenoid Hynkel tries to expand his empire while a poor Jewish barber tries to avoid persecution from Hynkel's regime.

    Stream onPrime VideofuboTVHBO MaxCriterion Channel+6

  3. 3. The Gold Rush1925

    Film · 1h 35mAdventure, Comedy, Drama★ 8.0

    A gold prospector in Alaska struggles to survive the elements and win the heart of a dance hall girl.

    Stream onPrime VideoHBO MaxCriterion ChannelHistory Vault+11

  4. 4. Boogie Nights1997

    Film · 2h 36mDrama, Comedy★ 7.6

    In 1977, an idealistic porn producer and his promising protege try to catch up with the end of an era before their never-ending party collides with cold, hard reality.

    Stream onCriterion ChannelPlex (free)

  5. 5. The Circus1928

    Film · 1h 12mComedy, Drama, Romance★ 7.9

    Charlie, a wandering tramp, becomes a circus handyman - soon the star of the show - and falls in love with the circus owner's stepdaughter.

    Stream onPrime VideoHBO MaxCriterion ChannelFlixFling+5

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  7. 6. To Be or Not to Be1942

    Film · 1h 39mComedy, War, Romance★ 7.8

    During the Nazi occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's efforts to track down a German spy.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion Channel

  8. 7. Horrible Histories2009

    Series · 11 seasonsFamily, Comedy★ 8.0

    Based on the best-selling children's books and liberally splattered with guts, blood and poo, a group of British comedians offer an anarchic and unconventional take on some of history's most gruesome and funny moments, with topics…

    Stream onPrime VideoCriterion ChannelAmazon MX Player (free)

  9. 8. Il Sorpasso1962

    Film · 1h 45mDrama, Comedy, Adventure★ 8.2

    Roberto, a shy law student in Rome, meets Bruno, a forty-year-old exuberant, capricious man, who takes him for a drive through the Roman and Tuscany countries in the summer.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  10. 9. Hannah and Her Sisters1986

    Film · 1h 47mComedy, Drama★ 7.5

    Between two Thanksgivings, Hannah's husband falls in love with her sister Lee, while her hypochondriac ex-husband rekindles his relationship with her sister Holly.

    Stream onPrime VideoCriterion ChannelMGM+Hoopla (free)+4

  11. 10. We All Loved Each Other So Much1974

    Film · 2h 5mDrama, Comedy★ 8.3

    Three partisans bound by a strong friendship return home after the war, but the clash with everyday reality puts a strain on their bond.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  12. 11. Big Deal on Madonna Street1958

    Film · 1h 46mComedy, Crime★ 8.1

    Best friends Peppe and Mario are thieves, but they're not very good at it. Still, Peppe thinks that he's finally devised a master heist that will make them rich.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  13. 12. Police Story1985

    Film · 1h 39mAction, Crime, Comedy★ 7.6

    Officer Chan Ka Kui manages to put a major Hong Kong drug dealer behind the bars practically alone, after a shooting and an impressive chase inside a slum.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelTencent VideoShout! Factory TV (free)

  14. 13. Monsieur Verdoux1947

    Film · 2h 4mComedy, Crime, Drama★ 7.7

    The film is about an unemployed banker, Henri Verdoux, and his sociopathic methods of attaining income. While being both loyal and competent in his work, Verdoux has been laid-off.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelTCMKanopy (free)

  15. 14. Down by Law1986

    Film · 1h 46mCrime, Drama, Comedy★ 7.4

    A disc jockey, a pimp and an Italian tourist escape from jail in New Orleans.

    Stream onHBO MaxYouTube TVCriterion ChannelFandango at Home Free (free)+2

  16. 15. Sanjuro1962

    Film · 1h 36mDrama, Action, Comedy★ 7.9

    In this companion piece and sequel to "Yojimbo," jaded samurai Sanjuro helps an idealistic group of young warriors weed out their clan's evil influences, and in the process turns their image of a proper samurai on its ear.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  17. 16. My Dinner with Andre1981

    Film · 1h 52mDrama, Comedy★ 7.5

    Wally, a struggling playwright and actor, reluctantly agrees to catch up with his old friend Andre, a theater director who disappeared several years prior in order to travel the world.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelYouTube Free (free)Plex (free)

  18. 17. Naked1993

    Film · 2h 11mDrama, Comedy★ 7.3

    An unemployed Brit vents his rage on unsuspecting strangers as he embarks on a nocturnal London odyssey.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  19. 18. Three Colors: White1994

    Film · 1h 32mComedy, Drama, Mystery★ 7.4

    Polish immigrant Karol Karol finds himself out of a marriage, a job and a country when his French wife, Dominique, divorces him after six months due to his impotence.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelTCM

  20. 19. Withnail & I1987

    Film · 1h 48mComedy, Drama★ 7.2

    Two out-of-work actors -- the anxious, luckless Marwood and his acerbic, alcoholic friend, Withnail -- spend their days drifting between their squalid flat, the unemployment office and the pub.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion Channel

  21. 20. The Exterminating Angel1962

    Film · 1h 33mComedy, Drama, Fantasy★ 7.9

    After a lavish dinner party, the guests find themselves unable to depart... and, over the next few days, all of their elaborate societal pretenses and façades deteriorate as they are reduced to living like animals.

    Stream onCriterion ChannelCultpixPlex (free)Mometu (free)

  22. 21. Mystery Train1989

    Film · 1h 46mComedy★ 7.3

    In Memphis, Tennessee, over the course of a single night, the Arcade Hotel, run by an eccentric night clerk and a clueless bellboy, is visited by a young Japanese couple traveling in search of the roots of rock; an Italian woman in…

    Stream onCriterion Channel

Questions

What are the best comedies and comedy series on Criterion Channel right now?
In the United States, as of November 12, 2026: Modern Times (1936), rated 8.3 out of 10 on TMDB, then The Great Dictator and The Gold Rush.
How is this list made?
Watchwalla asks TMDB for everything of this kind that streams in your country today, ranks it by rating (pulled toward the middle until enough people have rated a title), with a nudge for what's new and what people are watching now, and refreshes the list every day. Streaming availability comes from JustWatch, through TMDB.
Can it pick something for me?
Yes. The picker at watchwalla.com/tonight asks who's watching, how much time you have and what you're in the mood for, and gives three picks streaming where you are. Sign in and every title also gets a match score for your own taste.

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