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Most underrated comic actors on TV

Television has showcased the talents of some of the great comedians of our time. Some have established themselves as the very best in the world, others have gone under the radar despite being talented

Most underrated comic actors on TV

List hai toh hit hai

Last Updated: 09.35 PM, Mar 30, 2023

Television has showcased the talents of some of the great comedians of our time, through sitcoms, mockumentaries, stand-ups, and reality shows. While some have established themselves as the very best in the world, others have gone under the radar despite being equally talented. So for today’s List hai toh hit hai we take a look at some of the most underrated comic actors on TV.

Chris O’Dowd

Irish actor and comedian Chris O’Dowd burst onto the scene with the hit British sitcom, The IT Crowd where he played a nerdy executive with a corporate firm’s IT department. He has since appeared in various Hollywood films including the hit rom-com Bridesmaids. But his true potential as an extraordinary comedian went under the radar for several years following these screen outings. But now, the Irishman is back to do what he does best, as the lead in the Apple TV+ comedy series The Big Door Prize. Early reviews of the sci-fi comedy series have praised O’Dowd’s impeccable comic timing and delivery. The show revolves around a device which enables one to learn about one’s true calling or the career option that’s best suited to one’s potential.

Jimmy Carr

When it comes to dark comedy, few can eclipse the British comedian Jimmy Carr. Best known for hosting the British reality TV programmes 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and Roast Battle, Carr has garnered a cult following through his stand-up specials which feature extremely dark deadpan humour, self-deprecation, and his distinctly caustic style of retelling events. Jimmy Carr: His Dark Material and Jimmy Carr: Funny Business are some of his best stand-ups on Netflix. Carr’s humour is not suitable for all audiences and may be considered to be downright crude if not offensive by some. You’ve been warned.

Eugene Levy

For several years, Eugene Levy was always associated with his role as Jim’s dad in the cult classic coming-of-age teen sex comedy American Pie and may be some of its sequels. To his credit, he essayed the role immaculately but never gained the recognition he deserved for his talents. However, as the co-creator and star of the multiple Emmy Award-winning series, Schitt’s Creek, Levy has enjoyed a revival in his career, to the extent that he is now more popular for his turn as Johnny Rose than as Jim’s dad in American Pie. The comedian’s skills as a writer and an actor have been instrumental in Schitt’s Creek’s resounding success and he’s surely one of the most underrated actors on television.

Katherine Ryan

Canadian comedian Katherine Ryan is also arguably one of the most underrated stars today. She primarily works on British television alongside Jimmy Carr, Aisling Bea, and Romesh Ranganathan. Ryan recently headlined her own Netflix comedy series titled The Duchess, building upon her experience as a single mum living in London. While the series never received the attention it deserved, Ryan was praised for her performance as the lead. She also has a few notable Netflix stand-up specials to her name such as Katherine Ryan: In Trouble and Katherine Ryan: Glitter Room. Her latest comedy series Romantic Getaway, where she shares the screen with Romesh Ranganathan, revolves around a couple who’ve been saving up for an IVF before they find themselves embroiled in a financial scam.

Diane Morgan

Diane Morgan has become one of the most recognisable faces on social media thanks to her turn as Philomena Cunk in the hit mockumentary series Cunk on Earth. She garnered global fame after essaying the role of Kath in the hit Ricky Gervais comedy series, After Life. Her role as Philomena in Cunk on Earth was originally written as a woman with a posh English accent, but when casting directors heard Morgan deliver the lines in her Mancunian accent, it convinced them to cast her in the role and rewrite the character. It's not often a character is rewritten just to cast a particular actor, and it is a testament to Morgan’s ability as an actress and a comedian.

Randall Park

Best known as the cherubic and charming lead of the superhit comedy Fresh off the Boat, Randall Park demonstrated his comedic talents pretty early in his career. The show was a breakthrough hit and touched an essential nerve for being the first TV sitcom to exclusively portray the unique experience of being an Asian American family. And if you’ve loved him as the enterprising Taiwanese-American entrepreneur, doting dad and husband, you should also catch the Netflix rom-com Always Be My Maybe that he co-wrote and also where he shares the screen with another Asian American comedy legend Ali Wong. Randall has also done his bit of voice acting and most notably, one can catch him in the Netflix animated comedy series Human Resources, a workplace spinoff of Big Mouth. Some have described it as Big Mouth meets Office and it is a fair if not entirely accurate description. The adult comedy may not be suitable for all but if you have an appetite for gore and sex-positive plot points that border on animated pornography, this could just work for you. Park’s more recent workplace comedy Blockbuster slipped through the cracks and received poor reviews. But as they say, sometimes, the material can actually eclipse the performance. And for us, Park remains a talent who is yet to deliver his career’s best.

Lauren Ash

Those who’ve relished the blue-collar workplace comedy Superstore are fully aware of Lauren Ash’s sharp wit and explosive comic timing. In the sitcom, Ash plays Dina Fox, the incorrigible, poker-faced assistant manager of a fictional superstore called Cloud 9. The show which ran for six seasons had Ash pretty much holding her own in almost every episode and managed to shine even in an ensemble cast. Many would agree that she even eclipsed the show’s frontrunner America Ferrera in some episodes. More recently, Ash fans can flock to Not Dead Yet, the Gina Rodriguez-starrer comedy series about an obituary writer called Nell Serano who can see ghosts. Ash plays Nell’s fastidious and comically-abominable boss Lexi who forever admonishes her.

Well that's all we have time for today's episode , until the next one it's your host Nikhil signing out.

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  • Written by Ryan Gomez and Kunal Guha

Last Updated: 09.35 PM, Mar 30, 2023