Watching Season 5

If you are after a comedy that actually makes you laugh out loud, Watching Season 5 is available on streaming right now. The 1-season run is exactly the right length for what it is doing. An 8/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Watch it for Paul Bown — stay for everyone else around them. Start it whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

There is a reason Watching Season 5 keeps coming up in conversation. Watching Season 5 does what great comedies rarely manage — it is actually funny, consistently, across the whole run. Season 5 of Watching includes 11 episodes. It aired from December 1990 to December 1991. This season stars Paul Bown, Emma Wray and Liza Tarbuck. Paul Bown and Emma Wray lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was aired in 1990. The real test of any comedy is whether it is still funny once you know all the jokes, and Watching Season 5 holds up on rewatch in a way that separates it from one-off curiosities. It rarely drops the ball, and when it does, it recovers fast.

If you need a comedy that actually makes you laugh, Watching Season 5 is a strong candidate. If you have run out of similar titles to watch, this is a strong next pick. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch if your schedule allows. Paul Bown's comic timing carries it through its weaker moments. The kind of comedy you recommend to someone who claims they do not watch much.