Con Man

Right now, Con Man is on Amazon Prime Video, sitting at 7/10 on TMDB. A reliable choice when you want a comedy that delivers on its premise. The comedy format can be hit and miss at this level of ambition, but Con Man handles it with more confidence than most. The 69 viewer ratings on TMDB are not an accident — shows that sustain that level of engagement across their run have earned it. 2 seasons gives the story room to breathe and the characters room to develop. Get it started on Amazon Prime Video and see why so many viewers already have strong opinions about it.

Con Man does what great comedies rarely manage — it is actually funny, consistently, across the whole run. Con Man centers on the post-show life of Wray Nerely the co-star of “Spectrum,” a sci-fi series, which was canceled before its time and went on to become a cult classic beloved by fans. Wray’s good friend, Jack Moore starred as the series Captain and has gone on to become a major celebrity, while Wray hasn’t found his desired level of stardom. Wray is the begrudging guest of sci-fi conventions, comic book store appearances, and different pop culture events; however, everything is not as it seems from the outside. Alan Tudyk and Mindy Sterling lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. The series ran for 2 seasons (2015–2017), building a story that gave its audience time to invest properly. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages. The real test of any comedy is whether it is still funny once you know all the jokes, and Con Man holds up on rewatch in a way that separates it from one-season curiosities.

Ideal for when you want something light without wanting something stupid. Con Man respects its audience — rarer than it should be. The writing assumes you can keep up and rewards you when you do, with jokes that have layers and callbacks that make rewatches genuinely worthwhile. The complete run is available and short enough to finish before the weekend is over. The kind of comedy that you recommend to someone who claims they do not really watch much TV, and then check back in a week to find they have finished it.