Each month, many funny videos are posted to every corner of the internet — from X and Instagram to Vimeo and sometimes other weird places we’ll have trouble embedding. Because you’re busy living your life, you might miss some of these funny videos and feel left out when others bring them up in conversation. Well, worry not! We’re here to make sure you’re not listening in on conversations but leading them … as long as those conversations are about funny internet videos. Here, our favorite comedy shorts of the month.
“Dream Team,†by Nathan Engelhardt
This one’s not ha-ha funny, but it is a thinker. Thoughtfully written and beautifully shot, Dream Team features a lead character who’s our ultrarelatable eyes into a workplace existence mostly sustained by limitless free espresso, beautiful snacks, cool furniture, and severe underpayment. He’s not even wholly mad at it, and the scariest and most perverse part of all is that, in 2024, that kind of expertly curated ambivalence does feel relatable.
“Food at the Club,†by Friends Who Folk
Friends Who Folk’s self-titled 2018 album showcased some of the best musical comedy on the scene since the heyday of Flight of the Conchords. Now, just when we need them most, they’re returning to folk some more with Comedy Is Wrong, which is out next week. As an appetizer, they’ve provided this sample of a dance-pop anthem that explores whether the club would be more appealing for everyone if it were more of a sit-down situation.
“I Live in Your House,†by Patrick McDonald
Unsurprisingly, this short has racked up tens of thousands of views per day since its May 24 debut. Why aren’t we shocked by this virality in an era when very little besides TikTok clips of shaking butts or mediocre stand-up crowd work garners buzz? Because it’s equal parts horrifying and hilarious, and that will always be a winning combo.
“If I’m Alive Next Week …,†by Jennifer Morris and Robbie Sublett
Anchored by a fantastic leading performance from the prolific character actress Joyce Van Patten (as well as supporting turns from Richard Kind and a ponytailed Peter Friedman), this web series from creators Jennifer Morris and Robbie Sublett is now available to watch following its award-winning festival run. It’s been ages since we’ve seen a web series that captures a particular melancholic New York feeling this well while staying fiercely spunky and funny throughout. For fans who feel the absence of offbeat indie TV like High Maintenance or are impatiently awaiting the next season of a gentle character study like Somebody Somewhere, If I’m Alive Next Week has swooped in to rescue you.
“Picky Eater,†by Mark Edwards
Ah, the beauty of stepdad comedy. Will we ever get enough? Don’t think so. No spoilers intended, but Mark Edwards clearly comes from a stepdad-frequented home (or intimately knows some folks who do) because this is just perfect. And we say that as stepdad-frequented-home kids.
“Tanglewhip,†by Charlie Hankin
Charlie Hankin follows up the Pokémon-ish whimsy of his short “Baby Monsters†with this tale of a Western standoff between prospectors who fall under the jurisdiction of Sheriff Tanglewhip, so-called because his two whips keep getting tangled together all the time. Hankin loads these shorts with a remarkably equal balance between broad, cartoonish fun and well-observed little human detail. See here: Tanglewhip’s exasperated reaction to the prospector’s unhelpful definition of a “Gordian Knot.â€
“When You Want to Gossip But Your Friend Isn’t on the Same Page,†by Paige Gallagher
Is there anything worse than getting ready to talk some serious shit with a shit-talking partner who, as luck would have it, isn’t game for shit talking? Philosophers have contemplated this unfortunate social phenomenon for millennia (we’re pretty sure), but Paige Gallagher really brings it into focus here. See, not actively talking shit is one thing, but being made to feel like you have to actually do a full 180 and be … positive? A bridge too far.
“Why Did Will Betray Caro Like That?,†by Simple Town
Simple Town is unmatched at making videos where the hard pivot away from the thing we thought we were talking about is actually the reason we’re having the conversation in the first place. To understand what we mean, check out this video, where the slightest hesitation leads the rug to get pulled out from underneath us in the funniest way possible. This video also features one of our other favorite things Simple Town does: use normal technology as a half-hearted stand-in for other technology.
“You Think Kendrick’s the Only One Who Can Go Back-to-Back??,†by Demi Adejuyigbe
Demi Adejuyigbe returned to the studio in the middle of the Drake-Kendrick beef to help create this withering response on behalf of Drake. Beyond the excellent pastiche of the rap itself, this video showcases one of Adejuyigbe’s great skills: a silent facial performance as this engineer realizes he has oriented himself on what is definitively the losing side of this battle.
“Your Friend Who’s Obviously AI,†by Cool Guyz Online
On the eve of a potentially devastating new reality where the AI singularity is upon us and machines are set on a path to rule humankind, the specter of a total loss of control in our lives isn’t actually what’s scary. What is scary is the idea of machines talking over each other in an infinite loop when they mishear something another machine said. That’s really what The Terminator should’ve been about.
Like what you saw? Want to be on this monthly roundup? Show us your stuff!Â
Luke Kelly-Clyne is a co-head of HartBeat Independent and a watcher of many web videos. Send him yours at @LKellyClyne.
Graham Techler has contributed writing to The New Yorker and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. Send him your videos at @gr8h8m_t3chl3r.
More From This Series
- The Best Comedy Shorts of October 2024
- The Best Comedy Shorts of August 2024
- The Best Comedy Shorts of July 2024