The article ranks eight standout satire shows from the past 25 years, highlighting how television uses comedy to scrutinise politics, celebrity culture, corporate power, social behaviour and entertainment itself. It argues that satire works particularly well in episodic television because shows can develop their ideas while exposing the absurdity beneath familiar institutions and genres.

– *The Boys* satirises superhero culture, corporate branding, political propaganda and outrage-driven celebrity culture through a violent battle against a commercialised hero industry.
– *Cunk on Earth* uses Philomena Cunk’s confidently ignorant interviews with real experts to parody documentaries and make complex history appear unexpectedly strange.
– *Rick & Morty* targets science fiction, toxic masculinity, internet culture and its own mythology, balancing its nihilistic humour with stories about family and relationships.
– The excerpt begins introducing *It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia*, focusing on the dysfunctional owners of Paddy’s Pub and their disastrous schemes.