14 Dark Humor Jokes From Prestige TV Shows
For close to 20 years now, television has consistently delivered the kind of hard-hitting, well-shot, incredibly written stories that you typically used to only see in movie theaters. In fact, AMC, HBO and other networks that aren’t initials like Showtime have unleashed some of the most engrossingly dramatic moments in modern pop culture over this time period. But stern seriousness can’t make up all of your show’s DNA, and nothing breaks up those moments better than some dark comedy.
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To inspire you to start a rewatch binge, here are some of our favorite dark humor jokes and scenes within Prestige TV...
‘Is Your Social Worker in That Horse?’
In the eighth episode of the second season of Hannibal, Will Graham and Dr. Lecter approach Peter, an unstable stableboy, with a question that’s turned into a widespread meme.
The Ultimate Divorce on ‘Shameless’
Sometimes to get your boyfriend’s ex-wife to finally sign the divorce papers it requires a trailer park-style MMA brawl.
‘Not Great, Bob!’
The now-meme was originally a fantastic line delivery on Mad Men when Pete Campbell runs into Bob Benson in the elevator shortly after hearing that his mother disappeared during a cruise with a caretaker/lothario that Bob recommended.
Ramsay Bolton Enjoying His Sausage
In Game of Thrones, Ramsay tortures Theon Greyjoy by eating his phallic dinner in front of the person who got his penis removed.
Ruth Shoots All of Her Ex-Lovers in a ‘Six Feet Under’ Fantasy
Admit it. You fantasize about murdering your exes, too.
Paulie and Christopher Kill a Waiter on ‘The Sopranos’
They say, “You should always tip your wait staff appropriately,” but that can be incredibly subjective.
‘That Guy’s Here to Kill Me’ from ‘Barry’
In which Barry immediately spots the least chill hitman in history.
Lester Murders His Wife on ‘Fargo’
Arguably the most mild-mannered murder recorded for television.
Dewey Crowe’s Series of Terrible Robberies
On Justified, all Dewey wanted was some quick cash; however, modern life gets in the way of the traditional stickup.
Snoop Buys a Nail Gun in ‘The Wire’
A knowledgeable staff is the key to any good hardware store’s power tool section.
Cousin Greg’s Costumed Vomiting in ‘Succession’
In the pilot, the clueless Greg gets a job at Disney, er, Brightstar Adventure Park, but is unable to meet the extraordinary demands, like “not showing up high,” which leads him down an even darker career path.
‘Better Call Saul’s Toilet Buddy
Jimmy McGill tries his hand at patent law and sees a prospective client that had an innocent idea (we hope) that could easily be misconstrued as a, well, “sex toilet.”
The ‘Fuck’ Scene from ‘The Wire’
Bunk and McNulty exercise every feasible use for the F-word as they investigate a murder in this iconic scene.
‘Breaking Bad’s Roof Pizza
After a failed attempt at reconciling with his wife, Walt tosses an XXL pizza in a fit of rage, and it lands perfectly on his roof like so many errant frisbees. It was such a hilarious moment that fans found the house and kept throwing so many pizzas onto it that the owners had to install an anti-roof pizza fence to keep their gutters pepperoni-free.
