General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20264 min read

Netflix Presents: The Characters

Netflix Presents: The Characters is an American sketch comedy anthology series released on Netflix on March 11, 2016, in which eight up-and-coming comedians each write and star in their own half-hour episode with complete creative control¹. Netflix promoted the format as "outlaw comedy": no rules, no limits, with sketches ranging from Bachelor parodies to music videos to biblical spoofs¹.

Key fact	Detail
Format	Eight comedians, each given a 30-minute episode to write and star in their own sketches¹
Premiere	March 11, 2016, all eight episodes released on Netflix²
Episodes	8, average runtime 33 minutes; status ended after one season³
Featured comedians	Lauren Lapkus, Kate Berlant, Dr. Brown, Paul W. Downs, John Early, Tim Robinson, Natasha Rothwell, Henry Zebrowski³
Cameos	Cecily Strong, Bobby Moynihan, Tyson Beckford, Abbi Jacobson⁴
Rating	TV-MA²
Reception	100% Tomatometer from 12 critics; 57% audience score; IMDb 5.5/10⁵

Spoilers

Episodes

All eight episodes were released on March 11, 2016²:

In her episode, Lauren Lapkus mocks reality dating programs, adopts the character of an adolescent boy, and dances as a stripper to unconventional music⁸.
John Early takes on three roles: one half of an engaged pair given to excessive theatrics, a not-so-bright guy suffering through a rough first date, and a nostalgic Southern mother who does comedy.⁹
Henry Zebrowski is mistaken for comic Jim Gaffigan, has an encounter with a food cart owner, and observes his past lives⁸.
Kate Berlant explores a pretentious, eccentric artist who must justify her work on a corporate campaign⁸.
Natasha Rothwell livens up a jury waiting room, poses as a well-read homeless man, and portrays a doctor teaching a lesson about race⁸.
Paul W. Downs plays a monster truck meathead, a blind cop on a Segway, and a man on a distressing date⁸.
Tim Robinson plays a frenzied wannabe, an unsettling limo worker, and a gun shopper with bathroom issues⁸.
Dr. Brown is filmed in a single shot, playing three different characters who persuade strangers to attend a birthday celebration³.

Format

Each half-hour episode was turned over wholly to a single comedian, who was given complete creative control to write and star in a set of sketches⁶. TV Guide described the concept as a sort of sketch comedy Masters of Horror, where each episode lets a different comedian indulge whatever ideas they come up with⁷.

The characters created for the show were intentionally wide-ranging and included, among others, a toddler who, despite being bratty, oddly offers wisdom to the colleagues of her mother, plus a Christian comedian and full-time mother who turns the fabric of her jacket into a catchphrase, as well as a stripper dealing with clinical depression⁶.

Cast

The eight featured comedians were Lauren Lapkus (Orange Is the New Black, Jurassic World), Kate Berlant (The Meltdown), Dr. Brown, Paul W. Downs (Broad City), John Early (Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp), Tim Robinson (Saturday Night Live), Natasha Rothwell (writer at SNL), and Henry Zebrowski (Heroes Reborn)³. Cameos came from SNL's Cecily Strong and Bobby Moynihan, model Tyson Beckford, and Broad City's Abbi Jacobson⁴.

Context within Netflix's comedy slate

Netflix announced the series on February 1, 2016, and billed it as the streaming service's second foray into original sketch comedy, after the previous year's With Bob & David⁷. The Los Angeles Times noted that Netflix had sponsored stand-up specials before, but that this series represented a more involved investment in comedy, functioning as a collection of comedians and content united in humor rather than a single narrative¹⁰.

Reception

Critics rated the season highly on aggregate: Rotten Tomatoes recorded a 100% Tomatometer from 12 reviews, with the critics consensus reading that some episodes prove funnier than others but they cumulatively add up to a showcase for a new generation of comedic talent⁵^•⁸. Audience measures were cooler, at 57% on the Popcornmeter and 5.5/10 on IMDb⁵.

Individual reviews were mixed but positive in tone. Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya of The A.V. Club scored the series 91/100, writing that it is weird without trying too hard to be weird, with high production value that never feels overproduced¹¹. David Sims of The Atlantic (70/100) found its comedic voice immediately distinct, with every episode devoted to the idiosyncrasies of its host¹¹. Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times called it a concept with mixed but consistently interesting results, and observed that the show is not built for binge-watching, since moving from one artist to another requires a jarring shift in tone and expectation¹².

References

Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Sitcom and comedy series › Sketch comedy series

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

Notice something wrong?