{{short description|Television series}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox television | image = The Characters Poster-Logo.jpg | caption = | genre = Sketch comedy | runtime = 30 minutes | creator = | director = Andrew Gaynord | starring = Lauren Lapkus<br>Kate Berlant<br>Phil Burgers<br>Paul W. Downs<br>John Earl<br>Tim Robinson<br>Natasha Rothwell<br>Henry Zebrowski | writer = Lauren Lapkus<br>Kate Berlant<br>Phil Burgers<br>Paul W. Downs<br>John Early<br>Tim Robinson<br>Natasha Rothwell<br>Henry Zebrowski | country = | network = Netflix | released = {{Start date|2016|03|11}} | company = Jax Media | executive_producer = | producer = | num_seasons = 1 | num_episodes = 8 | related = }} '''''Netflix Presents: The Characters''''' is an American sketch comedy television series that premiered on Netflix on March 11, 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/netflix-orders-innovative-sketch-series-861049|title=Netflix Orders Innovative Sketch Series 'The Characters' (Exclusive)|publisher=The Hollywood Reporter|date=February 1, 2016|access-date=February 2, 2016}}</ref> It features eight up-and-coming comedians, who each write and star in their own 30-minute show.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/02/netflix-sketch-comedy-series-the-characters-1201694292/|title=Netflix Sets New Sketch Comedy Series 'The Characters' For March|publisher=Deadline|date=February 1, 2016|access-date=February 2, 2016}}</ref> The comedians featured in the show are Lauren Lapkus, Kate Berlant, Phil Burgers, Paul W. Downs, John Early, Tim Robinson, Natasha Rothwell, and Henry Zebrowski.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/2/1/10887876/netflix-the-characters-comedy-series|title=Netflix's newest comedy is The Characters, and it looks super weird |publisher=The Verge|date=February 1, 2016|access-date=February 2, 2016}}</ref> Eight episodes were released on March 11, 2016. The following month, Netflix cancelled the series after one season.

==Episodes== ===Season 1 (2016)=== {{Episode table |total_width=70 |background=#2ECCFA |overall= |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |episodes= {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 1 |Title = Lauren Lapkus |DirectedBy = Andrew Gaynord |WrittenBy = Lauren Lapkus |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2016|3|11}} |ShortSummary = Lauren Lapkus lampoons reality dating shows, becomes a not-quite-foul-mouthed teenage boy, and transforms into a stripper with an odd music choice. |LineColor = 2ECCFA }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 2 |Title = John Early |DirectedBy = Andrew Gaynord |WrittenBy = John Early |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2016|3|11}} |ShortSummary = John Early embodies the overly dramatic half of an engaged couple, a dim bro on a bad first date, and a wistful Southern comedian mom. |LineColor = 2ECCFA }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 3 |Title = Henry Zebrowski |DirectedBy = Andrew Gaynord |WrittenBy = Henry Zebrowski |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2016|3|11}} |ShortSummary = After being mistaken for Jim Gaffigan and having a run-in with a food cart owner, Henry Zebrowski is forced to observe his terrible past lives. |LineColor = 2ECCFA }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 4 |Title = Kate Berlant |DirectedBy = Andrew Gaynord |WrittenBy = Kate Berlant |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2016|3|11}} |ShortSummary = Kate Berlant immerses herself in the world of a pretentious, eccentric artist who struggles to justify her work on a corporate branding campaign. |LineColor = 2ECCFA }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 5 |Title = Natasha Rothwell |DirectedBy = Andrew Gaynord |WrittenBy = Natasha Rothwell |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2016|3|11}} |ShortSummary = Natasha Rothwell brings a diverse jury waiting room to life, plays a well-read homeless man, and portrays a doctor teaching a lesson about race. |LineColor = 2ECCFA }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 6 |Title = Paul W. Downs |DirectedBy = Andrew Gaynord |WrittenBy = Paul W. Downs |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2016|3|11}} |ShortSummary = Paul Downs goes all in as a monster truck meathead, a European VJ, a blind cop on a Segway and a man on a distressing date with his girlfriend. |LineColor = 2ECCFA }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 7 |Title = Tim Robinson |DirectedBy = Andrew Gaynord |WrittenBy = Tim Robinson, Zach Kanin |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2016|3|11}} |ShortSummary = Tim Robinson breaks out characters like a frenzied Rat Pack wannabe, a disturbed limo employee, a gun shopper with bathroom issues and more. |LineColor = 2ECCFA }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 8 |Title = Phil Burgers |DirectedBy = Andrew Gaynord |WrittenBy = Phil Burgers |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2016|3|11}} |ShortSummary = Filmed in a single shot, Dr. Brown inhabits three wildly different characters who convince strangers to come over for a birthday shindig. |LineColor = 2ECCFA }} }}

==Reception== The series was met with a positive response from critics upon its premiere. The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes's critical consensus reads, "Some Characters prove funnier than others in this sketch anthology, but they cumulatively add up to a hilarious showcase for a new generation of comedic talent."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/netflix_presents_the_characters|title=Netflix Presents: The Characters|website=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Fandango|access-date=December 1, 2020}}</ref>

In 2020, Jason Zinoman of the ''New York Times'' revisited the series, saying "...if ''The Characters'' was a failure, it belongs to the tradition of ''Fridays'' and ''The Dana Carvey Show'': noble experiments, unjustly overlooked, that in retrospect were a hotbed of comedy talent in early-stage careers."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zinoman |first1=Jazon |title=Rediscovering an Ambitious Sketch Comedy That Never Caught On |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/09/arts/television/the-characters-netflix-comedy.html |access-date=1 December 2020 |work=New York Times |date=2020-09-09}}</ref>

In December 2019, ''Vulture'' cited three sketches from the show (Natasha Rothwell's "Chiggers", John Early's "The Toast," and Tim Robinson's "Sammy Paradise") in their list of "The 50 Best Comedy Sketches of the Decade."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hoepfner |first1=Fran |title=The 50 Best Comedy Sketches of the Decade |url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/12/best-comedy-sketches-of-the-decade.html |website=Vulture |date=13 December 2019 |access-date=1 December 2020}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{IMDb title}}

{{Netflix original ended series (2012–2018)}}

Category:2010s American sketch comedy television series Category:2016 American television series debuts Category:2016 American television series endings Category:English-language American television shows Category:Netflix original programming