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Comedy’s funniest supporting characters are becoming leading acts
Every comedy group has them: the “friend of” who eventually has their time in the sun, but was always the funniest one, and the scene-stealer who walks into a movie for five minutes and becomes the only person you can remember afterward. They're the people your favorite comedians and podcasters already know are hilarious, even if the rest of the world is still catching up.
For years, Mary Beth Barone and Owen Thiele have been the former. Mary Beth has long been the hilarious best friend popping up alongside Benito Skinner, while Owen built an entire persona around being a self-proclaimed "nepo friend." Catherine Cohen has perfected the latter. She's the kind of performer who makes you immediately open IMDb afterward to figure out where you've seen her before.
Right now they're all having their moment. Mary Beth's first Netflix special, Galaxy Brain, is riding Netflix's Top 10, Owen's breakout comedy Adults returns for a second season later this month, and Catherine is packing audiences into her hit Off-Broadway show, Broad Strokes. There's still just enough time to catch up before everyone else does. Then, if you choose to be insufferable, as is your right, you can absolutely say, "I knew them before they blew up."
The best part? One recommendation quickly turns into three more with these multi-hyphenates. And in a space oversaturated with straight men with access to microphones, they’re the rare comedians who reward going down the rabbit hole.
Credit: Netflix | Galaxy Brain
Mary Beth Barone
If you've spent any time on comedy TikTok over the last few years, you've probably encountered Mary Beth Barone. Whether through her viral Golden Globes red carpet interviews, Ride podcast clips with best friend Benito Skinner (best known online as Benny Drama), or stand-up bits about the pitfalls of dating while having a strong moral compass, she's quietly become one of comedy's sharpest voices.
Watch:
Galaxy Brain
Streaming on Netflix
This week she hit a major milestone with Galaxy Brain, her first Netflix special, which has already cracked Netflix's Top 10! Mary Beth tackles life's biggest questions: Is an ex-best friend the worst kind of ex? Can dating apps save democracy? What's with NYPD merch? It's dry, observational comedy at its best.
Overcompensating
Streaming on Prime Video
Created by and starring her bestie Benito Skinner, the series follows a closeted former football player trying to reinvent himself in college. And, yes, every freshman is clearly played by someone in their thirties. No, we don't care.*
*I'll be honest: Overcompensating is a solid 3-out-of-5-star show for me, which, if you ask me, is the backbone of television. Not everything has to be prestige TV. It's funny, easy to fly through, and the music and millennial-core vibes carry it the whole way. It's not a must-watch, but it's still absolutely worth your time.
Listen:
Ride
Available wherever you listen to podcasts
Mary Beth and Benito’s connection is best shown off in their hilariously peak brain-rot pod (complimentary). Every week they spend an hour talking about everything and nothing: pop culture, relationships, existential crises, and, of course, what they “ride” for.
You stopped mid-take.
Plus, the comedy TV show I’m screaming about from the rooftops!
Pix Plus subscribers get the full breakdown — the week's biggest moment, what's worth sending to the group chat, and Meredith's read on why it matters — Pix Plus subscribers get it all.