But in the last year, some of the most ambitious new hours have used the long setup to develop more rarefied kinds of jokes, formally inventive, experimental and very funny.

Former "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno weighed in on the state of comedy and cancel culture, saying if something is "really funny" it can work.

Comedian Chase Shanahan is about to experience a debut and a homecoming at the same time.

Some series have figured out the balance, shading their comedy with just the right amount of heaviness. Max’s The Sex Lives of College Girls has a strong joke-to-pathos ratio.