Comedy Premium League Review: India’s Top Comics on Netflix

Comedy Premium League is a six-episode Netflix comedy competition from 2021 in which 16 Indian comedians, split into four teams, compete in sketch, roast, stand-up, improv and debate rounds hosted by Prajakta Koli. Our short review: a strong idea and a fun cast, but the jokes and the scoring are uneven.

The show still streams on Netflix, and it remains one of the few Indian attempts at a team-based sketch and variety format. Here is what works, what does not, and what you should know before you press play.

Comedy Premium League: quick facts

What is Comedy Premium League about?

The pitch is simple. Take 16 comedians, actors and social media names, put them in four teams of four, and make them compete across different comedy formats in front of a live audience. Think of it as an Indian cousin of Saturday Night Live, mixed with a sports league table.

Each team has a captain, and the formats change from round to round: sketches, roasts, stand-up sets, improv games, presentations and debates. Round names include “Scene Kya Hai?”, “Ikke pe Ikka”, “In Slide” jokes, “Punchlines” and the debate round “Tu Tu Main Main”.

The audience was masked and socially distanced, which tells you when this was shot. The final episode also features filmmaker Anurag Kashyap.

The four teams and their members

The team names are half the fun. Each one pairs an animal with a slightly ridiculous Hindi or English label.

1. Lovable Langoors

Captained by Amit Tandon, with Samay Raina, Rytasha Rathore and Aadar Malik. Rytasha Rathore, one of the most consistent performers on the show, gives this team many of its best moments.

2. Naazuk Nevle

Captained by Mallika Dua, with Rahul Subramanian, Urooj Ashfaq and Rahul Dua. The team leans on sketches and characters, and its members take turns leading different rounds.

3. Gharelu Gilaharis

Captained by Kenny Sebastian, with Prashasti Singh, Kaneez Surka and Aakash Gupta. The team is at its best in the looser, unscripted rounds where the members feed off each other.

4. IDGAF Iguanas

Captained by Sumukhi Suresh, with Tanmay Bhat, Rohan Joshi and Sumaira Shaikh. This team is built for the roast and debate formats, where quick back and forth matters most.

How the scoring works

A live audience scores each round. As the show explains it, the winning team gets 50 points for performance and 30 for participation. The losing team also gets 30 for participation, but those points can be cut if a team runs over its time.

On paper this keeps everyone in the game. On screen it feels complicated, and at times the audience scores look random. A sketch that gets big laughs can lose to a weaker one, and the show rarely explains why. If you are watching for the competition, this is the weakest part of the format.

Comedy Premium League review: what works

The premise is the biggest strength. Seeing this many well-known Indian comics on one stage, writing and performing together, is rare. Fans who know these comedians from YouTube specials and podcasts will enjoy watching them react to each other.

Several performers have standout moments. Rytasha Rathore is consistently sharp. Mallika Dua and Prashasti Singh show the kind of range that makes you think they deserve good film roles. The roast and debate rounds, where performers can play off each other, are where the show feels most alive.

The episodes are also short, around 45 minutes each, so the whole season is an easy weekend watch.

What does not work

Many jokes do not land. Some sketches feel under-rehearsed, and at times the performers seem unsure of their own material. That is understandable for a first season of a new format, but it makes the show uneven.

Prajakta Koli is likeable, but her role is thin. She mostly moves the show from one round to the next, and the format gives her little room to add to it.

Critics were mixed too. The Indian Express gave it 3 stars, The Quint gave it 2.5 out of 5, and Cinema Express gave it 2 out of 5, according to the show’s Wikipedia page.

Is Comedy Premium League worth watching in 2026?

Yes, if you like Indian stand-up and want to see these comedians together before many of them moved on to bigger solo careers. Treat it as a light, uneven variety show, not a polished sketch series. If you want tight writing and consistent laughs, you may find it patchy.

Only one season of six episodes has been released, so it is a small time commitment. For more streaming verdicts, see our reviews and series sections.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: Wikipedia: Comedy Premium League, Netflix India.