Nick Kroll: What To Watch If You Like The Actor And Comedian
Every comedian has their own unique sense of humor and you can usually identify it as a kind of signature. This is definitely true for Nick Kroll, whose recognizable voice and humor has basically taken over its own corner of Hollywood’s comedy scene. In addition to being a comedian and actor, he also writes and produces many of his own projects. We’ve collected the very best of Kroll, and where you can watch the hilarious movies and shows from the comedian.
Big Mouth (2017 – Present)
Big Mouth is an animated series that has a weird take on coming of age stories, with puberty monsters and all. It centers on a small group of kids as they go through puberty and the monsters that they are assigned to them to help them through it. Nick Kroll is joined by a number of big names in comedy in the cast, including frequent collaborators, funny man Jason Mantzoukas, and John Mulaney.
The adult-humored cartoon is probably the best representation of how Nick Kroll can do practically anything. Not only has helped create the Netflix animated series, but he writes, produces, and voices a slew of characters for the ongoing series. Kroll really comes into his own in the series and it’s one of the most recent examples of how far his talents and comedy have come. A huge piece of evidence that Big Mouth is a must-see, and Kroll has done a fantastic job with it, is that it has defied Netflix’s cancellation curse, having been greenlit through its sixth season.
Human Resources (2022)
Coming in hot right behind Big Mouth is its new Netflix spinoff. Human Resources focuses more on the puberty monsters rather than the kids they are sent to look after, and is a take on an office comedy. Being such, we sadly miss out on the comedic genius of Jason Mantzoukas and John Mulaney (for the most part), but we gain Ali Wong and Randall Park, and retain some other funny members of Big Mouth for the Human Resources cast.
Nick Kroll does pretty much the same stuff for Human Resources as he does for Big Mouth, and obviously voices some of the same characters. Kroll displays the same kind of humor and does it just as well while also delivering fresh jokes. The spinoff pretty much proves that Kroll can keep slinging the comedy in creative, innovative ways, and is no where near lacking for material.
Stream Human Resources on Netflix.
Oh, Hello On Broadway (2017)
If you are missing John Mulaney in Human Resources (he only appears in one episode), it may be time to watch a very different Mulaney/Nick Kroll team-up. The two took their Oh, Hello characters from a number of skits to Broadway for an improvised, 138 performance show. The play features Kroll and Mulaney as old grumpy men who tend to be highly opinionated and misinformed. They improvise the majority of the play together, and the Netflix version features both Steve Martin and Matthew Broderick guest starring.
Yeah, Nick Kroll was on Broadway. For some reason, I can’t picture it in my mind, but I totally don’t have to, because I have a Netflix subscription. The play is ridiculous and fun, yeah, but is highly endearing in terms of Kroll and Mulaney’s relationship. Kroll’s improvisations in the play bring out his creativity in an interesting way, and it’s refreshing to see him outside of scripted skits.
Stream Oh, Hello on Broadway on Netflix.
Kroll Show (2013 – 2015)
Nick Kroll has a ton of credits from his 20 year career, and his first writing credit was on Chappelle’s Show back in ‘03. Kroll Show is basically his own, later version of Chappelle’s Show, where Kroll acts out ridiculous skits with a number of comedic guest stars. Kroll Show bore a number of iconic characters, including the two old-timers in Oh, Hello.
Kroll Show is full of laughs, and features a number of guest stars who are huge in the comedy genre, as well as several whom Nick Kroll frequently acts alongside. The show, appropriately named after himself, very much seems to be a reflection of Kroll as a person and comedian, and is a must-see no-brainer for his fans.
Stream Kroll Show on Paramount+.
Buy Kroll Show digitally on Amazon.
The League (2009 – 2015)
I first fell in love with Nick Kroll on FX’s The League, and that love goes deep. The series centers on a group of friends who play fantasy football. While that doesn’t sound like the most exciting thing in the world, the group makes the fantasy sport interesting by adding ridiculous rules and traditions. While a lot of jokes are niche and somewhat out of date with what was happening in the NFL at the time, they are still enjoyable, as well as the many NFL player cameos that are scattered throughout the series.
I’m not ashamed to admit that I stole a number of inside jokes from The League, a lot of which were Nick Kroll’s, and still refer to them to this day. Kroll has his signature comedy style in a more traditional show, and it shines with all the different characters around him. The series is just all around fun, and the humor really sticks.
Stream The League on Hulu.
Buy The League digitally on Amazon.
Sausage Party (2016)
Created by Seth Rogen, Sausage Party is an adult, animated film where a ton of big names in comedy (like Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, and Michael Cera) voice items found at a supermarket. Most of the voices are for some type of food, and they are happy to be purchased and go home with their buyer – until they find out what happens to food that’s purchased.
Nick Kroll is voicing a douche in the film, which is very on-brand. While Kroll typically plays a less-than-savory character, he is a downright villain in Sausage Party. Some of his scenes are actually kind of hard to watch, but it’s a testament to his skills that he can make an animated film come alive with just his voice.
Buy/Rent Sausage Party digitally on Amazon.
Parks And Recreation (2011 – 2015)
Speaking of Douche, Nick Kroll plays a character of this name on Parks and Rec as well. He is a radio show host who is beloved by Pawnee (minus maybe Leslie Knope) for his crude humor. He appears and is mentioned throughout the series as a recurring character, and one of fan’s favorite Parks and Rec side characters. He acts as somewhat of a foil to Leslie as she navigates small town politics in Pawnee.
Fans of Nick Kroll will find a lot of similarities between his main works and Parks and Rec. Like almost everything Kroll has a hand in, the series packed full of comedic actors (Aziz Ansari, Chris Pratt, Aubrey Plaza, Nick Offerman, Amy Poehler….) and Kroll fits right in while adding his signature style. The series is full of comedic genius, and Kroll adds a crude layer that wouldn’t quite be right without him.
Stream Parks and Recreation on Peacock.
Buy Parks and Recreation digitally on Amazon.
Reno 911! (2009)
Interestingly enough, closer to the beginning of Nick Kroll’s career he played a different radio DJ as a recurring character in Reno 911!. The series is a Cops parody that centers on a group of incompetent officers as they answer 911 calls. Kroll’s character, the Spanish speaking El Chupacabra, actually shows up later in Kroll Show and Comedy Bang Bang, as well. This reuse of characters is a major theme of Kroll’s, and his fan base absolutely loves to revisit characters.
Reno 911! Is a great addition to a Nick Kroll marathon, especially since his character’s previously conjoined twin is played by Jon Hamm. Sounds complicated, but it’s peak comedy, okay? Kroll fans will love this earlier look at the actor with his signature style of humor. The tiny police shorts frequently featured in Reno 911! is a secondary reason to binge the series.
Stream Reno 911! on HBO Max.
Buy Reno 911! digitally on Amazon.
I Love You, Man (2009)
How I absolutely love this movie, for more reasons than just a nice appearance by Nick Kroll. The on-screen chemistry between Jason Segel and Paul Rudd is out of this word. I love them together, especially in a film where the two form an unlikely, niche pair in friendship. I Love You, Man centers on Rudd’s character, who needs to make some guy friends before he gets married, and ends up chumming it up over Rush with Segel’s oddball character.
As for Nick Kroll, I Love You, Man was an awesome small role for him. He plays a potential bestie of Paul Rudd’s character after he needs to make more friends to fill out his groomsmen party. Kroll plays his typical crude and screwy self in the film, so you can guess how well that went for Rudd’s character. For viewers, though, it went pretty awesome.
Stream I Love You, Man on Paramount+.
Buy/Rent I Love You, Man digitally on Amazon.
Loving (2016)
We’ve pretty much covered that Nick Kroll has a very distinct type of comedy that he tends to insert in a ton of his roles. However, Kroll can also play hardball and put on his series acting chops every once in a while. He definitely did this for Loving, a film about the court case (and real-life couple who the case and film is named after) that banned laws making interracial marriages illegal.
Nick Kroll plays the lawyer on the side of the Lovings, who successfully argued that laws banning the marriage of different races was unconstitutional and established the legality of interracial marriages. He takes on the role with distinguishing seriousness, his mannerisms even changing from his norm for the film. Loving is a great watch, especially for fans of the comedian who want to see him in a more serious role.
Stream Loving on Netflix.
Buy/Rent Loving on Amazon.
Nick Kroll has had a huge career so far, and it seems like he’s going stronger than ever these days. It’d be tough to explore everything he has ever done, because he has graced a number of projects and given his talents to a ton of smaller roles not mentioned in this list, like on Workaholics, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt just to name a few.
If you haven’t seen all Nick Kroll has to offer, this list has some great options. If you are already a huge fan and have seen most of the titles listed, it’s a great time to have a Kroll marathon and revisit some of his most beloved characters and appearances.
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