Recently I’ve been catching up on tv and some of the more mature/adult shows, which I’ve been…Enjoying? Seems like the wrong word, but they’ve all generally been cynical or dark.
For reference, I’ve just finished Better Call Saul, which got me to finally get around to finishing Breaking Bad, and I’ve also been doing a rewatch of the anime Monster as it’s been years since I last watched it.
So basically back to back dark shows.
I’ve already watched The Good Place, which nails what I’m describing, but it’s a little blunt with the sweetness, while I’ve watched some of Bee and Puppycat which seems like it’s closer to a nice middleground of sweet and real.
What are some of your go-to shows for this kinda vibe?
Ted Lasso, can’t recommend it enough.
Hard agree - upbeat, funny, heartwarming!
Goddamn I love me some Ted Lasso. Hits you in the feels in just the right way sometimes too.
Fuck >!his wife!< btw.
Strongly recommend this one
Bob’s Burgers.
Letterkenny!
Jesus, Katy, put some clothes on.
Not my forte.
Wish you weren’t so f’n awkward, bud. (Allegedly)
Give your balls a tug, titfucker!
That was well brought up. Too bad you weren’t.
If you got a problem with Canada Gooses, you got a problem with me, and I suggest you let that one marinate!
Now, if you ever hit me, and I find out about it…
Unfortunate.
I love “the good place”. It’s light comedy, it actually makes you think a little, it’s a lot of feel good and it’s one of those shows where you can see that everyone is having a blast making it.
Edit: I should finish reading the post before commenting, lol.
Ted Lasso
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency
Ted Lasso for the win
I love sitcoms but beneath their light exterior they always have a heart of darkness, or at least a trace of one. But given your OP, I figure you can handle a teensy bit of a shadow side. Here are some generally upbeat shows with lots of laughs.
Catastrophe- I think it strikes the right balance of optimism in the face of doubt. It’s light but not saccharine. It’s my favorite sitcom.
It Crowd
Black Books
30 Rock
Black-ish
Adventure Time
Mentioned in lots of other replies:
Parks and Rec
New Girl (extremely underrated)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Brooklyn 99
Taskmaster
WILTY
I highly recommend Bob’s burgers!
Taskmaster
Would I Lie to You?
Avatar The Last Airbender
Loremen podcast
Edited to add:
One Punch Man first season is hilarious.
The trifecta of 2010s animation: Regular Show, Steven Universe, and Adventure Time. There’s jokes and themes in these that are pretty adult, but the darker stuff is generally avoided.
1980s: Dogtanian and the 3 Muskehounds. Mysterious Cities of Gold. Best theme tunes ever, and very easy watching.
Taskmaster and WILTY are fantastic. These are some of my favorite “I want to watch something that I’ll enjoy but don’t need to actually care too much about” shows.
Frasier
Here’s a weird suggestion, watch all Mr. Bean shows. It’s like one season and few episodes.
Dial back & watch Blackadder. Rowan Atkinson before Mr Bean, plus, Dr House (Hugh Laurie), Stephen Fry supporting cast. Worlds better than Mr Bean IMO
Mr Bean is pretty universal no matter the audience. I quite enjoyed Blackadder but I also enjoy history and have grown up on exported British television so I could keep up with the it. Not sure as many could like Mr Bean. Still is amazing the cast and what they did after Blackadder.
Not adult, but The Owl House was a surprisingly good one. One of those multi-audience shows. Makes me think a lot of about the type of parent I want to be someday!
The Last Man on Earth
Such a shame it got canceled
Did you read what they had planned? Would’ve been so good.
Schitt’s Creek
Oh this is a fantastic show! While I do re-watch it, I would give anything to re-watch it from “scratch” again.
