Wonderful list. Once again binging The Thick of It via Brit Box.
Off the subject of comedy but circling back to the list of special drama series: “Homicide: Life on the Street” is finally coming to streaming. All seven seasons and the movie to arrive Aug. 19, on Peacock.
Yes. An excellent list! I have been eyeing The Thick of It which is bizarrely available on Peacock. I would also recommend We Are Lady Parts for anyone who has Peacock.
I have a trick (kind of) for enjoying my NYT subscription without living in existential dread: I bookmarked the Arts section. So it’s all the good stuff (including architectural design and art along with Books/TV/Film/Music). Sometimes you just have that feeling of wanting to check the internet, if you will, and this is a fairly safe way to do it. Any website recommendations? I feel like going old school and bookmarking enjoyable sites is the only way to survive!
Strangely, I'm not watching much right now; my parents and I have been making our way through Justified, but we just finished Season 5 and we're going to take a break for the Olympics and a family vacation. (I live in hope that Season 6 might show Raylan taking literally anything seriously rather than smirking at it.)
I also have largely given up on the news, which means I'm largely off Bluesky and generally doing analog things like reading and knitting. And doing both of these things outside, since Minneapolis is actually having pleasant summer weather, after a few years of Feels Like temps around 102F.
My watching habits are all over the damn place these days, and I doubt I could remember a good show to save my life. So I would like to add to this list: We Are Lady Parts
By way of explanation, I will simply say I did not know how much I needed a punk rock cover of Dolly Parton's song 9-to-5 until that episode of Lady Parts, the baseline starts pumping and then the lead singer starts snarling lyrics and I was there. My God, it's good
Great list but "Dexter is a comedy" remains the hill I will die on!
Being a history/news/politics junkie, it's hard for me to turn of the news spigot altogether but I have found limiting my news intake to exclusively Wonkette for the past few days has been oddly soothing...
Well, Catastrophe is the only one I haven't seen so that's up next for me. I'm glad to have these posts, Tim. I finished Utopia (U.K. version) and loved it, that was a great discovery. I wanted more of it!
I’m watching Utopia-a great, disturbing show. The character Lee is one of the scariest, sadistic suit-wearing people I can remember. Yet I still can’t take my eyes off him.
Only a slight exaggeration. And not one at all if you make all the seasons 6 episodes like so many current series. I just watch the Christmas special every few months as it’s essentially the best episode on steroids.
I like the way Sky's All Creatures Great and Small has done it, six episode series and then a Christmas Special that actually moves the story forward...
Yep -- I too have largely withdrawn from the daily/nightly litany of miserable "news." I just can't marinate in that toxic stew anymore. Sadly, I finally finished the last season of "The Larry Sanders Show," which had been my refuge from stress and reality for a while now. Perhaps that show had more resonance for me, given my forty years in the salt mines of Hollywood, but I can't imagine anybody watching it without erupting in laughter. Every episode is good, many are great, and a few are absolutely brilliant.
I guess I'll have to check out "The Gary Shandling Show," if I can find it.
"Fleabag" is wonderful -- and yes, the "4th Wall Breaking" in that one sets the standard once and for all -- but I wasn't smart enough to activate the subtitles, and might have to rewatch to catch all I missed.
"Catastrophe" -- yes, with some truly funny, cringe-worthy humor. A very human and humane show, especially given what Rob Delaney and his wife were going through at the time. That he could show up on set everyday and do such good work while living through a very personal hell is astonishing.
As for "Arrested Development" ... yeah, it's been long enough: time for a re-watch.
Thanks for the tips and reminders. Sink or swim, we really are all in this together...
If you are a Gary Shandling fan, I'd like to highly recommend "The Zen Diaries of Gary Shandling," a documentary directed by Judd Apatow that is surprising, touching and really lovely,it's on HBO. I think actually I'll watch it again!
Love that ’Catastrophe’ is on this mini list. Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney are brilliant. ‘The Larry Sanders Show’ (HBO) also a worthy rewatch. My underdog choice is ‘Married’ (FX/Hulu) with Nat Faxon, Judy Greer, Brett Gelman and Jenny Slate, Season 1 Episode 5 is a perfect litmus test to see if it’s for you.
Not for everyone, yet funny and fearless is ‘I’m Sorry’ (TruTv/Max) starring Andrea Savage. Another favorite “terribly named” show I’ve happily rewatched is ‘Terriers’ (FX/Hulu). Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-James are a great pair of unlicensed private eyes…with issues.
My husband has also become a news-avoider. Once in a while I pop in with some announcement that I consider crucial. "Someone tried to assassinate Trump!" "Bob Newhart died!" "Biden has COVID!" I feel like a town crier.
I agree about all of them although I haven't watched 30 Rock yet.... I guess that might come after "The Wire" I'm in the middle of season 2 and I'm very much enjoying it.
I would add a few more and I think at least some of them came from your suggestions:
LetterKenny / The Good Place / Dark Shadows
Then there are all the vintage sitcoms but I think that might have to be in another list.
Wonderful list. Once again binging The Thick of It via Brit Box.
Off the subject of comedy but circling back to the list of special drama series: “Homicide: Life on the Street” is finally coming to streaming. All seven seasons and the movie to arrive Aug. 19, on Peacock.
Yes. An excellent list! I have been eyeing The Thick of It which is bizarrely available on Peacock. I would also recommend We Are Lady Parts for anyone who has Peacock.
I have a trick (kind of) for enjoying my NYT subscription without living in existential dread: I bookmarked the Arts section. So it’s all the good stuff (including architectural design and art along with Books/TV/Film/Music). Sometimes you just have that feeling of wanting to check the internet, if you will, and this is a fairly safe way to do it. Any website recommendations? I feel like going old school and bookmarking enjoyable sites is the only way to survive!
Strangely, I'm not watching much right now; my parents and I have been making our way through Justified, but we just finished Season 5 and we're going to take a break for the Olympics and a family vacation. (I live in hope that Season 6 might show Raylan taking literally anything seriously rather than smirking at it.)
I also have largely given up on the news, which means I'm largely off Bluesky and generally doing analog things like reading and knitting. And doing both of these things outside, since Minneapolis is actually having pleasant summer weather, after a few years of Feels Like temps around 102F.
My watching habits are all over the damn place these days, and I doubt I could remember a good show to save my life. So I would like to add to this list: We Are Lady Parts
By way of explanation, I will simply say I did not know how much I needed a punk rock cover of Dolly Parton's song 9-to-5 until that episode of Lady Parts, the baseline starts pumping and then the lead singer starts snarling lyrics and I was there. My God, it's good
Great list but "Dexter is a comedy" remains the hill I will die on!
Being a history/news/politics junkie, it's hard for me to turn of the news spigot altogether but I have found limiting my news intake to exclusively Wonkette for the past few days has been oddly soothing...
Well, Catastrophe is the only one I haven't seen so that's up next for me. I'm glad to have these posts, Tim. I finished Utopia (U.K. version) and loved it, that was a great discovery. I wanted more of it!
I’m watching Utopia-a great, disturbing show. The character Lee is one of the scariest, sadistic suit-wearing people I can remember. Yet I still can’t take my eyes off him.
i had surgery last week and am thinking of rewatching all 87 seasons of It's Always Sunny over the next several days.
Only a slight exaggeration. And not one at all if you make all the seasons 6 episodes like so many current series. I just watch the Christmas special every few months as it’s essentially the best episode on steroids.
I like the way Sky's All Creatures Great and Small has done it, six episode series and then a Christmas Special that actually moves the story forward...
Yep -- I too have largely withdrawn from the daily/nightly litany of miserable "news." I just can't marinate in that toxic stew anymore. Sadly, I finally finished the last season of "The Larry Sanders Show," which had been my refuge from stress and reality for a while now. Perhaps that show had more resonance for me, given my forty years in the salt mines of Hollywood, but I can't imagine anybody watching it without erupting in laughter. Every episode is good, many are great, and a few are absolutely brilliant.
I guess I'll have to check out "The Gary Shandling Show," if I can find it.
"Fleabag" is wonderful -- and yes, the "4th Wall Breaking" in that one sets the standard once and for all -- but I wasn't smart enough to activate the subtitles, and might have to rewatch to catch all I missed.
"Catastrophe" -- yes, with some truly funny, cringe-worthy humor. A very human and humane show, especially given what Rob Delaney and his wife were going through at the time. That he could show up on set everyday and do such good work while living through a very personal hell is astonishing.
As for "Arrested Development" ... yeah, it's been long enough: time for a re-watch.
Thanks for the tips and reminders. Sink or swim, we really are all in this together...
Larry Sanders is one I've been thinking about watching again soon. Also one of the best jobs of ending a series that I can remember.
If you are a Gary Shandling fan, I'd like to highly recommend "The Zen Diaries of Gary Shandling," a documentary directed by Judd Apatow that is surprising, touching and really lovely,it's on HBO. I think actually I'll watch it again!
I saw that, and also the under-seen "It's Garry Shandling's Show", which has one of the best theme songs ever. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cWbkWTYwTw
Oh wow -- thanks! I wasn't aware of that. I'll definitely check it out!
The Google says it's on Hulu Premium, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV.
Love that ’Catastrophe’ is on this mini list. Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney are brilliant. ‘The Larry Sanders Show’ (HBO) also a worthy rewatch. My underdog choice is ‘Married’ (FX/Hulu) with Nat Faxon, Judy Greer, Brett Gelman and Jenny Slate, Season 1 Episode 5 is a perfect litmus test to see if it’s for you.
Not for everyone, yet funny and fearless is ‘I’m Sorry’ (TruTv/Max) starring Andrea Savage. Another favorite “terribly named” show I’ve happily rewatched is ‘Terriers’ (FX/Hulu). Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-James are a great pair of unlicensed private eyes…with issues.
My husband has also become a news-avoider. Once in a while I pop in with some announcement that I consider crucial. "Someone tried to assassinate Trump!" "Bob Newhart died!" "Biden has COVID!" I feel like a town crier.
I agree about all of them although I haven't watched 30 Rock yet.... I guess that might come after "The Wire" I'm in the middle of season 2 and I'm very much enjoying it.
I would add a few more and I think at least some of them came from your suggestions:
LetterKenny / The Good Place / Dark Shadows
Then there are all the vintage sitcoms but I think that might have to be in another list.
Letterkenny rewards your investment. I enjoyed the entire ride. The Shoresy spinoff is oddly appealing as well.