Shows to Lift Your Spirits

Schmigadoon!

In a parody of 1940s musicals, backpacking couple Melissa and Josh get trapped in Schmigadoon, a magical town filled with singing and dancing townspeople; they learn they can’t leave without finding true love, which they thought they already had.

Acapulco

In 1984, Máximo Gallardo’s dream comes true when he gets the job of a lifetime at Acapulco’s hottest resort, Las Colinas; however, he soon realizes that working there will be far more complicated than he ever imagined.

That 90’s Show

In the summer of 1995, Leia Forman makes friends with a new generation of Point Place kids while visiting her grandparents, Red and Kitty, in Wisconsin.

Wednesday

While attending Nevermore Academy, Wednesday Addams attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a killing spree and solve the mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago.

Big Shot

A temperamental college basketball coach gets fired from his job and must take a job at an elite all-girls private high school.

Firefly Lane

Tully and Kate meet as young girls on Firefly Lane and become inseparable friends throughout 30 years of ups and downs.

The Santa Clauses

Scott Calvin is on the brink of his 65th birthday and realizing that he can’t be Santa forever; Scott sets out to find a suitable replacement Santa while preparing his family for a new adventure in a life south of the pole.

From Scratch

Amahle “Amy” Wheeler, an American student studying in Italy, meets and falls in love with Lino, a Sicilian chef. When Lino faces health issues and the couple’s future is threatened, the two families come together.

Abbott Elementary

A group of dedicated, passionate teachers — and a slightly tone-deaf principal — find themselves thrown together in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life. Though these incredible public servants may be outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do — even if they don’t love the school district’s less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children.

Miss Scarlet and the Duke

When her father dies, Eliza Scarlet finds herself facing a difficult choice. As an unmarried woman, she faces poverty without a husband to provide for her — unless she takes on the challenge of running her late father’s detective agency, which would be unthinkable for a respectable Victorian lady. Fortunately, she finds an unlikely partner in the unconventional Detective Inspector William Wellington of Scotland Yard, known as “The Duke,” and the pair begin to tackle the crimes and mysteries of Victorian London together.

Virgin River

Seeking a fresh start, a nurse practitioner moves from Los Angeles to a remote Northern California town and is surprised by what — and who — she finds.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is an American fantasy streaming television series developed by J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay for Amazon Prime Video. Based on the novel The Lord of the Rings and its appendices by J. R. R. Tolkien, the series is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. 

Uncoupled

Uncoupled is an American romantic comedy television series created and written by Darren Star and Jeffrey Richman that premiered on Netflix on July 29, 2022.

Everything I Know About Love

Follow two childhood best friends as they dive deep into bad dates, heartaches and humiliations.

Selling the OC

Jason Oppenheim, owner of the Oppenheim Group, expands the company opening a second office in Newport Beach.

Loot

After divorcing her husband of 20 years, Molly Novak must figure out what to do with her $87 billion settlement; she decides to reengage with her charitable foundation and reconnect with the real world-finding herself along the way.

Harlem

Four ambitious best friends, Camille, Tye, Quinn, and Angie, navigate relationships and careers.

Only Murders in the Building

Three strangers share an obsession with true crime and suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one. When a grisly death occurs inside their exclusive Upper West Side apartment building, the trio suspects murder and employs their precise knowledge of true crime to investigate the truth. Perhaps even more explosive are the lies they tell one another. Soon, the endangered trio comes to realize a killer might be living among them as they race to decipher the mounting clues before it’s too late.

The Great Muslim American Road Trip

A journey on historic Route 66 reveals how American Muslims have contributed to science, medicine, spirituality, art and culture.

Man vs. Bee

A homeless man looking for work is mistaken by a business woman for her new house sitter. Wacky hi-jinks ensue as he tries to take care of this house while pursued by a mischievous bee.

Everything’s Trash

An outspoken podcast star is forced to start her journey into maturity when her older brother launches a political campaign.

Gordita Chronicles

In the 1980s, Carlota “Cucu” Castelli leaves her home in Santo Domingo to pursue the American Dream after her father’s work transfer to Miami.

The Summer I Turned Pretty

A girl is caught in a love triangle between two brothers as she deals with her first love and first heartbreak during the perfect summer.

Stranger Things

In 1980s Indiana, a group of young friends witness supernatural forces and secret government exploits. As they search for answers, the children unravel a series of extraordinary mysteries.

Love, Victor

“Love, Victor” is set in the world of the groundbreaking movie, “Love, Simon,” which was inspired by Becky Albertalli’s acclaimed young adult novel, “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda,” about a closeted gay teenager who is forced to come out after being blackmailed. The series stars Michael Cimino as Victor, who, like Simon, is on his own journey of self-discovery. Facing challenges at home, navigating the ups and downs of a new high school and exploring his sexual orientation, Victor reaches out to Simon when things become too difficult.

Dickinson

Budding writer Emily Dickinson uses her outsider’s perspective to explore the constraints of society, gender and family in the 19th century.

Moon Knight

Steven Grant and mercenary Marc Spector investigate the mysteries of the Egyptian gods from inside the same body.

Bridge and Tunnel

College grads set out to pursue their dreams in 1980s Manhattan while still clinging to the familiarity of their working-class Long Island hometown.

Heartstopper

Teens Charlie and Nick discover their unlikely friendship might be something more as they navigate school and young love.

I Love That For You

A woman overcomes childhood leukaemia to achieve her dream of becoming an on-air host at a home shopping network.

Killing It

In this rags-to-riches sitcom about class and capitalism, Craig Foster is a bank security guard living in Miami and struggling to make ends meet. He and his ex-wife, Camille, uneasily co-parent their pre-teen daughter, Vanessa. Craig has grand plans to become an entrepreneur, but no way of getting his ideas off the ground. But a chance encounter with Jillian, a down-on-her-luck driver for a ride-hailing service, introduces him to the wild world of state-sponsored python hunting, he decides to go all in to make his American dream come true.

All American: Homecoming

A young adult sports drama set against the backdrop of the HBCU, aka historically Black colleges and universities, experience at Bringston University, where Black excellence is a way of life. The series follows Simone, a young tennis hopeful from Beverly Hills who is trying to fight her way back after some time away from the court; Damon, an elite baseball player from Chicago who is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders; JR, Damon’s fellow baseball player and childhood friend; Thea, the super-competitive queen bee of the Bringston tennis team; and Keisha, the school’s unofficial mayor who must help Simone learn how to live her best life. As they contend with the high stakes of college sports, Simone and Damon must also navigate the highs and lows of unsupervised early adulthood at a prestigious HBCU.

Life & Beth

After a sudden incident, Beth, a seemingly successful woman with a long term relationship and steady career, takes a look back at her past to see who she wants to become.

I Am Georgina

The daily life of Georgina Rodriguez: mother, influencer, businesswoman, and partner to Cristiano Ronaldo.

Take Out with Lisa Lang

Exploring the lives and cultural contributions of the people behind America’s Asian restaurants.

As We See It

Jack, Harrison and Violet, three roommates on the autism spectrum, strive to get and keep jobs, make friends, fall in love, and navigate the strange world of adulthood world that eludes them.

Joe Pera Talks With You

Comedian Joe Pera plays a middle school choir teacher from Michigan’s upper peninsula who attempts to talk directly to the audience about mundane subject matters such as iron, Sunday breakfast, fall drives, dancing, music, and sleeping. Pera delivers mini-lessons on everything from beans to writing an obituary to the rat wars of Alberta. Between lessons are small glimpses into Pera’s quiet life offering viewers something to enjoy if they stay awake, or something to fall asleep to in thoughtful bite-sized episodes.

Broad City

The critically acclaimed Web series `Broad City’ moves to Comedy Central as a half-hour scripted series. It’s created by and stars Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer as 20-something best friends who are trying to navigate life in New York, despite that their adventures always seem to lead down unexpected and bizarre paths. They have very little money, but they are survivors who aren’t afraid to throw themselves into sticky situations, no matter how messy the end results may be.

Gilmore Girls

Set in a storybook Connecticut town populated by an eclectic mix of dreamers, artists and everyday folk, this multigenerational drama about family and friendship centers around Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter, Rory.

Bridgerton

During the Regency era in England, eight close-knit siblings of the powerful Bridgerton family attempt to find love.

Ted Lasso

An American football coach is hired to manage a British soccer team; what he lacks in knowledge, he makes up for in optimism, determination and biscuits.

How I Met Your Father

Sophie tells her son the story of how she met his father.

Smart Guy

Heartwarming show for everyone in the family to enjoy. Join TJ a 10-year-old boy genius who takes on high school with his older siblings and their best friend. Learn life lessons, and have some fun with Smart Guy.

The League

Some friends who are all avid fantasy football fans try to balance their time between the league and their real lives. It becomes a challenge, though, when the good-natured competition gives way to a win-at-all-costs mentality, which begins to spill over into their relationships and even the workplace. The sitcom features a plethora of cameos by real-life NFL players, who play themselves on the series.

Boy Meets World

With the help of true love Topanga, best friend Shawn and teacher Mr. Feeny, Cory Matthews juggles school, friends and romance. The series, a popular Friday night staple on ABC for seven seasons, began with Cory in the sixth grade and follows him and his entourage through their college years.

Emily In Paris

After landing her dream job, to provide an American perspective at a marketing firm in Paris, Chicago marketing executive Emily Cooper embraces her adventurous new life while juggling work, friends and romance.

Believe

In a small town going through tough economic times, business owner Matthew Peyton struggles between his desire for financial success and the responsibility of funding the annual Christmas pageant. Desperate business decisions ruin his popularity and angry employees seek their revenge. But when Matthew meets Clarence, a joyful boy who believes in miracles, he must make a choice: do what’s best for himself or give faith a chance by opening his heart to help his new friend and his community.

Schitt’s Creek

A wealthy couple — video store magnate Johnny and his soap opera star wife Moira — suddenly find themselves completely broke. With only one remaining asset, a small town called Schitt’s Creek, which the Roses bought years earlier as a joke, this once-wealthy couple must give up life as they know it. With their two spoiled children in tow and their pampered lives behind them, the Rose family is forced to face their newfound poverty head-on and come together as a family to survive.

Little House on the Prairie

Based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s series of “Little House” books, this drama series revolved around the 1870s adventures of the Ingalls family — father Charles, mother Caroline, eldest daughter Mary, middle daughter/narrator Laura and youngest daughter Carrie — who owned a farm in Walnut Grove, Minn., during the late 1800s.

The Bob Newhart Show

Bob Newhart plays a Chicago psychologist seeing one unusual case after another – perfect for Newhart’s unflappable deadpan. He could get laughs just clearing his throat. With the driest of wits and impeccable timing, Newhart leads an amazing cast that delivers laugh after laugh.

New Amsterdam

A new medical director breaks the rules to heal the system at America’s oldest public hospital. This program reveals how one person can make a difference in the world and truly have a positive impact in other people’s lives by taking a stand for their values, even if that means upsetting their coworkers, boss, and medical system at larger.

Chef’s Table

Each episode focuses on one chef’s journey to superstardom through a series of interview snippets explaining their philosophy on food and how they came up with certain signature dishes. It’s a stunningly beautiful show, that explores the meaning of inspiration and modern culinary art.

Bob’s Burgers

An animated show about a burger joint that has a real heart. It’s perpetually positivity and good-natured and follows the adventures of the Belcher family, with outstanding attention to detail and recurring gags.

The Dick Van Dyke Show

As the Petries, Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore were TV’s answer to JFK and Jackie – comedy god Carl Reiner put his own experiences into this look at the life of a TV writer. The way Dick kept tripping over the same ottoman in his living room was a handy metaphor for domestic life in itself.

Good Times

The Evans kids grow up in the Chicago projects – keeping their heads above water, making a wave when they can. They remain one of the most relatable TV families ever, from the 1970s boom for superfly black sitcoms that also gave us Sanford & Son and What’s Happening!!

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Mary works in a Minneapolis TV newsroom full of cranks and characters. Revolutionary at the time, it also pioneered the all-too-rare concept of going out on top – it signed off in 1977, a massive hit to the end.

Cheers

You need a place where everybody knows your name – even if it’s just a dive bar in Boston full of regulars with no place else to go.Cheers was like that bar, to the point where you could tune in just to see which regulars would hang with you tonight.

The Odd Couple

Tony Randall was neurotic neat-freak Felix; Jack Klugman was cigar-chomping sportswriter slob Oscar who shared a Park Avenue place, taking out all their midlife male angst on each other. Though based on Neil Simon’s play, it worked even better in sitcom form, thanks to Randall and Klugman’s negative chemistry.

Mystery Science Theater 3000

Got one of those bad movies you just LOVE to watch? Ever make comments about it when it’s on? Then you’ll find this show hysterical. The premise? A janitor and his robot friends sit in the dark and heckle some of the worst B-movies ever made – it sounds simple, but Joel Hodgson’s MST3K turned into one of the era’s most enduring cult comedies.

Young Sheldon

Meet a child genius named Sheldon Cooper; (already seen as an adult in The Big Bang Theory (2007)) and his family. Some unique challenges face Sheldon who seems socially impaired.

Psych

A novice sleuth is hired by the Police after he cons them into thinking he has psychic powers which help solve crimes. With the assistance of his reluctant best friend, the duo take on a series of complicated cases.

Jane the Virgin

The daughter of a teen mother, Jane Villanueva grew up determined not to repeat her mom’s mistakes. At 23, her life is on track until a routine clinic visit flips her life upside down. Inseminated by a specimen meant for a patient in the next room, now-pregnant Jane is in a situation made only more insane when she learns that the sperm donor is her boss, Rafael. As her meticulously planned life gets more like the telenovelas she loves, she faces a lot of complicated decisions about where to go from here.

The Big Bang Theory

A woman who moves into an apartment across the hall from two brilliant but socially awkward physicists shows them how little they know about life outside of the laboratory. If you love obscure pop culture references, a deep dive into physics, relativity and Dungeons & Dragons, and a lot of fun, this is your show.

New Girl

After a bad break-up, Jess, an offbeat young woman, moves into an apartment loft with three single men. Although they find her behavior very unusual, the men support her – most of the time.

Arrested Development

Level-headed son Michael Bluth takes over family affairs after his father is imprisoned. But the rest of his spoiled, dysfunctional family are making his job unbearable.

Modern Family

Three different but related families face trials and tribulations in their own uniquely comedic ways.

Superstore

A look at the lives of employees at a big box store. If you’ve been to a certain store that started in Arkansas, this show is right up your alley. Er…aisle.

Fuller House

In a continuation of Full House (1987), D.J. Fuller is a mother of three young boys and is a recent widow. D.J.’s sister Stephanie, her best friend Kimmy and Kimmy’s teenage daughter all move in to help raise her sons. The house is now a lot fuller.

Full House

When Danny Tanner’s wife dies, the San Francisco sportscaster gets support in the form of two new roommates: brother-in-law and party boy Jesse, and his stand-up comic friend, Joey. The duo helps out with raising the three Tanner daughters: D.J, Stephanie and Michelle.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

“Brooklyn Nine-Nine” follows the exploits of hilarious Detective Jake Peralta and his diverse, lovable colleagues as they police the NYPD’s 99th Precinct. If you’re expecting high-intensity police drama, we’ll that won’t happen here!

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

You don’t need to have been raised in West Philadelphia to love this show. A streetwise, poor young man from Philadelphia is sent by his mother to live with his aunt, uncle, and cousins in their Bel-Air mansion.

30 Rock

Liz Lemon (Tina Fey), head writer of the sketch comedy show “TGS with Tracy Jordan”, must deal with an arrogant new boss and a crazy new star, all while trying to run a successful television show without losing her mind.

Black-ish

A family man struggles to gain a sense of cultural identity while raising his kids in a predominantly white, upper-middle-class neighborhood.

Friends

“The One That Made the List” (fans will know what that means.). This classic show follows the personal and professional lives of six twenty to thirty-something-year-old friends living in Manhattan. And introduced us to the term, “meat sweats.”

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist

This is “feel good” TV defined. Zoey is a San Fran software engineer who can hear people’s thoughts, but only in in pop-song form. After being briefly freaked out she makes it her mission to subtly help people using her knowledge. The show has infectious, feel-good energy, thanks to the torrent of hummable music and the cast of characters you can’t help but root for. 

Community

When fast-talking lawyer Jeff Winger finds his degree has been revoked, he is forced to go back to school at Greendale Community College. Hoping to score points with a pretty coed, he invents a study group and invites her to join it. Imagine his surprise when she’s not the only one who shows up for help with Spanish from the “board-certified tutor” he proclaims himself to be. Though his command of the language is anything but good, the members continue to meet and end up learning a lot about themselves.

Veep

Starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the Vice President who puts out political fires, juggles her public schedule and private life and does everything within her limited powers to improve her relationship with the president. Eight seasons of ribald, sartorial comedy so rapid fire and brilliant you can literally watch every episode twice just to make sure you catch every joke.

The Office

Work in an office? You’ll love this one. It’s one of the most viewed TV show in history and even if you saw the original, completely worth re-watching.

Kim’s Convenience

Here’s a sitcom that will leave you with a warm and fuzzy feeling. The show follows a Canadian-Korean family that owns a convenience store. Sounds simple, right? But expect an odd cast of customers floating in and out of the store; funny (and relatable) intergenerational misunderstandings; and a family you wish were real.

The Golden Girls

Four retired women living in a senior community bring some of the best lines and quick comments ever seen on TV.  From Dorothy’s sarcasm and Sophia’s quick-witted one-liners to Blanche’s sassiness and Rose’s bless-her-heart moments, this show is living proof that laughter truly is the best medicine—and an inspiration for aging gracefully. Plus, the two best words in sitcoms: Betty White.

The Mindy Project

Mindy Lahiri is a successful New York OB-GYN whose love life doesn’t quite match up to her professional accomplishments. The serialized rom-com doesn’t take itself too seriously, as evidenced by Mindy’s quirky personality and her knack for wearing outlandish prints.

The Good Place

After her death, a self-centered New Jersey woman named Eleanor Shellstrop enters the afterlife a.k.a. “The Good Place.” But in order to stay there, she has to correct a few wrongs from her previous life. The show offers life lessons in between its characters’ hilarious banter and unexpected storylines.

Parks and Recreation

Leslie Knope is the Deputy Director of the Parks and Recreation Department in a fictional city in Indiana. As she works to turn an abandoned site into a community park, she also deals with government officials blocking her road to success. Through each beautification project, audiences are treated to slap-knee comedy and a lot of waffle eating.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Is there a more upbeat person on TV? After Kimmy Schmidt is rescued from a cult, she starts over in New York City, where she forges an unlikely friendship with a street performer and her employer. Together, the trio conquer life’s challenges one funny step at a time. Add this one to your must-watch list when you need a reminder that things will be okay.

The Middle

The Heck family is as wacky as wacky comes. Frankie and her husband and their three children struggle to survive in a small town in Indiana. Their penny-pinching and quirky traditions will make you feel better about your own loved ones and financial setbacks.

The Wonder Years

One of the first shows to have a voiceover/confessional describing the premise of each episode and how it affected the narrator, this show set in the 1960s is the perfect slice of Americana—where ordinary people just tried to live ordinary lives…and often found unforgettable outcomes.

Posted in TVTagged