Earlier this year, in an effort to find a show we could watch as a family that was not animated, we started Modern Family from the the pilot episode. Mr. KK and I had watched MF religiously when it was on Prime Time, and I remember the sadness I felt watching the very last episode. The show was so good. Every character was perfectly cast. The dialog was smart and funny. It was the perfect antidote to a long day.
Needless to say, Modern Family was a BIG hit with Little Mister. Between Luke and Dylan – and even Phil – it was episode after episode of 11 year old humor. What I loved about the show for us was the exposure to the different family dynamics, the episodes showcasing that families aren’t perfect and people make mistakes, but at the end of the day, family is the most important thing. What I could have done without – and certainly didn’t remember – was the overt sexual references, Phil and Claire’s bedroom role playing, and one-lines of adult humor that was just in reach of an eleven-year-old brain.
Rewatching all of those episodes made me weepy for all my favorite sitcoms. The ones you can watch over and over, catch halfway through and stop on the channel, and quote incessantly. There was something special in those thirty minutes: establishing a conflict, insert humor and witty banter, and the conflict resolution – all wrapped up in the tidy span of 23 minutes with commercials.
And then, live TV died. And streaming services moved in. And things got all weird. I all of sudden had access to millions of shows – dramas, comedies, documentaries – and for some reason, I still could not find anything to watch. (I exaggerate, but I know you have all been there, scrolling through the little tiles on Netflix or Prime or HBO and nothing is tickling your fancy.)
We have, or course, found shows to watch. But after Little Mister goes to bed at night, and I finally collapse on the couch, I don’t have 60 minutes in me. I need 30 very interesting and engaging minutes or you’ve lost me. An hour-long episode – or, God forbid, a full-length movie – takes about 5-7 business days to watch in our house.
I need more Sitcoms – funny and relevant shows done is 20-something minutes.
I’m always all ears for show recommendations. Bonus points if they are 30 minutes. Triple points if they are on a streaming service I have (there’s probably only 1 or 2 we don’t have so this shouldn’t be a problem). And I’ll be your best friend if there are multiple seasons that we can really settle into.
Here are some of the recent shows I’ve watched and loved:
- Nobody Wants This. Perfection. I’ve watched both season multiple times. I’m not even a big Kristen Bell fan, but in this, she’s loveable.
- Platonic. We had a stalled start on this one, but the hopped back in this year and devoured both seasons.
- Hacks. A comedy about writing comedy. Plus, Jean Smart.
- Loot. Maya Rudolph is rich and detached from reality.
- The Morning Show. It’s not 30 minutes but it’s Reese and Jen!
- Shrinking. Equally sad and funny. Christa Miller as the neighbor is pure gold. And her hubs! So good.
- The Man on the Inside. I love a little Ted Danson.
- Sex Lives of College Girls. Oh, is this what college is like now? (Or was it always like this and I never noticed?)
- Somebody Somewhere. Why do all the good shows get cancelled? The friendship in this show is heart warming.
With the state of the world what it is today, I need laughs. There was something so comforting about knowing your favorite shows were going to be on at night, the thought getting you through the day. The predictability of it, and the guarantee to laugh.
What did I miss in my list? What should be on my TBW list?
Life of kk 