For a long time now, we watch short comedy shows or sitcoms right before we go to bed. It’s short and funny, which helps relax and sets a definite end to the day for us. We’ve watched everything from Friends, to M*A*S*H, to Community, but let me give you 6 more tips that you can find on streaming service and one that I hope will find its way there soon.
Family themed tv series
Malcolm in the Middle – Disney+. I honestly thought this series was older, like from the 1990s. But it’s 10 years older than that. Still pretty old. But it is still funny. Malcolm is this smart kid, who lives with his parents and an older and younger brother. The eldest brother had been sent to military school for … well: not behaving, shall we say. The three boys together are a force of nature, destroying anything in their path. How many crazy ideas can you go through? Many. The nice thing is, that it makes our lives feel cozy, easy and calm in comparison.
Frasier – dvd box (for now). Why do we keep returning to Frasier? Because it is the perfect comedy for us. Frasier, a snobby radio psychiatrist and his brother Niles, a snobby off-the-air psychiatrist, take care of their father, who is a retired cop. They have so little in common, you’d think. But there is something there that binds them. It’s probably Eddie the dog (no, it’s not. It is their mother, who died when they were young). Then there is the odd English fysiotherapist/housekeeper Daphne who somehow is the glue that keeps everything together. It’s a lovely show that has not yet bored us.
Girls in tv series
The Golden Girls – Disney+. This is old. At the time it was unusual because all the cast were older women, living their best lives in Miami. This is something that I didn’t actually like that much when it first came out. But then: I was in my teens. How was I supposed to relate to elderly American women? Now I appreciate the slow pace, the repitition and the sometimes surprising relevant subjects. It puts me to sleep real easy.
Derry Girls– Netflix. The other girls (not golden but teenagers) in the 90’s. This show is about the time of the ‘troubles’ in Northern Ireland and how it affected the day to day lives of 4 teenage girls, and an English boy, who attend a school run by nuns. It is funny, because I don’t think you can write a show about teenage girls and not have it be funny and weird. We’re just weird when we are teenagers and there should always be something happening that you laugh about embarrased later in your life.
Ensemble cast tv shows
Superstore – Netflix (and Prime Video). We don’t really have big box superstores in The Netherlands. But having worked in a shop, I can relate a little. Even if the staff at this supermarket/all-in-one shop seem to not actually work. It’s an ensemble show, so we have loads of characters to laugh with or at. From the manager, who is a little naive to a teen-mom who is sweet but not all there. Sometimes the funny bits are a bit predictable, but most of the time it gets a genuine laugh out of me.
Star Trek: Lower Decks – Prime Video (for now). A comedy cartoon with a proper Star Trek theme, with in-jokes, lore and admittedly: a lot of humour. Ahhh, this does it for me. But for non-fans this is still a fun cartoon, which also makes fun of certain science fiction tropes. At the heart of it, it’s a comedy about friendship and being a little weird. You might actually like it, even if you’re not a Star Trek fan (and then become a Star Trek fan…).
Great News – Netflix. A young woman, who dreams of becoming a news anchor or big journalist is mortified that her mother landed a job as an intern at her news show. Imagine working with your overbearing mother, who knows all the intimate details of your childhood! This was a suprisingly funny show for me. Definitely a feel-good sitcom, with some romance, wacky comedy with lots of misunderstandings and a little bit of slapstick here and there.