45 Lighthearted TV Shows to Watch Right Now

This new six-part comedy series is as razor-sharp as a vampire’s fangs, skewering everything from the horror genre’s historically iffy treatment of people of color, lazy media stereotypes of Muslims, and real-life fixtures of Islamic communities. It never feels bogged down by the weight of the issues behind it, though, always staying true to the lightness of its silly — but ingenious — concept.

The show follows the goofy Abdulla (Arian Nik), a British-Pakistani trainee doctor and horror nerd who has enough on his plate — what with an unavailable crush and the social pressures of being a not-so-perfect Muslim — without also having to contend with being turned by vampire-dominatrix Kathy (played with gusto by Jaime Winstone). Writer Kaamil Shah manages to pack an impressive amount of cutting humor into each 20-ish-minute episode, whether through Kathy railing against the appropriation of vampire culture during Halloween (presented less as an anti-woke joke and more as a wry analogy to media misrepresentation of real minorities) or a wink to Muslims about the epidemic of hypocritical haram police in our communities. This balance between universal humor and inside jokes that speak directly to — rather than over the heads of — British Muslims makes Count Abdulla a very welcome addition to TV comedy in general, as well as a refreshing widening of the horror genre.

For those familiar with the original book series, you’ll already know what kind of show to expect. The Apple+ cartoon is centered on the two titular amphibians going through universal adventures that makes or breaks your day. From finding the willpower to resist eating delicious cookies, to hoping a friend would contact you when you’re lonely, each episode keeps a gentle sort of humor, poking lighthearted fun at the differences between the emotional Toad and more sensible Frog. With each episode’s twenty minute runtime, and two adventures per episode, Frog and Toad is a sweet, nostalgic series that’s easy to breeze through for millennial parents and their kids.

It’s a solid premise for a show, but it is a pretty scary premise that keeps you a little on edge. The interview segments are just realistic enough to put that image in your head, while the meat of the show is a visualization of a young Dwayne Johnson worrying about girls, keeping up appearances, and just getting by, all to make him appear more real and relatable. Presentation-wise, it feels very much like a lighthearted ‘90s comedy with matching fashion, tunes, and warm messages. Meta aspects aside, it’s effectively Rock’s tribute to his family growing up, full of earnest performances once it gets going.

We follow the daily adventures of 3 bears that are individually lovable but collectively iconic. They rotate around as the centerpiece of an episode, each offering different flavors of humor namely dopey, slapstick, cringe, absurd, and when all else fails, funny animal. Some episodes take us into flashbacks of the bears as lost babies looking for a home, and it was a mistake to turn that into its own show, but it is in perfect quantity here. The recurring characters never overstay their welcome, changing the 3-person dynamic into even numbers where no character ventures off alone, or the inevitable 3 against the world, where the bears unite to overcome something else.

When talking about pioneers of the mockumentary format, people like Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Garry Shandling (The Larry Sanders Show), and Ricky Gervais (The Office) come to mind, but rarely do people bring up Lisa Kudrow, whose entry in cringe comedy is just as funny and prickly as the ones mentioned above. The Comeback, which she co-created and stars in, is peak awkward comedy. Kudrow plays Valerie with the same narcissism, desperation, and lack of self-awareness as your usual comedy anti-hero, but she also gives her character vulnerability and depth, making you want to protect and root for her even in the cringiest of moments. The show itself is also a piercing satire that knows, way before anyone else, exactly what to poke fun at. In 2005, when the show first aired, it critiqued the shallowness of reality TV and network sitcoms, as well as the blatant sexism that occurred not just onscreen but behind it as well. In fact, the darkest moment of the show happens in the writers’ room. And when it was resurrected in 2014 (to the shock of everyone) it satirized the bloat of prestige TV and how much it got away with under the guise of being edgy. Who knows if The Comeback will make another comeback, but best believe it will be ahead of its time and probably, unfortunately, fly under the radar once more.

With the deluge of hyper-stylized teen shows everywhere (but especially on Netflix), Teenage Bounty Hunters comes as a refreshing and welcome surprise. Sisters Blair and Sterling, played by Anjelica Bette Fellini and Maddie Phillips respectively, strike the perfect balance between spiky and endearing, creating a chemistry that’s rare to see among TV siblings. There’s friction but also love all around. 

Their interactions alone make the series thoroughly enjoyable, but their coming-of-age hijinks and comedic timing, especially around their reluctant mentor Bowser (Kadeem Hardison), make it an absolute must-watch. If you enjoyed Booksmart but wished it was more action-packed, you’ll surely love this show.  

Despite their rising popularity, K-dramas have sustained a reputation for being, at times, too sentimental for their own good. Extraordinary Attorney Woo is not exempt from that tendency, but when it does shoot for schmaltz, it makes sure to aim right at your heart. Thanks to clever twists and moving performances across the board, Extraordinary Attorney Woo is an excellently emotional series. Every romantic encounter will make you swoon, every courtroom scene will have you cheer, and every ending will leave you in tears.

Moreover, it’s not a show that simply happens to be about lawyers. It is a law procedural that deals with each new case with the utmost care. It’s smart and educational, with the proceedings and resolutions blending seamlessly into the characters’ own arcs.

There’s something for everyone in this series, and it’s sure to be an easy favorite for one reason or another.

Influenced by classic episodic sitcoms but blazing its own trail with a (generally) more progressive outlook, Broad City stands as a particularly noteworthy example of a show that fully allows its female protagonists to be as messy and gross and fully in charge of their own failures as they should like to be. Though its default setting is to be silly and deeply unserious, the show still works as a more honest portrayal of life as a twentysomething New Yorker. Both Abbi and Ilana love their city and their community, but even they know that “growing up” and trying to earn a living is made up of an increasingly absurd series of endless tasks. Which is what makes their unbreakable friendship through it all so comforting to watch.

In an interview, Conan compared Conan O’Brien Must Go to a travel documentary, except, he said, you don’t learn anything new or interesting. After watching the show, I can safely say that that couldn’t be further from the truth, though it is indicative of the kind of self-deprecating humor he employs throughout the show. What you learn from watching Conan hop from one country to another, improvising and befriending people from different parts of the world, is that it is possible to be both ridiculously funny and genuinely kind. Many comedians joke at the expense of other people—they’re willing to humiliate them, not themselves—but Conan is the opposite. He is always the butt of a joke. Even when he’s pointing out something inane, it’s his incredulity that we’re laughing at. Upon watching this four-parter, you also learn that no one can match, much less top, what Conan does.

Wellington Paranormal is a wry and highly entertaining mockumentary series that follows a special force unit and their adventures in quelling paranormal activity. Taika Waititi executive produces this cross-genre sitcom, which serves as a spin-off to Waititi’s cult classic What We Do in the Shadows. 

While the film focuses on the creatures, Wellington Paranormal is decidedly about Officers Minogue and O’Leary and the hijinks that ensue as they encounter all sorts of supernatural beings, from vampires and werewolves to sea monsters and demons. The show is simple but deadpan funny: a chillingly breezy way to spend your binge time.