I love this for you (2022) stars Vanessa Bayer as a woman who gets her dream job as a host at QVC and in her very last attempt to avoid being fired, she lies and says she has cancer. The whole thing is funny, dark and charming and is actually inspired by Bayer’s real-life battle with childhood leukemia.
2.
The comeback (2005-2014) is Lisa Kudrow’s masterpiece and will have you laughing out loud every 10 seconds. It’s about a former ’90s sitcom star who is so desperate for the spotlight that she agrees to have a reality show crew document her “comeback” to Hollywood. The show was canceled after one season and brought back years later as a six-episode “limited event series,” but I would kill for a third season.
3.
American Auto (2021-2023) is a workplace comedy starring Ana Gasteyer as a former CEO of a pharmaceutical company who takes over the reins of a famous car manufacturer. Everything that can go wrong goes wrong in spectacular fashion. You often wonder why you root for the characters so much, but the reason is simple: This show has so much heart and you can’t help but want more.
4.
I’m sorry (2017-2019) is the most realistic and relatable show you’ve ever seen. It stars Andrea Savage as a comedy writer with a hot husband (Tom Everett Scott) and young daughter. The series is about all the mundane nonsense of life, but with a fresh, funny and often inappropriate twist.
5.
Pan-Am (2011–2012) is a super-fun historical drama set in the 1960s. It stars Margot Robbie, Christina Ricci and others as a group of stewardesses for the Pan American airline, some of whom are secretly spies who carry out undercover missions for the US government during their travels. The coolest thing about it is that it’s all based on true events, so half the series is a spy thriller, while the other half is just hot 60s glamour, a la mad Men.
6.
Big crew (2021–2023) is like a modern version of Friends And Living Single (except the meeting place is a wine bar, not a cafe, and there’s no live audience or laugh tape). It centers on a group of friends in LA trying to balance life, relationships, and careers, but it’s never monotonous, boring, or predictable. Nicole Byer has always been a star, but she really shines in this series.
7.
Pushing daisies (2007–2009) follows Lee Pace (6’5″) as a cake shop owner who has the ability to bring dead things back to life with a single touch. His ability has some interesting limitations that make the series really engaging. Oh, and he also uses this ability to help his friend, a private investigator, solve murders. It’s quirky, romantic, and incredibly charming.
8.
Don’t trust the bitch in Apartment 23 (2012–2013) is a comedy about a young, naive woman who moves to New York and has to basically start over. Her roommate turns out to be one of the most messed up people in the world, and she happens to be the best friend of James Van Der Beek, who plays an exaggerated version of himself in the series. We should have gotten at least five seasons of this unpredictable and outrageous sitcom.
9.
pitch (2016–2017) is a drama from the creator of this is usso you already know it’s super emotional and has some wild twists and turns. It stars Kylie Bunbury as the first woman to play in Major League Baseball, with all the challenges that brings. The pilot episode left me gasping.
10.
crash (2016) is a short-lived comedy from the mind of Phoebe Waller-Bridge about a group of young adults living as caretakers at a disused hospital in London. It is funny, chaotic and full of sexual tension.
11.
The company (2019) is a suspenseful series about a group of teenagers who return from a school trip to find that everyone else in their town has disappeared. The series was originally supposed to be renewed for a second season, but was then canceled during the pandemic, which is especially heartbreaking because it ended on such a cliffhanger, and I NEED ANSWERS.
12.
Ziwe (2021–2022) is a satirical talk and variety show that tackles serious topics — like politics, white privilege, and other cultural or social issues — in a really clever, humorous way. Each iconic celebrity guest basically spends the entire time trying not to be baited or “cancelled,” and it goes about as well as you’d imagine.
13.
True calling (2003–2005) is a supernatural drama where Eliza Dushku plays a coroner who has the ability to relive days in order to save the bodies that come in. It’s dark and funny and super entertaining, and there are a lot of cool twists. It’s been almost 20 years and I’m still mad there was never a third season.
14.
Restart (2022) is a comedy about a group of actors from a sitcom from the 2000s whose series is revived in the present. Similar to 30 rocksWhat follows is a look behind the scenes of a “show within a show” and its highly dysfunctional cast. It’s timely, clever and just plain good.
15.
Teenage bounty hunter (2020) is about two 16-year-old twin sisters who secretly stumble into the world of bounty hunters. Now they’re forced to juggle school, crushes, and dangerous criminals. In theory, this show might sound like it shouldn’t work, but it does. It really, really, really works.
16.
The company you keep (2023) stars Milo Ventimiglia as a con man who unwittingly falls in love with an undercover CIA agent, played by Catherine Haena Kim. Milo’s character is in debt to a crime boss, while Catherine’s character secretly tries to take her down. Would this show revolutionize television? No. But was it a super light-hearted, funny, and entertaining viewing experience? Absolutely.
17.
And Q-Force (2021) is an animated comedy series that is soooooo gay, gay, gay, gay, gay. It’s about a group of unapologetically queer secret agents who go on a mission to save the world. It’s funny and hot and a refreshing change of pace. If you liked Charlie’s Angels or Total Spies, then you will love it.
