WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS (2019)
4 seasons / 42 episodes (so far)
One of my favorite shows on television. WWDITS is a wickedly clever and stunningly well-made show about vampires living in Long Island. Yes, it’s about vampires, but don’t let that turn you off. You will not find a comedy with more sass, more personality or better performances than this one. And the production elements? The production design alone is as good as anything you’ll see on Game of Thrones, and the costumes are elegant and beautiful and the cinematography is unequalled. Did I mention this is a half-hour comedy? There’s truly nothing like it, nothing as good, and I will never forgive you if you don’t give it a try.
***Emmy Winner***
ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS (1992)
6 seasons / 39 episodes
A comedy classic, this legendary British show about two middle-aged women who are desperate to cling to their youth, relevance and livers, is genius in every moment. Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley spin comedy gold in every episode, aided greatly by an ensemble of actors who are able to keep up with them. Think an absurdist, always-drunk Sex and the City.
SCHITT’S CREEK (2015)
6 seasons / 80 episodes
Again, this isn’t a streaming original, but we don’t get Canadian television down here, so Schitt’s Creek’s American home on Hulu counts for me, and I’ll take any excuse to shout from the rooftops about one of the best shows I’ve seen in the past ten years. A classic fish-out-of-water tale, Schitt’s Creek is about the wealthy Rose family, mother and father Johnny and Moira (played by geniuses Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara) and grown children David and Alexis (played by equal geniuses Dan Levy and Annie Murphy) who are forced to move to small town Schitt’s Creek after they lose all their money. Insert every standard rich/poor joke for the rest of the series, but, trust me, this show goes so far beyond cliché and gives you a rich, charming and thoroughly soul-soothing tryst with some of the best comedians on the planet. I discovered this show at the beginning of the pandemic and it’s probably the reason we got through it emotionally in one piece. If you love yourself, watch Ted Lasso and then watch Schitt’s Creek—you really have no excuse not to.
***Emmy Winner***
RAMY (2019)
3 seasons / 30 episodes (so far)
You don’t need a lot of bells and whistles to make a good show. In Ramy, series co-creator and star Ramy Youssef plays Ramy in a semi-autobiographical tale of what it’s like to be a young, modern Muslim man living in New York City. It’s pretty simple and straight-forward, but to see such familiar situations and storylines through a completely different lens and perspective, such as family life and dating, makes for a truly compelling—and often really funny—show that’s worth checking out.