Lighthearted, upbeat shows for adults?

Recently I’ve been catching up on tv and some of the more mature/adult shows, which I’ve been…Enjoying? Seems like the wrong word, but they’ve all generally been cynical or dark.

For reference, I’ve just finished Better Call Saul, which got me to finally get around to finishing Breaking Bad, and I’ve also been doing a rewatch of the anime Monster as it’s been years since I last watched it.

So basically back to back dark shows.

I’ve already watched The Good Place, which nails what I’m describing, but it’s a little blunt with the sweetness, while I’ve watched some of Bee and Puppycat which seems like it’s closer to a nice middleground of sweet and real.

What are some of your go-to shows for this kinda vibe?

intensely_human,

Frasier

phoenixz,

I love “the good place”. It’s light comedy, it actually makes you think a little, it’s a lot of feel good and it’s one of those shows where you can see that everyone is having a blast making it.

Edit: I should finish reading the post before commenting, lol.

STUPIDVIPGUY,

Thermae Romae Novae is novel and hilarious

Sir_Simon_Spamalot,

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

potterpockets,

Exaxtly what i came here to say. Such a good show.

weariedfae,

They alive damn it.

Snowbound1726,

Bob’s Burgers.

amio,

If you're a weeb there's an entire genre of this stuff: iyashi-kei ("soothing type/genre"). I've enjoyed a bunch of them, though some of them get pretty saccharine if that's a worry. There's a large overlap with "slice of life", and a lot of these are set in school for whatever reason - YMMV. I like Azumanga Daioh, though the anime adaptation is a little aged. Nichijou is adorable and leans more into absurdism if that's your thing. "Yotsuba&!" is freaking precious, but manga only - same guy as Azumanga Daioh.

For non-weeb stuff I'll mention Brooklyn Nine-Nine, also Parks and Recreation once it hits its stride.

Candelestine,

If you’re gonna open it up to anime, then yeah, you crack open like a whole universe of “palate cleanser” shows. Anime likes to get really, really dark sometimes, and after a really rough episode sometimes you just need some sunshine and calm. Non Non Biyori is the example I always think of.

Xariphon,

Yotsuba&! might be the most precious thing I've ever seen. Anime-wise, I think "Sweetness and Lightning" comes closest.

ALostInquirer,

There’s a large overlap with “slice of life”, and a lot of these are set in school for whatever reason - YMMV.

I do enjoy anime, but a lot of them are like this and the reason’s pretty clear: the target audience is often skewed younger (i.e. teens/young adults). Are the ones you’ve suggested set in school, or…? It’s not a dealbreaker fwiw just not my first choice.

Cromartie High School is one of my occasional fallbacks for something silly & lighthearted, after all.

Darrow,

Ted Lasso

Crackhappy,
@Crackhappy@lemmy.world avatar

This is the answer right here. Show made me so happy I cried, regularly. Just absolutely fantastic all around.

QuantumSparkles,

One of the most wholesome shows out there

eightpix,
@eightpix@lemmy.world avatar

Take it from a die-hard cynical realist, Ted Lasso is heartwarming and inspiring in just the right measure without being terribly saccharine or campy. Very well written as well. The third season faltered a bit in the beginning, I thought, but it ended well.

soloner,

Star Trek the next generation

Brooklyn nine nine

One piece

AtmaJnana,

Letterkenny

Chozo,

Pitter patter.

AtmaJnana,

How ‘r’ ya now?

018118055,

Bluey pretends to be for kids but it’s surely for adults.

Nemo,

It’s so funny. Bandit is the best. I haven’t dentified with a cartoon dog so strongly since Mr. Peanutbutter.

jcdenton,
@jcdenton@lemy.lol avatar

No

robdor,

Yes.

antlion,
@antlion@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

For parents and kids, not childless adults.

bravesirrbn,

Schitt’s Creek (was already mentioned but is worth mentioning again

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Superstore

Derry Girls

Wellmania (sadly Netflix did a Netflix and discontinued another great show after only one season)

Or just rewatch The Office or Parks & Recreation once again 😄

garbagebagel,

Superstore is severely underrated

angrystego,

Star Trek: Lower Decks

metaphortune,

Worth noting: you don’t have to know Star Trek to love this show! Sure, it helps, you’ll get a few deep cuts here and there, but it is still an absolute joy.

Candelestine,

My Name Is Earl is my favorite go-to light-hearted and positive sitcom. Follows the story of a rather silly, ignorant redneck that begins to believe in karma, and so writes a list everyone he has ever wronged and goes about fixing it one by one.

It’s pretty good.

Rhynoplaz,

One of my favorite shows of all time. The jokes are non stop. Many are in-your-face slapstick, but others are subtly slid into the dialogue. It’s a smart comedy about stupid people. I consistently found myself hoping that everything would work out for this bunch of morons, but at the same time, laughed when they got what they deserved.

AngryCommieKender,

“Everybody just calm down!”

The only real down note in the show.

setsneedtofeed,
@setsneedtofeed@lemmy.world avatar

American Dad, starting at season 2, is complete gold.

The first season is rough, since the political comedy elements aren’t quite finetuned, which makes the characters a bit annoying, and Roger doesn’t have wacky disguises yet. Season 2 onwards the show has just right right wavelength of bizarre non-sequitur humor that always makes me smile. The jokes can be dark and/or adult, or just require context to understand but I think they are great.

dan1101,

Happy Endings

Cougar Town

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