Sometimes when you’re feeling low, a feel-good movie won’t cut it. You just want to curl up underneath a blanket and watch something that will restore your faith in humanity. Conflict is still fine, but nothing that will leave you feeling bummed out. We’re in the age of Peak TV, but a lot of those “Peak TV” shows carry a lot of darkness with them, and sometimes you don’t have it in you to watch Breaking Bad or Mad Men. Sometimes you need something light, easy, and fun.
We’ve put together a list of happy TV shows that should get you out of your funk, or just let you stay in your funk, but not feel bad about it anymore. These are shows that go down smooth, will make you smile, and hopefully brighten your day. If you have any suggestions on shows we should add, sound off in the comments!
Bob's Burgers
Watch on Hulu
Bob’s Burgers is a wholesome show about a family that loves each other, and for the most part, does their best to uplift and support each other’s passions. That’s a rarity and a gift these days; rampant positivity and good-natured embrace of earnest emotion rarely makes it to broadcast, let alone in a show that’s so consistently hilarious. Following the adventures of the Belcher family, with outstanding attention to detail and recurring gags, Bob's Burgers is the ultimate in relatable and the perfect cocktail of sweet and stupid. — Haleigh Foutch
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Watch on Hulu
There’s just something about Michael Schur's golden touch that guarantees an ensemble cast you’ll fall in love with. The case remains absolutely true with Brooklyn Nine-Nine, co-created by Dan Goor (Parks and Recreation), the only place you’ll ever look to a crew of cops for a chill hangout sesh. Set in New York’s fictional 99th precinct, the show is stacked top to bottom with all-time great sitcom performances. Andy Samberg puts in his charmingly over-the-top effort in the lead, Stephanie Beatriz is a deadpan maestro, and Chelsea Peretti snarks with the best of them. But MVP status firmly goes to Andre Braugher as the uber-uptight Captain Raymond, quite possibly the single funniest TV performance of the last seven years. Over six seasons, there is not a line or a delivery that leaves that man’s mouth that isn’t solid gold. Something else to look for on your binge: The annual Halloween Heist episodes are a genuine cause for celebration. - Vinnie Mancuso
The Great British Baking Show
Watch on Netflix
All reality TV competitions should be as nice and low-stakes as The Great British Baking Show (or Great British Bake Off in its native UK). A dozen bakers compete various challenges each week with each episode divide into three challenges—a signature dish, a technical challenge (where they’re given a minimal recipe and tasked to rely on their baking knowledge), and a showstopper—and at the end of the episode, someone is crowned “Star Baker” and someone has to go home, but it always ends with hugs and warm wishes. And that’s probably because the grand prize at the end is just being crowned “Britain’s Best Amateur Baker” and a laser-engraved cake plate. It’s a show so sweet filled with contestants who want to help each other rather than cut each other’s throat. It’s also the rare competition program you’ll want to rewatch even when you know who wins each season. That’s how lovely The Great British Baking Show is. – Matt Goldberg
Parks and Recreation
Watch on Hulu or Netflix or Peacock
A show that never received the mass amount of love it deserved in its own time (it always seemed like it was on the bubble for renewal), Parks and Recreation found its groove in its second season and didn’t slow down from there. I recommend just skipping Season 1 because in Season 2 onward, they figured out that this wasn’t a takedown of local government as much as it’s about people striving to make their communities better in the face of constant opposition and fighting anyway. It leads to some hilarious comedy, but there’s always a good heart and deep love for the characters at the center. Even the most put-upon member of the cast, Jerry, has the best home life of anyone in the bunch. But of course the real hero at the center is Amy Poehler’s Lesley Knope, an inspiring figure that restores your faith in humanity with her basic decency and unwavering determination. – Matt Goldberg
Miracle Workers
Watch on TBS
On the surface, a story about the impending apocalypse and a disaffected God's lack of concern with averting it might not be the best show to soothe rattled nerves. Luckily, Miracle Workers chilled out on the world-ending stuff a bit in its second season, Dark Ages. TBS's anthology series from Simon Rich (Man Seeking Woman) sees Daniel Radcliffe, Steve Buscemi, Geraldine Viswanathan, Karan Soni, Lolly Adefope, and Jon Bass taking on diverse roles season to season in what has become one of the best feel-good shows on TV today. Miracle Workers: Dark Ages is poised to be a good replacement for series like The Good Place and Parks and Recreation, and you can get in on the current season airing right now!
Dark Ages takes place, you guessed it, during that time in human history where science and common sense took a backseat to superstition, brutality, and the upper class treating the working class and impoverished citizens like less than dirt. Yeah, that doesn't really narrow it down, does it? Okay, it takes place within the millennium between roughly 500 AD and 1500 AD. But the medieval and at times Machiavellian setting acts as a perfect backdrop to our down-to-Earth characters with big hearts, pure souls, and a strong moral compass, even if their knowledge is limited by the ignorance of their time. Dark Ages is, after all, a comedy, and there's much to be mined here in a sort of Monty Python-esque approach to this time period. It's all done in a rather cute, accessible, and charming way, even when it verges into the darkly comic (and it helps that Peter Serafinowicz is endearingly likable, even as King Cragnor the Heartless.) So if you need an escape from the current reality and want to trip into the distant, dirty past with a group of lovable losers, Miracle Workers: Dark Ages should be on your radar. - Dave Trumbore
Younger
Watch on Hulu
Possibly the most binegable show on TV right now, Younger is fun, flighty, and sexy in the utmost. From the creator of Sex and the City, the stylish comedy stars Broadway legend and Bunheads breakout Sutton Foster as Liza, a forty-something woman who loses everything in a messy divorce and pretends to be twenty-six in order to land a job in an ageist job market. Soon, the lie infiltrates every area of her life — including her love live when she falls for her impossibly attractive twenty-something boyfriend (Nico Tortorella) — and Liza has to keep all the plates spinning to make sure no-one gets hurt. It’s deliciously dramatic without ever getting too self-serious, always putting the premiere focus on the lusty liaisons, fabulous fashion, and the through-line of female friendship that anchors it all. Light-hearted and charming to boot, Younger is an easy, breezy watch for whenever you need a mood boost. — Haleigh Foutch.
30 Rock
Watch on Hulu or Peacock
If weird-happy humor is your style, you can’t go wrong with 30 Rock. Tina Fey and Robert Carlock’s seven-season sitcom chronicles the ridiculous happenings behind the scenes of a Saturday Night Live-style comedy show, with Fey playing the head writer and Alec Baldwin filling the role of the uber-conservative network executive. The series moves forward with an air of positivity, even as Liz Lemon’s life continues to spiral downward. It’s a show about finding family in the strangest places, and rolling with the punches when life can’t seem to give you a break. – Adam Chitwood
American Ninja Warrior
Watch on Hulu
It may seem odd that a show where a bunch of athletic people run the same course would be entertaining, but I’ve become hooked on American Ninja Warrior. It’s impressive to watch these feats of gymnastic skill, but the producers wisely give their “ninjas” a backstory. Sometimes it’s something light, but more often than not, there’s a backstory of overcoming adversity that works. You care that this woman beat cancer or that this man reconnected with his estranged father. Neither has anything to do with defeating the salmon ladder, but it makes it a complete feel-good package that makes for an entertaining watch thanks to the dedication and enthusiasm of the players and the hosts. – Matt Goldberg
New Girl
Watch on Netflix
In the pantheon of twenty-something hangout sitcoms, New Girl has never gotten enough credit. Liz Merriwether's Fox comedy featured one of the best casts of wall-to-wall MVPs on TV. No matter where you look in any New Girl scene, you can bet you’re going to need to watch it a few more times to pick up all the comedic beats. That’s because the ensemble cast is always one-upping each other and feeding of each other's energy. Zooey Deschanel always goes full-throttle for the joke (even when the writers lead her character down some frustrating avenues), Jake Johnson walks an outstanding line between the straight man and blustering fool, line-reading king Max Greenfield crafted one of the best all-time supporting sitcom characters in Schmidt, and Lamorne Morris grew funnier by the episode in his wide-eyed embrace of the absurd. They even figured out what to do with Hannah Simone in the end, allowing the model BFF to embrace her power and let her freak flag fly. They’re all outstanding and they all deserve to have breakout careers now that the show is over. The ensemble is backed up by consistently sharp writing, strong direction and spot-on editing that made New Girl such a laugh-out-loud bananas treat – and one that never stopped evolving to embrace the strengths of its performers. — Haleigh Foutch
Schitt's Creek
Watch on Netflix
Imagine a less cynical Arrested Development crossed with an inverted Beverly Hillbillies, and you’re close to Schitt’s Creek—one of the most joyful shows on all of television. The Canadian sitcom tells the story of a wealthy family who loses everything when they’re defrauded by their business manager. The only thing they do own is a tiny, backwoods town the patriarch (Eugene Levy) bought for his son (Daniel Levy) as a joke gift back in 1991, and they’re then forced to move there and live out of a motel. They slowly begin to accept their new lives and even love their new town, despite their many, many quirks. The comedy is delightful, anchored by a phenomenal performance from Catherine O’Hara as the family matriarch, a former soap actress in denial about her social status. It’s also a delightfully forward-thinking series, as the son’s pansexuality is met not with scorn or judgment, but with full loving embrace. Hilarious, witty, and oh-so-sweet, Schitt’s Creek is the perfect show for when you need a pick-me-up. – Adam Chitwood
Archer
Watch on Hulu
Sometimes animated series just feel more inherently happy and bingeable if you want to sit down and veg out for a few hours, in which case Archer is really some of the best medicine. The show is essentially a spy series about an alcoholic, cocky, but also somewhat woke secret agent and the colorful characters that populate his spy agency. But the series evolved over the course of its run into a dynamic genre-spinning comedy, traversing the arenas of Magnum P.I., film noir, and jungle adventure. Packed with puns galore and filthy humor, Archer is a delight through and through. – Adam Chitwood
Queer Eye
Watch on Netflix
At times, the new Queer Eye seems designed to pull at the heartstrings, but the exuberance of the Fab 5 and the charm of the makeover subjects always prevent you from sobbing too hard. While it’s still a makeover show, the new Queer Eye is a feel-good bonanza as you watch five guys try to make someone’s life better from the inside out. It’s no longer a show where a meterosexual makeover will do the trick; they really want to get to the core of a person’s belief and seeing what they need in their lives. Plus, when the Fab 5 are this lovable, you just can’t wait to see what they’ll do next. – Matt Goldberg
Guy's Grocery Games
Watch on Hulu
Newsflash: Guy Fieri rules. While y’all are out here clowning on his frosted tips, proclivity for Smash Mouth-esque bowling shirts, and desire to douse everything in sauce (all objectively cool things!), he’s out here spreading positivity, joy, and inclusive invitations to Flavortown. “Inclusivity” is indeed the name of Guy’s Grocery Games, thankfully streaming on Hulu. Instead of these other food competition shows, pitched exclusively for the bourgeoisie and featuring only, ahem, “top chefs” as their contestants with their pick of upper-class ingredients, Guy’s Grocery Games is for the people. It all takes place within an average-ass grocery store, with average-ass cooks across this great nation. And by competing in these delightfully silly games, we, the proletariat viewer, learn how to craft excellent dishes with the average-ass tools given to us in average-ass grocery stores on average-ass budgets! Fieri is here to seize the means of production, and I am here for his wonderful show! Okay -- leftist revolutionary readings of food TV shows aside, Guy’s Grocery Games is addictive binge-watching, and centered around one of our brightest TV personalities we’ve got. Pair it with Nailed It! on Netflix for a perfect working class food show dessert. - Greg Smith
The Mentalist
Watch on Amazon Prime
I know a show centered on an ex-con hunting down the serial killer who murdered his wife and daughter doesn’t seem all that uplifting, but I promise The Mentalist is more lighthearted than it sounds. Procedurals are the comfort food of primetime TV, but even by that metric, there's something extra soothing about The Mentalist. The series is consummately concerned with justice and morality, featuring some of the most upstanding, unwavering civil servants this side of Olivia Benson. Robin Tunney and Tim Kang are the standouts in the CBI unit, but it’s Simon Baker’s performance as Patrick Jane that makes The Mentalist a joy to watch through an through. An ex-conman made righteous by his horrible tragedy, Jane is ever charming, stylish and whip smart — a total delight. Ultimately, The Mentalist isn’t about murder (OK, it’s definitely partly about murder), but about picking yourself up, righting your wrongs, and learning to live and love again in the face of unthinkable tragedy. When it comes to feel good TV, The Mentalist is my surprise MVP and by far my most well-worn background-watch DVDs. — Haleigh Foutch
Community
Watch on Hulu or Netflix
In terms of “found family” stories, Community is one of the most enjoyable. While the series hit some bumps later in its run, Dan Harmon’s sitcom gets off to a swell start as it tells the story of a group of adults attending community college together. The stories get more ambitious as the show moves along, playing with genre and narrative in fascinating ways that would serve as the foundation for Harmon’s more genre-defying animated series Rick and Morty, but the ensemble cast is the heart and soul of Community, and they make this series a joy to take in. – Adam Chitwood
Home Town
Watch on HGTV
HGTV has really become known as the home renovation channel, with a variety of TV shows exploring that very topic. But when I’m looking for some feel good TV, I tune into Home Town, a series where married couple Ben and Erin Napier help families move into their small, idyllic and sweet hometown of Laurel, Mississippi. Beautifying their neighborhood, one house at a time, they earnestly just want to improve their little slice of life, giving a renewed existence to homes desperately in need of a little love and attention. They’re never extravagant, instead focusing on historically accurate renovations and vintage finds, often repurposing things from previous builds, and always giving the new owners a bit of the past, teaching them about who lived in the house previously while helping them feel at home as the new owners. With four seasons and a new spin-off, Home Town Takeover, announced for 2021, there is plenty of Southern remodeling to go around. – Christina Radish
Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
Watch on Hulu
Diners, Drive-ins and Dives is the closest you can get to comfort food without making an impact on your waistline. Buckle up and roll out with Guy Fieri to Flavortown as he travels the nation (and occasionally overseas) for the best mom and pop joints on the planet. And it’s those mom and pops that ultimately make DDD such a joy. Of course, Fieri is a whole heap of fun himself, the ultimate frost-tipped dudebro of bomb-dot-com food, but it’s seeing all the passionate cooks, the secrets to their success, and the love they put into their businesses that’s made Diner, Drive-ins and Dives the ultimate in feel-good food TV for 26 seasons. — Haleigh Foutch
Documentary Now!
Watch on Netflix
One of the most delightfully pleasant surprises of the 2010s was the IFC comedy series Documentary Now!, which is the brain child of Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, Seth Meyers, and Rhys Thomas. The conceit of the series is something of a mockumentary anthology, in which each half-hour episode takes on the format of a famous or groundbreaking documentary genre and is given the comedy treatment via Hader and Armisen. The result is a series of hilarious installments that tackle everything from Grey Gardens to The Thin Blue Line to Behind the Music, but perhaps the show’s magnum opus (at least thus far), is the tremendous VICE-spoofing installment “DRONEZ: The Hunt for El Chingon.” Documentary Now! is a must-watch, plain and simple, especially if you happen to be of the cinephile persuasion. – Adam Chitwood
The Simpsons
Watch on Disney+
Whenever I see those cartoon clouds part, and those cheesily angelic voices sing the title of the family’s name, I immediately feel my heart rate lower. The Simpsons, that long-running cartoon sitcom currently streaming on Disney+, is so embedded into my DNA that watching a familiar favorite or newly discovered gem feels like slipping into the warmest, softest bed ever produced. Whether you prefer the softer, sweeter heart-on-their-sleeve early seasons, the wilder, wackier joke-a-second middle seasons, or cling to the “The Simpsons are still good” branch with all four fingers, there’s something for everyone in the series. From smart, inadvertently educational pop culture parodies to incisive examinations of the contemporary American family landscape, The Simpsons does it all, and makes me absolutely cry laughing doing so. Now, for the last time: Are you here to solve my ketchup problem? - Greg Smith
The Good Place
Watch on Netflix
If you’re still in the dark on The Good Place, stay there and start watching it as soon as possible. There are some brilliant twists and turns in the series, but what makes it a feel-good show is that it’s a show about what it means to be “good”. Is it enough to simply study ethics? Is it enough to give loads of money to charity? And more importantly, can people change from bad to good? These are the questions The Good Place considers, and yet it does so perfectly within the mold of a standard sitcom. It’s a downright brilliant show with outstanding performances from the entire cast. The show is headed towards its third season and has yet to air a bad episode. That’s how good it is. – Matt Goldberg