While I would love to say that I have spent much of my quarantine time reading and developing my interests, I’ve really just spent most of it watching tv. No, not even 45-minute dramas that develop complex stories, my goldfish attention span is too impatient for that. All I’ve been doing is watching short sitcoms that make me happy and get my mind off of things, but honestly, that’s what we all need right now. So here are five of my underrated, not-so-famous sitcoms that have been putting a smile on my face lately.
- The Mindy Project
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This show is about the wonderful OB/GYN Dr. Mindy Lahiri who lives in Manhattan working at a hilariously quirky office filled with characters that you’ll grow to care about deeply. “The Mindy Project” mainly follows Mindy’s life in the city and the continuous ups and downs in her struggle to find an eligible bachelor to finally become her boyfriend. If you enjoy a nice blend of romance and comedy, I highly recommend checking this out. All six seasons (that’s right six) are available for streaming on Hulu.
- The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo
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While not a Hollywood-produced and aired television show, this is an absolutely marvelous YouTube web series following the life of the show’s namesake, Caleb Gallo, a to-be arts teacher living in Los Angeles with a superb cast of eccentric ‘wannabe’ actors for best friends. While generally lacking much of an overarching plot, this show follows the various dating lives and friendship obstacles of Caleb’s complicated, yet incredibly entertaining friend group.
- Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
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After spending the entirety of her adolescence kidnapped in an outlandish bunker led by a deranged cult leader, this series follows the resilient life of Kimmy Schmidt trying her best to make it in “the big city”. Don’t let the cult-backstory throw you off, Kimmy’s childlike demeanor and tenaciously optimistic spirit keep this show lighthearted and hysterical with the help of Titus Andromedon, Kimmy’s humorously lazy, yet extraordinarily talented roommate. The first season follows Kimmy’s struggles working as a nanny for an unthinkably affluent family on the Upper East Side. You can stream all 4 seasons of “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” on Netflix.
- One Day at a Time
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This sitcom is a remake of sorts of the 1975 television series with the same name, however, this show follows the life of divorcee, veteran, and mother of two Penelope Alvarez. Penelope works as a nurse in Los Angeles struggling to adjust to her newfound life as a single mother when she divorces her ex-husband due to his dangerous alcoholism. Thankfully, she has her lustrous mother Lydia (played by the iconic and EGOT-holding Rita Moreno) to help her take care of her girl-crazy son, Alex, and her social justice warrior daughter, Elena. This show focuses on the complicated familial dynamics of living in a three-generation household, discussing important topics like religion, misogyny, homophobia, addiction, immigration, racism, and more. “One Day at a Time” is an extremely heartwarming and at-times inspiring show. You can watch the first three seasons on Netflix.
- Fleabag
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While “Fleabag” is far from a typical sitcom, it is an expertly-written piece of dark comedy that I just had to include in this article. This show stars the legendary Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who plays the titular character, Fleabag, a borderline-sex-addicted, quick-witted, yet unhappy woman running a café in London existing in the aftermath of her best friend Boo’s passing. The first season follows Fleabag’s familial struggles dealing with her condescending godmother, an achingly overachieving sister, and the sister’s cringingly drunken and inappropriate husband. The audience gets to watch as Fleabag processes her grief for both her best friend and her mother in not-so-healthy ways. You can stream both seasons of this show on Amazon Prime.
I have watched all five of these series multiple times embarrassingly enough, so I do hope that at least one of them sparks your interest and entertains you for a handful of hours.