# Are there any good shows that DON'T make you want to slit your own wrists? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 19, 2014, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-shows-that-dont-make-you-want-to-slit-your-own-wrists/688732 "2014-05-19T14:48:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-shows-that-dont-make-you-want-to-slit-your-own-wrists/688732/41 "2014-05-20T06:00:07Z")
I’ll second _Sleepy Hollow_. The human characters are pretty decent–it’s the demons & horsemen of the Apocalypse you need to watch out for. The show’s done for the season (only 13 episodes) & not on Netflix. Still, really good & funny. _SH_ flashes back to the American Revolution–in fact, it inspired me to read up on the period. (It’s fantasy but the writers know their history.) Alas, the inaccuracies in _TUR(backwards)N_ give me hives; why change history only to make the story duller? A few of the actors really throw themselves into their parts, though… ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-shows-that-dont-make-you-want-to-slit-your-own-wrists/688732/42 "2014-05-20T08:58:47Z")
…no, definitely not the Americans, that is the exact opposite of what you are looking for. And not the Blacklist: which is a relentlessly depressing programme with a high body count and with a serial killer (although they act like he isn’t) for a protagonist. And I haven’t seen Fargo: but if the movie is anything to go by I doubt it would fit the bill either. There are a whole lot of programmes that I call “old school.” Think Magnum PI, Simon and Simon, that era of programming where sometimes there are story arcs, but they aren’t that important. And at the end of each episode everything basically resets, the good guys are good and the bad guys are undoubtedly bad. Leverage is an old school programme. So is Castle, so is something like Bones, as is the Mentalist most (but not all) of the time. Orphan Black isn’t old school: but it isn’t relentlessly depressing. At the end of each episode you aren’t grimacing because they’ve killed another of your favourite characters but you are cheering because of how clever its been. And it has a female protagonist and a strong one at that: so the series lacks the hints of misogyny that programmes like Supernatural have. Doctor Who has been mentioned and you might like it. The current show runner is Stephen Moffatt: and as a show runner he loves his characters so much he can’t bear to kill them off. If you end up liking Who, then check out Sherlock and Jekyll. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-shows-that-dont-make-you-want-to-slit-your-own-wrists/688732/43 "2014-05-20T09:58:58Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > and Jekyll. The guy wants a show that leaves one with happy thoughts, without terrible assholes and you advise \*Jekyll \*? What the hell’s the matter with you ? 😃 _Firefly_’s an old one by goldfish standards, but it’s fun, it’s chipper, it’s lovable. _Veronica Mars_, same thing. Another oldie brimming with relentless optimism that hits you right in the feels once in a while : _The West Wing_. Though I guess it’s actually a pretty fucking depressing show when you’re aware of how American politics really go :). As for more recent stuff : \*Weeds \*and _Orange Is The New Black_, both dramedies, are hilarious albeit not entirely devoid of douchenozzles. \*Californication \*is fun as well. _Generation Kill_ was quite a bit darker (it’s about, y’know, the war in Iraq in all it’s all-encompassing violent stupidity) but it’s really gripping television, and often funny as hell too. My SO was a big fan of _Raising Hope_, is currently marathoning _Shameless and never misses Parks & Recreations_. Can’t say they work for me, but they might for you. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-shows-that-dont-make-you-want-to-slit-your-own-wrists/688732/44 "2014-05-20T10:14:28Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > The guy wants a show that leaves one with happy thoughts, without terrible assholes and you advise \*Jekyll \*? What the hell’s the matter with you ? 😃 …well… None of the good guys die. Plenty are slated for death: but everyone makes it from memory. I was sure the lesbian private investigators were going to going to die, but they didn’t. The good guys won, the bad guys didn’t, and lets pretend the last 30 seconds never happened. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-shows-that-dont-make-you-want-to-slit-your-own-wrists/688732/45 "2014-05-20T10:45:04Z")
I’m not sure that really makes up for 6 hours of following a protagonist whose \*both \*sides are darker than the inside of a mole’s arse, mate 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-shows-that-dont-make-you-want-to-slit-your-own-wrists/688732/46 "2014-05-20T11:57:23Z")
_Pushing Daisies_ may have been cancelled, but it’s still exactly what the OP is looking for. I can’t recommend it highly enough. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-shows-that-dont-make-you-want-to-slit-your-own-wrists/688732/47 "2014-05-20T13:24:48Z")
I agree with the OP. I prefer my entertainment to not leave me miserable after, or afraid to watch. When _Eureka_, then _Chuck_, then _Burn Notice_, then _Psych_, and now _Warehouse 13_ all ended, a fair chunk of my uplifting fun adventure shows were not replaced with an equivalent, and unless you like dark and gritty and serious and miserable, it’s a wasteland now. Here’s what I watch now: Castle White Collar Arrow Agents of SHIELD Brooklyn Nine Nine Continuum Da Vinci’s Demons Doctor Who Drop Dead Diva (not really recommended unless you can deal with an eye-rollingly ridiculous lawyer show) Franklin and Bash Suits (the serious and better written twin to the above) Elementary The Mentalist Murdoch Mysteries (highly recommended Canadian period detective show) New Girl Orange Is The New Black Orphan Black Sleepy Hollow Turn UK Shows that may not be available to you yet: Big Fat Quiz of the Year 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Bletchley Circle Call The Midwife Crimson Field Death In Paradise Doc Martin Downton Abbey Father Brown Indian Doctor Jonathan Creek Law and Order UK Hustle The Musketeers (quite a new show, but absolutely wonderful, couldn’t suit me any more perfectly) QI The Trip World’s Most Dangerous Roads ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-shows-that-dont-make-you-want-to-slit-your-own-wrists/688732/48 "2014-05-20T14:25:23Z")
**Downton Abbey.** It’s refreshing to be taken into a world where everything needs to be “proper”, and the few violence and sexytime scenes are implied rather than graphic. What I like best is that the characters are honest with each other - secrets are kept for only a few episodes before being brought to light, unlike “Sons of Anarchy” for instance where you’re like “JUST TELL THEM WTF IS GOING ON ALREADY!” I find myself smiling at some point during every episode. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-shows-that-dont-make-you-want-to-slit-your-own-wrists/688732/49 "2014-05-20T14:49:23Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > I thought of a good counterexample: The West Wing. If you liked “The West Wing” you might check out “Borgen”. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-shows-that-dont-make-you-want-to-slit-your-own-wrists/688732/50 "2014-05-20T15:37:27Z")
> [@AncientHumanoid](#): > > I’m currently enjoying **Leverage** and just finished **Burn Notice** on Netflix. Yeah, I came late to the shows, but that allows me to watch several in a row, which is always nice. They’re actually similar in many ways. Both are kind of like A-Team meets The Rifleman meets Mission Impossible. Not always “smart,” but I’ve enjoyed every ep. I find Leverage much more watchable than Burn Notice. Nate’s scheme team may all be criminals, but they’re much more pleasant company than Weston’s crew. Admittedly that’s only because Mike screws up the curve for Miami. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-shows-that-dont-make-you-want-to-slit-your-own-wrists/688732/51 "2014-05-20T15:55:26Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > As for more recent stuff : \*Weeds \*and _Orange Is The New Black_, both dramedies, are hilarious albeit not entirely devoid of douchenozzles. \*Californication \*is fun as well. _Generation Kill_ was quite a bit darker (it’s about, y’know, the war in Iraq in all it’s all-encompassing violent stupidity) but it’s really gripping television, and often funny as hell too. > > My SO was a big fan of _Raising Hope_, is currently marathoning _Shameless and never misses Parks & Recreations_. Can’t say they work for me, but they might for you. Weeds started out fairly light, but got really dark in the middle (the bit with the Mexican drug cartel) and ended on a fairly light note. But I agree with the recommendation of Parks and Recreation. Lots of fun, especially the various personalities and how they interact. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-shows-that-dont-make-you-want-to-slit-your-own-wrists/688732/52 "2014-05-20T16:52:55Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > But I agree with the recommendation of Parks and Recreation. Lots of fun, especially the various personalities and how they interact. One note on Parks and Recreation - It took a little while to find its legs. The first season isn’t bad, but it doesn’t get really good until after that, so bear with it. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-shows-that-dont-make-you-want-to-slit-your-own-wrists/688732/53 "2014-05-21T07:05:57Z")
I came to the rather old-school **Burn Notice** and **White Collar** a bit late, but I’m rather fond of them now. **White Collar** is _very_ light in tone, especially given the stuff that the lead character actually goes through. **Burn Notice** is less light-hearted, but still an old-school procedural wrapped around an overall arc that’s–deeply, deeply mad, let’s be honest. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-shows-that-dont-make-you-want-to-slit-your-own-wrists/688732/54 "2014-05-21T13:27:24Z")
**Call the Midwife** has been mentioned twice (and seasons 1-2 are available on Netflix DVD and streaming; I think [PBS.org](http://PBS.org) is currently streaming season 3), and its overall tone _is_ upbeat, but I find it makes me cry a lot. It’s glossed up the time period and setting a bit, but there’s still a lot of poverty, suffering, illness, and death. Nowhere near wrist-slitting level, but if you’re looking for a show that doesn’t involve much sadness at all, this isn’t it. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-shows-that-dont-make-you-want-to-slit-your-own-wrists/688732/55 "2014-05-21T13:38:14Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > _ **It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia** _, also awesome. > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Well, yeah, but you can’t say it doesn’t feature “assholes treating each other like assholes.” 🙂 > [@Loach](#): > > They are pretty much the worst people in Philadelphia. Which means the worst in the world. But they do it so well. The first time I tried **Sunny** , I was all set to hate it, but they do such a good job at being totally absurd that I ended up loving it and binging on the previous seasons to catch up. I really only ended up watching it because it was paired with **The League** which I started watching at the beginning, and which is just as absurd, but still about “assholes treating each other like assholes”. P.S. You could also try **Sirens** on USA. They’re less “assholes treating each other like assholes” than the other two. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2014, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-shows-that-dont-make-you-want-to-slit-your-own-wrists/688732/56 "2014-05-23T15:17:50Z")
Suburgatory The Goldbergs Agents of SHIELD. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-shows-that-dont-make-you-want-to-slit-your-own-wrists/688732/57 "2014-05-24T03:06:25Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > It’s not _quite_ not “assholes treating each other like assholes,” but **Archer** is totally awesome. ETA: and hilarious! Archer is hilariously awesome…but who on the show “isn’t quite” an asshole? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-shows-that-dont-make-you-want-to-slit-your-own-wrists/688732/58 "2014-05-24T03:26:32Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Archer is hilariously awesome…but who on the show “isn’t quite” an asshole? The wee baby Seamus? ummm… Babou? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Fornicator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Fornicator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Fornicator)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-shows-that-dont-make-you-want-to-slit-your-own-wrists/688732/59 "2014-05-24T10:27:56Z")
Gogglebox just won the BAFTA here - if/when a US version is made it’ll provide hours of non-murderous amusement, see comments under the article: > **[Have you been watching … Gogglebox?](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/may/23/gogglebox-channel-4-june-leon-bernicoff)** > > David Renshaw:Channel 4's Gogglebox is reality TV for real: we watch people watching telly. But what makes it stand out is the sharpness of its sofa-based TV criticism ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2014, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-shows-that-dont-make-you-want-to-slit-your-own-wrists/688732/60 "2014-05-24T11:27:52Z")
Watching people watching telly is pretty meta. Have they gone recursive yet ? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-shows-that-dont-make-you-want-to-slit-your-own-wrists/688732.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-shows-that-dont-make-you-want-to-slit-your-own-wrists/688732.md?page=4)