# Nice LITTLE Shows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [March 10, 2020, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175 "2020-03-10T02:14:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/61 "2020-03-19T10:48:25Z")
A British series, “The Bounder”, with Peter Bowles,ran only 14 episodes. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/62 "2020-03-19T10:48:27Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > The new version of _The Tick_ was excellent. It deserved to last seven seasons. It only got two. > > _Gentleman Jack_ is also good. It’s ongoing, though. > [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > [The End of the F\*\*\*ing World](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6257970/reference) - two 8 episode seasons on Netflix. Dark twisted comedy/drama. > > [Barry](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5348176/reference) - two 8 episode seasons on HBO. Dark twisted comedy/drama. > > [Undone](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8101850/reference) - one 8 episode season so far on Amazon. Rotoscoped, animated series spacy comedy/drama. Good choices. Does **The Good Place** count? Four 13-episode seasons. Speaking of Netflix series, I have an unreasonable love for **One-Punch Man**. One season thus far (with 12 or 13 eps). It’s like anti-manga manga. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/63 "2020-03-19T13:34:00Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > Derry Girls is one of the funniest things on TV right now. If you can sleuth it out, it’s worth seeing series creator Lisa McGee’s previous show, _London Irish_. It’s like Derry Girls but with more swearing, riding and (a lot more) drinking. It only ran one season, so there’s just six episodes. Sister Michael and Father Peter are both in it (the latter is a regular), and Ardal O’Hanlon even has a small role, just as in Derry Girls. Thank you so much for turning me on to _London Irish_. It’s delightful and is filling the _Derry Girls_ shaped hole in my heart.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/64 "2020-03-19T15:30:31Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Good choices. > > Does **The Good Place** count? Four 13-episode seasons. Nah, man. We’re talking about little shows that aren’t on the big broadcast networks that nobody ever talks about but you really enjoyed. Suggesting _The Good Place_ is like saying “hey, Pikachu is a tiny being. Does he count as an un-known character?” ---
**Author:** ![PaperBlob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/58956e/32.png) [@PaperBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaperBlob)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/65 "2020-03-19T16:39:45Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > If you like _Columbo_, then watch _Russian Doll_. OK, I don’t get this one. Both great shows, but how are they in any way similar? Are you referring to Peter Falk’s Columbo? ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/66 "2020-03-19T22:21:02Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > You want little? I give you [Little Lunch](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/feb/02/little-lunch-the-mockumentary-series-for-kids-and-one-of-australias-best-shows). _The Office_ style mockumentary, but with Australian 5th graders at recess. Deals with hard-hitting issues like: > > [ul] > [li]misplacing one’s glasses[/li][li]sharing of the monkey bars[/li][li]disgusting lunches from home[/li][/ul] > > Available on Netflix. Only 26 episodes (and only 15 minutes long) and 2 30 minute specials. Thanks for the recommendation, My son and I love it. But no longer on Netflix. You should be able to watch it [here](http://fuse.education.vic.gov.au/ResourcePackage/ByPin?pin=R2RNGK). ---
**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:** [March 19, 2020, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/67 "2020-03-19T23:33:03Z")
> [@PaperBlob](#): > > OK, I don’t get this one. Both great shows, but how are they in any way similar? Are you referring to Peter Falk’s Columbo? The way Natasha Lyonne plays her character, as a crusty New Yorker who goes from person to person and asks questions. It’s tenuous, I admit, but I couldn’t help but think of _Columbo_ a lot while I watched. ---
**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:** [March 19, 2020, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/68 "2020-03-19T23:51:05Z")
How about _[Party Down](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_Down)_? Twenty episodes over two seasons. Aired on Starz but also available on Hulu. It’s about the staff of a Los Angeles catering company and each episode is set at a party they’re catering. Reminds me a bit of Taxi. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2020, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/69 "2020-03-21T03:19:54Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > First thing that comes to mind is _[Detect](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=777632)[orists](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=824045)_. One of the best shows I’ve EVER watched. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/70 "2021-02-01T03:56:06Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > [Search Party](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_Party_(TV_series)) - (TBS/HBO Max) This is just a weird show and I’m not sure if it had any deep meaning. Just some self-absorbed 20-something New Yorkers who get themselves mixed up in a plot bigger than themselves. Kind of like \*Girls \*but more light. It gets really good reviews, tho. Did you stick with this? I’m mid-way through season 4 now (having waited for the full season to air before binging it). I’m struck by how much the show shifts directions each season, getting darker and darker. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/71 "2021-02-01T04:20:32Z")
Yeah just finished it tonight. It’s a weird little show but I like weird! You’re absolutely right about the shifts each season. I guess that means it’s a character driven show. The original plot ended with season 1 but we still like to see these characters be weird. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/72 "2021-02-01T04:27:01Z")
Another vote for The Detectorists. Great cast, gently funny. **Last Tango in Halifax** Dramady about an elderly couple and their grown children. Four seasons (so far), but only four eps per season. Stars Derek Jacobi. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/73 "2021-02-01T10:55:44Z")
Oh, Baskets! …I was thinking of this one - it’s whimsical, touching, tragic and bizarre, yet hilarious…Louis Anderson won an Emmy for playing Ma Baskets - you begin to care so much for her. Martha Kelly is a standup comedian playing a deadpan character. I sometimes catch a rerun episode on cable in the middle of the night. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/74 "2021-02-01T11:25:07Z")
_Sex Education_ on Netflix is great. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/75 "2021-02-01T11:53:52Z")
All UK shows: I’ll second **Moon Boy** Whites (centers around a high end chef) Rev (about a priest or vicar or whatever they are called) ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/76 "2021-02-01T12:49:38Z")
**Ted Lasso** - Only 10(I think) episodes and my wife and I have watched four of them. Very fun show, often very funny, and Ted Lasso is one of the most likeable characters on TV. He’s just upbeat and friendly and it really is a great performance from Jason Sudekis. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/77 "2021-02-01T13:06:23Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Rev (about a priest or vicar or whatever they are called) Ah yes, stars Olivia Colman, before she hit megastardom. A brand spanking new one so not in the US yet (will be on HBO Max) - **[It’s A Sin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_a_Sin_(TV_series))**, about the aids crisis in 80s London. Ok, depressing subject, but beautifully made, witty and heart warming. Great sound track too. Just five episodes. **Normal People** , based on the book of the same name, a young romance set in contemporary Ireland. 12 episodes, just one season. **[I may destroy you](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/i_may_destroy_you/s01)** - the stand out series of 2020 in many people’s opinion, written and starred by amazing emerging talent [Michaela Coel](https://www.google.com/search?q=Michaela+Coel&rlz=1C5CHFA_enGB869GB869&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjohueZ4MjuAhWVShUIHXL9ALwQ_AUoAnoECBYQBA&biw=1738&bih=1022). 12 episodes in total. Worth every second. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/78 "2021-02-01T14:51:15Z")
Yeah, I’ll come back and reiterate that this is the perfect “little” show. Aside from Louie Anderson’s Emmy win, I don’t think this show ever really got much mainstream attention. In fact, you’re the first person (besides my wife and me) that I’ve ever come across that’s actually watched it. To the OP: Baskets is totally worth your time! It’s streaming on Hulu. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/79 "2021-02-01T15:46:34Z")
Yeah I’ve definitely been watching **Baskets**! Just forgot it in the OP. **Ted Lasso** was great! I thought it would be cheesy and predictable - fish-out-of-water story, everyone beats up on Ted, he can’t catch a break. Ha ha watch him bumble. But it turned out to be way more than that. Definitely some top-notch writing. **I May Destroy You** was good. I loved Michaela Coel in Chewing Gum. This series is obviously more grown-up but she goes at it hard. She really is not afraid to take chances and break convention with her writing. ---
**Author:** ![TimothyNewsome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ba0ec/32.png) [@TimothyNewsome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimothyNewsome)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/80 "2021-02-01T16:48:55Z")
Has anyone here watched the Australian “Summer Heights High”, a wonderful little Mockumentary (only 6 episodes total?) that for my money, when taken in whole, is actually more entertaining than “Best In Show”, “A Mighty Wind” or “Waiting For Guffman”. Of course, these days here in 2021, if you admit enjoying this series you are apparently a racist, homophobe and monsterous bigot, but at least one that understands subtle (and not-so-subtle) satire and dry humor mixed with juvenile potty jokes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175.md?page=5)