# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2022, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/141 "2022-09-25T10:58:16Z")
**The Goes Wrong Show**. BBC series, two six-episode seasons to date. Each episode follows the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, a small, woefully underfunded, and exceedingly amateur theater company, as they attempt to put on a one-act play for a live television audience. The play invariably suffers from malfunctioning props, actors forgetting their lines, bad set design, and other unforced errors which the players must react to in real time in a vain attempt to keep the show from going completely off the rails. Adapted from an internationally successful stage production called The Play That Goes Wrong, which is also worth seeing if it’s being performed in your area, and starring most of the original London cast. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2022, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/142 "2022-09-25T13:21:34Z")
As long as it’s about to end after only two seasons, making it a ‘little’ show, I’ll toss in Kevin Can F\*\*\* Himself. It’s an interesting show that’s flip flops (multiple times per episode, usually mid-scene) between a stereotypical multi-camera, overly lit, fat husband/hot wife sitcom, complete with a laugh track, and dark drama, almost suited for HBO, about a wife that’s sick and tired of dealing with her husband’s bullshit day in and day out (the bullshit being the way he acts and treats her during the sitcom parts). [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/oubiQsc9Hw8/maxresdefault.jpg "Kevin Can F\*\*k Himself | Official Trailer") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oubiQsc9Hw8) > [@Smapti](#): > > Adapted from an internationally successful stage production called The Play That Goes Wrong, I keep meaning to watch that. Clips of it occasionally make the rounds online and it always looks good. Reminds me of Noises Off!. ---
**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:** [September 25, 2022, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/143 "2022-09-25T15:05:25Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > A couple of examples you might be able to track down are _[The Royle Family](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Royle_Family)_, by Caroline Aherne, and _[Mum](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mum_(TV_series))_ by Stefan Golaszewski. I’ve seen Royle Family. It’s great! Very chill mood to that show. I’ll have to look for the others. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/144 "2022-09-26T09:08:26Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I keep meaning to watch that. Clips of it occasionally make the rounds online and it always looks good. One of our local theater companies here in Olympia put it on last month and I got a chance to catch it. It’s hilarious from end-to-end and contains a lot of fourth-wall breaking elements. If you do catch it, make sure you get there early - the play actually starts about fifteen minutes before start time as the audience is filing in and the actors are getting ready for the show. ---
**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:** [November 14, 2022, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/145 "2022-11-14T01:52:56Z")
Recently I’ve been watching _Ladhood_. It is a little like _Moone Boy_ crossed with _The Wonder Years_ (while not being _much_ like them) except the main character is a really terrible person. ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2022, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/146 "2022-11-16T13:59:46Z")
UK TV just broadcast the only ten episodes they made of **Treadstone** at the rate of two episodes a night. So I watched. The production values of this Bourne Identity (films and books) spin off are very high. Filmed across America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Highly choreographed fight and chase scenes. No real stars but solid acting from a suitably international cast. However the minimal plot development ground to a halt after the first two episodes. There were six repetitive episodes. It made a weak attempt to get moving in the final two episodes but that was too little, too late so it ends with very little resolved. There is no real point in watching it if hoping for satisfying story telling. However, for those that are built in a specific way, it is worth watching if you like to sit back and marvel at the poor creative decisions. My take on what they should have done? Although the show is mainly set in the present there is a strong plot thread set in 1973 with a male and a female antagonists. With the money the producers had they could have told a great story sticking to those two plus it would have differentiated the whole thing from the more modern films. TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2022, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/147 "2022-11-29T12:54:16Z")
UK TV has also recently completed broadcasting crime thriller action show **Banshee** (2013-2016) at the rate of two episodes per week. They made four short seasons, three of ten episodes and a final eight episode season, and the big bonus here is they came to a planned finish so there is a proper ending. Now the premise of the show is ludicrous. Plus for the first three seasons each episode has several over the top and unfeasibly violent scenes plus usually a couple of soft porn sex scenes. That all said it’s entertaining and it genuinely has hidden depths. After a while the main characters and their relationships with each other become engaging. The final season is divisive. Behind the camera the filming location changed plus the star actor asked for fewer of the demanding fight scenes. In front of the camera the established group were now all split and there was a serial killer / murder mystery story arc that most fans were indifferent to. It certainly didn’t appeal to me. But the final two episodes were great, a return to form. Overall it’s not Shakespeare or even Breaking Bad but if you watch two episodes and like them - You’ll enjoy watching the lot. TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/148 "2022-12-01T15:51:47Z")
**cross posted** \*\* **This Fool** (Hulu, 2022, 1 se, 8 ep, 30 min) - My wife and I stumbled on this new gem last night. and watched 4 episodes in one sitting. The blurb: The series centers on Julio Lopez, a punk-ass bitch with a heart of gold who goes out of his way to help everyone but himself. Inspired by the life and stand-up comedy of star, co-creator and real-life punk ass bitch Estrada, the cinematic half-hour comedy explores Julio’s attempts to better his community, overcome his codependency issues with his family and navigate working class life in South Central. We are loving it. It’s hilarious and cleverly written. Similar in writing style to _Reservation Dogs_ but is essentially a lighter look at a minority in an inner city akin to _Kim’s Convenience_. It’s also perfect for that other thread on SD looking for ‘nice little shows’. My wife thinks it’s close to _Super Store_, I don’t but take that for what it’s worth. Solid show. Completely recommended to anyone who likes the above comedies. ---
**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:** [December 1, 2022, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/149 "2022-12-01T15:57:07Z")
Yes! I checked it out a month or so ago. It’s very funny and I enjoyed it. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/150 "2022-12-01T16:12:29Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > **This Fool** (Hulu, 2022, 1 se, 8 ep, 30 min) - 10 episodes actually, 30 min or less each so still small. ---
**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:** [May 18, 2025, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/151 "2025-05-18T08:24:21Z")
> [@Reno\_Nevada](#): > > From 2008, so a little early, but _The Middleman_ was amazingly great. “Fighting Evil So You Don’t Have To.” The adventures of a young woman who is recruited to be an assistant to The Middleman, who is backed by the Organization Too Secret To Know. 1 season, 12 episodes. I just discovered this one recently, had to see if it was mentioned anywhere here. I’ve only watched the first two episodes so far, but I think “amazingly great” is an apt description. Top notch premium streaming quality dry humor. [Available to watch for free on the Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/the-middleman-complete). ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2025, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/152 "2025-05-18T09:39:53Z")
_ **Pushing Daisies** _ _ **Moone Boy** _ _ **Doc Martin** _ _ **The Good Life** _ (aka _ **Good Neighbors** _) _ **Corner Gas** _ _ **Heartbeat** _ _ **No, Honestly** _ _ **As Time Goes By** _ The first three seasons of _ **Ballykissangel** _ ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/153 "2025-05-22T18:23:55Z")
_Somebody Somewhere._ ---
**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 25, 2025, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/154 "2025-05-25T08:33:50Z")
**The Cleaner** is a sweet UK show about a crime scene cleaner, created by and starring Greg Davies (of _Taskmaster_ fame). It is very surprisingly charming and thought provoking, and progressive, while also being quite silly. A great combination. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/155 "2025-05-25T15:22:05Z")
_[Poker Face](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14269590/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_7_nm_1_in_0_q_poker)_ on Hulu. Natasha Lyonne plays Charlie, a woman with a preternatural ability to tell when someone is lying. Needless to say, she uses it to play poker, until she doesn’t, and runs afoul of a casino mogul. Then she goes on the lam and keeps getting into wacky murder mysteries. The situations are pretty far-fetched and preposterous, and the show seems to kind of realize that, but it’s compelling and addictive and it sucks waiting for new episodes to come out weekly; I wish they’d release them all at once like most streaming shows are released. ---
**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 25, 2025, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/156 "2025-05-25T15:36:25Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > _[Poker Face](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14269590/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_7_nm_1_in_0_q_poker)_ on Hulu. Peacock, not Hulu. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/157 "2025-05-25T16:02:33Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Peacock, not Hulu. Oops, my bad. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/158 "2025-05-26T08:27:27Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I wish they’d release them all at once like most streaming shows are released. The tides seem to have turned the other way, which stinks. As far as I’m aware, Netflix is the only streamer that still releases full seasons all at once. Peacock, Paramount+, Hulu, HBO Max and AppleTV+ all seem to be weekly episodes all the time. Prime is in sort of a middle ground, where some they do, some they don’t, and some they give you a couple episodes per week. I do not know about Disney+ since I still haven’t ever signed up for that one yet. ---
**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:** [June 11, 2025, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/159 "2025-06-11T13:10:59Z")
_[North of North](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz2ty6KGBSg)_ on Netflix. 8 episodes of good warm comedy TV. Not too saccharine, deals with some relevant social issues without being preachy, and the lead is a delight. A nice entry for the “quirky small town” genre, a-la _Northern Exposure_ or _Parks and Rec_) and a view of a not-often-depicted culture. I see it’s been renewed for a second season. ---
**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:** [June 11, 2025, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175/160 "2025-06-11T14:54:44Z")
My mom watched that and liked it. We have a lot of TV preferences crossover, I’ll have to check it out! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nice-little-shows/849175.md?page=9)