1. Superstore
This show is broadcasted on NBC as a half hour comedy about people working in a Cloud 9 superstore with strange customers and even stranger co-workers. With a diverse cast led by America Ferrera, the show portrays triumphs and struggles that the Cloud 9 employees experience daily. While it is a comedy and keeps you laughing for most of the episode, the show does tackle some issues that everyday Americans and immigrants face in this country and how it can affect the average person. The eclectic cast is entertaining and well-rounded. Superstore continues to prove that a show can be funny and informative all within a 30-minute episode.
2. Schitt’s Creek
This is another half hour comedy that can be streamed on Netflix or watched on Pop TV. Schitt’s Creek follows the Rose family, a once wealthy family that has now lost everything except for a town purchased by the family in the 90s called Schitt’s Creek. The show features the family’s ups and downs as they struggle to come to terms with their lack of money and find their way in a town that is very different from the lifestyle they are used to. The cast is equally entertaining throughout the series as we see the Roses grapple with some real-world issues and make their mark in the small town. Schitt’s Creek is on its fifth season and will be airing their sixth and final season in 2020.
3. Manifest
Manifest is an hour-long show on NBC that aired its first season this fall. At first, Manifest might remind you of the show Lost, but as the story grows, you’ll come to find that they are pretty different. Manifest shows a group of people headed home on a flight from Jamaica that face some turbulence during the plane ride. Once they land, they discover that the plane has been missing for five years and they had all been presumed dead. The show follows this group of people as they get adjusted to new life five years ahead of them as well as face interference from the government. By the end of the first season, Manifest will have you begging for answers about the missing flight.
4. Arrested Development
Arrested Development is a half hour long show and you can watch all of it on Netflix. The first three seasons of this show are over a decade old, but it was revived by Netflix in 2013 and again in 2018. Arrested Development features the Bluth family as they struggle to keep their construction company afloat while trying to prove the father’s innocence against various crimes. The original cast returned in both 2013 and 2018 along with many recurring characters shown throughout the series. Arrested Development highlights the insane logic behind many of the family’s schemes and ideas they come up with throughout the series. Each joke is funnier than the last until the very end. It is clear that this show will stand the test of time.
5. Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath
Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath can be viewed on A&E as well as Hulu. Each episode of this docu-series is close to an hour and within the hour, different parts of Scientology are broken down and explained. Most of the episodes contain interviews from former members of Scientology where they explain how they got into Scientology and what they endured as members. Most of the stories are unlike each other as many of these people come from different parts of the church. The show is informative about what Scientology is and how many people come to join the church. The series is heartbreaking as many of the former members have lost family to the church. It is an important show that informs the public of what Scientology is and why many people end up joining.
6. Veronica Mars
Later this year, Veronica Mars will be streaming seasons one through three as well as their revival on Hulu later this year. Veronica Mars was an hour-long teen mystery drama that aired from 2004 to 2007. It features Kristen Bell as Veronica, a teenage PI who investigates different cases around her high school as well as corruption within her town. While it is mainly a drama, Veronica always has a sarcastic remark at the ready that adds some humor to the mystery throughout the show. In order to catch up before the fourth season, you will have to watch the first three seasons once they drop on Hulu as well as the movie that came out in 2014. This will allow you to fully understand the plot of the fourth season. With an amazing dynamic between Bell and the majority of the characters, this show keeps you on your toes for the entirety of the show.
7. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt was a series that was directly released to Netflix as one of their original series. Each episode is 30 minutes long with about 12 episodes per season. They aired their fourth and final season earlier this year. This show focuses on Kimmy, a woman who was kept in captivity for 15 years, moving to New York and catching up on what she has missed over the last 15 years. Kimmy and the new friends that she makes create a hysterically funny dynamic during each episode. Her roommate, Titus Andromedon, is unbelievably hilarious and makes the show that much better. With a slew of guest appearances that add extra chaos to the show, each episode is funnier than the next.