The Return of Happy TV
I like dark shows. Porbably more than the average person.
I loved the seedy underbelly of the small Pacific northwest town Twin Peaks.
I couldn’t get enough of the depressing and violent near-future depicted in Strange Days.
But even I have to throw up my hands sometimes and say, “Please show me some color, some light, some happiness.”
Pushing Daisies (RIP) gave me some of that. I ended each episode feeling happier than when I started.
I’ve got a few current shows I go to for the happy. Gossip Girl and 90210 amuse me with their ridiculousness. And Castle thrills me with the rapport between Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic as they solve sometimes grisly murders.
My number one go-to happy show, though, is Glee. It’s exuberance is infectious. I don’t always like the songs they sing. In fact, I rarely like musical performances in my TV shows and movies. I don’t always like the characters or the choices they make. But it is all put together in a package that can’t help but make me smile.
What about you? Are you in love with Glee, or do you dismiss it as an over-hyped, over-sold disappointment? Do you prefer your TV to show stark, gritty reality; dark depravity; lighthearted, feel-good fare; or some combination of all of these elements?


