May 20, 2023·edited May 20, 2023Liked by Valerie Ettenhofer
Indian here, and definitely don't recommend Kal Ho Naa Ho for the "no crying" caveat - the guy is terminally ill in that one and it's a cry-fest at the end.
I love this list! Some of my all time faves on here, specifically Flight of the Conchords and Arrested Development which Kevin and I quote all the time and of course Schitts Creek. I will say Schitts Creek definitely made me misty eyed, it’s ‘simply the best’!
In the category of low-stakes cooking shows, I would highly recommend "baking impossible" (netflix). The show has teams of a baker and an engineer and the tasks all involve engineering fully edible creations to complete a specific task. The teams are all really wholesome and they root for each other and it's just great.
May 21, 2023·edited May 21, 2023Liked by Valerie Ettenhofer
"As you wish". "As you wish" is the crying part of The Princess Bride. Even so, I wouldn't dream of taking it off any list ever. But if you do, then I have a few replacement suggestions. "A Bit if Fry and Laurie". And the "Jeeves and Wooster" series which also contains quite a bit of Fry and Lauire amd "Yes Minister" and "Yes Prime Minister". No cries whatsoever.
(Also two other less old but more forgotten britcoms- "Black Books" and "Spaced".)
If you like Better Off Ted, the creator of that show also produced Andy Richter Controls The Universe, starring Andy Richter and Padgett Brewster, and Dinosaurs, both of which are super weird!
May 21, 2023·edited May 21, 2023Liked by Valerie Ettenhofer
I'm so glad someone mentioned "short poppies" --- it is so good, I discovered it recently because I was on a Rhys Darby binge after watching "Our flag means death." (I would recommend that but the ending of season 1 made me cry.) But David Farrier's podcast "flightless bird" is a great listen, each episode is a weekly mini deep dive on a topic in American culture told from an outsider's perspective.
I love Flightless Bird! I did a similar binge-watch of all things New Zealander but it was a few years back when I got really into Taika Waititi movies, then Flight of the Conchords, then everything Rhys did, then everything David Farrier did, etc etc. So many delightful things to watch and listen to!
could I suggest a caveat for American Vandal? the last episode is Kind of A Bummer imo, in that Dylan succumbs to society's expectations about himself and I'm not even sure he graduates. the ending made me sad anyways. I also don't suggest Secret of Kells, that entire last act is about the city being burned down and lots of people dying. thank you for curating this list!
I love this show but it is certainly a bit of a think-y show, despite it's excellent dumb jokes, and one I think that Hank in particular would find intellectually interesting when he's in the right headspace (if he hasn't already seen it, which I don't think he has since I believe he's said he doesn't watch much TV normally).
I added the caveat and took off Secret of Kells, thanks! I haven't seen Kells but the friend who suggested it to me did note that she's not always the best at recognizing if something is objectively sad. Appreciate the help!
Okay, the fact that iCarly is on here makes me so incredibly happy but also sad, and I want to tell you why, but I need Hank to PROMISE NOT TO READ THIS COMMENT. SERIOUSLY, ITS REALLY SAD DONT READ IT:
Okay, now that Hank is gone, I just want to say that my uncle, who lived with my family while undergoing grueling treatment for brain cancer and eventually passed away, pretended to LOVE iCarly. He did this because it was the only kids show that my siblings and I loved that he didn’t hate. This resulted in us putting on iCarly every time it seemed like he wasn’t doing well, thinking we were putting on his favorite show, when really we were giving him the gift of us three kids being quiet for 30 minutes so he could take a chemo nap. It’s a memory that I cherish so much. His other “favorite” was Say Yes To The Dress. Incredible.
YOU CAN COME BACK, HANK:
Anyway, good media fights cancer. Thank you for doing this.
What a great list, for such a great person! I’ll add The Goes Wrong Show. It made the entire family laugh out loud. Have-to-pause-because-you-can’t-see laughter. Enjoy!
Indian here, and definitely don't recommend Kal Ho Naa Ho for the "no crying" caveat - the guy is terminally ill in that one and it's a cry-fest at the end.
Thanks, it has been vanquished from the list!
I love this list! Some of my all time faves on here, specifically Flight of the Conchords and Arrested Development which Kevin and I quote all the time and of course Schitts Creek. I will say Schitts Creek definitely made me misty eyed, it’s ‘simply the best’!
Oh yeah, the love story in the later seasons of Schitt's Creek definitely makes me cry (in a good way)!!
In the category of low-stakes cooking shows, I would highly recommend "baking impossible" (netflix). The show has teams of a baker and an engineer and the tasks all involve engineering fully edible creations to complete a specific task. The teams are all really wholesome and they root for each other and it's just great.
"As you wish". "As you wish" is the crying part of The Princess Bride. Even so, I wouldn't dream of taking it off any list ever. But if you do, then I have a few replacement suggestions. "A Bit if Fry and Laurie". And the "Jeeves and Wooster" series which also contains quite a bit of Fry and Lauire amd "Yes Minister" and "Yes Prime Minister". No cries whatsoever.
(Also two other less old but more forgotten britcoms- "Black Books" and "Spaced".)
If you like Better Off Ted, the creator of that show also produced Andy Richter Controls The Universe, starring Andy Richter and Padgett Brewster, and Dinosaurs, both of which are super weird!
I'm so glad someone mentioned "short poppies" --- it is so good, I discovered it recently because I was on a Rhys Darby binge after watching "Our flag means death." (I would recommend that but the ending of season 1 made me cry.) But David Farrier's podcast "flightless bird" is a great listen, each episode is a weekly mini deep dive on a topic in American culture told from an outsider's perspective.
I love Flightless Bird! I did a similar binge-watch of all things New Zealander but it was a few years back when I got really into Taika Waititi movies, then Flight of the Conchords, then everything Rhys did, then everything David Farrier did, etc etc. So many delightful things to watch and listen to!
HANK DUCKTALES 2017 WILL MAKE YOU CRY PLEASE HANK DONT DO IT
Is it sad?! I had no idea!
So the original is not sad.
BIG SPOILER!
The new one's season one finale involves Scrooge telling Huey, Dewey, and Louie that he accidentally killed their mother. It's ducked up.
WHAT THE HELL!!!!!
Still love Ducktales, still love your article. One made me cry several times. It was not your article.
Added a caveat for it, thanks for the heads up!
could I suggest a caveat for American Vandal? the last episode is Kind of A Bummer imo, in that Dylan succumbs to society's expectations about himself and I'm not even sure he graduates. the ending made me sad anyways. I also don't suggest Secret of Kells, that entire last act is about the city being burned down and lots of people dying. thank you for curating this list!
I love this show but it is certainly a bit of a think-y show, despite it's excellent dumb jokes, and one I think that Hank in particular would find intellectually interesting when he's in the right headspace (if he hasn't already seen it, which I don't think he has since I believe he's said he doesn't watch much TV normally).
I added the caveat and took off Secret of Kells, thanks! I haven't seen Kells but the friend who suggested it to me did note that she's not always the best at recognizing if something is objectively sad. Appreciate the help!
Okay, the fact that iCarly is on here makes me so incredibly happy but also sad, and I want to tell you why, but I need Hank to PROMISE NOT TO READ THIS COMMENT. SERIOUSLY, ITS REALLY SAD DONT READ IT:
Okay, now that Hank is gone, I just want to say that my uncle, who lived with my family while undergoing grueling treatment for brain cancer and eventually passed away, pretended to LOVE iCarly. He did this because it was the only kids show that my siblings and I loved that he didn’t hate. This resulted in us putting on iCarly every time it seemed like he wasn’t doing well, thinking we were putting on his favorite show, when really we were giving him the gift of us three kids being quiet for 30 minutes so he could take a chemo nap. It’s a memory that I cherish so much. His other “favorite” was Say Yes To The Dress. Incredible.
YOU CAN COME BACK, HANK:
Anyway, good media fights cancer. Thank you for doing this.
Thank you for sharing this story, I really appreciate it. It sounds like a really special memory!
It may just be a fluke of alphabetical listing but I'm so glad that American Vandal tops this list, it is a criminally underrated comedic masterpiece.
What a great list, for such a great person! I’ll add The Goes Wrong Show. It made the entire family laugh out loud. Have-to-pause-because-you-can’t-see laughter. Enjoy!