Sometimes, all you need is a dose of pure joy and laughter to brighten your day. These TV shows are the perfect remedy, offering delightful escapism and feel-good moments that will leave you with a warm, contagious smile. So, sit back, relax, and let these shows be your ultimate source of comfort, providing much-needed respite from the everyday hustle. So here's to the joyous side of television and the best lighthearted TV shows that are guaranteed to brighten your day.
45 Lighthearted TV Shows to Watch Right Now
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45.
The Summer I Turned Pretty
Stills and synopses of The Summer I Turned Pretty make it seem like typical teenage fluff. It isn't. Sure, it starts off cheesy and predictable, but it quickly blossoms into something rich and earnest and far more significant than the sum of its parts. The love triangle is merely a jumping-off point to better understand these flawed characters and the people around them. Outside of Belly's coming-of-age journey, there is her brother who encounters a rude awakening on race and class, and their mother who, fresh from a divorce, attempts to establish an identity of her own. Everyone has their own thing going on in this series, so it's easy to feel invested in their fleshed-out failures and triumphs.
It also feels authentically young; the music sounds like it was curated by an actual teenager, while the performances are raw and believable, not stilted and forced as it often is with teen series. The Summer I Turned Pretty is familiar, but comfortingly so. Watch this if you're yearning to re-live the magical, heartbreaking feeling of being young and in love for the first time.
Our staff rating: 7.6/10
Genre: Drama
Actor: Alfredo Narciso, Gavin Casalegno, Jackie Chung, Minnie Mills, Rachel Blanchard, Sean Kaufman, Summer Madison
44.
My Adventures with Superman
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Bright, breezy, and refreshingly unburdened by the seriousness of so many live-action Superman shows and movies, this new animated series wipes the slate clean and boils down the titular hero to his most endearing qualities. Here, Clark Kent is still learning to be more in touch with his identity and emotions—most evident in his enigmatic flashbacks to his childhood, and in his absolute nervousness around the energetic and spontaneous Lois Lane. So while the action and the intrigue in My Adventures with Superman are still somewhat ordinary for an animated series, the undeniable, bashful chemistry between its two leads is what keeps these adventures worth going on. It's a romcom and a coming-of-age story wrapped in a classic superhero adventure, where selflessness and courage are firmly at the heart of everything.
Our staff rating: 7.6/10
Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Family, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Alice Lee, Ishmel Sahid, Jack Quaid
43.
Here We Go
It’s always nice to be able to identify with a group of people on television, but it’s especially entertaining when they’re a hilarious bunch. That’s what the Jessops are, at once relatable and ridiculous, mundane and misfortune-prone. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong, and somehow their troubles worsen anytime they try to fix them or keep a straight face. It sounds strange, but in a TV landscape of bleak comedies and cynical dramas, it’s refreshing and validating to watch the average middle-class family struggle with the same problems we’re having, whether that’s figuring out a good career or trying to reignite the spark of a marriage. That we see all this unfold through the handheld lens of Sam, the youngest of the family, adds a layer of intimacy and charm that makes Here We Go an imminently comforting watch.
Our staff rating: 7.6/10
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Aidan Cheng, Alison Steadman, Freya Parks, Jim Howick, Jude Collie, Katherine Parkinson, Mica Ricketts, Tom Basden, Tori Allen-Martin
Director: Will Sinclair
42.
Blue Box
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When a show is focused on a kid and their sport, chances are, the main character holds a passion for the sport itself. They saw it, they thought it was cool, and they tried it out. Blue Box, however, takes an unconventionally depicted, but no less honest, motivation– the energizing power of having a crush. The way Taiki goes about it feels reminiscent of that first childhood crush, with the excitement, the determination, and the pure mortification each time he perceives to have jumped the gun, but it’s all made endearing with the characterization, writing, and the beautiful render, and it’s easily driven by the familiar device of having to share the same residence. Blue Box is just so darn cute.
Our staff rating: 7.6/10
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Drama
Actor: Akari Kito, Anna Nagase, Asaki Yuikawa, Chiaki Kobayashi, Reina Ueda, Shogo Sakata, Shoya Chiba, Yuma Uchida
41.
Acapulco
There is an art to making a comedy that can be enjoyed by all ages—a balance must be kept between mature and genial humor, serious and unserious matters—and it’s an art that Acapulco manages to execute with finesse. There’s something for everyone here, whether you’re a kid looking for a good story or an adult wishing to drive by memory lane. The colors are vibrant, the characters are alive, and the plot, while familiar, is charming nonetheless. But perhaps the best thing about Acapulco is its call for viewers to be kind. It’s never explicit or preachy about it; it just comes naturally, by way of practice.
Our staff rating: 7.7/10
Genre: Comedy
Actor: Bianca Marroquín, Camila Perez, Carolina Gómez, Chord Overstreet, Damián Alcázar, Enrique Arrizon, Eugenio Derbez, Jessica Collins, Rafael Cebrian, Raphael Alejandro, Regina Reynoso, Vanessa Bauche
40.
Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories
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The episodes of Midnight Diner are just as heartwarming and assorted as the dishes the restauranteur known only as Master prepares for his customers. Much like short stories, they each have their standalone arc and specific conflict, but they all share the same connection: they take place in this diner, which is open only from midnight until early morning, and they follow the lives of everyday Tokyo citizens. There's a broadcaster who seeks the warmth of tan-men after a busy day of work, a has-been comedian who steals his rival comic's corndog, and a realtor who orders pork cutlets to win over lovers. They are mundane and relatable stories told with gentleness and depth, and ingeniously, they all go back to the dish of the day served at Master's diner. For his part, Master helps these characters figure out more than just their orders by doling out advice in his own stoic yet sage way.
It's sort of like miso soup for the soul in that way; heartwarming and comforting, best served on a cold night.
Our staff rating: 7.7/10
Genre: Drama
Actor: Ah-sung Ko, Asako Kobayashi, Bsaku Sato, Hirofumi Arai, Joe Odagiri, Junko Miyashita, Kaoru Kobayashi, Ken Mitsuishi, Kimiko Yo, Ko A-sung, Koen Kondo, Kosuke Toyohara, Kotaro Shiga, Mamiko Itoh, Mansaku Fuwa, Mikako Tabe, Mitsuru Hirata, Reiko Kataoka, Risa Sudou, Shohei Uno, Takashi Yamanaka, Tamae Ando, Tamaki Ogawa, Toru Kazama, Toshiki Ayata, Yoshinori Okada, Yoshiyuki Morishita, Yuma Yamoto, Yutaka Matsushige
39.
Harley Quinn
Crass, violent, and deeply unserious, this adult animated series gets around its rough edges by acknowledging its title character’s reputation. Often seen only in the context of her twisted romance with a much more recognizable villain, Harley Quinn tends to be viewed as merely victim or vixen. But this show has her break free and claim her own story, taking shots not just at her emotionally abusive ex, the Joker, but at the entire DC Comics brand and at any other moving target it can find. The result is a series that has the tendency to feel scattershot, but whose anarchic energy still leads to the catharsis of untethering oneself from an unhealthy addiction and learning to be rebuild.
And though the show’s writing and animation can get too stiff or stilted (especially in later seasons), much of it still works thanks to its bonkers sense of humor, as well as an excellent voice cast. Kaley Cuoco is exactly as brash and expressive as Harley needs to be, and supporting turns from an extensive range of actors (including Lake Bell, whose Poison Ivy eventually becomes Harley’s most important relationship) ensure that every corner of this world has something hilarious to offer.
Our staff rating: 7.7/10
Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Crime, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Kaley Cuoco, Lake Bell
38.
Star Trek: Lower Decks
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If you have the patience to get through its rocky first season, Star Trek: Lower Decks proves itself to be an adult animated series that's deeply committed to getting significantly better with every season. What started as a sort of budget Rick and Morty riff with grating humor and stiff animation has turned into an effortlessly witty sci-fi show with plenty of life in the way it moves. It's still mostly concerned with having silly little adventures at the end of the day, but what's striking is how complete its adventures and sci-fi ideas are in the span of its 20- to 30-minute episodes.
And as it's found its footing, Lower Decks has also gained the confidence to begin telling more overarching stories by its fourth season, with an even stronger focus on character. These kinds of animated comedies could easily avoid any profound development for its protagonists—and this show doesn't exactly have the most deeply-written crew members in Trek history—but there's real heart in how the lower decks crew reflect on the modesty of their stations and how they view themselves within a larger institution. If it doesn't seem too groundbreaking, that's part of the appeal too; smaller stories still deserve to be told.
Our staff rating: 7.7/10
Genre: Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Dawnn Lewis, Eugene Cordero, Fred Tatasciore, Gillian Vigman, Jack Quaid, Jerry O'Connell, Noël Wells, Tawny Newsome
37.
English Teacher
It’s always fun to see teachers in non-teacher mode, where they’re free to swear, complain, and engage in hookups (hey, this is FX!). But there’s something effortlessly absorbing and extra likable about English Teacher. It doesn’t spend too much time setting up a distinct world or fleshing out characters with complicated backstories. Instead, it’s happy to balance irreverent humor with fresh takes on culture wars and current events. The dynamic between the woke school Evan works in versus the conservative state in which it’s located provides endless prompts for all sorts of ridiculous but relatable shenanigans. Most of the insight it provides relates to queer and gender politics, the bumpy nuances of which Alvarez expertly explores. It’s equal parts smart and fun, a likely mainstay in TVs this fall.
Our staff rating: 7.7/10
Genre: Comedy
Actor: Brian Jordan Alvarez, Carmen Christopher, Enrico Colantoni, Sean Patton, Stephanie Koenig
36.
Wellington Paranormal
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Wellington Paranormal is a wry and highly entertaining mockumentary series that follows a special force unit and their adventures in quelling paranormal activity. Taika Waititi executive produces this cross-genre sitcom, which serves as a spin-off to Waititi’s cult classic What We Do in the Shadows.
While the film focuses on the creatures, Wellington Paranormal is decidedly about Officers Minogue and O'Leary and the hijinks that ensue as they encounter all sorts of supernatural beings, from vampires and werewolves to sea monsters and demons. The show is simple but deadpan funny: a chillingly breezy way to spend your binge time.
Our staff rating: 7.8/10
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Fantasy
Actor: Karen O'Leary, Maaka Pohatu, Mike Minogue
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