Good shows for light evenings

Netflix 101.

My mom — who reads this newsletter, hi Mom! — is a bit of a Netflix newbie and has been asking about shows to watch. The criteria are pretty universal and simple: things that are funny or lighthearted, friendly, not scary, and heartfelt. So I told her I’d put some of my favorites into this week’s subscribers-only newsletter.

This is a pretty basic list, the ground floor guide, and you might have heard of all of these. But maybe there’s something in here worth trying. (Strictly episodic TV, no movies, because I could go on forever.)

• The Office, of course, is a standard; I have watched it maybe four or five times. Perfect for throwing on in the background. Also, fun fact: I’ve discovered that after a few years of lying fallow, it’s now a favorite show for Gen Z, few if any of whom have worked in an office like this one. (It’s also leaving Netflix for Peacock at the end of the year.)

• Two older shows in the vein of The Office: the British show The IT Crowd and, of course, Parks & Recreation.

• And obviously, The Good Place.

• Truly one of the most delightful shows ever to exist is Nailed It!, and I will simply let you read what I wrote about it.

  

  Nicole Byer and Jacques Torres, the delightful hosts of Nailed It! and of my heart.

• So is Street Food (seasons in Latin America and Asia), a docuseries made by the also-delightful Chef’s Table people, who in turn are responsible for Jiro Dreams of Sushi (which is not on Netflix but is on Amazon Prime Video and some other services you can find if you Google the name). Anyhow. Street Food focuses on various people who make the food you can buy from carts and stalls, and it’s simply wonderful. I also wrote about it.

• Netflix is especially good at culinary docuseries, but I’ll just throw one more in: The extraordinary Salt Fat Acid Heat. Here is a great article about it that I did not write.

• If you haven’t seen Kim’s Convenience, a sitcom about a Korean family running a convenience store, well, this is your time. It’s truly wonderful — funny, heartwarming, a perfect little show.

• Mom pointed out that Gilmore Girls is on Netflix, which of course means I want to rewatch it.

• This is going to sound like product placement, but I’m serious: Vox’s Explained, created by my colleagues, is a great quick way to learn about all kinds of life’s mysteries. (They’ve also created miniseries to explain the mind, sex, and the coronavirus.)

• There are many, many more, so I’m going to leave the thread open for comments. What’s your favorite?