Shows with the most likeable casts of characters.

[zippypinhead]

This came up in another thread a little while back, but now I'm looking for a show or two that might actually hook me, and I think this is a good direction to look.

I realized some time ago that the shows that keep me interested for more than a few episodes are shows with at least mostly likeable casts of characters. Characters who are complex, but manage to be nice to each other, who learn and grow, who make me want to root for them, who aren't obnoxious or just plain shitty (which seems to be the way "flawed" gets characterized quite often.)

Anyone got shows they stick with because the characters are so great?

 

[Deleted member 57737]

Only thing I can think of you probably seen already and is very old. Star Trek the next generation. During the first two seasons the creator Gene Roddenberry was still alive and his idea was to show an enlightened society full of people doing the morally right things all the time having absolutely no conflict among each other. That didn't always work though, one or two episodes may have had good intentions but turned out to be really sexist or racist. But most of the time It does a great job in showing a humanistic understanding of the world. Most actors were decent so you learned to like all the characters in their respective role. The problem apparently was that the writers didn't have enough to chew on. Where there is no conflict there is no drama.

Another reason for the point you are making might be that there is no episodical approach to shows anymore. In TNG every episode was a story by itself with beginning and end. If at all the main story arc was next to non existent. So if you missed an episode that was not a problem. Now nobody misses an episode because everything is on demand. So its possible to build a major story arc more or less like a huge cinema movie chopped in pieces. Thats what people want. Or the creators think that this is what people want. Next thing is that the cost of these shows is so huge these days that a flop might kill the whole studio. So the risk is too big to try something new. These new shows are probably the least experimental, least progressive art form there is (If you can even call it that an art form) These costs are also the reason that shows nowadays only have 7-12 episodes per season while TNG had 27 or something. Industrialisation at its finest. If you have 27 episodes you have not only much more time to develop a character, you can also do it with a slower pace, taking detours. I think that's what makes you like a character. Little stories, details.

 

[Dan Epstein]

Speaking of Star Trek, never liked it, but the Picard series written by Michael Chabon is an awesome character study, and you can see Patrick Stewart is having a blast every second of it.

 

[KingMarti]

Not a show or a movie, but just got done watching a really interesting youtube documentary on 10cent and how they grew their company and how far they have spread it.

 

[rockin_rod]

It's old, but I really enjoyed Northern Exposure when it aired on TV in the early 90's.
I'd spent time living in a rugged part of Colorado, so could (relate to the basic plot of a small Alaskan town.
It was quirky and different, but I found the character development really enjoyable.
ETA: haven't seen any of this since it originally screened, so now wondering how it has aged/held up.......

 

[Vixxen81]

I am head over heels in love with the entire cast of CBS's Ghosts. It's very light-hearted but also touching and the characters experience triumphs, love, and loss with personal growth. Each episode focuses on a specific ghost's issue.

 

[Dan Epstein]

It's old, but I really enjoyed Northern Exposure when it aired on TV in the early 90's.
I'd spent time living in a rugged part of Colorado, so could (relate to the basic plot of a small Alaskan town.
It was quirky and different, but I found the character development really enjoyable.
ETA: haven't seen any of this since it originally screened, so now wondering how it has aged/held up.......

That’s also the show that introduced us to the guy who played Spike in Buffy The Vampire Slayer !

 

[zippypinhead]

Some shows that had come to mind for me when thinking about the question include:

Stranger Things, which manages to keep me invested in all the characters, despite always splitting everyone up, and the situations in each season ramping up into greater ridiculousness. The worst I could say about a couple of the characters is that they're a little bland.

The Good Place is an especially excellent example of likeable characters, because the premise of the show is that the whole cast is terrible people who must grow and become better, and that's exactly what happens. It's like the opposite of what most sitcom characterizations end up being, which is either terrible people who remain terrible or get worse over time.

There are a couple other sitcoms I've really liked over the years that fall into that same diversion of standard premise. My Name is Earl (and it's spiritual successor, Raising Hope) start with archetypal "trashy" characters, but make the show about becoming better people. And, maybe the biggest surprise to me was Broad City, where the typical group of insufferable urban hipsters are actually super empathetic and supportive of one another. Whenever I manage to find a show where it isn't an ensemble of 6-10 wisecracking sociopaths just behaving like total monsters to one another, I always hang onto them. I just don't understand why TV comedy especially relies on cruelty for laughs so often.

@Gruner, you make a good point about longer seasons vs. shorter seasons, and serialized vs. episodic narrative structure. I hadn't thought of that before, and I suppose all those approaches have their strengths and weaknesses. I definitely mostly find myself gravitating toward shorter seasons, especially for drama. It can even start feeling like a chore for me to hang in with 8 or 10 episodes, nevermind dozens. Episodic comedies have a bit more leeway, because they're designed to drop in and out of casually.

@rockin_rod Northern Exposure is one of my mom's favorite shows, and she watched it again recently. It holds up well, definitely owing a lot to an ensemble of a bunch of likeable characters. I will say that Fleischman's and O'Connell's unrelenting bickering can wear thin.

@Vixxen81 I wonder how the US version of Ghosts compares to the BBC version? The US version seems very loud.

 

[rockin_rod]

I will say that Fleischman's and O'Connell's unrelenting bickering can wear thin.

Totally agree with this, it was one of my least enjoyed dynamics and I think was overdone in the end.
But I also find that in series where two characters become a couple, that's often the beginning of the end for my interest.
Like maybe the writers have lost direction or inspiration for where to take those individuals.
So for me there's a fine balance to the 'will they, won't they?' character development.

 

[Vixxen81]

@zippypinhead I have not seen the British version of Ghosts but the US version tries to stick to their formula (ghosts reside where they died, can't leave the area where they died) but definitely centers on America through the centuries.

 

[sponkel]

Ted Lasso

 

[zippypinhead]

lol Still on that eternal search for likeable casts (and I want to save this thread from the lock.)

 

[KingMarti]

Seal Team had an excellent cast IMO, and the cast of fire country is pretty good too.

 

[Hiunds]

Ted Lasso

That’s a good one but I will say not every main character is likeable through their entire arc (and I think you know who I mean)

 

[rockin_rod]

M*A*S*H was a fave of mine growing up, limited number of characters and you got to know them all so well.

 

[AmberCutie]

If you can find "Jury Duty" to stream episodes of I recommend it. Don't read anything about it, just jump in and enjoy the ride! I promise it'll bring good feels.

 

[zippypinhead]

If you can find "Jury Duty" to stream episodes of I recommend it. Don't read anything about it, just jump in and enjoy the ride! I promise it'll bring good feels.

My friend was just telling me the other day that he got hooked on Jury Duty. I had a hard time wrapping my head around why James Marsden was in it, given the premise. I'm already ruined on the concept, unfortunately. Twenty years ago, there was a show called The Joe Schmo Show (which apparently is now being redone) that inspired Jury Duty, and I was a big fan of Joe Schmo at the time. If you liked Jury Duty, Joe Schmo would be worth a watch, if only because there are some surprisingly now-recognizable folks in the cast (including Kristen Wiig and David Hornsby.)

 

[AmberCutie]

My friend was just telling me the other day that he got hooked on Jury Duty. I had a hard time wrapping my head around why James Marsden was in it, given the premise. I'm already ruined on the concept, unfortunately. Twenty years ago, there was a show called The Joe Schmo Show (which apparently is now being redone) that inspired Jury Duty, and I was a big fan of Joe Schmo at the time. If you liked Jury Duty, Joe Schmo would be worth a watch, if only because there are some surprisingly now-recognizable folks in the cast (including Kristen Wiig and David Hornsby.)

I didn't realize it was inspired by that! I've seen a few episodes of the old version, wasn't a fan but I'd try a new one if it's being redone!

 

[zippypinhead]

I didn't realize it was inspired by that! I've seen a few episodes of the old version, wasn't a fan but I'd try a new one if it's being redone!

The youtuber T1J did a really fun video essay about Joe Schmo a little while back. I'd say that's probably enough of an investment of time for folks who are curious. I honestly don't know how well it has aged in twenty years. It was definitely more a product of the cultural landscape of the time, which makes me wonder how they're going to approach a reboot.

 

[Nienna]

Homicide Life On The Streets was awesome. I loved the dynamics of the personalities involved.

 

[rockin_rod]

Homicide Life On The Streets was awesome. I loved the dynamics of the personalities involved.

I mentioned that show in another thread where the character Munch was discussed, agree it was an awesome series.
I particularly liked Andre Braugher as Frank Pembleton...... and the final scene in 'Crosetti' where he defies senior management and performs a one-man honor salute in full dress blues, is still one of the most poignant moments in TV for me.

 

[sponkel]

That’s a good one but I will say not every main character is likeable through their entire arc (and I think you know who I mean)

fuck NATE

 

[cbhours]

Love Ted Lasso

 

[rockin_rod]

Love Ted Lasso

I just started watching season 1 last night, really enjoying it so far!

 

[Hiunds]

I just started watching season 1 last night, really enjoying it so far!

when you get to the first half of season three, just remember it all serves a purpose in the end.

 

[zippypinhead]

I just finished the first season of The Expanse, and I was pleasantly surprised to find I was rooting for all the protagonists (and even a couple of antagonists) throughout. It really got the whole "flawed, but not shitty" part of characterization right. I know there's a bunch more seasons to get through. I hope it manages to keep me invested, but based on that first season, I do have high hopes.