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As the world outside of our streaming boxes has gotten nastier, we’ve seen an uptick in the population of amiable goofballs within them, with comfort shows like Ted Lasso and Schitt’s Creek having set the template. Rooster‘s Greg Russo (Steve Carell) isn’t exactly one of this crowd; his world is falling apart around him rather precipitously in the opening episodes of the HBO series, but the vibe is far less dour. It’s a show about a likable, well-meaning character who struggles to maintain his principles and outlook when faced with a world that’s more than happy to throw mud in his face.
If that’s something you need more of in your life, here are 10 other shows about characters whose failures are relatable, and whose successes are inspiring. Here’s to the losers.
Lucky Hank (2023)
Bob Odenkirk hopped directly from Better Call Saul to this academic satire, starring as Hank Devereaux, Jr., a creative writing teacher at a tiny college in Pennsylvania. As the show starts, he’s humiliated by a student, publicly mocks his school in a way that nearly gets him tossed, has to deal with his more successful father, and comes to believe that his wife is having an affair. His life only gets more chaotic from there. Mireille Enos (The Killing) co-stars in this short-lived, but still really good, comedy of middle-aged ennui. Buy Lucky Hank from Prime Video or Apple TV.
A Man on the Inside (2024 – )
Another amiable and well-loved TV celebrity stars in this lightly satirical comedy that’s a bit more plot-oriented than a typical sitcom. Ted Danson plays Charles Nieuwendyk, a hapless retired professor and recent widower who listens to his daughter’s plea that he find something to keep him occupied. He answers an ad from a private investigator looking for someone to go undercover by moving into a retirement community in San Francisco in hopes of discovering who’s been stealing the residents’ jewelry. As he comes to care about the people he’s investigating (and lying to), his job only gets harder. Start at the beginning, but I’ll direct your attention toward the second season, co-starring Danson’s real-life wife Mary Steenburgen, and set at a small liberal arts college not at all unlike Rooster’s Ludlow. Stream A Man on the Inside on Netflix.
The Chair (2021)
Sandra Oh stars in this comedy-drama as Dr. Ji-Yoon Kim, the newly appointed chair of the English department at fictional Pembroke University. The first woman to hold the job, she struggles to balance the significance of the role with a budding relationship and her challenging daughter. This ambitious series only lasted one season, but got great reviews and went a bit deeper than Rooster in its satire of modern academia. Stream The Chair on Netflix.
Ted Lasso (2020 – )
Loveable goof Ted Lasso stole our hearts back in 2020, and there’s a largely unexpected revival on the horizon years after the end of its original three-season run. Jason Sudeikis plays the title character, an American college football coach, hired by owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) to coach her Richmond football club (soccer to us Americans), despite his lack of any experience with the sport. She won the team in a messy divorce, and figures that Ted will ruin the franchise that her ex loved so much. With everything and (nearly) everyone against him, he nonetheless wins the team over with his relentless, occasionally ridiculous good-natured optimism. Stream Ted Lasso on Apple TV.
Dear White People (2017 – 2021)
Adapted and extending the 2014 movie, this show takes us to a (fictional) Ivy League school for a comedy-drama that takes on campus life and politics from a rather different perspective than that of Rooster. Logan Browning leads the ensemble cast as Sam White, who kind-of inadvertently starts the titular radio show following a racially charged incident on campus. Far from the screed that some bad faith YouTubers seem to find in the show, it’s never shy about confronting the complicated and occasionally silly contradictions of campus activism, with each episode approaching life at Winchester University from a different character’s perspective. Stream Dear White People on Netflix.
Shrinking (2023 – )
A fun, funny, occasionally serious dramedy (Rooster vibe-match here), Shrinking stars Jason Segal as cognitive behavioral therapist Jimmy Laird, who’s been in a depression spiral since the death of his wife a year before the show opens. When he tries to get through a workday following a night of partying, he loses it on a whiny patient—which is not exactly standard procedure. But Jimmy finds himself invigorated, nonetheless, and telling people what he really thinks becomes his new thing, with mixed results. Jessica Williams plays fellow therapist Gaby Evans, perpetually upbeat despite her recent divorce, while Harrison Ford is clearly having a great time playing Jimmy’s crusty boss and mentor. Michael J. Fox joined the cast for the recently completed third season, and it’s been renewed for a fourth. Stream Shrinking on Apple TV.
What do you think so far?
Abbott Elementary (2021 – )
Very quickly establishing itself as one of the great workplace mockumentaries, Quinta Brunson’s Abbott Elementary does a workplace comedy like The Office one better in portraying its cast of (mostly) well-meaning characters running up against an American educational system that doesn’t always reward good intentions. Stream Abbott Elementary on Hulu and HBO Max.
Somebody Somewhere (2022 – 2024)
Bridget Everett stars as Sam Miller, who struggles to find her new direction after moving back to her hometown to care for her dying sister (don’t worry: there’s plenty of comedy in the drama, and it’s not as heavy as it sounds). She’s solidly middle-aged and starting over, kinda—making new friends in a familiar environment where she has to confront the past and the future alike. Luckily, her love of singing, and a community of goofy oddballs, are there to help. It’s another story of a person of a certain age, trying to rebuild their life following an upheaval. Stream Somebody Somewhere on HBO Max.
Chad Powers (2025 – )
One minute, Russ Holliday (series star and co-creator Glen Powell) is the biggest name in collegiate football, with a future that couldn’t be brighter. The next, he’s fumbled a touchdown and later shoved a fan into a cancer patient using a wheelchair. Not great! Eight years later, he’s looking for a comeback and so, with shades of Mrs. Doubtfire, he reinvents himself via prosthetics and a wig as the title’s Chad Powers, a charmingly naive athlete who signs on to the football team at a tiny Georgia college. It’s a goofy premise, but Powell’s performance sells it, and the show becomes more engaging as Russ/Chad is forced to ask himself whether this new persona is a con, or the person he’d like to be. Stream Chad Powers on Hulu.
Mr. Corman (2021)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as yet another middle-aged (definitions of which vary wildly on TV and IRL) teacher making a new start of it. Once focused on life as the lead of indie electronica band, Josh Corman been at a loss since he broke up with his fiancée and one-time bandmate, Megan. Plagued by crippling anxiety (relatable!), he’s now a public school teacher trying to figure out his life. The show dramatizes Josh’s inner struggle via animated sequences and song-and-dance numbers, adding a bit of extra color to its depiction of middle-aged ennui. Stream Mr. Corman on Apple TV.
