Family Tree

The three main characters involved in "Traffic Light" apparently represent the three colors involved on a light that directs traffic. Mike (David Denman), Adam (Nelson Franklin), and Ethan (Kris Marshall) have been best friends ever since their days in college and even though they've chosen different paths in life, still remain close now that they are in their thirties. Mike might be compared to a red light because he is married, has a small son, and settled in comfortably with his life and lifestyle. Adam is then the yellow or caution light. He recently moved in with a girlfriend and is cautiously optimistic about their relationship. Ethan, a British bachelor, has no plans for future commitments and hopes to remain "footloose and fancy free" with his life. This highly entertaining sit-com is popular in part due to good writing, interesting characters, and the fact it has no irritating "laugh track" does not hurt. This show is to be appreciated for its candor between friends as they each deal with life and balancing romance and relationships.

The Diplomat (2023–) follows a career foreign service expert suddenly thrown into one of the most visible diplomatic posts in the world, in Netflix's sharp, witty political thriller. Stream it on Netflix.

Comedian Leanne Morgan rebuilds her life after a divorce, with help from her sister, in Chuck Lorre's throwback Netflix sitcom. Streaming on Netflix.

PEN15 is a comedy web television series that premiered on Hulu in 2019. The show was created by Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, and Sam Zvibleman. It follows the lives of two 13-year-old girls, Maya and Anna, as they navigate through the ups and downs of middle school in the year 2000.

An Australian TV mockumentary, Angry Boys has what it takes to make reality television fun to watch. Take a set of teenage twin brothers from Australia, a rapper from Los Angeles, California, a young Japanese boy who wants to become a champion surfer, and an assortment of other characters who drift in and out of the weekly shows and you have a strange combination that somehow works in the "reality TV" format. It's about the typical issues faced by young males in this, the 21st century. The peer pressures, the hopes and dreams all young people have to begin with. Some see their dreams come true, some simply go another route to find happiness. Twins Nathan and Daniel live with their mother and step dad and lead average lives but Nathan happens to be almost entirely deaf. His brother, Daniel decides to give him a great going away present (before Nathan goes off to a school for the deaf) and invite a few of their heroes to attend. Those include a rap artist from LA, S mouse, a surf pro, Tim Okazaki, and a bikini clad model named Emily Chase. Some unusual character combinations make this fun and interesting viewing.

Abbott Elementary is Quinta Brunson’s award-winning mockumentary comedy about Philadelphia teachers making the best of a broken system — heartfelt, hilarious, and deeply human.