4. The Goldbergs (ABC)
Just like how Fuller House puts my nostalgia buttons, I happen to be pretty much the same age as Goldbergs creator Adam F. Goldberg, so very often there are themes and moments in the episodes that just plain make me happy. Wendi McLendon-Covey consistently brings Emmy-level delivery to Beverly Goldberg, and if she doesn’t get a statue for that role eventually, there’s something wrong with people. The characters do sometimes evolve slowly, but there’s a familiarity that makes this one great as well. You can always expect Murray to be a curmudgeon and for Barry to do something ridiculous, for example.
I, of course, will identify with Adam (Sean Giambrone), who has grown about 5 years older in the course of 1980-something, but we’ll just accept the timeline as long as the show continues being this good. This is certainly the series I would recommend to someone who seeks recommendations.
(The clip below is more heartfelt than funny, but it is a great representation of what the series can be.)
3. One Day at a Time (Netflix)
This show isn’t a continuation of the original 1975-1984 One Day at a Time series; it’s a remake, re-envisioning the Cooper-Romano family of Indianapolis as a Cuban family in Los Angeles. What makes One Day at a Time possibly one of the best remakes in TV history is that it keeps the original core of the series while not pretending to be the original. A character like Lydia, so brilliantly played by EGOT winner Rita Moreno, wouldn’t have existed on the original show, and Justina Machado’s Penelope is a lot less slappy and screamy than Bonnie Franklin’s Ann Romano ever was. Todd Grinnell’s Schneider is a hipster rather than the down and dirty “super” that Pat Harrington Jr. played so well. Props also go to Isabella Gomez for her portrayal as Elena whose journey in Season 1 is heartfelt, touching, and real.
But like that original family, the Alvarez family has conflicts, and social situations you would find in 2017, which are addressed with a lot of heart, love, and humor. At age 95, Norman Lear is still an Executive Producer, and you feel that same influence that he had on his great 1970’s creations like All in the Family and Maude. Modern creators Gloria Calderon-Kellett and Mike Royce made the concept work in present day — my only complaint is that a show like this isn’t on broadcast TV, because it would really be a great thing to see on a weekly basis.
